Camino del Norte Day 14: Colombres to Llanes

It rained. And then it rained some more. It was one of those days on the Camino del Norte, but it was all worth it.

I knew from last night I would wake up to rain. But the advance knowledge didn’t make it any easier. I tried procrastinating for a bit, but it was pointless. For the first three and a half hours of today’s walk it just came down. I stopped for coffee stops twice to dry out a bit and let the worst of it pass. The second time was the charm. Not only did I run into Robbie, my erstwhile American buddy on the Camino, It stopped raining and the rest of the day was lovely. The rain really is something you need to be ready for on the Camino del Norte. It always rains, no matter the time of year. You just have to accept it.

And while I did seriously consider just skipping today and taking a cab to Llanes, I was reluctant to miss out on today’s walk. I knew it would be beautiful regardless, with most of the route spent on country roads hugging the coastline. So I put on my rain gear and headed out the door. The first hour seriously sucked. But once I took my first detour off the road, and onto this first “secret” coastal stretch it all made sense. 

A “secret” coastal path on the Camino del Norte

The secret path is not exactly a secret, but it’s not well marked. And most people walking the Camino del Norte simply walk on past. Literally if it weren’t for an arrow on the ground on a random place along the road you would never know. All you see to your right are bushes. Bushes that you must aside before walking over a set of train tracks, then through a livestock barrier gate until you finally walk past some grazing cows to the most beautiful sea views you could hope to see. 

As soaked through as I was by this point I just didn’t care. This was awesome. I was going to get dumped on regardless. Better this way than getting sprayed by semi-trucks while trudging along the side of some road right?

The path itself was narrow, rocky muddy and slippery. I only ever saw two other pilgrims on it while I was there. And it’s not surprising. On at day like today. I can see why some would be discouraged from even trying it. But I wasn’t. 

Eventually I found my way back to the road for a short stretch. Then turned back onto the coastal path where I would remain until nearly the end. This “official” coastal route was a wide gravel path. It was signposted and perfectly safe to traverse even in inclement weather. It was beautiful, but if I do say so myself, lacked a bit of the magic of my secret route. 

In any case it was at some point on this official coastal road that it finally stopped raining. The sun even came out!!

Arriving in Llanes

I made it into my ex-convent/now hotel in Llanes at 3:15pm. If I could get myself put together by 3:45pm they told me I could still order lunch. This is what I call a Camino del Norte success! 

No sightseeing notes today because frankly I was just too tired to do more than just take a cursory walk around town. There’s a cave I may try to get into tomorrow. But a 30K day awaits and it’s going to rain again so we’ll see. 

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Today’s Stats

Distance: 15 miles (24K)

Elevation Gain: 2,211 (674m)

Duration: 6:15hrs. 

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Food and Accommodation

Hotel Don Paco. I really enjoyed this hotel. It’s a stay I was looking forward to from the beginning. The interior itself is not all that exciting. But the building is historic building with a beautiful covered terrace. Despite the persistent rain I was able to enjoy a lovely meal there on arrival in town.

Lunch: Hotel Don Paco. Despite my late arrival I was grateful for the restaurant’s flexibility allowing me to sit down and order even though it was a few minutes past the kitchen closing time. Service, wine and food were on point. They also have a pretty reasonable Menu del Día.