Camino del Norte Day 18: Villaviciosa to Pola de Siero

I tried making friends with a Siamese kitty today. Then I noticed the mouse in his mouth. But never mind that. As of now, I’m technically no longer on the Camino del Norte.

I left my pension in Villaviciosa around 8:15am. I knew there was no point in leaving early. The Monastery I planned on visiting doesn’t open till 10:30am. Also it was raining and I was procrastinating. 

Adding to the delays, I left my trekking poles in my room so I had to double back.

A fork in the road: Leaving the Camino del Norte

Once under way, the first six miles went by quickly. Before I knew it I arrived at a split in the road. Here pilgrims walking the Camino a Santiago have a choice to make. Either stay on the Camino del Norte towards Gijón, or deviate towards Oviedo to get on the Camino Primitivo. For me it was a choice that was made months ago. I wondered how many others that day would be making the same one. By appearances, not many. I only saw one other pilgrim on the trail near me all day. 

The Monasterio Valdedios: A short detour

With that split behind me I had to look for yet another. This one dividing the official Camino a Santiago route from the variant to visit the Monasterio de Valdedios. Thank goodness for Camino apps that tell you exactly what to look for. When the time came the written directions were as clear as mud. The painted words meant to show the way were completely blurred out on the stone wall in front of me. 

Somewhat confident that I was heading in the right direction, I kept going. Though I did ask the first local I encountered along the way just to double check. A short time later I was at the Monastery. I got there so fast, they still weren’t open. After waiting around 15 minutes I finally went it.

The Monasterio Valdedios is one of the most important religious sites along the Camino a Santiago. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They even have an albergue on site for pilgrims who chose to go this way. It’s ironic, considering would-be visitors must take a variant to get here. The monastery itself dates back “only” to the 13th century, when it was founded by the Cistercian order. But it is the chapel of San Salvador that steals the show. The chapel was built in the 9th century on the orders of Asturian King Alfonso III. The pre-Romantic structure still has many of its paintings intact. Its history is fantastic. And because I got there before opening, there were only two others with me. We basically had the whole place to ourselves while we was there. 

Forty-five minutes later I was back on my way…after again leaving my trekking poles behind. This time a kind visitor who was arriving as I was leaving ran out with them. I’m absent-minded at the best of times. But the fatigue is clearly showing itself more starkly these days.

A steep climb, a long descent and my last night on the Camino a Santiago

It was time to climb. A lot. I knew this too. Visiting the monastery comes at a price. Maybe that’s why it’s an alternate route. That route presents pilgrims with a pretty rude climb that takes nearly an hour to overcome. 

The good news is that once the climb is done, it’s essentially a long 8 mile descent down into town. It was around this time I thought maybe I could make it to Pola de Siero in time for lunch.” I never really expected to in the beginning. Not with the stage being as long as it is. And not after the time spent visiting the monastery. But at some point I had hope. I channeled by inner Speedy Gonzalez, going as fast as I could. I did stop briefly for a juice and a bocadillo—aka a tiny Spanish sandwich—before motoring on. 

It was 2 miles before hitting town when I finally gave up the ghost. The Camino kept routing me through trails, rather than the road, which while welcome also added distance. 

I arrived in Pola de Siero 15 minutes after all the kitchens closed for their afternoon break. But it was OK.

I never expected Siero to be so big. It’s a suburb for three essentially equidistant cities: Gijón, Aviles and Oviedo. And it’s pretty cool. I really dig it. My apartment here is awesome, right on the Camino and near a ton of restaurants.

I took my time showering, relaxing and fixing some cel phone data issues. At exactly 7pm I sat down at a restaurant and polished off an entire pizza and a slice of cheesecake. Tomorrow I arrive in Oviedo. Tomorrow is my final day on the Camino a Santiago. At least for now.

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Today’s Stats:

Distance: 17.3 miles (27.8K)

Elevation gain: 2,312ft (705m)

Total walking time: 6:13hrs

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Food and Accommodation:

Apartamentos La Casina de los Músicos. I absolutely loved this place. My last accommodation before reaching Oviedo, this was a modern, very well-appointed apartment. My only oversight was mistakenly thinking it had a washing machine. It hardly mattered though and I appreciated the provided breakfast as well.

Lunch: Pizzeria la Forna. After a month of Spanish cuisine, I’m not going to lie, I needed a change. And the pizza here was tasty and fit the bill quite nicely. I got half four cheese and half caprichosa with chorizo, hard-boiled egg and artichokes. Sounds strange but was so good.