WALKING ASTURIA’S CAMINO DE SANTIAGO’S COASTAL WAY

The Camino de Santiago is a historic route, used by pilgrims from all over Europe to guide them to Santiago de Compostela.

The Camino, or ‘way’ follows the north coast of Spain, along The Cantabrian Sea’s coastline from Irun to Galicia – this in the Northern Way/Camino(as oppose to the French Way, the Portuguese Way etc’) The fact that it crossed the north of Spain well before the reconquest of Spain from the Moors occupation, made it a safe route to get to the tomb of the Apostle Saint James, in Santiago Compostela.

Nowadays it’s certainly the more beautiful of the ‘Caminos’ as it quietly follows the Cantabrian shoreline, and is far less populated by other pilgrims and walkers.

However, as wonderful as it is to follow this historic route, not everyone has 5 – 6 weeks to walk the 820kms distance!

Our itinerary consists of 8 days walking on and parallel to the Camino, while enjoying the various stages at a more leisurely pace, and staying in comfortable rural hotels and apartments, free of worrying about our luggage which is transferred to our evening’s accommodation.

Our walk starts out from the picturesque town of Bustio, on the banks of the river Deva, and moves westwards through small villages and hamlets, pastures and forests along the coast, taking us to the beautiful medieval fishing village of Llanes.

The route is dotted with medieval buildings, Gothic and Romanesque churches and traditional Asturian farm buildings with their typical ‘horreos’, and elegant mansions constructed by immigrants returning from Mexico and Cuba in the middle of the 19^th Century.

Our pace is relaxed as we pass along the coastal way, at times within a few meters of the sea, with wonderful views along the cliffs and beaches, coves and bays. We combine our walk with rests and picnics as we move westwards.

We will stay in peaceful rural hamlets, where we witness the age-old way of life, practically unchanged over the past few centuries.

We pass through the wonderful Medieval town of Llanes, before heading on westward to the town of Poo, where we spend two nights. We finish the hike in the town of Villahormes, with the option of a day spent cycling. along the coast.