Vamos a la playa

Back to the coast. On the morning I left Güemes I walked a quick 5km to get back to the north coast of Spain. The official Camino route is along an asphalt road from Güemes towards Somo. The route I took, which is also recommended, is 5km longer but went along the coast towards Somo.

A beautiful day, sunny, blue sky, nice paths along beautiful cliffs and beaches. Too beautiful to just pass by, so I decided to go to one of the beaches, Playa de Langre Pequeña, for a long lunch break and a swim.

In the afternoon I walked along Playa de Loredo and Playa de Somo. Here are four different campsites where I thought I could put my tent for the night. No luck, everything was full, not even a space for a small pilgrim's tent. Mega high season here, the campsites are really overflowing, the tents are literally against one another. Holidaytime, great fun!

My options were to go further, take the ferry from Somo to Santander. This is a big city with few options for pilgrims, or pitching my tent somewhere in the dunes at Somo beach. I went for option two. An easy 13.7 km is a great start after a week of not walking.

I bought some food and drinks at the supermarket and found a spot on the beach to enjoy the sunset. With the arrival of dusk I went looking for a sheltered spot between the trees in the dunes. This is how I ended day 132, after a week in the Landrover, back in my tent again. Let's just hope that there are no drunk monkeys, uhh holiday people walking around at night.

Slept well, heard nothing and saw no one. Before the sun was completely up and the holidayfolk went for a walk, I had neatly put away my tent and there was nothing to see from my slumber party. The pleasant and short day yesterday gave me a late start today. Turned out the first ferry doesn't go until 9:30 on Saturday. Oh well, swimming to Santander is not an option, so I use the time to write. With a view over the sea of ​​course.

With the ferry I arrived on day 133 in the city of Santander. By now I had used up quite a bit of battery stock. Looking for a Chai latte to solve that issue. Together with avocado and toast I enjoyed this in a nice cafe while my phone was charging. The fellow pilgrim I had chatted with on the boat walked in. Coincidentally, of all the cafes in town she walked into this one. She joined me at the table and we started talking. The Camino conversation led to Güemes and I asked if she had seen the Landrover. Yes she said, and that they had been told that a pilgrim had made a bed in it. Whoa, that's me!

She was completely touched and couldn't believe I was a Landrover girl. If she could take a picture with me because she was definitely going to tell other pilgrims about this. It made me laugh a lot, but it was also very nice to hear that I got a small piece in the Güemes story.

By now it had started to rain, but there was still some walking to be done today. The rain was light and doable with a raincoat. In the afternoon the weather cleared. The route turned away from the coast and unfortunately again a lot on asphalt. After 24km I arrived in the small town of Mogro where there was a large church, with a water fountain and surrounded by grass. Nice place for a tent. It was wonderfully quiet and was just outside the village.

First a break at the picnic bench and then set up my tent after. I boiled water for a tea and ate baguette with banana, snacked on blueberries and a piece of chocolate with tea.

In the meantime, a dozen cars drove up and the church bell rang. Turned out to be a Saturday night. Two older ladies walked up to me and asked if I was going to Santaigo. One could speak reasonable English so I told my story. She asked if I needed anything. Do you need some food? Do you need money?

I thanked her kindly, but I had everything I needed. She asked me to light a candle for them at St.Jacobus.

Day 134 was a grey day. I walked from the church in Mogro to Santillana del Mar in 23.3km. The entire route today through the interior, hilly meadows and again a lot of asphalt. The abundance of blackberries along the road provided a good dose of vitamins and the bee, which literally fell with its ass in the nectar of the flower, gave this day some enjoyable moments.

Santillana del Mar is a small picturesque and touristic village. I walked through the crowds of people to end my day at the campsite just outside the village. They asked 25 euros for a place to set up my tent and 10 euros for a pilgrim's bed in their dormitory. Well, i’ll take the bed then. It was a small room with 7 bunk beds, of which, miraculously, only 3 beds were occupied that night. A snore-free sleep.

Check out was 11am at the latest, so I used this morning and the power supply to finish writing my previous story. With the feeling of being a lot lighter I continued day 135. It was a very varied day. The morning inland led through several small villages, each with a unique looking church. By lunchtime I finally made it back to the coast again. It started to clear up a bit, but it wasn't swimming weather for me. Eating my lunch on the beach and walking through the water. Piece of stale bread and a load of fresh fruit.

The afternoon was sunny and took me along a nice path along the coast to Comillas. A Spanish seaside village with a historic center. A park right on the beach invited me to read a book.

The old center is known for the works of art by famous names such as Gaudi. In the afternoon I walked around here having a look at it. I bought food at the supermarket and filled my waterbag at the art fountain Fuente de los Tres Caños from 1889.

I walked out of town to find a place for the night. After a few kilometers along the coast I arrived at Punta Lumbreras. This was part of the Camino route and no tourists walked here anymore. A spot on an open field ending with a cliff on the sea seemed a very suitable place for the night and I put my backpack here after 25 km. I decided to eat first and enjoy the sunset, if I thought the place was still suitable after that, I set up my tent.

I ate my first Salmorejo with a baguette. This is kind of a gazpacho, cold tomato soup. Surprisingly tasty. In the meantime a number of joggers had passed by and a man with a large photo camera and the sun gave us a beautiful sunset. It felt good. I put up my tent and enjoyed this fantastic place. One of those I could never afford to live in.

The next day started with a beautiful sunrise and a clear view of the mountains of National Park Picos de Europa.

My daily rhythm is slowly changing with the daylight. The sun doesn't set until 9:30 PM and doesn't rise until 7:20 AM. Usually my alarm is set at 6 o'clock, in May it was already long light then, now it is still pitch dark. I have spoken to several pilgrims who start in the dark and walk with a headlamp, but this feels very unnatural to me. I live with the rhythm of the sun as a pilgrim.

Yesterday I bought a jar of Alpro yogurt, this with a banana and peach, made my breakfast this morning. The morning route of day 136 was beach hopping. Three beaches where the route ran next to, but instead of walking next to them I walked on the beach. With bare feet through the rolling waves. There were already surfers here and there and some folks with dogs, but otherwise the beaches were still pretty quiet.

Around noon I walked through the old fishing village of San Vicente de la Barquera and picnicked my lunch in the park. Bread with a load of fresh fruit seems to be becoming a tradition. The peaches, plums and nectarines are really delicious.

I've been looking for a new gas bottle for a few days, but no luck. Walked into several campsites on the way today, but they are all too big. I was advised to go to the gas station. I walked passed here in the afternoon. A very large one with a restaurant and everything. Unfortunately no gas bottle. I could shower for free. Actually 3 euros, but the hot water tap did not work. I took a seat in the restaurant to charge my phone. Turned out they had a number of vegan dishes on the menu. Well, that’s dinner then. I did not have a shower and food at a gas station on this Camino yet. They didn't have a bed. After the vegan chicken faijtas with a glass of wine and a refreshing shower, I continued walking.

It was already getting late, but I felt good after this break. The route ran along a main road and through contiguous villages, unfortunately nowhere a suitable spot for a tent.

I crossed the bridge that took me from the province of Cantabria to Asturias. The first town in Asturias was Colombres. Here I arrived after a good 31.8km and found a bed in a large albergue, El Cantu. Nothing special, nothing nice, but a good bed for the night.

In the morning my roommates left early and I could get up in peace. It was another grey day with drizzle and light rain here and there. As soon as I left Colombres there was a fork in the route. The official route was along a major road. The alternative route was the GR-E9 along the coast. Easy choice for me. The route brought me along beautiful cliffs and rocks. Cows and goats on the way and a few large geysers that produced an impressive sound.

At a small village in the late afternoon I bought some food and filled my water supply. I had seen two potential sleeping options on the map. The first was on a lawn near a church, great place. But I prefer a place at the coast. There was a small beach only a 10 minute walk from the church, if it's nothing I could always walk back I thought.

The first part ran through a meadow with cows, staring at me strangely, as if they didn't often see people. The second part the path became narrower and the vegetation around it became wilder. Some pretty intense barbed plants. Shall I go back? Ah, just a little bit more, I could see the beach. Even denser vegetation, more barbed plants. This is not possible, turn around. But the way back is just as bad, so keep going. Eventually I came to a small field in front of the beach. Full of scratches and scrapes. Had I gotten myself a good route again, but the end result was worth it. A mini beach with a beautiful field to place my tent for the night. That's how I ended up on day 137, after a 23.9km on Playa del Cura. It was still quite early in the evening but I was too tired to wait to set up my tent. The people who came to visit the small beach in the evening all greeted me kindly.

After a good night's sleep I continued on day 138 along the north coast of Asturias. I walked through the coastal village of Llanes and along beautiful beaches such as Playa de Palombina, Playa de Barro, Torimbia. The GR coastal route is highly recommended, fantastically beautiful!

In a large parking area near Torimbia beach, a couple was picnicking in front of the trunk of their car. I asked if they spoke English, they turned out to be Dutch. If I wanted some food. They still had enough from their lunch. Come sit down they said. A delicious red cabbage salad with apple, avocado, arugula and a mustard dressing, I can't say no to that. We had a nice conversation, they had also walked parts of the Camino themselves and where happy to be able to give something back to a pilgrim as they themselves had received as pilgrims. Meetings like these are great!

My final destination for this day was Playa de San Antolín, after an 18km. This night I took on a new challenge. I really want to sleep on the beach and in a few days the route will go inland again, so now is the time. Unfortunately, this is not officially allowed, so setting up a tent is not an option. It was sleeping without a tent. San Antolín was a beautiful long stretched pebble beach. First a swim and a shower. Picked a good spot, enjoyed the sunset and waited for the beach to empty. With my inflatable mat I lay comfortably on the pebble. The gently washing up waves gave a wonderful peaceful feeling, now trying to sleep.

I woke up several times that night, not because anything or anyone was there, but because I was unaccustomed to sleeping out in the open like this. Once I woke up and I had damp arms in my sleeping bag, as if there was condensation on the inside of my sleeping bag, as it does on the inside of the tent. Is that even possible?

Despite the somewhat broken night, it was great to wake up on the beach by the sea with the sunrise. Well worth it. Worth repeating.

So I made sure that I ended day 139 at Playa de Vega, a long day of 28.4km. A long stretched sandy beach packed with people. I found a place for my stuff and walked into the water. So great to have a swim after a day of walking, good on the feet and knees.

While the sun slowly set I ate my dinner, a bag of quinoa with chickpeas and carrot and I added tomato and avocado myself. Slowly the beach emptied again and I looked for a sheltered spot for the night. A kind of nook in the rocks where a few logs lay in a corner, perfect for sheltering behind, as if someone had slept there before. That night I only laid out the groundsheet, not the mattress, the sand is soft enough to lie on. I fell asleep with the sound of the sea next to me. Somewhere in the night I woke up to feeling drops, oh dear, rain. Quickly grabbed the outersheet of the tent and stretched it over me with help of the walking sticks. Luckily it was just a few drops.

The morning was wonderful, really nice to wake up on an empty beach overlooking the great Atlantic Ocean.

This was also the last opportunity to do so so I took my time this morning. Yoga on the beach, breakfast and tea on the beach. Then it started to rain. Well, you just cooked yourself a hot tea. What are you doing then? Put on a raincoat, groundsheet over your legs and enjoy your tea. Pelgrims life.

As soon as my tea was finished and the rain eased, I packed the rest of my backpack and started walking. Today was day 140. Gosh, what a time has passed!

Today was the last day along the coast, so I decided to keep the distance short to enjoy the sun, sea and beach. On the way I passed a house where there were countless signs of place names all over the world. The man offered I could paint my city on a sign. Pretty cool. VENLO 2700KM

I eventually walked 10.9km, from beach to beach, to arrive at La Isla early in the afternoon. Here I swam in the sea for a while before looking for an albergue. After two nights on the beach it was time for a normal shower again. They had a garden where I could place my tent, happy to sleep in my "little house" that night.

Since my departure from Venlo on April 2, I get a little closer to Santiago with every step. But now it's getting really close!

Thank you all for your support, reading and comments. Just a few more stories and we'll be there, stick with me a little longer!