I stayed at the Albergue at Sabrayo last night – and it was a very different experience from my last Albergue. It was small and crowded, and no food was provided, which was a problem as it was in the middle of no-where. I had to get on my bike to find a bar in on the main road, and had to set off today without breakfast. I had to ask some young German chaps to stop making so much noise and the French man in my room snored. One high spot though, as I set off, was the sight of a local cutting his long grass for silage, with a scythe!
I know it is going to be a long day, so I start early, stop rarely and take few photos. To save distance I don’t follow the Camino south to Oviedo but rather head directly west through Gijon. This takes me through some pretty horrible industrial regions, but in the end I’m glad as the day does indeed turn out to be a long one – over 100km and almost 2,400m of ascent. Check out the GPS log:
One photo I had to stop for however was one of the many huge viaducts that have been built to take the new fast road along the coast. Note the old version in the back-ground.
As I arrive exhausted in Soto de Luina, I chat to this bloke who is on his fifth camino (there are several different routes) with his 2 dogs, both of whom have their own certificates!
My next day is a rest day, so I clean and repair the bike, write some of my book, and visit the local naturist beach. The whole naturist beach thing is appealing to me very much. Being able to swim naked is one of the great treats in life, and it’s nice being with people who are so uninhibited. My trip along the camino is becoming a hop from one beach to another.
My Epic Journey 