We enjoyed a taste of a “Gucci Camino” at our beautiful Hotel Valle Las Luina last night. When we were leaving in the morning, we saw that we weren’t the only pilgrims enjoying a little luxury. A group of eight were setting off at the same time. There was even a taxi waiting outside to transport backpacks. Nice!

We had walked just over a kilometre when we came to a split in the trail and had to make a choice: Take the more strenuous and more scenic mountain route where there are no services or the coastal route where there are opportunities to stop for coffee, lunch, or find a beach, etc. We chose the coastal route.

The coastal route had its own challenges: a series of ascents and descents on a trail that more or less parallels the road and occasionally joins up with it. No sooner would we descend into a gully and cross a little stream, than we’d be heading up the other side.

Dave had enough of the ups and downs by the time we  stopped for cafe con leche so we decided to part ways. (No, we’re not getting a divorce! 🤣) Dave walked along the road to Cadavedo, our destination for the day, while I took the trail for even more ups and downs.

Everything was fine until I got lost. When the trail got narrower and shoulder high ferns started closing in, I knew I had a problem. I checked my off-line map and saw that the trail I should be on ran parallel, to the left and down from where I was. I could either blaze a trail through the ferns and hope there was no fence or brambles to bar my way onto the Camino, or I could walk back to where I’d made a wrong turn. I decided not to take a chance and walked back. Ten minutes later I was back on track. Whew!

There was an amazing reward after one of the descents. The trail led out to a beautiful, unspoiled beach. After the steep climb back up from the beach, I’d had enough descents and ascents and took the road the rest of the way to Cadavedo. 

On the road I made new Spanish friends from north of Madrid. They have been walking Caminos for years, one week a year. What fun it was walking along the road having Spanish lessons: “Como se dice?” “Vacas, caballos, burros…”

Cadavedo is such a charming town with many beautiful horreos (places where grain was traditionally stored). Our Rural Casa Roja is pretty special, too!