Llanes to San Esteban de Leces
Distance covered: 21 miles / 33.9 km
This section of the Camino del Norte follows along the Asturian coast, weaving between gravel trails, beach coves, and paved country roads.
Though this was another long day due to overcrowded albergues in Ribadesella, I was finally growing accustomed to the physical demands of trekking. While I would have enjoyed exploring the beach town of Ribadesella, I ultimately ended up in a lovely little albergue in the countryside instead. The main route I planned to follow was the gronze.com route, with some extra time planned in to veer off route to explore the coast.
If this is the first post you’re reading and want to start from the beginning, check out my Camino del Norte page, which features all of my Camino posts in chronological order. If you want to learn more about the Camino de Santiago itself, check out my post breaking down the basics of the Camino de Santiago.
Late start from the hostel in Llanes
Though I had intended to leave significantly earlier, I got caught up in a conversation that went on much longer than expected. While leaving late on the Camino is never ideal, sometimes a good conversation is worth arriving late.
I was speaking to a Russian girl who had just finally received her paperwork for German citizenship, and she was celebrating the accomplishment with a short trip around northern Spain. We talked over coffee about the war in Ukraine, which had just kicked off, and the fact that she likely wouldn’t be able to see her family for a few years. I had seen footage of the chaos at the border as people fled Russia to avoid conscription into the army. Having friends from both Ukraine and Russia, I knew that this war had much more to do with policymakers than any personal grudges.
With some food I had bought the day before, I cooked us both a big breakfast in the hostel kitchen as we talked. After eating and cleaning up, we said our goodbyes, and I headed out around 9:00, with plenty to think about.
Once I was out on the trail, it was another overcast, misty day, with perfect weather for hiking. Some people prefer hot, sunny days, but I’d take this weather any time I can get it. The gravel trails crunched under my boots, and the steady sea breeze kept me cool as I made my way along the coast.
Exploring the beaches near the town of …Poo
This is quite possibly the most unfortunately named town along the entire Camino del Norte. Believe it or not, Playa de Poo was actually rather nice. I suspect that at the time of naming, the people who chose the town name “Poo” were not expecting this hike to become so popular or for English to become the dominant lingua franca for travelers.
Around this whole area there are several coves with massive rock formations covered with moss and green seagrass. I wandered off the trail and spent some time taking pictures near the beach.
I also stopped for some photos at Playa de San Martin, where a small wooden staircase leads down to the rocky beach. Fortunately, it was near low tide, which exposed even more of the cliffs and the sandy beach. I flew my drone for a bit and took some aerial photos before continuing along the Camino route. I was already running “late,” so I figured I may as well capture some of the beauty I was walking past.
Heading inland towards Niembru
Making my way further inland, I eventually came to the Parish of Our Lady of Sorrows in Barro, about halfway between Barro and Niembru.
This picture was taken at low tide, but the beached boats and watermarks on the stone retaining wall show just how high the tide reaches throughout the day.
Finding my groove
After dialing in my gear (leaving some extra equipment behind at an old colleague’s apartment) and growing accustomed to the daily stresses of hiking, I was really starting to settle into this pilgrimage. I felt like I could continue hiking forever so long as I kept up my food intake. Even though I did eat an incredible amount of food on this hike, I still ended up losing nearly 10 pounds (~4.5 kilos) by the end of it.
I had to stop and take out my camera for a photo of this overgrown hut serving as a local library box. Something about the thick layer of vegetation growing from the roof, the handwritten sign, and the books exposed to the elements really caught my eye.
Locking in to quickly reach Ribadesella
After my leisurely morning, I knew I had to speed things along if I wanted to find a place to sleep in Ribadesella. Beach towns in particular can be quite difficult to find lodging in because the affordable beds in any hostels or albergues are in high demand.
This route features both beaches and mountains, and the day featured plenty of each. For the last few hours of the afternoon I put my head down and really focused on speeding through.
I stopped at Playa de San Antolin for a few minutes to take photos of the beach and enjoyed the sea breeze for a few minutes while I snacked on some peanuts. Ever since I hitchhiked a ride to San Vicente de la Barquera and accidentally closed my hydration hose in the woman’s car door, the hose had been leaking slightly. The leak would get worse as my Camino progressed, but for now it was just a minor inconvenience.
After making it to Playa de San Antolín, I veered inland, following the official Camino route as not to get too far off course. I chatted with a group of young hikers who had also stopped near the beach in their early 20s who reminded me of some of my friends. After taking a few photos and snacking a bit, I wished them a good Camino and continued on towards Ribadesella.
Arriving at the albergue in Ribadesella
Though I would have liked to stop in Ribadesella and explore the town a bit, that was not in the cards. As another hiker had told me earlier, the albergues were all fully booked, but someone on the way told me that the albergue in the next town over should have plenty of free beds.
I explored around the town a bit and checked to see if any other hostels had any free beds, and they were all fully booked. The massive surge of travelers in 2022, along with the delayed “Jacobean Holy Year,” meant that the Camino and beach towns in general were quite busy this whole summer.
After wandering around the town a bit, I stopped into a supermarket and got some food for dinner and breakfast for the next morning and headed off towards San Esteban.
Albergue de Peregrinos de San Esteban
After hearing about the sleeping situation, I pushed on without hesitation to the next town, which took roughly another hour by foot. I had heard they would have plenty of room at the next albergue so long as I could get there before their reception closed.
The woman running the front desk greeted me warmly and seemed very relieved that I spoke Spanish. I guess many pilgrims assume that if they can speak English, they will have no issues, but in many parts of rural Spain, people really aren’t comfortable with their level of English fluency.
After showering, I washed my hiking clothes by hand and hung them up to dry outside, and I happened to find the most social chicken I had ever seen just hanging out in the sink. I sat out back at a table chatting it up with a few other pilgrims as we all watched the sun set.
The albergue featured a nice open back patio with a few trees and some clotheslines full of pilgrims’ hiking clothes. In some ways it was actually nicer to be out in the country than to be in a busy beach town, so I savored the quiet solitude while I could.
Final thoughts
While it was a long trek, the scenery, the people I met, and the varied terrain all helped make the day seem to fly by. The cooler weather also helped me keep walking without overheating or getting tired too quickly.
After being turned away from a few albergues and hostels in my target destination, I was able to fairly easily find a bed for the night and didn’t have to walk too much further than intended. Though not ideal, this was the price I agreed to pay by not booking anything in advance.
Let me know down in the comments if you’ve done this hike or if you have any questions about the route. And as always, ¡Buen Camino!
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