San Esteban de Leces to La Isla
Distance covered: 7.5 mi / 12 km
This short day of hiking mostly follows the coast of Asturias and passes by multiple pristine beaches before heading back inland. I took a slight detour off of the main route out to an albergue on the coast, and I was glad that I did.
I decided to stop early on this segment to sleep in a small beach town in a place with just a few bunk beds in a single large dormitory. In what I considered an “active rest day,” I had walked only a few miles when I saw that there was an albergue in a small town with an easily accessible beach and I changed my plans on the fly. Though it was less than half of the average distance covered on a normal Camino day, I had the extra time, and I wanted to take advantage of access to the coast while I still could.
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.
Starting out from San Esteban
I woke up around seven, with my legs feeling a little tired from the long hill climbs the day before. I also had a few small blisters forming on my feet that I was hoping to soak in the cold coastal seawater at some point.
Breakfast at the albergue consisted of toast with butter and marmalade and a few cups of coffee, which was a decent start. I followed that up with a large bowl of Greek yogurt with walnuts that I had purchased the evening before in Ribadesella.
After finishing breakfast, I walked down the quiet country roads that eventually led me back out towards the coast. Following the long day I just had, my body was still quite tired, and I was already thinking about stopping early to go for a swim.
The first bit of the hike passed through shaded trails, but the path eventually led back to the coast. About three miles in, I realized I had left the bag of greens I had purchased the day before in the fridge at the albergue… hopefully someone else enjoyed them, because I was not even considering turning around.
I paused briefly at this oceanside patch of grass to take a few photos and to really enjoy the sun while it was out. After the gray days we had been having I was trying to soak up as many sunrays as possible.
After walking past so many beautiful beaches, I decided to stop in a beach town that was just a few miles away. I had been hoping to get a chance to swim in some ocean water, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Arriving in La Isla
I was not used to arriving so early at albergues, and in fact the local guy who runs it was not even there when I first showed up. I spent some time wandering around the town a bit before coming back for check-in. This albergue was nice, with a large mixed space for everyone.
I decided to do laundry since I actually had some time and access to a washing machine. Plus, it was sunny enough for my clothes to dry on the clothesline out front. I quite literally washed every last piece of my dirty clothes, and while they were in the washer, I wore the only two pieces of clothing that I had: my swimsuit and my raincoat.
Ironically, as I sat there while the washer cleaned my clothes, I got a compliment on my “outfit.” A girl in the dorm room thought that I was wearing a matching blue jumpsuit. It turns out my swimsuit and rain coat are actually a pretty similar shade of blue, but I’m not exactly the stylish jumpsuit type. There is fortunately no photographic evidence of this combo, but trust me, it was not a greak look for me.
Once I had hung my clean clothes up on the line outside, I put on a slightly damp shirt and made my way down to the beach to wade in the water for a bit. Generally walking around Spanish towns in swimwear and flip-flops will get you some funny looks, and even a fine in some cities, but it was fortunately a pretty short walk.
Getting dinner in La Isla
Once I had taken a quick dip, I showered back at the albergue and then wandered into town to find an open restaurant. The town was quite small, and since it didn’t have a proper supermarket, I planned to just get a large meal and be done for the day.
I eventually found a restaurant that sold pizzas for 8 euros, but I had to wait for 45 minutes or so for the kitchen to open. I walked around the small town a bit and came back just as the kitchen was opening. I must have looked hungry, because the pizza I ordered was massive, and there was almost as much meat as there was cheese on top. I accepted the implicit challenge and set to work slowly devouring the pizza.
After downing the whole thing, I thanked the bar staff and took the long way back to the albergue to hopefully walk off some of the massive meal I just ate.
Back to the albergue
Wandering more side streets of the small town for a bit, I made my way back to the albergue and lay down in my bunk. A young Canadian girl was in a bed across the room, and we chatted for a bit about our Camino experiences. She was on break from school, studying medicine in Toronto, and was sad to be going home in a few days. Every time I talked to a pilgrim who only had a few weeks, it made me glad that I was planning to finish the whole route.
I made a comment about my dinner and how incredibly full I was, which got a hearty laugh out of her. As it turns out, she had also eaten one of these massive pizzas, and we were both far, far too full for comfort.
After chatting for a bit with some other pilgrims I went outside to take a few pictures and pull all of my clothes down off of the drying lines.
Final thoughts
This day ended up being a good break to do some chores, rest, and hanging out in a small Spanish beach town. I snapped a few photos around town and enjoyed an evening walk, which was not generally something I was able to enjoy most nights on this long-distance hike. But after eating a pizza large enough to feed a couple of people, I figured a walk was the only way to settle my stomach.
If you’re enjoying this series and want to jump to some more useful articles, check out my piece on hiking the Camino by yourself or this piece with some basic Spanish phrases you’ll find useful walking the less commonly hiked Camino routes.
Let me know down in the comments what kind of balance you prefer on hikes between walking and resting up. And as always, ¡Buen Camino!
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