10th Stage of the Camino del Norte from Comillas to Serdio

After taking a relaxing rest day in Comillas yesterday, I was able to start the 10th stage to Serdio today with a lot of energy. First, I want to say that both Comillas and Santillana del Mar are really beautiful towns with many sights to see. I also used yesterday for a bit of sightseeing, but I definitely relaxed and recuperated more.

My goal today is Serdio, and I need to explain that briefly. I initially wanted to walk to Colombres, but that would have been nearly 30 kilometers and that was too much for me. So I looked for places with accommodations, and Serdio seemed feasible. According to Maps, it should be about 18 kilometers.

First, I continued a good distance through the historic old town of Comillas. It was still really quiet, and I could take some nice photos. Just past Comillas, there was a nature reserve that totally reminded me of South Africa. I had the feeling that any moment a zebra would appear at a watering hole :-).

Moving along the coastal road, I could already see another great long sandy beach on my right. I briefly checked my Komoot route and saw that I could actually walk along the beach again and eventually reconnect with the Camino.

But before I walked to the beach, I sat down on a terrace of a hotel and had a drink. From there, I already had a nice view of the long sandy beach.

Afterwards, I took a rocky path down to the sea. In no time at all, I had taken off my shoes and socks and was walking through the water with my 'bare feet'. I enjoyed every single step. In between, I sat down in the sand and relaxed. I was very happy and in a great mood :-)!

I spent quite a while sitting in the sand, watching school classes during their surfing lessons. It was totally amusing for me and probably quite frustrating for some students. A female pilgrim approached me and greeted me kindly. She mentioned that she was from the Czech Republic and also wanted to hike to Serdio today. We talked about the surfers and the beautiful landscape. Micka then continued walking, and I stayed seated a bit longer. I had thought, oh Serdio, 18 KM, I can do that with ease today. Somehow, I thought I wouldn’t have any elevation gains today. Aha, I see.....! That’s why I was sooooooo deeply relaxed on the beach.

It was getting hotter and I finally had to slowly rise from the sand. I then walked over the harbor wall. The view I had of San Vicente de la Barquera and the old bridge was magnificent.

I strolled over the bridge into the town, as I was hungry and wanted to have a nice meal. Unfortunately, the restaurants didn’t have what I wanted to eat today. Hoping to find a suitable restaurant, I continued following the Camino.

It led out of San Vicente de la Barquera and took me up a steep incline. Sweat was dripping down my face as it was getting hotter. But salvation was near: On my right side was a hotel with a restaurant, so I went right in. However, I was intercepted right at the entrance and was told, “No Open”! F...! What a bummer! Why is everything closed when you need it the most?

Well, I sat down on the next bench, ate my baguette, and drank some water. Of course, in the midday sun, since the path now led back through the inland, past meadows where there was no shade. The snack did me good and I was able to continue walking. I didn’t even dare to look at the signage indicating how far it was to various places.

In the next small village, three pilgrims stood on the other side of the road. I asked them about a café. They just waved it off and said there was nothing here. As I didn’t feel like a conversation, I wished them a nice journey and continued on. Next came a climb with switchbacks. I remembered that you shouldn't look up while cycling, so I only looked down. I was very happy when I finally reached the highest point. A glance at Komoot revealed that there were only 3.1 kilometers left. I continued on a sunny country road and thought of a Western, where dried hay rolls across the path. That’s how it felt to me, except that nothing was rolling across the path.

I found the behavior of a herd of sheep totally fascinating. The sheep were standing very close to a stone wall, pressing their bodies and their upstretched heads tightly against the wall, so their entire bodies were in the shade. The rock of the wall was probably cool too. I wanted to press myself against the wall too!

The Camino turned left and I heard some male voices nearby. Oh, what do I see back there on the right? A restaurant, and it was even open, Hallelujah! I practically burst in and asked if they were open and if I could order something to eat. “No problemo!”, said the waitress. I ordered something cold to drink and fries with ketchup. Oh, that felt good! A Swedish pilgrim sat down with me and we exchanged stories about the Camino. We laughed a lot.

After that, I made my way toward my final stretch, which was actually very pleasant. The path led over a village street, and thankfully, there were trees on both sides providing ample shade. This way, I could manage the last kilometers well and have now happily arrived at my Posada.

After taking a shower, I sat down in a small bar. While I was there, Micka passed by. I said, “Hey, Micka, your hostel is over there.” She replied with a crinkled face, “It’s full.” Oh, shit... She sat down with me and first ordered a beer. Since there was nothing else free in the small Serdio, she had to rent a room in Pesues. That meant another five kilometers for her. She definitely had my sympathy!

Today was again a partially very exhausting, but scenically very beautiful stage :-)!

The stage length is 21.2 Km.