12th Stage of the Camino del Norte from Pendueles to Barro

This morning, several roosters in the small village crowed in competition, gently waking me from my sleep. Despite the early animal alarm, I feel much more comfortable in the little scenery-rich places than in the touristy spots. I especially enjoy the tranquility.

The owner of my accommodation baked fresh bread for breakfast. Just the smell was fantastic. Finally, there was a great breakfast again.

Well-nourished, I was ready to go. It was heavily overcast today but still pleasantly warm. So, it was fantastic hiking weather for Anke :-). The Camino was almost directly by my accommodation, so I quickly got back on my way. At the end of the village, I spotted my animal alarm clock again, which was really giving it its all and crowing loudly.

At first, the ground of the Camino consisted of small pebbles and sand. I had to stop countless times to shake out my shoes as small pebbles kept getting stuck in them.

This time, the landscape, especially along the coast, was different. There were not only green meadows but also big stones, shrubs, trees, etc. Everything seemed somehow rougher. To my left, there were huge mountains.

After about 5 km, there was another opportunity to see Bufones. I walked over but couldn't see any water fountain. However, the sounds were incredible again. On a paddock across the way stood a herd of horses with several foals. It was amusing that as soon as the first horse lay down, all the others followed one by one.

The Camino then led through a larger wooded area filled with many eucalyptus trees. The trees look gigantic with their massive trunks. Around a curve, I had a great view of a wooden bridge and a river. After a short descent and a slight left curve, I stood in front of this wooden staircase and could cross it by myself. I paused in the middle and looked at the river and the surroundings for a while. It was unbelievably quiet; all you could hear was the birds chirping.

Then it continued to a place where there was a sign that read “Restaurante y Terrassa”. Yippie, I could take a break after such a lovely start to the day! I asked two men where the restaurant was. “No, no ... clooosssssaaaaa.” Of course, what else. They showed me a tiny mini-market. It was really tiny, but I could get something to drink and stay there for a bit.

After that, the village street went uphill, and from above, there was a great view of the mountains, the village, and a bay. Two pilgrims who were also up there were beaming with me. They said it was simply “beautiful”!

Then there were again two options: Either you walked along the road below, or so I thought, up a hill. But soon, the hill revealed itself to be a mountain, but every effort was worth it. The view of Llanes and the coastline was gigantic. I had to keep stopping to take photos. Then it happened; my water bottle fell out of my backpack and rolled down... Luckily, it turned slightly and I was able to stop it. Well, that would have been a disaster if the bottle rolled all the way down! Secured well, it was stowed away again, and I continued up and down the mountain... When it finally went downhill, it felt like flying; it was so steep. I checked on Komoot: it was a 16% gradient.

Upon arriving at the bottom, the Camino beautifully ran through the center of Llanes. Wow, the place was very large and unfortunately quite touristy! It felt too crowded and bustling for me. I just wanted to get out quickly and headed straight for the coastal path.

There, it was definitely quieter. Today, I only saw a few pilgrims. It was nice to simply walk alone again.

To get to my accommodation in Barro, I mostly walked along the coast. After 22.9 km, I reached my hotel. This time, there were no sheep or chickens in front of my room, but five donkeys. They might make a racket; I thought they only say “hee-haw,” but they make such strange noises. They are still in the meadow. I’m curious if they will come into the stable soon... grins.

I send my best regards

Anke