Yesterday I had a terrible bout of sickness, so I was flat on my back, sleeping it off, which is why I didn’t post last night. I think it was a mix of jet lag, timezone and starting too hard too soon. Perhaps a recovery day in Bilbao might have been a better thing to do rather than taking off walking the next day. I am better today, but the bug still lingers a little. Today’s walk was a little boring as we took shortcuts, so I didn’t have to take the 35km official route of the Camino. We shaved off 9 km by sticking to roads rather than country paths. We weren’t the only ones doing that, either. We came across a few other pilgrims choosing the same route as us. Unfortunately, the pics won’t be all that exciting as we pounded the blacktop to get to our destination of Laredo this afternoon.
We were looking at going halfway and then catching a bus the rest to give me a more leisurely day, but by the time we got halfway, there was a reasonable wait for the bus, and the bus stop was a little hard to find, so we kept going and took the short route via the road. The path out of Castro Urdiales was okay and took us along the coast with views of the sea and a couple of beaches along the way.
Temperatures were suitable today, around 18C, with cloud cover to protect us from the sun’s rays. We followed a track alongside the freeway for sometime before diverting off and edging closer to the coast.
A very different experience this time walking along the coast as opposed to the French way, which is more inland. We came across for the first time other pilgrims walking the same track. Luckily though not crowded, with only a handful for part of the way.
We’re directed off the main roads into country lanes and through gates for farm animals. The yellow arrows are always pointing the way at this point. Because we took diversions today, we used Google maps to bring us the fastest way to Laredo. This section, though we stuck to the official path of the Camino. We hit the coast soon enough and followed it for some time.
We pass through a couple of small towns before hitting the beach.
This beach was at the end of an estuary, which meant that it would be covered with water at high tide. As we passed, plenty of surfers were in the water, with a few good waves to catch.
We follow the estuary inland and come upon the freeway we’d followed previously.
We stopped in a small town for a snack and asked for the bus stop, but we weren’t all that successful, so we looked at Google Maps. It said only 13 km to go to Laredo, so we opted to walk on. It was a bit tough for me as I was still recovering from yesterday, but there weren’t any steep climbs or descents along the way. A little boring, though, pounding the blacktop without much to see, as you’ll see in the photos. It was challenging for the feet to hit the pavement for that long too, and by the time I got to the hotel, I was completely done.
We could finally see our home for the evening appearing in the distance—the beach town of Laredo. I’d booked a hotel when we stopped for the break, so I was busting to get there as fast as possible. I was done for the day and was feeling fatigued. The feet were aching and the backpack was feeling heavy.
So that’s it for me today. Thanks for reading. I’ve been preparing this before the kitchen here opens at 8:30 pm for dinner. Another bugbear on the trip is that dinner is served so late. It’s practically the middle of the night for me. Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed it and see you tomorrow.
Buen Camino! 🙏
Today’s route is below.
Dear James
Thank God for your fast recover, pray you keep improving.
Thank you for the narrative
Love every bit of it Blessings for for renewal & restoration in your health. xx