27 July - Day 2 - Santullan to Islares 15km
Good sleep except our neighbours in the next bunk our were up at 4am and one of their many alarms went off loudly after they were up and so woke up the whole room.
After nearly killing ourselves on day 1 to get to our pre booked albergue we agreed to take the day easy and have more stops.
Santullan to Castro Urdiales was meant to be 2km but took 4.4km so by then coffee and a breakfast tortilla was well overdue, lucky it was a pretty walk through fields.
Castro Urdiales got our tick of approval. Very pretty coastal town with cute harbour, old town inviting beaches and the church (which is actually a temple) of Santa María built circa 13-15th century so it’s old! perched on the hill of the old town. It was closed so had to admire it from the outside which we both actually prefer being pagans.
By 9am it was getting hot. We made a friend Harvey on his daily walk who we think was in his 60s. No English so put our Spanglish to the test. His son works on boat that transfers gas from Australia to Spain as they no longer can get it from Russia. We spoke about the Camino, where we are from and where we are going.
After saying goodbye to Harvey and him wishing us a beuno Camino (good way) we decided 15km was it for us today. The last 3 km to Islares was on a goats track next to the sea. Simply stunning.
In Islares the albergues was meant to be right next door to the church. We discovered it was temporarily closed. Hot, hungry and thirsty we saw a sign to the only taverna in town and decided lunch in the shade then find accommodation was the right order. It was sooooo good to take off our shoes. Pulpo (octopus) cervieche, tortilla and a cold beer hit the spot. Amazing pulpo!!! The area is renowned for its seafood especially octopus. This will become a staple.
The only other accommodation in town was a campground next to the water but on arrival they were fully booked. As they started to help us find information on the next town they discovered they had one more onsite van for the night at €30. Score!
Still tired, hot, now full and getting sore from our walk it was nap time. When we woke Daz said “I feel like I have been hit by a bus”. Good description. It will only get easier. Fingers crossed.
The water was 100m from our van so off we toddled in our bathers with our dirty washing and shower gear so we wouldn’t have to back track! Lifeguard sign said 24 degrees felt more like 20. It was fresh but soothing on the muscles.
Laundry, shower and another cold drink. The campground shop reopened after siesta so we could buy local jamon and goats cheese to go with our salad for dinner and croissants for breakfast as we will be leaving before anything is open.
It’s 8pm, it’s still day light as sunset is at 10pm but we are ready for bed.
Oh ouch, 4.4km before breakfast! I miss tortillas!!
ReplyDeleteYeah 4-5km before breakfast seems to be happening more regularly than we would like. But it makes breakfast even more tastier. Tortillas rock!
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