7/5 Saturday Berducedo to Grandas De Salime 20km

As is often the case I'm the last to leave our Albergue after breakfast. Camino climbs steadily away out of the village. The Sun is already shining brightly with hardly a cloud in the sky there is still and cool so not too bad for walking at this hour. I think it may be quite hot later.

Walking alone first thing this morning was so peaceful. No wind no vehicles just the birds, crickets and the bees and the occasional cowbell.

The Camino joined a road that dropped gently down to La Mesa, a small hamlet. Here I resisted coffee and company and continued on up the road which rose steeply and relentlessly for 600ft to the ridge and wind farms on the skyline.

From the far side of the ridge there were fantastic views across the valley and the reservoir up to Grandas De Salime. The drop down to the reservoir was quite a challenge. It was a steep and rough path dropping over 500 m in less than 4 kilometres. My knees didn't enjoy this. However, I did have a nice chat to a Spanish family in the hamlet of Buspol. They lived in Oviedo and were driving out to walk sections of the Camino each day. They knew the Vejer and Conil so again I've got to practice my Spanish.

At the bottom of the steep section I stopped in the shade of a bush for a lunch break with fantastic views. The path then contoured along the side of the reservoir before dropping down again to the dam.

Just before the dam was a mirador and when I stopped to take a look two pairs of bikers arrived at the same time. They were Spanish too so I had a nice chat to them mostly in Spanish.

Crossing the dam I headed up to a restaurant about a kilometre along the road and stopped here for coffee, beer and ice cream taking some shade on the terrace. Here I met Tom, the first northerner I come across on the Camino. He was from Salford and was a veteran of several Caminos already. He was staying the night there but unfortunately I had to continue on climbing up the road for another 5 km and gaining 1000ft in height.

Thankfully the last kilometre was through a shaded woodland area. Despite the climbing, my knee seemed to have recovered from the longest and steepest descent of the Camino so far.