Where there’s a will

A peaceful night was brought to a gentle close by a wonderful dawn chorus of birdsong, and we realised that our night in Santillana was the first since we had landed in Spain that we had spent in a rural location. We opted for the earliest breakfast available as today promised some intimidating ride data. We were the only people at breakfast even though the hotel was half full, and we were off and on the road shortly after 8am.

Whilst it was still quite cold the steep ascent out of Santillana soon warmed us up, and within half an hour the sun was breaking through. The cycling was a pastoral idyll, taking us across the grain of the land with successive ups and downs, whilst threading through a filigree of lanes which required great concentration to avoid navigational error.

Whilst a slightly more direct route on the local equivalent of a B-road would have been less complex and less hilly we would have missed out on some interesting sights such as the Iglesia of San Martin de Ciguenza, an 18th century Baroque church with a very assertive frontage of two massive towers. The village it serves is probably home to no more than a hundred souls! Perhaps it is a sign of rural depopulation and the huge church served a much bigger parish community in times past. Or it is a testament to the historical intertwining of the church and those with political and financial power. This church certainly is assertive!

After drifting down through sleepy Cobreces ( it was still early) we arrived back at the coast just before Comillas, and its return was arresting.

We surprised ourselves by pulling up in the cobbled plaza in Comillas shortly after 10am, A visit to the Iglesia de San Cristobal revealed an unusual feature that seemed to link to the Camino de Santiago theme. The holy water fonts echoed Santiago’s shell motif !

There was one on either side of the entrance to the nave; we assume they are giant clam shells. They were certainly impressive.

Comillas is a lovely small town with a superb coastal setting and some really interesting buildings. Its most celebrated building is El Capricho de Gaudi which was commissioned by Gaudi’s primary patron, Antonio Lopez, who was fabulously wealthy on the back of the Cuban slave trade, and a good marriage to a Barcelonan heiress! With the agreement of the ticket office we were able to sneak a quick photo but we simply didn’t have time to take the tour despite the extremely modest entry fee. We made a mental note to return with more time.

However. major success was achieved in a more important matter. Yesterday we failed to find a bike mechanic who could verify that Linda’s bike was OK after its fall from grace. I had hoped to find someone in Comillas, and we discovered an E-bike rental company just behind the church. The bike mechanic was working on a couple of bikes when we arrived but, when we told him our sorry tale, he dropped everything he was doing to help us. In seemingly no time at all the brake problem was fixed and he declared it , “Fuerte!”

The second half of today’s ride hugged the coast and the scenery impeded forward progress as we kept stopping to take photos to share with you all. It was truly spectacular.

On the outskirts of San Vicente de la barquera we came across a fellow pilgrim. I asked Linda to sit with him for a photo opp; I hadn’t expected her to try to grab a power nap with him!

It’s a lovely entry into San Vicente.

Unusually, we had planned to have lunch before completing our day’s cycling because tonight we are in an Agroturismo which does not offer an evening meal option. So, we thought we’d have a proper lunch, Spanish-style, and then take a modest picnic back with us for the evening. And so, once again, for Ginnie’s benefit we offer my main plate today, Pulpo a la plancha, cooked in the Cantabrian way. Linda couldn’t be persuaded to try, but for those who like octopus it was a rare treat!

The full lunch was necessary but it was a tough challenge as we still had more than 16kms or so to go, and more than 400m of ascent to be gained. The pulpo undoubtedly fed the muscles but was quite a weight to haul up the hills out of San Vicente.

As we crossed the Autovia, and saw the sign to Oviedo, we began to think a car might be quite a good idea especially as the hills which followed immediately were unrideable. Mind you we befriended three French pilgrims who hailed from near Le Puy en Velay, and it was such a relief to practise our school French, after the challenges of managing with my Duolingo Spanish. They were in great good spirits despite the angle of their route, and their own advancing years; one of them was seventy four years old!

After one of the hardest days so far we finally arrived at Agroturismo Muriances which is nestled in the gorge of the River Deva, tucked beneath dramatic limestone cliffs. We have an extensive apartment and are making the most of it.

We had bought the core picnic materials in San Vicente and we were pretty certain we had a good evening snack that would sustain us for the even harder day which beckons tomorrow.

We had not had any capacity to carry any wine with us. So, before settling in too comfortably for the evening I emptied my bar bag, re-donned my cycle helmet and returned to the road to seek out necessary refreshment. Where there’s a will…..