Where there’s a will

In Grado we had stayed in a pilgrim albergue, although we had our own bedroom rather than being in one of the dormitories on the ground floor. Everyone was anxious to get going and it reminded me of an alpine mountain refuge before a big climb. We sensed the slight apprehension in the air because all of us knew that we were now about to enter the mountain terrain fully and a demanding day awaited us all.

We started climbing immediately from the driveway of La Quintana. Cloud was lightly veiling the hills and the temperature was perfect for the sustained climb that followed.

Although we had felt a little intimidated by this first ascent we found that the road was well graded and rarely went above 10% thus enabling us both to keep winding. The first Alto almost surprised us and we began to settle into today’s rhythm of sustained climbing.

We seemed to be riding along a high-lying ridge line with the world dropping away on all sides.

The village of Cornellana appeared not a moment too soon as both of us needed a coffee before tackling the next stage to Salas. We detoured to visit the monastery of San Salvador but, as has happened before, the building was under reconstruction and building workers, like bees in a hive, were extremely busy in its darkened interior.

The coffee did its job and Salas was reached within about a half an hour of leaving Cornellana. More coffees and cake fuel were taken on board before we committed to the ascent of La Espina, the key to accessing today’s mountain town of Tineo. The Santa Maria la Mayor Collegiate Church, dating back to the 16th century, looked impressive as we climbed away but, as so often on this Camino, it was locked and so admiration was limited to the outside.

The final big climb of today then began in earnest, and soon we were looking down on Salas where we had enjoyed coffee no more than half an hour before.

We were on the old N-road and were impressed by the scale of the civil engineering needed to create the motorway over our heads.

After a solid one and a half hours’ climbing we arrived at the surprisingly under-stated col right in the middle of the village.

After La Espina everything seemed to move up a notch. We came across a beautiful wayside chapel en route to Tineo in Pedregal. We were able to self-stamp our credencials, and they provided a very welcoming message to all pilgrims in at least seven languages.

Our route now offered superlative vistas. In some ways they were some of the finest we had experienced thus far. Unfortunately, and for the first time on this or any other Camino, we felt threatened by the traffic. In contrast to our experience elsewhere there was considerable traffic, including very heavy trans-continental trucks, and much less courtesy was being shown to us cyclists. We were very glad to arrive in Tineo.

As I’m now falling asleep at the keyboard once more I’ll leave you with a picture postcard of Tineo; this gem tucked away in the mountains is lovely and fascinating. We’ve included the 40 degree allotment for our friends Jan and Dave! Horreos are a key part of this urban landscape.

Every possible option seems to be covered by this sign. Perhaps we’ll be able to choose where to go tomorrow when we’re less sleepy!