Muros de Nalón is easy to leave behind. The village quickly gives way to green hills, patches of woodland and meadows. After that it’s up and down, up and down. Nowhere really high, but you’ll feel it in your legs. You walk for almost five hours and, overall, you descend more than you climb. That’s kind to your lungs, less so to your knees.
Along the way you pass through Cudillero, a fishing village where the houses rise around the harbour like a theatre. A lovely moment for a coffee. After that you head back into the hills, all the way to Soto de Luiña. It’s a small, quiet village. You walk in, rucksack off, shoes off. The afternoon is still yours.