Luarca feels like a reward. The town is tucked into a valley, with houses along the river and a harbour full of little boats. You make your way down towards it at an easy pace and feel straight away that you’ve arrived.
Behind you lies a friendly day of about 17 kilometres. The route keeps rising and falling a little, along country lanes and through meadows and patches of woodland, but never for long and never really steeply. After around five hours you walk into the town, so the afternoon is still yours.
Put your rucksack down and stroll around the harbour. A short day like this is one you can simply let drift by, without any rush.