This day will test your head more than your legs. It’s a long first stage of almost 35 kilometres, and your feet haven’t yet found their rhythm. Keep your pace low, even if the first hour feels easy.
First you walk out of León, past suburbs and along paved roads. Then it gets quieter and the mountains draw closer. The climbing is gradual, but after so many kilometres you feel every slope. You’re on the move for well over nine hours, not counting breaks. You’ll arrive tired but satisfied in La Pola de Gordón, a village in the mountain valley. Eat, shower, get an early night. The Camino only really begins now.