Espinama is a quiet village, with the mountains standing around it like a wall. Rucksack off, boots off. You can feel the day in your legs, because this was a tough stage: well over 1,200 metres of climbing from the monastery of Santo Toribio, followed by a descent your knees won’t forget in a hurry. It took you over 8 hours.
Before you sit down, a few things to sort out first. Espinama is the last village with a shop and a cash machine before the mountains. Buy food and water for tomorrow here. You’ll badly need them soon. After that, you can lean back and look back over the route. The limestone cliffs of the Picos de Europa stand out sharply against the sky, exactly where you’ll be walking tomorrow.