Your legs will notice it after just a few kilometres: this stage keeps going up and down. There are no huge climbs, but there’s always another hill, then back down towards the sea. Your breathing follows the wind off the Atlantic Ocean.
At over 6 hours of walking, it’s a full day, so take your breaks. From Malpica you leave the fishing village and stay close to the coast, past rocks, scrub and quiet paths. It’s the first of eight days, so you’ve nothing to prove yet. In Niñóns you arrive in a small, quiet village. Rucksack off, boots off, the sea still close by. Start gently, the coast isn’t going anywhere.