Norte – Day 11 – Castro Urdiales – Laredo

We were blessed with another good day of weather. With another long day ahead we set out early at ~8:15. We explored the area around the historic church that guards the harbor and set out. As we heading out of town we followed a group 4 Spanish pilgrims. The way thus far as been marked fairly well, but all of us were struggling at times to find the yellow arrows that direct our way. It turns out that would be common theme today.

The walk out of town ran on a parallel road to the main freeway. We had a few bonus stretches of trails along the coastline with some wonderful sceneic views. As we progressed we had another section of pavement that went along the highway. Thankfully there was more shoulder to walk on and less cars then yesterday.

We had a couple of options today for alternate routes and having enjoyed the coastal views we wanted to stay with that route. Our guide book showed a route on the map, but gave us no information on it. Being nieve, we blindly marched along as the route seemed shorter and more scenic. Were we in for a surpise that included rock climing, cliff hugging, walking wear eagles fly and perilous acents and decents. Our guide book had lots of warnings about walking along the shoulder of busy roads, but made no mention of how dangerous the coastal route we followed today. Several times we feared for our lives, slipped and fell only to get up un-injured. To drive our fear further, it began to sprinkle, but thankfully stopped after a few minutes and more than a few prayers… A few times we lost the trail in the dense rock slides, but by the grace of God, we found the goat trail and navigated our way down.

While on the mountain, we could see a part of town in the distance. We talked of going there and calling a taxi to drive us the rest of the way. But as we exited the high terrian, the Camino appeared in front of us on a nice gravel road. So, thankful that neither of us were injuried, we decided we could make the last 5 KM. While the route into town was not without some difficult terain, it was nothing compared to the cliff walking we completed.

So I type this safe and sound from our hotel room. We are both exhausted, and ready for some dinner. I took several pictures today, but I am not sure the if its possible to decern the scale of the cliff walking we did today. I regret not getting a shot of the eagles as it was so majestic and quiet along that cliff.

Buen Camino