A song from my youth, “So Close Yet So Far Away” by the Strawbs came to mind today. I was less than 200m from today’s destination, Foz, but still had to walk 12kms to get there.
After a very nice breakfast, served with a stunning 270 degree view of the coast and surrounding countryside, I was on my way towards Foz, 28kms away, before 9am.
I walked the kilometer back to the coast, taking pictures of different styles of horreo’s before hitting the coast, on which I would stay for the next 15kms. The coast was what I had hoped to see more of on the Camino del Norte, the two days on the Cantabrian certainly hasn’t disappointed.
It was cold and windy, the sun peeking through every now and then, just as it rained every now and then. The trails followed the coastline closely, passing cove after sandy beach after craggy inlet, one immediately after another. I passed As Catedrais beach, which I had visited yesterday, the tide was in and there were a few people on the beach, but nowhere near as many people as were there yesterday when the tide was out.
I stopped for a coffee and cola after 10kms, and when I continued, I could clearly see the outline of Foz getting closer and closer.
The vast majority of the walk along the coast was on paths, mostly stone and fairly uneven, so one needs to be careful that you don’t trip up on the edge of a stone. The coast is, like so many places here, a paradise for surfers.
Foz was close, but not close enough, 200m away, but the estuary of the Masma River blocked my path. There was no choice but to walk 12 km around the estuary. It would have been so nice with a small ferry service across the estuary. The train crosses 5-6km inland, so no possibility there.
It was a pleasant walk around the estuary, mainly through woodland on pleasant paths. However, I was feeling tired, perhaps for the first time on this trip. I think that a combination of being so close to Foz and still walking and the fact that I have hardly eaten (two breakfast’s and a sandwich) during the past 48hours were taking their toll. And with 4kms to go, it started raining again.
I made it into Foz at 14.30 and sat down with the menu of the day at the first restaurant I came to. It wasn’t great, but did its job. I walked the last kilometer to the hotel and lay on the bed and relaxed for an hour.
Refreshed I walked into town, a town which has absolutely nothing noteworthy to offer – even the church is hidden away, and I didn’t stumble upon it (looking at my pictures again, I can see it was next to the bar where I had lunch). There were lots of bars. I bought some bread, cheese and ham for dinner and some fruit and chocolate for tomorrow.
I walked a bit along the coast, but it rained again, so I spent my evening catching up and mentally preparing myself for the next 3 days where consistent and heavy rain is forecast (let’s see) – and in Northern Europe they have plus 20 temperatures. My wife will undoubtedly be more sunburnt than I.