A very long, very difficult day. Almost all of it was road walking which really did a number on my shin-splint prone leg. But in the end I persevered and made it to Oviedo!

My info had inferred it would be only 32 kms, but as that itself is a significant distance we all decided to leave early, even in the dark as it was a simple exit out of Pola so wayfinding should be easy.

Bernd and I left at 7am and my headlamp came in handy as the long road out of town was unlit. The road paralleled the highway the first half of the day, first passing through a warehouse area and then several depressing looking villages and hamlets.

By my first coffee stop at the village of Ujo at 9 kms I was already dragging and felt a dull ache in my good leg. This worried me some so I had a long break before continuing.

The scenery improved as it became a pleasant riverside walk for many miles but I was bothered by the constant noise from the highway and my nagging shin. I took another long break at 14 kms at a roadside cafe to rest and reassess. My notes say the pretty part of this stage is the latter 16 kms to Oviedo so I’ll soldier on, taking ibuprofen as needed. After all, it’s only 10 more miles, lol.

Head down, I soldiered thru the large town of Mieres, focusing only on finding the way markers. Like a dog sniffing scent, we follow the yellow arrows. In Mieres this means walking up a busy commercial street to the end of town to go by the main church (this is a pilgrimage after all), hunting for arrows on lampposts and street curbs.

Finally the flat walking ended and an epic 6 kms road climb ensued but it actually helped my shin feel better, more angle to my ankle? And going uphill, at the right incline of course, is kinda my specialty. I much prefer a little slope to level ground. And the views returned! Here they’re a combination of natural & industrial but at least there’s beauty to look at.

I met Bernd on the climb, a moral boost to see a friendly face. The sun had started to beat down quite fiercely so we were delighted to see an open bar at the top of the hill, complete with locals, who kindly brought out a chair for me to sit roadside with them in the welcome shade.

More hard road walking, except when it wasn’t it was on those blasted steep, slippery cobblestones! I’m starting to hate these ancient roads!

Then bliss as the expansive view of Oviedo opened up in the distance: bucolic farms in foreground and the path (for a short distance at least) was a wonderful grassy lane between hedgerows. I hardly felt the 30 kms on my feet!

The last few kms I quite enjoyed. It was a perfect autumn day of bright sun now tempered by a cool breeze, killer scenery, and a mild climb just my type where I can motor up all day long.

I arrived at the Oviedo albergue just after 5pm to get my last sello and to buy a new credential for the next Camino; but what I really wanted was a medal, lol! A further kilometer to my hotel, an hour to rest, then a celebratory dinner with the gang.