Camino del Norte
26.3 km, 309 m up and 315 m down, through 8 places, 7 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Andrín. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.
In Andrín the camino zig zags uphill to join the LLN-2 on a pedestrian path to your right. Shortly after a sharp right-hand turn it leaves the road to the left to follow a mountain path to the entrance to Llanes. Alternatively you can stay on the road and pass through Cúe on the way to Llanes.
The camino enters Llanes from the south along the Avenida de la Concepción and continues along it all the way to the Río Carrocedo. At the river, the streets are mostly for pedestrians only and the camino does not deviate from the road, it follows along through several name changes and the old town and passes the train station on the way out of town. Shortly after it leaves the road and turns left to cross the railway and continue along a path to Póo.
Póo straddles the AS-263 and the camino winds its way through town, crossing the main road to follow a coastal path known locally as the Senda Cicloturista to Celorio. Alternatively, it is possible to turn left to follow the AS-263 there.
The route through Celorio is well marked, though if you wander off of it you may get turned around easily in the web of streets of this small village. If in doubt head towards the beach, which the camino passes on its way out of town along a coastal road.
Passing through Barro, there are a beach and bar to your right just off the main road. Further ahead at the end of town the camino turns left to leave the road; just past this turn is a small detour to visit the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores and the La Entrada beach, both located on the estuary. If you do go this way you can keep on the road which will rejoin the camino at the end of Niembru.
The camino does not go through town, unless you followed the road from the church/beach. Between here and Naves the camino keeps to a quiet path along the hillside to the north. Before long it descends to rejoin the AS-263, and crosses the Río Bedón after passing the late Romanesque Monasterio de San Antolín de Bedón. It keeps to this road as it passes beneath the A-8 and then turns left to enter Naves along a back road.
The camino follows a course along paved back roads and trails to Villahormes and beyond and doesn’t return to the AS-263 until it arrives at Nueva.
A small village between Naves and Nueva. No particular services. Near the entrance to Nueva, a coastal route variant begins.
At the entrance to Nueva, an alternative coastal route starts.
Between Nueva and Ribadesella the camino follows along a combination of quiet country roads and foot paths, passing through the villages of Piñeres and Cuerres. It returns to the AS-263 just before Ribadesella and follows it into the city.
A hamlet between Nueva and Cuerres. No services. Ignore signs for the Bici Route Bufones de Pría — they'll lead you off the camino.
Beware the signs for the Bici Route Bufones de Praía.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 437 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 26.3 km.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.