Day 11 - Gijon and a little bit further!

 Well despite it being a ‘carpark’ our overnight was very quiet and comfortable. It looks like there’s a good cafe very nearby so we head there for breakfast. Called ‘Ariela’ it was two minutes away, coffee was great, the almond croissant were enormous and it had the cleanest toilets we’ve seen since we got here! 

From here it was around half an hour to walk to the headland and the Eduardo Chillida sculpture we are keen to see. We cross to the waters edge and walk past the aquarium, some great housing that looks exactly like cruise ships and past the harbour, which brings us to the old town, then up onto the headland. 


When we get there the sculpture is as good as we hoped and when we get to stand within it, it produces odd sound reflections of the sea just as we’d hoped. Definitely one to experience as well as look at. The park also has the remains of a military battery and, perhaps because it’s Sunday, a lot of dog walkers!!

From here it was we walk back down via the beach side of town watching surfers try to battle the high waves that are rolling in today. 

Noticing an underground door to the Roman baths in front of the church of San Pedro we thought we’d duck in to avoid the rain (free entry) and were amazed to discover the size and quality of the excavations. Another great Spanish museum, that’s well designed and free! So much better than the exterior would suggest. 

From here we return via the old town, stopping to pick up some basic groceries and tourist foodie treats as well as grabbing a cheap coffee in a Burger King! Just before we reach the seafront again we see an old station building with a museum sign that’s open. We are both a bit ‘museumed out’ but it’s free entry again so decide on a quick peak. Again so much better than it looked from the outside. There are are a huge range of locomotives inside, previously used on Astorian lines. They were all beautifully restored and displayed on the original train and tramlines. Definitely worth our diversion. 

Back at the van we set off to head a bit further west hoping to find somewhere in n the ‘slow road’ we could stop for a sandwich. Though it was almost five o clock the croissant had kept us going til now. On the outskirts we pick up some bargain fuel ( €1.26) our first since we filled up in Bilbao. Then we’d not gone much further before we saw signs to a service point in Canadas. Perfect opportunity to top up/empty out. The park-up was ok but we felt we still had time to look at other options so drove down to the shore. 

The sea was rough and this seemed popular with surfers who occupied a lot of the parking, however we found a great pull-in facing the sea to have our meal. 

Still a bit early to stop so we crack on. We have an idea that we might visit Comillas (on the beautiful villages list) which is only half an hour away, but passing Avies we pull in to check out another aire, immediately put off by its proximity to the road. Back on the road to Comillas the river estuary looks really interesting so we divert to look at San Esteban on the shoreline. Great move, it’s an ex coal mining port with lots of signs of its industrial heritage, including three huge cranes and we join two other vans quayside, facing the water. If only it would stop raining this could be one of the best yet! 


Cumulative mileage: 487.5

Overnight: Muros de Nalon, (P4N 33130)

Spending: Breakfast €8.05, Supermarket €5.34, Treats €11.54, Coffee €2.92, Diesel €50


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