Cobwebs and Dog roses…the walking begins and the hills rise up to greet us.

Superb breakfast at Hotel Areces and we bade a warm farewell to Antonio and his wife. We quickly found the Camino and set off with some trepidation as the guide book told of inclines…We passed an old pump, a fountain and a cross, not untypical on a Camino I know, but they all have a special history and place.

The first climb was a long one, cobwebs and dog roses,vistas and Asturias Horreos which are larger than those of Galicia.,

My attention was taken by some unusual vegetation which was very attractive to bees and butterflies.

We were pleasantly surprised then to come across a Donativo drinks station – this is where someone local, sympathetic to Pelegrinos leaves out drinks and snacks and payment is by donation. We met two pelegrinas from the Veneto and the Argentinian lady who sets up the station, daily, with her daughter. She and her husband bought the place a while back and renovated it themselves.

We moved on to Cornellana and walked past its nearly 1000 year old monastery, in need of the promised TLC and as we looked back we were able to understand its size and past significance in the area.

A butterfly and wall climbing roses.

A typical Asturian farmhouse with its adjacent Horreos.

Fountains and bridges, all with information as to when they were built or renovated seem to be commonplace on the Primitivo. Intriguing doorways and a nearby window with a shell motif.

Soon we were in sight of Salas,and after sharing the view with some local livestock we reached our hotel for the night – a former palace of the Valdés family who founded Oviedo University,Castillo de Valdés-Salas. It also houses a small museum. The rooms are grouped around a courtyard, in which we were unable to recline because the rain swept in. We had been fortunate to have had reasonable conditions for our walk,however.

Aperitifs and dinner in Bar La Campa, served by an eccentric, hyper active lady, who forgot to give us knives and forks in her rush to go round in circles, but who did eventually serve us a decent bottle of wine. House Special Salad was muy bien.