MILDER MEANDERINGS
AND SMALL TOWN LIFE

This itinerary option sees you spending time in the small town of Villaviciosa, where the Northern Camino/Way branches off inland.
Explore the gentle rolling hills and valleys around its estuary. Discover beautiful beaches, tucked away hamlets with their numerous little chapels and churches, and it’s rich historical heritage, dating back to the 9th Century.

After two days of gentle walking on the Northern Camino/Way, you’ll arrive in Villaviciosa, which will be your base for the next five days. No more luggage transfers or daily changes of hotels, as you’ll stay in the same accommodation throughout your time here, experiencing the authentic, down-to-earth and day-to-day life of this peaceful region.

The surrounding countryside provides you with a perfect combination of hikes, cycles (normal or e-bike), canoeing in the placid waters of the town’s estuary or simply idling around the town, sampling the local dishes and its renowned cider (optional!).

Cycle or hike to small fishing villages for a meal of local seafood and other dishes. Swim in the clean and clear waters of the Cantabrian Sea at a variety of nearby beaches.

Hike and cycle on the Northern Camino/Way along lanes, past fields and orchards, through woodlands and a multitude of small hamlets and farms, with their small chapels.

Visit the church of San Salvador de Valdedios, consecrated in the 9th Century, and the Cistercian Monastery, before returning through the charming settlements and farmland on this truly exhilarating circuit.

If you’d like to experience small town life in the slow lane, with its gentler walking and cycling routes, then this is the itinerary for you.