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Camino de Santiago del Norte
Day 12 of our Adventure: WALK!!
CAMINO Day 6
Wednesday September 13, 2017

30km / 16 miles / 7 hours
Total Ascent: 410m
Total Descent: 410m
Difficulty Rating: Terrain 3; Waymarking 3
Scenery Rating: 3

Castro Urdiales to Laredo, and on to Santillana del Mar

Today we saw some of the greatest variety of the Norte’s first half. Gentle hills, sweeping coastal vistas; the sea was replaced by craggy hilltops and wide green valleys, ending on Laredo’s long and wide sandy beach.

I started out tired-cranky. This waking up and walking without coffee is insane. Of course, Mike wakes up dancing. Not good for someone who worships at the altar of café. Finally we came upon a bar in Islares for a café con leche before making our way to Liendo. It wasn’t a tough walk, but I actually wasn’t sure that I’d make it. Knees. Ankles. Feet. All saying “no more!!”

We stopped once more in Liendo, where Mike thought that I should take a taxi to Laredo. But the break (and Jamon de Iberico de Bellota) gave me a second wind, and we made it. Kept thinking of that song…. “The Streets of Laredo”….. (I know, this is about Laredo, Mexico, but I just had to take a musical break.)

Laredo is Cantabria’s largest resort town and an important Roman site. The beach is super wide. If you want to get to the water it’s quite a commitment! We stayed only an hour or so, because this was our 2^nd “jump ahead” town. This time we’re skipping Santander (another city) and we got a “jump ahead” ride to Santillana del Mar, a more interesting medieval town. From here we’ll walk to Comillas tomorrow.

We are staying at the historical Hotel Museo Los Infantes, a beautiful and very old Inn.

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