Gijón
Camino del Norte
Gijón is the largest city in Asturias and the gateway to the industrial stretch of the Norte — from here to Avilés, the walking is mostly urban and occasionally grim. But the city itself deserves a full afternoon.
The old town sits on the Cimadevilla peninsula, dividing the bay between the Playa de San Lorenzo to the east and the Playa de Arbeyal to the west. The peninsula's narrow streets climb to a headland park — the Cerro de Santa Catalina — where the concrete sculpture Elogio del Horizonte by Eduardo Chillida stands on the old naval battery. Don't just photograph it: step inside the curved walls and listen. The sculpture amplifies the sound of the waves crashing below into something close to a roar.
Down on the peninsula's eastern flank, the Termas Romanas de Campo Valdés are excavated remains of a Roman bathhouse, complete with intact heating systems. The Casa Natal de Jovellanos, an 18th-century palace, houses a museum honoring Gijón's most famous Enlightenment figure. The Iglesia de San Pedro, on the tip of the peninsula, is worth your time — the views from the churchyard alone justify the walk.
The Plaza Mayor and the Palacio de Revillagigedo (exterior only, sadly) anchor the base of the old town. For food, the sidrerías in Cimadevilla are among the best in Asturias — this is where the locals come, not where the tourists go.
If you have time for one thing off the camino path, make it the Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura. This enormous complex — said to be the largest building in Spain — was built in the 1950s as a Franco-era vocational school, sat abandoned by the 1990s, and has since been restored as a cultural center used by the University of Oviedo. The tower, modeled on Seville's Giralda, is the tallest in Asturias. Adjacent, the Jardín Botánico Atlántico is worth combining with the visit.
Other museums include the Gijón Railway Museum and the Aquarium, both on the western side. All services available. Transport connections throughout Asturias.
San Pedro is celebrated on the 29th of June, as well as several other festivals celebrating Asturias and Cider throughout the year.
The Romans called it Gigia and made it their principal port on the northern coast. The town's strategic position — a defensible peninsula controlling a natural harbor — has made it coveted real estate for two millennia.
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, born here in 1744, was the leading figure of the Spanish Enlightenment in Asturias: jurist, economist, reformer, and eventual political prisoner when his ideas proved too progressive for the crown. His birthplace is now a museum, and his influence on Asturian education and infrastructure is still visible.
The best landmark to use when leaving Gíjon is the boat harbor. Follow along the coast, as far as the first residential apartment blocks to appear on your right-hand side. Pass to the right of the first building, heading down the Calle de Mariano Pola. Keep on this road as it changes names; first to the Avenida de Galicia then to the Avenida de la Argentina, and finally to the Carretera de Avilés. It is mostly straight with only a few bends and entirely city walking. By the time you get to the end of the city the view ahead reveals a massive steel production plant directly in front of you. The way around it the least pleasant stretch of the entire camino but there are no good options here. Descend to the road and turn right, following it around the factory. Keep an eye open for the turn off to the left which is not easy to notice with all of the traffic: it can be identified as being the only level railway crossing in the area and a sign points the way to Poago. Follow this road. It will eventually turn away from the factory and begin to wind up the hillside known as the Monte de Areo, the last part of the climb is along trails. This hillside is the silver lining of the gray cloud cast by the nearby factory, it is the location of the oldest known necropolis in Asturias as well as a Neolithic dolmen. From the highest point the camino descends to Santa Eulalia.
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