Berducedo

If you arrived from Pola de Allande today, you have just walked over the highest point on the Camino Primitivo. The climb to 1,146 metres, the long exposed ridgeline, and the descent into Berducedo constitute the hardest day on the route. You did it. Sit down. Have a beer. Look at the mountains. You have earned this moment.

Berducedo has a bar or two that serve simple food and drinks. After the mountain crossing, a cold beer, a plate of food, and a chair feel like luxuries. The menu will be limited but the cooking is honest Asturian fare. Expect caldo (broth), cured meats, bread, and whatever is available. Nobody comes to Berducedo for fine dining. They come because they walked here.

Berducedo faces west and the evening light over the mountains is beautiful. Step outside after dinner and watch the sky change colour. At 760 metres, with no light pollution, the stars after sunset are spectacular. The Milky Way is clearly visible on a clear night. This is one of the most remote and least populated areas of Asturias, and the darkness is deep.

A short walk from the village leads to viewpoints overlooking the Nalon valley and the mountains of western Asturias. The landscape is open, green, and wild. Wind turbines turn on the ridgelines. Horses and cows graze in the fields. There are no roads visible, no cities, no noise. Just mountains and sky. This is the Camino Primitivo at its most elemental.