Day 24: Gijón to Avilés 18. 47 miles (29.47 km)

We had a rest day in Gijón. Leaving the city was interesting: Gijón is modern, with a well‑preserved old town, but it is also an industrial city. Its main industries are steel production and metalworking. As we left the city, we had to pass through the industrial area. It is not pretty at all, but it is part of el Camino, and we decided to walk this section between Gijón and Avilés. Many pilgrims prefer to take the bus or train to avoid this stretch, and I don’t blame them—it is noisy and unattractive.