Padma prefers the sea; I’m for the mountains. In Asturias we’ve got them both in abundance so we’re happy. Today we set out from our base in the port city of Gijón to explore the western coastline of Asturias, along the Bay of Biscay.

We started the day with a hike down to the Playa del Silencio, which is considered to be the most beautiful beach in Asturias. We didn’t find silence there as there were plenty of other holidaymakers joining us. But we did appreciate the beauty of the beach.

Then on to the fishing town of Luarca, where we hiked up to Ermita de Nuestra Señora la Blanca church and were rewarded with a spectacular view of the Asturian coastline along the Cantabrian Sea.