Gijón stands on a rocky headland on the Bay of Biscay, in the heart of Asturias, and the Ruta de la Plata, which began far to the south in the hot plains of Extremadura, ends here with a gust of Atlantic air. The route follows an old road whose name comes from the Arabic word for a paved way, and which carried Roman legions, medieval pilgrims and merchants between the south and the north of Spain. After the dry high country of the meseta, arriving at the cold, green coast is like entering another country, and in a sense it is.
The old quarter of Gijón, Cimavilla, sits on the headland, a warren of narrow streets and fishermen's houses, with a small harbour below and the hill of Santa Catalina above. On the hilltop stands a huge abstract sculpture by the Basque artist Eduardo Chillida, called Elogio del Horizonte, Praise of the Horizon, a curved concrete structure that frames the sea and the sky and booms in the wind. Nearby, beneath the old town, you can visit the remains of a Roman bathhouse.
Asturias is cider country, and Gijón is its capital. The drink is poured from a great height, held high above the head, into a glass held low, a showy technique that aerates the cider and is performed in countless bars. Order a bottle with a plate of fabada, the local bean stew, or grilled sardines, and the locals will teach you how to do it. The weather is mild but wet, and the Asturians have a word for the fine, constant drizzle that drifts in from the sea, called orbayu.
Gijón is a city of nearly 280,000, with plenty of fuel, restaurants and parking, and it makes a fine place to finish a ride and rest. Park near the beach of San Lorenzo, a long curve of sand beneath a promenade, and walk along it at the end of the day. The sound of the surf and the smell of salt and wet stone are a good reward for a long journey.