It was 2°C when I checked the temperature. No rush to cycle down the hill to León so I went exploring around the village, presumably once a thriving mining community. Pleasant and peaceful. A quiet Sunday morning with no one around. Except for cats.

Then back to the albergue and a nap until noon. Coffee with an Austrian, touring around Spain whenever he could, with tales of a house he rented for a few months in Asturias for 250 €/month. Some time ago, and no mention of where it is; I could hide away for a few months in some small town quite happily. After coffee, I rode down to the railroad tracks and pushed across.

The station appeared semi-permanently closed but the signs looked recent. Maybe the train does still stop here?

Yes, there is a daily train from León – Villamanin – Pola de Lena – Oviedo, passing through Villamanin at 10:05 and arriving in Pola de Lena at 11:12. There may be others.

The road was predominantly downhill, but not without uphill sections that brought protests from my tired legs, still feeling the effects of the previous days uphill efforts.

The road paralleled the railway line for sections, and often tunneled through the same hills.

There were many small towns and villages, fallen on hard times. "Se vende" signs on buildings and homes that had been shuttered for decades. Bargains to be had, no doubt, but lengthy restorations required. The countryside became less pristine, more built up, as I went through La Robla and approached León. Electric bikes seem to be catching on...

I wasn't sure that the hotel (Hostal Boccalino) I wanted had room to accommodate bikes, and there was no-one in the reception. A hand-written notice directed me Restaurante Boccalino, across the Plaza Isidoro, where I learned that there would be no-one available until 9:00 pm, a wait of about two and a half hours. I had a beer – a Radler, beer and lemon mix. I had another. And nine o'clock arrived, there was room for my bike, I checked in to the hotel, and returned to the restaurant for a tasty lasagna dinner.

The next day promised rain. A considerable amount, in the afternoon. My bike storage was a small room-like space but open to the sky. I moved my bike onto the steps, which were covered, and blocked what I presumed were the emergency stairs. Leading back to the hotel reception. Then I went to the nearest launderette and gave most of my clothing a better cleaning than I generally managed in the shower at the end of a day's ride.

I decided on an extra day in León. We (Bev and I) hadn't stopped in the city last year, continuing on to get a better start for the following day. I wanted to get a feel for the place, and to visit the cathedral. Worth an extra day, I thought, especially as I'm not really in a rush. I may have a long route and limited time but no-one is forcing me to complete the route (although getting the bike back to Oviedo might cause some problems on train or bus).

The cathedral was airy, and had an impressive amount of stained glass. 1800 m², so the audioguide informed me. The cathedral didn't seem particularly spiritual, but that was probably me rather than any fault with the cathedral. And maybe due to the height?

Then, out into the cloisters...

After the cathedral, I headed for the basilica. I had, unknowingly, gone into it on my first evening in León; it was the church on the other side of the plaza from my hotel.

I was packed up and about to go when I had a closer look at my phone; my fingerprint reader had been acting up a little, which I had put down to the cover shifting or wearing so that it obstructed the fingerprint reader. When I took of the cover to see if that made authenticating myself easier, I noticed that the back was quite badly bulged and was coming away from the main part of the phone.

I'm not sure what was causing the issue but I couldn't afford to be without a phone. If the battery was faulty, and swelling, would the phone still be working at all? In any case, I was in the best location to get a new phone; there would be no more big cities like León for a few weeks – possibly not until Sevilla?

So, another day in the Hotel Boccalino. The day was spent buying a phone and setting it up.