• Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here.

Search 74,075 Camino Questions

Del Norte or Frances

ChrisT

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Last 100k of the French Way Nov 2017
Porto to Santiago Sept 2018
Morning All,

I have flights booked to Bilbao this Sunday 16th April returning on 5th May.

My plan was to get a bus to Burgos and walk to Leon - heading back to Bilbao and spend some time there with my other half. I have walked a few sections of the Camino Frances before and last time I finished in Burgos, so this made sense.

Having looked into it further, it seems like it might be a bit of a ball ache getting from Leon back to Bilbao, and my attention has been drawn to the Norte. I haven't booked anything other than my flights, and it would appear to be easier to walk from Bilbao for about 10 days and there looks to be a train that runs along the Northern coast (FEVE Train) to come back to Bilbao.

Has anyone walked from Bilbao and taken the train back and would you recommend it over the Burgos to Leon section of the Frances? I know its a bit subjective but a was just after people preferences / opinions.

Thanks in advance!
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
I'd walk it just to ride the FEVE back to Bilbao.

Ten days gets you to Llanes, Poo or Ribadasella, all on the FEVE
I agree about the FEVE journey - a great experience provided you are not in a hurry to be anywhere in particular. :) I can't be the only Brit to have found this station sign funny enough to take a snapshot in passing. Probably the result of being brought up on a diet of The Two Ronnies and similar sophisticated humour....

IMG_20181102_113249.jpg
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Just be aware that the FEVE line, though a peaceful way to travel, is restricted on the number of trains. The journeys are also slow.

To get to Bilbao on 4th May for your return on 5th will require you to leave Poo at 10:15 on 4th. Journey time of about 6 hours.


Leaving_Poo.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Morning All,

I have flights booked to Bilbao this Sunday 16th April returning on 5th May.

My plan was to get a bus to Burgos and walk to Leon - heading back to Bilbao and spend some time there with my other half. I have walked a few sections of the Camino Frances before and last time I finished in Burgos, so this made sense.

Having looked into it further, it seems like it might be a bit of a ball ache getting from Leon back to Bilbao, and my attention has been drawn to the Norte. I haven't booked anything other than my flights, and it would appear to be easier to walk from Bilbao for about 10 days and there looks to be a train that runs along the Northern coast (FEVE Train) to come back to Bilbao.

Has anyone walked from Bilbao and taken the train back and would you recommend it over the Burgos to Leon section of the Frances? I know its a bit subjective but a was just after people preferences / opinions.

Thanks in advance!
I walked the Norte to Bilbao then decided the weather wasn’t to my liking so I took a bus to Leon and walked to Santiago from there. I finished the Norte from Bilbao to Santiago the following year. The walk from Burgos to Leon, if you’ve never done it, is nice too. Personally I prefer caminos where there are less people, and the Meseta tends to have less pilgrim traffic than other parts of the Camino Frances. The scenery of both routes is beautiful. Of course the meseta has more Camino related infrastructure too.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I agree about the FEVE journey - a great experience provided you are not in a hurry to be anywhere in particular. :) I can't be the only Brit to have found this station sign funny enough to take a snapshot in passing. Probably the result of being brought up on a diet of The Two Ronnies and similar sophisticated humour....

View attachment 144547
Thanks @Bradypus that's made the decision an easy one!Had I known there was a train station called Poo I could travel back from I wouldn't have had to ask the question!

Camino Del Norte it is!

Thanks All! :)
 
I walked the Norte to Bilbao then decided the weather wasn’t to my liking so I took a bus to Leon and walked to Santiago from there. I finished the Norte from Bilbao to Santiago the following year. The walk from Burgos to Leon, if you’ve never done it, is nice too. Personally I prefer caminos where there are less people, and the Meseta tends to have less pilgrim traffic than other parts of the Camino Frances. The scenery of both routes is beautiful. Of course the meseta has more Camino related infrastructure too.
Thanks @dbeatriceb

The weather was another factor, I'm no too sure how reliable the long range forecast is but it looks pretty good in Bilbao from Sunday on wards so with that in mind I'm going to give the North a go.

Can I ask, is the terain quite tough from Bilbao in terms of ups and downs? I have had a look at Gronze and it doesn't look to bad. Also - is it well way marked?

Thanks, Chris.
 

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Most read last week in this forum

Anyone had ever encountered any trouble ot unjust behavior from Hospitaleros? If so, what was it and what to do??
I am not a fan of the Camino Francés, I have never walked it and most probabaly never will. (Please don't discuss the pros/cons of this route on this thread). However, despite my strong opinions...
I AM A PLANNER... I was 10 days in on my last camino before I was able to "relax" - that was when I finally had all of my nights booked. Please, do not make this a discussion about "to book or...
Not sure if this is appropriate use of the forum - but I just completed the Camino Frances last week (yay!!!) and bought a souvenir jet/silver ring for myself in Santiago, and the the jet stone...
My wife and I will finish our third camino next June in Santiago de Compostela. We will have approximately a week before we need to be in Lisbon. We are looking for advice for interesting places...

Featured threads

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Featured threads

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top