Hi, MMcA,
The asphalt on the Norte is a force to be reckoned with. Those whose feet don’t mind asphalt are sometimes surprised to hear me complain about all the asphalt on the Norte. But I once wound up with my foot in a walking cast/boot for months after my return from the camino. I had undoubtedly exacerbated the problem by walking with a custom hard plastic orthotic. Fast forward more than 10 years, I now have a silicone orthotic, I now walk in extremely well-cushioned trail runners (no more hiking boots or shoes for me), yet I still try to find alternatives to the asphalt. You will probably come across this thread, but just in case, there is a great discussion about the various coastal alternatives on the Norte. Lots of times you can SEE the ocean from the camino as it runs along the national highway, but with just one little detour you can actually WALK along the coast. These alternatives made my most recent norte heavenly.
Since you are a repeat camino offender, it’s likely that you will return, so I would suggest starting in Irún and seeing how far you get. It’s not the most beautiful part of the Norte, IMO, but there are a couple of early coastal alternatives (particularly on day 1 from Irún) and it will give you a good introduction.
The Norte is very popular and albergues can get filled. I walked in June and we had the advantage that the tourists had not yet arrived en masse. As a result, owners of tourist facilities were happy to rent to us, and we stayed in several very nice tourist apartments for about 15 euros each. In August,you will not get that opportunity, and everything will be much more crowded. The locals obviously prefer the tourist revenue to the pilgrim´srevenue. My recommendation would be to walk as early in summer as possible, June onward.
Buen camino, Laurie