El Norte, 4/25-5/6

[efycorado]

I lone gentleman will be embarking on my first El Camino starting in Irun and walking approximately 9-10 days.
I have read thru several of the threads on this forum and although the webbed in detail has been informative, I still have a few questions I'm looking to answer.

I hope anyone of you would be willing to provide information on at least a few of my questions.

• it appears that I will be traveling during the off-season. The majority of albergues may not be open. Should I be concerned with making reservations for beds in advance? although the exact dates of my arrival may vary depending on how smooth my flight to Spain pans out.
• part of me is not worrying about making reservations, as it seems like there are several options besides the albergues, like bed and breakfast locations. One of the things that excites me most is being in a situation where I have to hunt down the roof over my head, should I go with this instinct or should I be formal and seek to make more reservations?
• Although I will be traveling during a time that is considered to be more cool in temperatures, should I still be concerned with bed bugs and spraying my belongings with a lermethryn spray?
• with camping not being a recommended and authorized mode of sleeping overnight, should I still consider bring with me a sleeping bag?
• how feasable is it to hike 15 miles a day, are there recommended times to begin the morning hikes? I am fairly fit and can manage taking care of my body and muscles.
• has anyone used the camino assist app?
• how essential is reflective gear?
• I have seen several recommendations for what to add to a backpack, some include items like alcohol or liquids that wouldn't normally be allowed during flight travel. Are there area stores along the path or should I pack things up in bigger towns like Irun?
• it shows that this path is routing through different highways, are there areas which may be re-routed from walking highways to paths that would provide better views .. such as starting the route in Hondarribia?
  
  
  
  any help would be appreciated!!!
  
  I am eager to go into this trip with an open heart and open to adventure in any capacity!
  
  

 

[Ralph Keith Redhead]

I lone gentleman will be embarking on my first El Camino starting in Irun and walking approximately 9-10 days.
I have read thru several of the threads on this forum and although the webbed in detail has been informative, I still have a few questions I'm looking to answer.

I hope anyone of you would be willing to provide information on at least a few of my questions.

• it appears that I will be traveling during the off-season. The majority of albergues may not be open. Should I be concerned with making reservations for beds in advance? although the exact dates of my arrival may vary depending on how smooth my flight to Spain pans out.
• part of me is not worrying about making reservations, as it seems like there are several options besides the albergues, like bed and breakfast locations. One of the things that excites me most is being in a situation where I have to hunt down the roof over my head, should I go with this instinct or should I be formal and seek to make more reservations?
• Although I will be traveling during a time that is considered to be more cool in temperatures, should I still be concerned with bed bugs and spraying my belongings with a lermethryn spray?
• with camping not being a recommended and authorized mode of sleeping overnight, should I still consider bring with me a sleeping bag?
• how feasable is it to hike 15 miles a day, are there recommended times to begin the morning hikes? I am fairly fit and can manage taking care of my body and muscles.
• has anyone used the camino assist app?
• how essential is reflective gear?
• I have seen several recommendations for what to add to a backpack, some include items like alcohol or liquids that wouldn't normally be allowed during flight travel. Are there area stores along the path or should I pack things up in bigger towns like Irun?
• it shows that this path is routing through different highways, are there areas which may be re-routed from walking highways to paths that would provide better views .. such as starting the route in Hondarribia?
  
  
  
  any help would be appreciated!!!
  
  I am eager to go into this trip with an open heart and open to adventure in any capacity!
  

Hi Efycorado - I hope this helps: I am planning the same route for this year too, anbd have learnt from others and my own experience and will try to answer some or most of your points:
-The first section from Irún is particularly hilly and long, with fewer places to stay than later on. However, the entire coastline is a Spanish hot-spot for local holidays, and so there tends to be a lot of alternatives to Alberques - Bed & Breakfast, small hotels, etc. Depending upon when you start you Camino does dictate whether the Alberques are open - which tends to begin end of May to April in any large amounts. There tends to be fewer toward the end of the coastal route, before heading inland and depending upon your favoured route - you do have a couple of choices.
-Bed bugs: search the internet for info, and many places have good information and warnings on display. I tended to check a mattress before using it - if it was infested I would complain, get my money back and move or! Most places are clean and have good, fixed covers on their matresses, but always be careful and check your gear. It is almost inevitable, and they will be hungry after the closed season ;-)
-There are lots of shops, mini markets and supermarkets, depending upon where and when you arrive - don't forget that mostb places close after mid-day and re-open later. The Spanish are night birds and party long into the night!
-Always take a light-weight sleeping bag. If you are going early in the year there tends to be a lot of rain and dampness, soggy ground - it's normal to a coast route in spring/early summer.
-Walk at your own pace, find your pace. The first sections are the most strenuous, it flatens-out later, by which time you should be up to 'Camino Fitness'. Good footwear-boots-hiking shoes will help you the most, get you along as far as you want each day.
-Don't take too much, you'll probably end up getting rid of a lot of stuff if you do, along the way. There are a lot of links on this blog about what to take and not to take, and pack weights. Test your pack, go out with it fully packed, see how it is for you before you leave.
-Be safe! Take a light, reflective smock, wear light-coloured clothing - there are a lot of sections along the road side, so care is always needed. Take a good, lightweight head or hand lamp-torch.

I hope this helps - I'm sure you'll get more advice from this blog, people are great at sharing info and anicdotes. Search the blog for more tips too. But learning along the Way is a wonderful process and experience. Just enjoy, learn, absorb and relax! Buen Camino.

 

[jsalt]

I hope anyone of you would be willing to provide information on at least a few of my questions.

Hi, welcome to the forum!

It’s off-season, so no need to make reservations.

Go with your instinct and have fun looking for a bed for the night.

Don’t worry about bed bugs – just do a bit of research beforehand, so if you happen to come across any (unlikely) you know what to do about not carrying any forward.

Take a lightweight sleeping bag with you - not all albergues have blankets.

What’s 15 miles in Euro-speak? – Oh, ok, about 24 kms – yes, that’s quite doable.

Some (normal) people begin their morning hike after a decent breakfast at a reasonable hour – others leap out of bed at 6am and start hiking immediately – the choice is yours.

What is the “camino assist app”? Any app or printed guide book will do if you want to know where the next bed is.

You don’t need reflective gear if you are walking in daylight hours.

Plenty of shops along the route – just be aware that they are all closed during siesta time (except maybe the China stores).

There are alternative routes to take if you want to, that’s when a good guide book, or app, or research beforehand, comes in useful.

Buen camino!
Jill

 

[efycorado]

Ralph,

Thank you!

Your response has confirmed my instincts.

 

[efycorado]

Jill,

Thank you!

The Camino Assist is an app that tracks your route even with GPS is unavailable. I'll try it out and give a reporting about it after the trip.

Ralph,

Thank you!

Your response has confirmed my instincts.

Hi, welcome to the forum!

It’s off-season, so no need to make reservations.

Go with your instinct and have fun looking for a bed for the night.

Don’t worry about bed bugs – just do a bit of research beforehand, so if you happen to come across any (unlikely) you know what to do about not carrying any forward.

Take a lightweight sleeping bag with you - not all albergues have blankets.

What’s 15 miles in Euro-speak? – Oh, ok, about 24 kms – yes, that’s quite doable.

Some (normal) people begin their morning hike after a decent breakfast at a reasonable hour – others leap out of bed at 6am and start hiking immediately – the choice is yours.

What is the “camino assist app”? Any app or printed guide book will do if you want to know where the next bed is.

You don’t need reflective gear if you are walking in daylight hours.

Plenty of shops along the route – just be aware that they are all closed during siesta time (except maybe the China stores).

There are alternative routes to take if you want to, that’s when a good guide book, or app, or research beforehand, comes in useful.

Buen camino!
Jill

 

[Kanga]

There is a bit of road walking on the Norte and when it was raining (as it does in early spring) visibility was poor. I was glad to be wearing a bright red skirt and carrying an orange umbrella. Accidents do happen. A very lightweight safety patch for your backpack, or a safety vest, or even bits of bright reflective tape on your pole, I think are a good idea.

 

[Redvespablur]

We walked the same route last year starting 28 April. We averaged about 32km a day - but really that was too much as it left us little time to explore the charming towns enroute. I would advise leaving early enough in the morning to arrive at intended destination in time that you can enjoy lunch - we were out of sync with our eating habits from home and Spain has its own habits - good to create a compromise that helps you eat properly when food is available and you are not too tired to enjoy it.

There is plenty of road walking and good chance of rain and fog - I had led ball light clipped to pack to help cars see me.

We used Buen Camino App and found it very useful for bar hours and accommodation. Off line maps in app were also helpful.

Pharmacies sprinkled about in even small towns. I think you can access my blog via my profile that chronicles our Norte.

Have fun.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Garages in Spain sell lightweight and cheap reflective mesh vests. A legal requirement if walking on any unlit road in the dark. Also very useful if there is any road walking and the day is dull. We also had a bikers reflective wrist strip attached to our pack straps and it was obvious how soon cars saw and moved round us quicker than when they we not visible. Ours could flash too but the switch didn't last out.
There are some mesh and band sets for cyclists on sites like Amazon.

 

[poogeyejr]

• it shows that this path is routing through different highways, are there areas which may be re-routed from walking highways to paths that would provide better views .. such as starting the route in Hondarribia?

There is a guide book for the Northern Caminos from Cicerone Press - The writers of that guidebook Dave and Laura have a podcast - episode 29 How I spent my summer speaks of a few of the alternate 'ocean view' paths you can enjoy while on the beginning of the Camino Norte. http://northerncaminos.com/podcast.html


Also I was looking for more details on the coastal trails and BShea sent me this link. - http://randonnee.tourisme64.com/grands-itineraires/sentier-du-littoral/coastal-trail/