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I stopped at the bottom to let what I thought was a single jogger go by - it turned out that he was leading a group of army cadets running up the hill - so I really had little choice but to race up
It's more of a short, sharp sandy path - go steady on the descent and keep an eye out for bushes
The Norte is pretty quiet (and certainly in contrast to the Frances) - and even walking 25km or so per day will give you plenty of time to smell the flowers - the bed race is less severe as well though there will be lots of locals surfing during the first few days
The building of superhighways close to the Norte has taken a lot of the traffic has taken a lot of the traffic away from the ordinary highways - you should at least buy a guidebook and see for yourself
Can I just clarify your terminology - I think you mean pilgrim cyclists - and indeed I didn't see many
But, especially at weekends, you will see groups of motor cyclists (that I would call bikers) out riding - and well as some amateur cyclists out on the roads
I think that this is fine if you're staying in Bilbao - but by avoiding the main road you miss the accommodation in Lezama and Zamudio - and, for me, the grim bits make me appreciate the rest of it even more!
In my experience, the end of August isn't the end of holidays in Spain (unlike in France for example)
You will find the sun/surfing resorts very busy along the first part of the Norte even in early and possibly mid September
Stick close to the N634 (for the main part not that busy since the building of new motorways) and you'll avoid the cliffs - the alternatives are clearly displayed in the wise pilgrim guide
I think that starting later in September is very sensible as resorts such as Deba and Zarautz along the coast will still be busy with surfers and other local holidaymakers in early September
I've done this - the only wrinkle is that not all trains from Lugo stop at Baamonde - I took the train to the next stop, Guitiriz, and then got a short taxi ride back
What's wrong with persuading your family to walk the last 100km from Lugo instead of Sarria - it's the same from Melide - and you can easily get the bus from Oviedo to Lugo
Well since the locals will still be on their holidays, swimming and surfing along that coast, then you should be fine
More likely to be too warm than too cold so the sleeping bag liner should be fine certainly for the beginning of September - though depends how long you are going to be walking...
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