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Hi Ross, the albergues run by the Association de Amigos often sell pilgrim passports; I normally pick one up on arrival in Irun for a couple of euros, but given the lack of guarantee that anything will be open in 3 months' time, it might be best getting one in advance. (p.s. if for any reason...
Hi Laurie, I had no trouble accessing the programme here:
https://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/espana-entre-el-cielo-y-la-tierra/norte-del-camino/5750594/
See screenshot. That's where you need to make your decision. The camino path goes up on the left. Otherwise, you just carry on along the N-634. It's the old highway, they've now built a new one (which you'll be standing under when you get to this point!) For longer distances, everyone uses the...
At the end of the Arena beach there's a green bridge (see screenshot) that takes you into Pobeña - well, the outskirts, you leave the town very soon. From there, as ranthr says, it's a nice walk along the coast to Ontón.
You can see the distances here. If you take the 'official' camino route, it's 19.4km from Bilbao to Portugalete, and then 27.6km from Portugalete to Castro Urdiales.
Even if you left Bilbao along the river (the shorter route), it's still 40km to Castro Urdiales. Otherwise 47km along the 'official' route. For the majority of pilgrims, that's double their daily average. (I've met some pilgrims who do very long daily distances as a norm, but I have no idea...
It seems the 18:00 bus from SdC goes to Llanes (and arrives at 2:16am - I assume this is the one you're on?) - if you can't change your ticket, the connection from Ribadesella is only €2.80. You can also book the Llanes albergue directly on booking.com - like lots of the private albergues on the...
Hi Shinobi, may I ask: how are you getting to Ribadesella? By bus? If so, I think most of them will pass through Llanes, as it is a bigger town - so it's unlikely they'll bypass it if you're coming from that direction.
Otherwise, yeah, the Feve benches will need to suffice! Although make sure...
I'd be more worried about the tide: Ribadesella beach is really narrow, and the waves can come right up to the wall of the promenade during high tide (see attached pic)
Why not stay in Llanes rather?? The albergue Estacion has 24 hour reception. It's located just behind the Feve station - hence...
Yeah I also thought the Nortegrinos would be out in full force! 😆 Anyway I just had an idea: if you want to get a taste of the path/ sites along the way, you can find some photos on Gronze: https://www.gronze.com/etapa/aviles/muros-nalon/fotos
(p.s. make sure to push "ver mas" at the bottom of...
Marc S has pretty much summed it up. The second half of the Norte might lack the distinctive cities that characterise the first half, but it's a pleasant walk with some nice smaller towns and villages along the way. The coastal landscape is similar to what you'd have experienced during your walk...
Pilgrims often stop in Pasajes de San Juan (around 8km before San Sebastián) but unfortunately the albergue here only opens 21 March. There's no accommodation on Monte Jaizkibel, the hill between Hondarribia and Pasajes. So it seems you'll have to check on booking.com for private accommodation...
Hi Dave,
No, you're not over-reacting. I actually put this up yesterday. I wanted to provide some information about albergue availability in winter, similar to the 'aprinca' site for the CF. I noted that, before Gijon, about half the albergues were closed over winter, and that only 25% of...
Well to be fair the little elves at Gronze did the work; I just collated the information (which was a labour of love)... But thanks for the appreciation! 🥰
Here's a list of websites that post jobs in the hospitality industry in Spain - you might have some luck finding something along the Norte if you limit your search to the Norte regions (País Vasco, Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia)...
Apparently one of the albergues in Cuerres was also looking for volunteers (not sure which one; there are two private-run donativos in this tiny hamlet; start your detective work here)
That's the spirit! Make sure you try the Basque liqueur "patxaran" - aka Nortegrino fuel 😂
A tip for accommodation: if the municipal albergue is closed, and you need to find private accommodation, it's a good idea to look on booking.com... Not necessarily to make a booking, but to check what's...
Might sound a bit hippy drippy, but I'm a firm believer in walking a path that 'calls' to you. For my first camino, I walked the Aragones: I didn't really know much about the various camino routes; for some reason I just felt drawn to this path (maybe I just thought the name sounded romantic...
...and Payariega: private donativos (located close to Sebrayu)
Villaviciosa: no municipal albergue
Amandi: private donativo, open March-October
[*Oviedo variant: Valdedios, Vega de Sariego, Pola de Siero: open all year
Oviedo albergue: open all year*]
Deba (8km before Gijon): open all year...
I walked in March last year. It was cold, wet, lots of the albergues were closed. And I didn't see another pilgrim for days on end! But I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself 😂
In all seriousness: this is a beautiful region, and you'll get to visit some great towns and cities along the way, but as a...
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