My Cicerone guide actually lets the Norte start at Irun bus / train station.
I think I understand where your idea about the 'outer edge of Irun' may have come from, because The Santiago bridge / river crossing to France is also often referred to a starting point, and it is on the edge of the city.
There is no such thing as an official start...
Feeling sympathy though, I remember getting lost on my first day of my Norte as well, for some reason it took me 2 hours to find my way out of Irun town centre - I really have no idea what went wrong. (and after that I never got lost again).
But...
Bilbao is on the Camino del Norte, so no bus needed.
But I think we were assuming you are walking the Norte.
If you are walking the Frances instead. In that case, there are different options en routes such as Osasuna Pamplona, Logrones, Burgos CF, CF Leon and SD Ponferradina.
As this thread gives an excuse to talk football, I'd like to share this article about football culture along the Costa del Morte, Fisterra and Muxia. The football ground in Muxia is actually one of the most beautifully located football grounds that I have ever visited (it is right next to the...
Athletic Bilbao would be my first choice.
Other options:
San Sebastian : Real Sociedad
https://ticketing.realsociedad.eus/#/open/checkout/product/00-000888G/event/00-000885s
Sporting Gyon
https://www.realsporting.com/
Irun : Real Union
https://realunionclub.com/
Thank you Dave for writing this down. And sad to read about the disappearing albergues.I have very fond memories of the parochial in Zumaia, to name just one.
Do you have any idea why this is the case ? A result of covid ? Municipal albergues not being able to cope with growing numbers of...
Tour de France starts the 1st of July with a Bilbao-Bilbao stage, the stage the next day is from Vitoria to San Sebastian, and the 3d from Amorebieta to Bayonne.
Anyway, when you are travelling with 8-10 people it may not be realistic to all sleep at the same place all the time. No drama, but...
Your friend is right, starting in Irun means you will be walking beautiful stages - and probably end up somewhere around Santander. However, it takes a full day of travelling to get to Irun (which means one day less for walking), and to bus/train back from Santander also takes 8 hrs.
If you...
I really enjoyed staying at Aves de Paso in Pendueles. As I recently read on the forum that it is up for sale, I am not sure whether it is open. But it has a really nice communal meal and really nice owner. And he has an impressive collection of football shirts !
I also enjoyed Casa de la...
No first hand info from me, but it the same building, but having being seriously renovated and re-opened in 2021. Comments on gronze are mostly positive. Google comments are mostly positive as well - apparently it is run as a donativo by volunteers.
Some pictures of the re-opening event I found...
The route to Vegadeo is the historical route before the bridge to Ribadeo was built. The route and the albergues on this route are also mentioned on gronze.com (Camino Historica por Vegadeo)
Anyway, the route has also been discussed on this thread...
Personally I prefer to walk continously, including the good, the bad and the ugly. And of course it all depends whether one regards the industrial and suburban parts as ugly, or just different - I do not know how you will experience this.
Moreover, whatever stage you skip, you always miss out...
Yes, it is indeed. Some people do not like to walk from Bilbao to Portulagete, as it is a bit industrial, but I found the bridge crossing a nice reward.
My idea is not very original, but I would just suggest to keep it simple and just keep on walking the Norte. You will probably get to around Santander, which makes for a pleasant walk, including the opportunity to stay in the albergue at Guemes, cross the rather special bridge at Portulagete...
If I remember well, the section from Aviles to Ribadeo very much had the same "vibe" for me as the first half of the Norte - lots of coastal walking (and at the time I was not even aware of the many non-asphalt alternatives that I could have walked). I also remember staying in nice little...
My vote is for 'perfectly doable'. However, I do remember a thread in which somebody calculated there is relatively more asphalt walking on the Norte (as compared to the CF). Not such a problem for me, but it could be for others - that is why I always advice people preparing for the Norte to...
Thank you for sharing your experience. Brings back good memories, as I loved the Norte and would love to walk it again in the future. Interesting to read you met many younger walkers. Did not experience this as such, but well, these are all 'snapshots' I guess. Do remember there were far less...
Calm down David.:) I perfectly understand where your post is coming from. But I have come to realize this thread is possibly also serving as test for our (well at least my) patience.
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