For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
From the article in El País mentioned in another post (https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/twelve-things-you-didn’t-know-about-the-camino-de-santiago.57012/) ...
“ Is this the ‘way’ to Santiago?
There are in fact many different ways to Santiago. Since the discovery of the tomb...
Exactly. There was a similar review on the CdS by a long distance hiker who didn't like his experience.
https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/ten-reasons-to-stay-away-from-the-camino-de-santiago/
I used the Cicerone Guide "The Northern Caminos" by Perazzoli and Whitson. In the Sebrayo to Gijón section they noted "It is possible to follow the Primitive to Oviedo and then return to the Norte at Avilés without backtracking." At the end of the Primitive section they explain the...
I posted my personal impressions when this topic was discussed earlier. I walked both in September-October in consecutive years. I enjoyed both.
Why Norte over traditional France
In his daily presentation at his Güemes albuergue, La Cabaña del Abuelo Peuto, Father Ernesto Bustio described the CdN as "a little hard with mountains, asphalt, rain, highway intersections, hard to follow routes, and few albergues." But he thinks the biggest problem is that we are too...
You can download the pdf
http://tourism.euskadi.eus/contenidos/recurso_tecnico/aa30_folletos/en_def/folletos/2011/santiago/Caminos del Norte INGLES.pdf
With the Safari 8.0 browser (Apple OS 10.10) go to the web page you are interested in (e.g. "Etapa 11: Laredo - Güemes). Under the File menu choose Print. On the bottom bar choose the PDF drop down menu and choose save as a pdf (desktop, iCloud drive, downloads, etc). You can transfer the pdf...
Here's my experience from 2013 ...
In Irun I met two guys, Jack and Joe, from South Wales. Together we found the Albergue de Peregrinos only to discover it does not open until 4PM. ("We have to clean up sometime.") Now, this is how the Camino works. Jack and Joe say they need to get a pilgrim...
I diverted to Oviedo to avoid the big city sprawl of Gijon. It added an extra day for me because I stayed in Polo de Siero. From there Oviedo is just 16 km which allows an afternoon to explore Oviedo before walking back to Aviles the next day and continue along the coast. Oviedo was a great...
I remember this section well. It had rained the day before and the muddy trail was extremely slippery, downright treacherous. As we were coming down toward Playa de Noja we saw an older French man with running shoes and no walking pole struggling up the hill you show in your picture (walking...
I too highly recommend the detour to Oviedo. It adds just one day. After experiencing the big city atmosphere of Santander I decided to later bypass Gijón. After Villaviciosa I walked to Pola de Siero where only three of us stayed at the very nice local albergue. Pola to Oviedo is only 16 km...
One thing I liked about the Cicerone guide is that it covers the Camino Primitivo, which was helpful when I decided to divert to Oviedo via Pola de Siero, then back to Avilés to avoid Gijón. Also, it includes the Camino Finisterre which I also used. A few people I met decided to divert from the...
I used the Cicerone guide and liked it, especially its recommendations for alternative places to stay which were always excellent. Interestingly, I thought the popular and detailed guides in German and French looked better, but the Germans and French liked my guide better. Often we shared info...
This site is run by Ivar at in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon