10 days from Luarca

[Tristan Wooller]

Hi all!

Am a "Camino Virgin" and am due to start the Camino del Norte in just over a week and have a couple of questions:

1. I'm flying into Asturias Airport mid-morning and am aiming to start walking the same day from Luarca. How easy is it to get public transport from the airport to the trailhead at Luarca?

2. I plan to finish in Santiago in 10 days. Am quite fit, but is this feasible given the average weather conditions in June?

3. Am I able to buy my Pilgrim's Passport/credential in Spain before I start in the airport? Luarca? My first night's hostel?

4. Lastly regarding equipment - would 2/3-season Salomon trail shoes suffice and do I need a sleeping bag or just a sheet/sleeping bag liner bearing in mind I intend to sleep in the cheapest hostels?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[Dave]

Hi Tristan,

Congrats on your upcoming pilgrimage! It's too bad you don't have a couple more days--you could walk out of Asturias Airport and join the Norte in less than a couple of kilometers, intersecting the route due south in Santiago del Monte. That's definitely too much for your timeline, though.

I haven't flown into Asturias Airport. Their website makes it sound like there's only one bus connection from there, and it's going in the wrong direction for you--east, towards Avilés and Gijón. Your best bet might be to take a short taxi ride to the Santiago del Monte train station. From there, it's a one-hour (plus) ride to Luarca. You're looking at around 250km from there, which is totally doable in ten days. Weather shouldn't have much of an impact on that. Your shoes will be fine. I might be inclined to bring a lightweight sleeping bag, simply because many of the albergues in this stretch are pretty basic and nights may still be chilly. You might be able to make a sleepsheet combined with long underwear work if you sleep warm.

The credential might be the trickiest part. Try contacting the Albergue Villa de Luarca and ask if they have credenciales available (hotelluarca@yahoo.es). If that doesn't work, you might need to backtrack to Avilés to pick one up.

Dave

 

[Tincatinker]

1. Bus to Aviles and Feve Train to Luarca http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/feve/index.html
2.10 days from Luarca is doable, probably, http://www.gronze.com/camino-norte
3. Buy your credencial here from Ivar's shop Services in Santiago by Ivar

Buen camino

 

[Castilian]

Hi Tristan Wooller! Welcome to the forum!

How easy is it to get public transport from the airport to the trailhead at Luarca?

You can take a bus to Piedras Blancas with www.alsa.es/en and another one from Piedras Blancas to Luarca with the same bus Company. If waiting time between buses in long, you may prefer to make the route changing buses in a bigger town like Avilés even if it means a little more of time on the buses (same bus company).

Or you could take a taxi to Santiago del Monte and take a train from Santiago del Monte to Luarca. For info about the train: www.renfe.com/viajeros/feve

 

[Tristan Wooller]

All super useful responses and info. Many thanks!