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Bilbao to Burgos

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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I think that what Sil was suggesting was that you would walk from Bilbao to Irun on the Camino del Norte (backwards) and then in Irun get on the Camino de Bayona and walk to Burgos.

Buen camino, Laurie
 
Hello Larryflo !

We are not on the right place here, I guess, as this doesn't concern the Camino Frances...
But, well, .......


To your question :

It took some time, I am sorry - but couldn't remember where I had seen at least kind of a map of it...
I found it again and will join it to this post.
The drawing is not so precise.
The way from Bilbao to Burgos seems to meet the 'Via de Bayonne' at Miranda do Ebro.

Well, I was walking from Irun to Burgos this summer and choose to walk via Miranda - which concerns at least the second part of your way, if you still want to go from Bilbao to Burgos.

I will join thus what I did send already to some people interested by this :

"- after Puebla de Arganzon, I followed the way via Miranda do Ebro to Burgos.
Well......
It was lonesome again, there were really beautiful stretches and really awful ones...

I try to resume :

- Puebla de Arganzon - Pancorbo : 35 km
I did not like the town of Miranda do Ebro, neither the way leading to that town, so decided to make one stage out of 2... (probably, it was just not "my day", and I was a bit bad humoured...)
From the separation of the ways (i.e. Camino Vasco del Interior and Via de Bayona) on, the way to Miranda was mostly through fields or along very unfrequented roads - but unfortunately the motorway and/or national road were never far away; so you had nearly constant noise of cars (even far away, the sound is really awesome...)
PS pilgrims can sleep in the youth hostal

After Miranda, the landscape turned really beautiful, especially when approaching Ameyugo and Pancorbo.
There, I passed the night in the albergue of the town.
I had to wait for the priest's return from several masses as he has the keys...
(albergue on the first floor of the parish building, plenty of beds, showers were cold)
It was a Saturday evening, quite late, so I did not see any bars or restaurants open - but was too tired to investigate much.
And on the following morning neither.

- Pancorbo - Briviesca : 23,4 km

After having let some industrial buildings behind me, the way followed the train track for a long stretch - train track, but I do not remember a train passing, so it was quiet.
Quite high vegetation, I had to be really attentive where to go at several occasions. Especially once, there were kind of 3 possibilities in high grass and the 'yellow tapes' attached to vegetation to indicate the way were not so clear...
Then a stretch which reminded me very strongly the meseta, through beautiful fields, clear air and in the heights...
Several abandoned or half-abandoned villages... and in one on a Sunday morning an open bar - and the owner sent his daughter home to get me something to eat. It was great! Really good souvenir!

In Briviesca, as the Tourist Information was closed (they have the key for the albergue), someone sent me to the police - the same building, just next door. They called the 'amigos del camino de Briviesca' who came to open their newly opened albergue for me.
(It is a non equipped apartment - except 2 beds! cold shower.)
And on a Sunday evening, it was quite difficult to find the only open restaurant in town.
The town by the way was really charming!

- Briviesca - Burgos : 48 km
I made again of 2 stages one - why : mainly because of the N1, the national way which you follow at several moments...
Leaving Briviesca, first the way was quite idyllic, then as I mentioned just above, I had to go alongside the N1 for some time (+- 3-4kms) - which made me simply sick, the traffic, the speed of cars and trucks passing beside you. It is a very dangerous track and I felt uncomfortable!
Then again 6 kms on local roads or tracks, quite beautiful, even if the motorway and N1 were not far...
Then again 3 kms along the N1 (from Santa Olalla de Bureba to Monasterio de Rodilla); this made me crazy, sick, and very angry again. In Monasterio I decided to go by bus to Burgos, but finally after a coffee break (my first coffee that morning - which explains a lot of my humour...) and because I read in a book (gift from the 'amigos del camino de Briviesca) that the way from Monasterio to Burgos (+-27 km) followed for 20 kms an old Roman road, I decided to go on... It was beautiful, quiet, lonesome again, first through a windmill parc (modern ones), a wood and then the Roman road. But - approaching Burgos - just after going back to a local road, I lost the arrows and went somehow (really tired and everything aching) towards Burgos...
By the way : the albergue in Monasterio was closed when I arrived; I could have found a key but it was situated on that N1 which had made me so upset so I did not want to stay a night there...
and 5 kms from there, there was a truck motel on the N1 again where you could stay as well, but I really did not want this neither...

So, to resume :

For the rest, Puebla - Burgos, yes, there were some kilometres along the national road.
First after Briviesca (3 to 5 kilometres, I would say) and later on again.
So not so much, but very uncomfortable. They just made me go crazy.
But there were mostly lonely streets without traffic, and some really beautiful parts as well, and despite the desolation of some abandoned villages (my feeling when crossing a half abandoned place!), there were beautiful shared moments with some locals and helping people.. Some rather poorly marked stretches (I remember especially the part between Pancorbo and Briviesca, the way along a rail way track leads through high vegetation which sometimes hide the waymarking).
If you want to leave early in the morning, don't forget that some villages have no services, and the next ones neither; I was glad to have some nuts with me to "survive" ;)
 

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Fatma,
Thank you so much for your detailed description. You have talked me out of the Bilbao route. We will start in Pau on bicycle. I thought it would be a change to start in Bilbao, but I am told it is very bicycle unfriendly. By the way, I went to medical school in Louvain many years ago. I have very good friends in Heverlee.

Larry from Kentucky
 
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Hi Larry,

I did not want to talk you out that route, but I guess I might have been too critical...

Whether that way is more friendly for pilgrims by foot or on bike, well, I can't compare, I didn't try both, but - unless that there are alternative ways for cylists - yes, in the mountain paths I took, it might be rather hard stuff by bike ...

So, you will start in Pau and then via Saint Jean, Roncesvalles and Pamplona to Burgos ?

So you studied in my country, that's interesting - where you in frenchspeaking Louvain or flemishspeaking Leuven ?

Regards,
Fatma
 
Noticing that these posts are somewhat dated, I still want to express appreciation for this info and perhaps my question can go here.
I would like to resume my pilgrimage where I left off, in Manjaran. Of course, getting there will not be straightforward....I thought of going from Bilbao but that might have to be another time, for I am concerned about the weather there. In fact, I can hardly decide wherther to take light or heavy clothing. I leave here on the 4th of Oct and arrive Paris the next day.
Any suggestions?
 
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You could get to Manjarin by taking a bus to Ponferrada from Leon, a local bus to Molinaseca, then a taxi to Manjarin. Bilbao seems a bit out of the way.
 
thank you falcon and of course, Bilbao is out of the way, but I believe I can get there from the cdg Paris by train. I am nervous about the weather, but unless it is too dreary( ie wet and cold), I dont mind walking a bit extra.
I dont mind taking the train or bus but I could not take a taxi to Manjaran
I heard there were some changes there? Tried contacting tomas but I dont suppose they have internet there.

I am not getting alerts for messages, as I requested.
Only yesterday I discovered how to check myself by looking at my posts.
and so just seeing this now.
 
- Briviesca - Burgos : 48 km
I made again of 2 stages one - why : mainly because of the N1, the national way which you follow at several moments...
Leaving Briviesca, first the way was quite idyllic, then as I mentioned just above, I had to go alongside the N1 for some time (+- 3-4kms) - which made me simply sick, the traffic, the speed of cars and trucks passing beside you. It is a very dangerous track and I felt uncomfortable!
[...]
So, to resume :

For the rest, Puebla - Burgos, yes, there were some kilometres along the national road.
First after Briviesca (3 to 5 kilometres, I would say) and later on again.
So not so much, but very uncomfortable. They just made me go crazy.

Now that the motorway is free, the nationa is not nearly as crazy.
Also from Briviesca you can take the road to Valdazo and follow it to Santa Olalla, it goes through mountains instead of N-1
 
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