Camino tunnel route started

We have started the camino tunnel route today June 8 and have done the grand distance of 11 km in the rain. So we are stopped here at Oiartzun at a pension to dry out. Beautiful country following the CSJ guide but really following the yellow arrows only. Very well sign posted so thank you to the amigos association. It's Saturday so bars are open and great food - we heard "happy birthday" sung in basque at a bar! Pension was Euro49 so expensive but necessary to dry out!! Had to buy extra plastic age as the packs were a bit wet!! So far so good! Prediction is for rain rain. Regards Jill

 

DAY 2 June 9th Oairtzun to Hernani. About 16 km. This is a beautiful walk and quite up and down. Great views in spots. It has been raining so much in the area that water is running everywhere and streams are raging. We had rain for about half the walk and we took 6 hours!! Little country paths were streams and at one spot tractors had made heaps of squelchy mud!! At times it was grade 1 squelchy mud - ie not much and at times grade3 squelchy mud - right over the top of the boots. I assume grade 4 the boots get left behind!!! Well marked track with the yellow arrows and the CSJ guide mentioned that there may be some confusion at points but these must have been resolved. There was a part just out of Oiartzun where a road had been closed to cars because we assume a bridge was gone BUT the camino bridges were there. Needed walking sticks, agility and a lot of time today.

 

DAY 3 Hernani to Tolosa and no rain today. Today's walk was almost all on footpaths and like one continuous town plus a lot of industry. However it has been very enjoyable, almost flat, well marked and for us a contrast to the 2 previous soggy days. We have not seen other pilgrims but many people said "buen camino" which was great.

 

There is a very nice Albergue in Beasain. You have to walk all through the whole city and past the train station and you will find it by a little river a small white building. Very comfortable. I was there last year April 1 when it was opened for the season.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have - I walked this route during the Easter week last year.
Buen Camino!

 

Day 4 great weather flat all the way to Beasain and nice alburgue de Peregrinos here. Road walking all the way. Well marked with yellow arrows. Lots of walkers and cyclists today.

 

I'm two stages behind you. Night in Hernani. I didn't see much mud, saved by an old farmer who showed me a better way.
Cheers.
Jean-Marc

 

Day 5 from Besain to Zegama. Getting really warm now. The first part of the walk to Segura was beautiful and up in the hills so not much hard surface. Very picturesque. Then from Segura we chose to go on an unmarked alternate way or diversion (approx 7.5 km) - as detailed in our guidebook - to avoid the marked way which was said to be on a busy road (approx 5 km). However we note now that there is a dedicated walkway alongside this roadway until 1 km from Segura. The alternate was HARD steep ups and steep downs and it took about 4 hours as we misinterpreted instructions and went on a false way for a while. It would be treacherous after rains. So in retrospect the marked route would have been fine.
Day 6. Meant to go to the tunnel today but cloud cover right down to Zegama and forecast for rain and lightning. So we made the decision as soon as we heard the forecast and saw the fog. So we bus and train to Vitoria.

 

Day 7 was a rest day in Vitoria a needed rest and repair of blisters! Vitoria is a lovely medieval town and worth a look. Day 8 we walked to Puebla de Arganzon once more in the country. Jean-Marc just aftersubillana on the hill walk there is a way marked with yellow poles and another with white poles both official looking. We took the white poles and it was a good path and bypasses the town starting with villa. We left vitoria at 8 and arrived at 1 pm easy walking.

 

Thanks for the tip.
Salvatierra to night. Tunnel and pass went fairly easy.
Just a bit of mud and a difficult Calzada Romana.
Vitoria manana.

 

DAY 9 Just arrived Brinas walked from La Pueblo deA - again a beautiful walk and well signed . It was hot today 30 degree and by 2 pm and we had arrived at Sallinas BUT due to us not understanding Spanish very well we couldn't figure out if we could stay at A/T even though the Alburgue was today opening at 6pm. So to cut a long story short we walked another hour and half - the hill up was ok and NOT steep but steep down - and on to Brinas which is magic hotel El Puerta Del Rioja 30Euro a double - huge room. Well worth the extra distance as tomorrow will be less!! We are in La Rioja.

 

Day 10 completed this short Camino a nice walk to Sta Domingp DeC from Brinas good way marking straight forward. We leave for Aussie in a week so we have some holiday now.

 

La Puebla de Arcanzon after a humid day from Vitoria where I took a rest day.
As suggested, I followed the white markings from the pass. A nice and easy walk to La Puebla, although the descent on the gas line cannot be taken lightly. Left Vitoria at 08h30 and showering at La Puebla at 12h30.
Cheers and have nice vacation.
Jean-Marc

 

Hello Annie,
I plan on walking from Bayonne to Irun to Burgos, via the Vasco route. Im going solo, doesnt seem to be many pilgrims on the route. I only speak English, seems one has to call ahead for the albergue. Think my language barrier will be a problem?
I would appreciate your thoughts,
Gracias,
Cliff

 

You can always ask somebody to call for you. The problem would be that there were no hospitaleros in most albergues so you have to find somebody maybe when you eat breakfast or dinner, or in the Tourist Office or a police officer who speaks some English and can call the albergue for you.
If they want a notice you should give them a notice before you arrive - the person with the key is maybe far away visiting somebody and not available.

You could learn some basic Spanish...

It is a wonderful route. You will enjoy it a lot.
Buen camino

 

Good Morning,

Thank You for your support. Yea, I am learning some basic language. Thinking Ill compose some phrases pertaining to calling, making reservations etc. See how it goes. I have considerable hearing loss so that doesnt help. .
I'll "Play it by Ear "! , I started at St. Jean , before. I thought the Via Bayonne would interesting. Once I am on the Frances, Im good to go. I noticed youve walked several times. This is my third Camino, funny I just cant get it out of my system.
I joined American Pilgrims on the CAmino, I mentor people planning on walking the Camino. Its been a good change for me.

Buen Camino,
Cliff

 

Cliff:

If I might provide some thoughts on this route, I do not recall any real issues getting access to Albergue's or hotels on the Vasco (tunnel route). You might have to go to a police station (Andoain) I believe to get a key. In Zegama, I recommend you stay in the hotel versus the Community Albergue. The Albergue is the town sport arena and did not have hot water. Leaving Zegama is the toughest climb on the route. A steep climb with a tunnel and a great old roman road near the top of the mountain. Be careful at the top. On a foggy cold wet day I missed an arrow and got lost, creating a very long day. Berantevilla is a small town of about 400. They have one bar and you can get a key from a local house. They will let you sleep in the school where you will be provided with mats to sleep on. They do have hot showers and a Microwave. I ate in the bar/restaurant. They have a very interesting tabernacle of a mother stork feeding her young with her own blood. There are some great views prior to the Brinas/Haro area.

I found this Camino to be enjoyable but somewhat pedestrian in the beginning. If you like Sideria, this is a great walk through mostly Basque country. Turning to wine country in the Brinas/Haro area.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

@Cliff175 Buen camino on the Via de Bayona:
http://tourism.euskadi.eus/contenid...ino_santiago/x65_santiago_ingles_interior.pdf

http://www.caminosantiagoviadebayona.com/

http://tourism.euskadi.eus/contenid...os/2011/santiago/Caminos del Norte INGLES.pdf

 

Is there actual information about the Tunnel route (or Vasco del Interior or Bayonne route)? I am starting next month with this route in Irun to Burgos and then to SdCompostela.
Thxs in advance, rgds, Cees

 

Cees, if you mean a guide book then no, I don't think there is one. But if you go through the Vasco threads of the last couple of years you'll see links to enough useful and accurate info to get you along this route. I walked in 2015 and found the Gronze pages very useful - in fact they were pretty much all we used.
Cheers, tom

 

Hi, Cees,

I walked Via de Bayona last summer and if you'll walk to Burgos that's the same route. Actually Both routes are named Tunnel route here or there but they are the same only from Irun to Estavillo.
Otherwise Via de Bayona starts in Bayonne hence the name in Spanish and Camino Vasco del Interior starts in Irun.

You can find lots of usefull info here:
https://www.gronze.com/camino-vasco
http://www.mundicamino.com/los-caminos/59/via-de-bayona/
http://www.todocaminosantiago.com/en/via-de-bayona/
https://pilgrimdb.github.io/tunel.html (GPS tracks)
http://centrodedescargas.cnig.es/CentroDescargas/loadCamSan.do (GPS tracks)

I compiled my own guidebook from different sources and spiral bound it and I was just fine. I can send it to you as .pdf or .docx vie e-mail if you wish.

Happy planning!

 

This Camino is on my list, would be happy to get your "own guidebook" KinkyOne...

 

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