CF or Norte?

[Mandygoingplaces]

Hi all, I'm Mandy. Single parent, 4 children and finally at nearly 50 I have a week to myself in August!
I really wanted to push my comfort zone so having never backpacked before I booked a flight to Biarritz a few months back to start the CF. However, the more I look into it I'm wondering if the Norte would suit me better - I love hill walking, have no problem with steep ascents but moreover want some solitude, some chance to meet others and am not phased by sleeping rough living out of a Rucksack with minimal stuff. I've heard the CF can be ridiculously busy in August, and I don't like t he idea of booking ahead with accommodation - I want to see how far I can get and if necessary I'd be happy to camp. Any advice gladly received!

 

[Jan_D]

Hi Mandy, welcome to the forum!

Sounds like you and the Norte were made for each other. You will love a week of walking in the Basque country. Beautiful green hills, the sea beside you, and wonderful cities like San Sebastian, Guernica, and Bilbao. From Biarritz it's a 30-40 minute bus ride to Irun, which is the official starting point of the Norte. There are buses from the airport with Ouibus or Pesa, and other bus or train options from town. It's really very easy.

The Norte has less 'official' pilgrim accommodation options than the Frances, so it's good that you're flexible. Check out this website to see the type of accommodation you'll be able to choose each stage (it's in Spanish but it's easy enough to understand the graphics and basic info).

With the Norte, you'll enjoy more solo walking during the day, but will meet up with loads of pilgrims in the albergues at night. It's more of a 'diluted' pilgrim experience than the Frances, as you'll be sharing the towns and trails with local holiday-makers, surfers, etc. But if you're just up for a week of walking in a beautiful part of the world (hills, beaches, seafood, Basque culture, pintxos...) then the Norte's definitely for you!

(p.s. I see you're from Stockport... FYI Easyjet does direct flights Bilbao-Manchester).

 

[Seamus68]

definitely the del norte.. no hostel issues .. very beautiful..

 

[TimRichardson]

Is there open camping on the CN?

I understand the hazards of open fires but me and my 5 buddies are getting ready to start in two weeks and most of us would prefer to sleep along side the trail rather than an albergue or a hotel.

How easy is it to find open campsite?

I understand that most of the land is private

 

[Jan_D]

Is there open camping on the CN?
I understand the hazards of open fires but me and my 5 buddies are getting ready to start in two weeks and most of us would prefer to sleep along side the trail rather than an albergue or a hotel.
How easy is it to find open campsite?
I understand that most of the land is private

Some helpful information in this video - it's about camping on the Frances, but the same issues will apply on the Norte. The Norte coincides with a touristy coastal part of Spain (popular with Spanish holidaymakers and surfers), so there are more campsites along the way than on other routes. Given that a lot of the land is private, and that wild camping is discouraged if not illegal in some regions (as the guy in the video explains, each municipality has its own laws), I'd advise using the official campsites as far as possible.

You'll find some information on this forum if you type "camping" (or something more specific) into the search box. A young couple camped all along the Norte recently and used the "live from the camino" feature to update everyone on their adventure - sorry, I can't remember their name but it should come up on your search...

 

[trecile]

I've heard the CF can be ridiculously busy in August, a

I've done the CF in August, and until you get to the last 100 km it is actually less busy than May or September, when there are many pilgrims starting from SJPDP.
Here's a graph depicting pilgrim numbers starting in St Jean. I don't know what year it's from, but you can see how it spikes in May and September.

definitely the del norte.. no hostel issues ..

I have to disagree. During the busy summer tourism months it can be harder to find an albergue bed on the Norte than the Frances, simply because there are much fewer albergues. I found that I had to plan my stages much more carefully on the Norte in July to make sure that I got a bed.

 

[Caminogoat]

Hi all, I'm Mandy. Single parent, 4 children and finally at nearly 50 I have a week to myself in August!
I really wanted to push my comfort zone so having never backpacked before I booked a flight to Biarritz a few months back to start the CF. However, the more I look into it I'm wondering if the Norte would suit me better - I love hill walking, have no problem with steep ascents but moreover want some solitude, some chance to meet others and am not phased by sleeping rough living out of a Rucksack with minimal stuff. I've heard the CF can be ridiculously busy in August, and I don't like t he idea of booking ahead with accommodation - I want to see how far I can get and if necessary I'd be happy to camp. Any advice gladly received!

I just completed the Norte. It has everything you are looking for and more. The beauty makes your spirit high and heart tender. Much less crowded than the CF. Whichever you choose I wish you a Buen Camino.

 

[lt56ny]

I've done the CF in August, and until you get to the last 100 km it is actually less busy than May or September, when there are many pilgrims starting from SJPDP.
Here's a graph depicting pilgrim numbers starting in St Jean. I don't know what year it's from, but you can see how it spikes in May and September. View attachment 58999



I have to disagree. During the busy summer tourism months it can be harder to find an albergue bed on the Norte than the Frances, simply because there are much fewer albergues. I found that I had to plan my stages much more carefully on the Norte in July to make sure that I got a bed.

When I walked the Norte last year, I heard from veteran Norte Pilgrims that it can be very tough in the summer.

 

[lt56ny]

I was not going to reply because I read all the recommendations from CN pilgrims and had to agree, but I walked in Late Sept/October from Irun. Maybe you should think about the Primitivo. I have not walked it but know many who have and they say it is tougher with more hills than the Norte. But as you wrote hills are not a problem for you. It is a less traveled Camino the even the Norte and although it is not on the coast everyone raves about the beauty and solitude of the Primitivo. I have no idea if there are as many beds but I have never read (and I may be wrong about this) that there is a problem finding a bed on this Camino. It may be something you would like to investigate further. If anyone reads this and has walked the Primitivo their experience would be helpful. Buen Camino.

 

[Mandygoingplaces]

Thank you all for your comments - particularly the video Jan_D - part 2 is hilarious! Although a lot more informed now I'm still a little uncertain though as to which route to choose. I like the idea of camping (or just bivvy) for a few of the nights (I only have a week) and the option to do this in an albergue garden sounds the best of both worlds as I wouldn't mind paying to avoid the snoring! As for the Primitivo I would love to do this but doesn't this begin much further along to the West? Maybe on a return trip as I pick off my camino in "chunks". In terms of availability for albergues on the CN, how about the idea of looking to finish each day not in the larger towns / cities as recommended but in smaller villages each night? My flight arrives in Biarritz at 11.45am so I was wondering if I could start walking that day once I've got to Irun??

 

[lt56ny]

Thank you all for your comments - particularly the video Jan_D - part 2 is hilarious! Although a lot more informed now I'm still a little uncertain though as to which route to choose. I like the idea of camping (or just bivvy) for a few of the nights (I only have a week) and the option to do this in an albergue garden sounds the best of both worlds as I wouldn't mind paying to avoid the snoring! As for the Primitivo I would love to do this but doesn't this begin much further along to the West? Maybe on a return trip as I pick off my camino in "chunks". In terms of availability for albergues on the CN, how about the idea of looking to finish each day not in the larger towns / cities as recommended but in smaller villages each night? My flight arrives in Biarritz at 11.45am so I was wondering if I could start walking that day once I've got to Irun??

You could start to walk but you will have to go all the way to San Sebastian. I am sure that the small albergue in Pasajes will be full and according to Gronze it doesn't take reservations. It is a long hard walk to San Sebastian. I have no idea how fast you can get from Biarritz to Irun but it will be late when you get there. I would recommend that if you still want to do that walk book a room in a pension or hostel that has late check in. I would also recommend stocking up and having plenty of food and water as there isn't much along the route.

 

[Ozrob]

Hi Mandy, welcome to the forum!

Sounds like you and the Norte were made for each other. You will love a week of walking in the Basque country. Beautiful green hills, the sea beside you, and wonderful cities like San Sebastian, Guernica, and Bilbao. From Biarritz it's a 30-40 minute bus ride to Irun, which is the official starting point of the Norte. There are buses from the airport with Ouibus or Pesa, and other bus or train options from town. It's really very easy.

The Norte has less 'official' pilgrim accommodation options than the Frances, so it's good that you're flexible. Check out this website to see the type of accommodation you'll be able to choose each stage (it's in Spanish but it's easy enough to understand the graphics and basic info).

With the Norte, you'll enjoy more solo walking during the day, but will meet up with loads of pilgrims in the albergues at night. It's more of a 'diluted' pilgrim experience than the Frances, as you'll be sharing the towns and trails with local holiday-makers, surfers, etc. But if you're just up for a week of walking in a beautiful part of the world (hills, beaches, seafood, Basque culture, pintxos...) then the Norte's definitely for you!

(p.s. I see you're from Stockport... FYI Easyjet does direct flights Bilbao-Manchester).

Just an Fyi re the Gronze website (which is very good) being in Spanish - I set my google settings to auto translate spanish to english so whenever i view this (or other spanish language sites) they auto translate. Most of the time the translation is adequate. Sometimes peoples comments are hilariously rendered.

 

[Maggie Y]

I have done El Norte in chunks. As I've said a few times and sure folks are bored, the first day from Irun to San Sebastian is very memorable walking. Try and set off early and aim to stay at El Pasaje. We were lucky and got in at Pasajes Hostal very special. If you can get there about 4.00 , you may be lucky and there are pensions in that village as well if it's full. Very special walk. I don't recommend taking a heavy pack as for me this made walking less enjoyable and nearly impossible . Buen Camino

 

[trecile]

I posted this on another thread about splitting the first stage from Irun

I walked from Irun to Pasajes de San Juan on my first day - about 10 miles. There is a small albergue there but I found out about a small guest house called Casa Txurdin from the forum, and made a reservation there, which was a very good thing, since my flight to Biarritz was cancelled and I only arrived the next day around 11am. There was no way that I could have gotten myself to Irun and walked all the way to San Sebastian that first day. The contact number for Casa Txurdin is +34685475733 . She's on WhatsApp, which is how I made the reservation. The cost for a private room with shared bath and breakfast was 25 euros.

 

[Mandygoingplaces]

Thank you Trecile, that's really helpful. My quandry is that being tight on time I need to book a return flight ideally early on 22nd, giving me only 6 days walking this time round. There's a flight from Bilbao which is perfect but means I need to do Irun to Bilbao in 6 days rather than 7. If I could get to Pasajes de San Juan on my first day knowing I had accommodation that would be ideal I think. As long as outgoing flights and buses go to plan ….

 

[trecile]

Thank you Trecile, that's really helpful. My quandry is that being tight on time I need to book a return flight ideally early on 22nd, giving me only 6 days walking this time round. There's a flight from Bilbao which is perfect but means I need to do Irun to Bilbao in 6 days rather than 7. If I could get to Pasajes de San Juan on my first day knowing I had accommodation that would be ideal I think. As long as outgoing flights and buses go to plan ….

With your time frame perhaps you should walk from San Sebastián to Bilbao.