Coastal alternative Between Castro Urdiales and Laredo

[peregrina2000]

I have started to study the many ideas I´ve gotten on this thread, https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/list-of-coastal-alternatives.43627/ to find off-pavement alternatives where possible. I got a great list from a Spanish peregrino, Jomar, and am hoping to walk some of his many suggestions.

But I´m wondering about his proposal for the route the route between Castro and Laredo. He describes it here, and at the bottom of the post, there is a 3 minute video. The first couple minutes are fine, but then it gets kind of hairy looking to me. Has anyone walked this alternative? The pictures are beautiful, but I'm not so sure I can handle the ascent to the high point.

http://miscaminos.net/2015/05/17/camino-del-norte-y-variantes-09/

 

[mla1]

Yikes!

 

[peregrina2000]

Yikes!

Yes, that was my reaction, I guess I'll forget about that one.

 

[SYates]

OMG! Yes, please forget about it! Or at least label it 'for experienced mountain goats only'. SY

 

[nalod]

I have hiked all of the French GR 10 which is the Pyrenees Coast to coast, sections of the Alps, Gorge du Verdon etc. I have also completed a number of Mountain Skills courses. I would not advise it as a Camino route, even for experienced people you would not be advised to do it alone.

 

[Kanga]

I'd be avoiding anything that says "must be done only with favourable weather, no fog, no clouds, no excessive wind" ! If I did this variant it was only in my nightmares.

 

[mla1]

I also prefer that my caminos not involve hand holds! especially when they are higher than my head.

 

[Submikey]

From Hazas (Liendo) there is a marked camino route which is not the "official" route, turn right at the white shrine/church, which takes you up onto a perfectly safe cliff top path before coming down to Laredo, this is a sound alternative to that shown in the aforementioned video which gives a flavour of the video route.

 

[Stormrund]

Just walked it yesterday. We had absolutely ZERO idea what we were getting ourselves into until our only option was to keep on climbing.

If you are feeling adventurous and spry, do not let yourself get talked out of this alternative. It is the most gorgeous, breathtaking hike (not a walk, it’s a hike). The path is very narrow and sometimes rocky, with lots of thornbushes. There is certainly a degree of danger to this route since the cliff you walk along is such a steep drop off, but that’s what makes this hike so exhilarating. Every step improves the view to the point where you can’t believe what you’re seeing.

I’m 22 and I did it with my mom who is 60 and needs a double knee cap replacement. She had her trekking poles, took it slow, and was just fine. If she can do it, anyone can.

Disclaimer: check your weather. Under no circumstance should this be tried if there is even the faintest chance of rain.

 

[peregrina2000]

Oh, those are great pics! Can you tell me where you started this route? I know I picked it up after Liendo, but I think that you must have gone near Oriñon, which is what Luka told us about in a different thread. Any info you have would be helpful, because I think that more and more people are realizing that walking along the side of the N 634 on the camino is a shame when these trails are right nearby!

 

[trecile]

Six of us attempted to follow Luka's directions yesterday. At one point the directions state that when you reach the sign that says "Laredo 9 km" to take the trail to the left that goes up the mountain. Well, we turned on that trail, which started out downhill, then flattened out for about one km until it reached a (nudist) beach. At this point, we couldn't see any trail going up, and no way to continue past the beach. Since it didn't match the description in the directions I thought that we must have taken the wrong path, and another woman in the group and I went back to the road. The rest of the group continued on.

We asked a passing motorist if he knew how to get to Laredo from there, and he said that we had been on the right path, but that it was muy peligroso! As this sign had warned us

And in fact that his friend had fallen there last year. He drove us back to the highway, where we walked to Liendo, then took the Camino from there. I certainly can't complain about the views that we saw from this very rocky trail.


The rest of our group did find the path, but also lost it for a while and had to walk through some sort of thorny brush, because they all had scratched up legs.

 

[TMcA]

I have hiked all of the French GR 10 which is the Pyrenees Coast to coast, sections of the Alps, Gorge du Verdon etc. I have also completed a number of Mountain Skills courses. I would not advise it as a Camino route, even for experienced people you would not be advised to do it alone.

@dermot - I really liked your video. For me, the slow pace of the slide changes and the calming, wonderful music helped me to feel the Norte unfold. Very well done.

Tom

 

[peregrina2000]

Six of us attempted to follow Luka's directions yesterday. At one point the directions state that when you reach the sign that says "Laredo 9 km" to take the trail to the left that goes up the mountain. Well, we turned on that trail, which started out downhill, then flattened out for about one km until it reached a (nudist) beach. At this point, we couldn't see any trail going up, and no way to continue past the beach. Since it didn't match the description in the directions I thought that we must have taken the wrong path, and another woman in the group and I went back to the road. The rest of the group continued on.

We asked a passing motorist if he knew how to get to Laredo from there, and he said that we had been on the right path, but that it was muy peligroso! As this sign had warned us
View attachment 44530
And in fact that his friend had fallen there last year. He drove us back to the highway, where we walked to Liendo, then took the Camino from there. I certainly can't complain about the views that we saw from this very rocky trail.

View attachment 44531
The rest of our group did find the path, but also lost it for a while and had to walk through some sort of thorny brush, because they all had scratched up legs.

Thanks, trecile. Sounds like an adventure!

So, maybe the best advice for this stage for people who want to avoid the national highway but who don’t want to take Luka’s alternative is to do what I did. Take the off-camino loop down through La Magdalena, and then in Hazas/Liendo head up to the coast, past the ermita, and along the ocean till descending into Laredo. It’s all pretty clear on Gronze’s map.

https://www.gronze.com/etapa/castro-urdiales/laredo

@trecile, can you figure out where the turn-off you originally took was? I’m guessing it was on that map, somewhere after Islares but before El Pontarrón.

Though I am not a high tech person by any means, having a GPS for these coastal alternatives was occasionally a godsend.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I recall hearing of the death of a German man in November 2016 on the del Norte. He fell off a cliff somewhere in the area of Castro Urdiales. I don't know if this is the area being discussed here since yesterday, but I googled the article. It was originally posted as a link by Ivar. I am including a screenshot as unfortunately I do not know how to attach links on this forum.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Here are two screenshots of the article in Spanish.

 

[trecile]

Thanks, trecile. Sounds like an adventure!

So, maybe the best advice for this stage for people who want to avoid the national highway but who don’t want to take Luka’s alternative is to do what I did. Take the off-camino loop down through La Magdalena, and then in Hazas/Liendo head up to the coast, past the ermita, and along the ocean till descending into Laredo. It’s all pretty clear on Gronze’s map.

https://www.gronze.com/etapa/castro-urdiales/laredo

@trecile, can you figure out where the turn-off you originally took was? I’m guessing it was on that map, somewhere after Islares but before El Pontarrón.

Though I am not a high tech person by any means, having a GPS for these coastal alternatives was occasionally a godsend.

We were following Luka's directions and took the path after the bar and roundabout after El Pontarrón. That's when we saw the warning sign. We walked for about 45 minutes or more on a nice forest path then Oriñon and on the green painted pedestrian walkway before we came to the Laredo 9 km/3.15 H sign.

 

[peregrina2000]

I recall hearing of the death of a German man in November 2016 on the del Norte. He fell off a cliff somewhere in the area of Castro Urdiales. I don't know if this is the area being discussed here since yesterday, but I googled the article. It was originally posted as a link by Ivar. I am including a screenshot as unfortunately I do not know how to attach links on this forum.
View attachment 44540

Thanks for posting this, Chris. I remember reading about that tragedy on the forum. I am pretty sure the trail trecile describes is further to the west. The place where the German fell, near the Punta de Saltacaballo, is very close to Castro Urdiales. This path is beyond Oriñon and closer to Laredo. But it is a caution for all of us nonetheless, since the terrain is very similar. When I originally started this thread before my camino, I had decided to forego that trail — the video I linked to made me very nervous just to watch it! So I waited till I got through Liendo to ascend, which I think is probably good advice for most of us, except for the real mountain goats among us. Until this thread got re-visited yesterday, I hadn’t connected that Luka’s option was the same as the one I had decided against because of the video.

 

[Luka]

O my, I start to feel guilty now. The path in the video looks like the path I took, but on the video it looks more scary than I recall it.

@trecile I remember the path splits rather soon afer the sign 'Laredo 9k' and we took the wrong path (leading to the beach) first as well.

 

[trecile]

O my, I start to feel guilty now. The path in the video looks like the path I took, but on the video it looks more scary than I recall it.

@trecile I remember the path splits rather soon afer the sign 'Laredo 9k' and we took the wrong path (leading to the beach) first as well.

Luka, we didn't see any other possible path.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thanks for posting this, Chris. I remember reading about that tragedy on the forum. I am pretty sure the trail trecile describes is further to the west. The place where the German fell, near the Punta de Saltacaballo, is very close to Castro Urdiales. This path is beyond Oriñon and closer to Laredo. But it is a caution for all of us nonetheless, since the terrain is very similar. When I originally started this thread before my camino, I had decided to forego that trail — the video I linked to made me very nervous just to watch it! So I waited till I got through Liendo to ascend, which I think is probably good advice for most of us, except for the real mountain goats among us. Until this thread got re-visited yesterday, I hadn’t connected that Luka’s option was the same as the one I had decided against because of the video.

Yes, reminders to be cautious on the high cliffs of the coastal areas along certain stretches of the Del Norte are always a good thing. I have a couple of my own memories of "hairy" moments experienced on these stretches!

 

[peregrina2000]

Javier just posted about a rescue on the Norte near Liendo. I’m wondering if this segment is the one that @trecile described above. I only walked the coast after Liendo, so I don’t know this section, but it sounds like we now have a few data points to suggest it might not be the best idea.
https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/34...iado-acantilado-gracias-mensajes-con-guardia/

 

[valevenga]

I did this route on my own in June....my son refused to accompany me after we were forewarned by a local....I just could not resist...about 45 minutes into the climb——and it was a climb——-I met a German woman who was on her way down and told me she had lost the trail about 30 minutes ahead and could not get through so decided to just come back down..... I asked her a few questions and my stubbornness took over.....I lost the trail too a few times climbing up but was always able to find it again...honestly, there were moments when I did feverishly pray and the black arrows miraculously appeared......the plateau was amazing and the hike down was definitely easier.....HOWEVER since I started in mid afternoon, by the time I got down the other side I was exhausted and sunburned... I texted my son and asked him to send me a taxi.... I had NOTHING left to get me to Laredo.... think it was only a couple of kilometers......I would do it again but first thing in the morning

 

[AJGuillaume]

Following discussions with @Luka we have planned to take this route. We have booked accommodation in Oriñon.
Through references on this forum, I found a GPX track (attached), which we intend to follow.
The alternative is also on Wise Pilgrim Norte guide.
Hopefully with the GPX info we won't get lost...
If @Luka did it, I don't see why we can't do it.
Maybe we are foolish (and I'm happy to take that criticism), but in the first few stages of our walk we had some pretty steep narrow paths, and part of our training in Australia included walking some of the harder trails around Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, which were pretty steep.
P.S.: I hope what I'm considering is what @trecile tried to do. Otherwise, ignore my ramblings...

 

[peregrina2000]

Following discussions with @Luka we have planned to take this route. We have booked accommodation in Oriñon.
Through references on this forum, I found a GPX track (attached), which we intend to follow.
The alternative is also on Wise Pilgrim Norte guide.
Hopefully with the GPX info we won't get lost...
If @Luka did it, I don't see why we can't do it.
Maybe we are foolish (and I'm happy to take that criticism), but in the first few stages of our walk we had some pretty steep narrow paths, and part of our training in Australia included walking some of the harder trails around Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, which were pretty steep.
P.S.: I hope what I'm considering is what @trecile tried to do. Otherwise, ignore my ramblings...

AJ, I am waiting for you to totally rewrite the coastal alternatives thread with much better info and tracks. Can’t wait till you get to the Norte, but I am enjoying following your walk in France as well!

 

[VNwalking]

Javier just posted about a rescue on the Norte near Liendo. I’m wondering if this segment is the one that @trecile described above. I only walked the coast after Liendo, so I don’t know this section, but it sounds like we now have a few data points to suggest it might not be the best idea.
https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/34...iado-acantilado-gracias-mensajes-con-guardia/

It looks gorgeous, and it's good to know your limits. Anyplace named 'el Ojo del Diablo' is likely named that for a reason. I've been in places (not on the Camino) where we were lucky to arrive safely at the end of the day, having walked into situations where the only option was to keep going forward - as it got gnarlier and gnarlier.

 

[AJGuillaume]

AJ, I am waiting for you to totally rewrite the coastal alternatives thread with much better info and tracks. Can’t wait till you get to the Norte, but I am enjoying following your walk in France as well!

Laurie, "totally rewrite": that's a big task!!!
I have been walking with a French couple who walked from Irun to Santillana. Their advice was to seek GR paths, and stay away from the Camino markings.
We'll see!

 

[Csutak]

In July I met a middle-aged Canadian woman who had walked this route with two other pilgrims and was happy to be still alive. She also showed me some photos. As for me, I don't think I would ever want to climb these rocks.

 

[peregrina2000]

Laurie, "totally rewrite": that's a big task!!!
I have been walking with a French couple who walked from Irun to Santillana. Their advice was to seek GR paths, and stay away from the Camino markings.
We'll see!

Some of those coastal alternatives are not GR routes, but many are.

But for anyone who is in doubt about this particular route into Laredo, I would highly recommend going back to the link I posted in the first post in this thread. Scroll way down to the bottom. There is a map, and below that, a link to a 3 minute video. I think it looks pretty scary.

But the alternative of going as far as Liendo before taking to the coast also has beautiful views and lots of cliff-side paths. You will join the coastal route right before, if memory serves, the ermita. And there is nothing as hairy as that three minute video!

Stay safe, peregrinos. Enjoy the coast. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[trecile]

I would only attempt that path in absolutely perfect weather. As I said, the local man who took us to the highway was very concerned about peregrinos who go this way, as he had a friend fall from there last year.

 

[camino07]

Aagh! I just watched that video and felt sick at the thought. looks so dangerous!

 

[AJGuillaume]

We had initially wanted to go from Oriñon to Laredo by going up the side of Monte Candina, following tracks that are in the Wise Pilgrim's app, and the instructions of @Luka .
As my wife was not comfortable with the idea after an exploratory trial run, and as it had rained the night before, we decided not to climb that way.
As we stayed at Albergue Lia in Oriñon (Manoli is very kind, a great cook, and knows Monte Candina well) the alternative could have been to get back on the carretera nacional N634, and walk up to Mollaneda on asphalt, and then join the Camino in Isequilla.
Instead, we found an alternative that follows designated paths up Monte Candina, but avoids the 'peligroso' bit on the cliffs. It's on a flyer (see photo) describing paths around Liendo, "Liendo a tu pies".
We left Oriñon, went under the Autovia, followed the N634 for a short distance to a car park, where the track starts. We followed the red/orange path until it joined the blue, then followed that until it joined the yellow, and this took us to Ermite San Julian.
The first path is fairly simple to follow: there are no forks in the path, and there is the occasional coloured dot to confirm you're on the right track. The path is sometimes a bit rocky, and as it had rained the night before, in places it was a little slippery. The views of the top of Monte Candina are beautiful.
At a signpost showing the path to the summit, we went down the blue path. For the first 100m or so it is not marked, and we just followed what looked like a path in the grass until we saw a blue dot. From then on, the blue dots are frequent.
A word of warning: wear long pants! The path goes through lots of thorny bushes.
Finally, we get to the yellow path which takes us to the Ermita and we join the Camino again.
We didn't have our backpacks (first time in 94 days!!!) and they were sent forward by Correos. I wouldn't recommend you walk this with a backpack.
We thoroughly enjoyed this, without fear of cliffs, yet beautiful views. And certainly a better alternative to walking along the N634.
Attached is also the GPX data.

 

[peregrina2000]

Well, that is very clever! So am I right that you went up to about the 3 on the black route and then back down and then the next day you passed the spot where that black route, which turns black and orange, merges with the yellow route that you were then on? A bit confusing, but with this map, it's pretty easy to see. And it was probably shorter than the N634 into Isequilla would have been, so that is an advantage too. Now you are in Laredo, lots of good food to be had in that town as I remember. And I got a great haircut as well! Buen camino to you two, you are so so lucky! I know I've said that a thousand times, but I can't help myself.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Well, that is very clever! So am I right that you went up to about the 3 on the black route and then back down and then the next day you passed the spot where that black route, which turns black and orange, merges with the yellow route that you were then on? A bit confusing, but with this map, it's pretty easy to see. And it was probably shorter than the N634 into Isequilla would have been, so that is an advantage too. Now you are in Laredo, lots of good food to be had in that town as I remember. And I got a great haircut as well! Buen camino to you two, you are so so lucky! I know I've said that a thousand times, but I can't help myself.

We went up to the 3 on the black, and then came down. The next day we went up the red/orange, then switched to the blue at point 12, and then switched to the yellow at point 15.
Definitely good food in Laredo

 

[Elizabeth Cheung]

So... leaving Liendo should one just stick to the "official route?" I'm all for coastal walking but I am not up for hiking along a cliff face holding onto a guide wire LOL! Also: As much as I hate road walking I hate l-o-n-g days ever more. 25 km is my "wall". If I leave Castro Urdials and then gasp take the "highway variant off of El Pontarron will that keep things under 30 km for that day? Has anyone done that and if so, got any pointers for me?

 

[peregrina2000]

So... leaving Liendo should one just stick to the "official route?" I'm all for coastal walking but I am not up for hiking along a cliff face holding onto a guide wire LOL! Also: As much as I hate road walking I hate l-o-n-g days ever more. 25 km is my "wall". If I leave Castro Urdials and then gasp take the "highway variant off of El Pontarron will that keep things under 30 km for that day? Has anyone done that and if so, got any pointers for me?

From Liendo, some people stay on the road, but the arrows will take you up to the headlands for a non-scary beautiful walk.

Gronze shows the options and the distances well. Taking the coast after Liendo doesn’t add much to the totals, still under 30 it looks like.

https://www.gronze.com/etapa/castro-urdiales/laredo
I walked through La Magdalena, and though the stretch after Magdalena was through a eucalyptus forest on unpaved roads, the way down was all on asphalt. But not as busy a road as the national road.

 

[peregrina2000]

I have merged two threads so that all discussion of the coastal alternatives between Castro Urdiales and Laredo will be in one thread. The options that are discussed in this thread are:

1. The hairy scary route that detours off at Orinon.
2. The standard camino route that goes through Liendo and then takes the camino up past the ermita, getting the last part of route #1 but without the scary parts.
3. AJ's alternative to the alternative, which is described in post #31 above. That involved leaving from Oriñon, but not going straight up on the scary route. He explains it very clearly in that post and there is a map to help you visualize it.

 

[nickpellatt]

I did the scary route in May. There big warning sign that is posted earlier in this thread is no longer there, or I didnt see it at least.

The reason I took this route is because I was mis-directed there by the Camino Places app. I walked this path alone, carrying my full backpack (not a day pack) and without walking poles. Thankfully the weather was good and I am pretty strong.

The original Camino is a very long path at this stage, and I was aware of a shorter alternative. This regular, recognised alternative was the path I was seeking. At one stage I was walking uphill on what seemed like a slip road, and I thought it was going to join a large highway. This seemed wrong so I opened the Camino Places app.

I could see I wasnt on the path according to this app, and so took another risk by climbing under the highway underpass, jumping through a lot of bushes and finally I seemed to be back on track, according to the app. This 'on track' path was the scary alternative, which I was unaware of.

So as I have posted in other threads about relying on the waymarking ... This is the reason why. The apps are not always to be trusted IMHO.

I did complete the path without accident. And it was very rewarding ... but hard to recommend as it just isnt going to be safe for many a pilgrim I think

 

[Teresita16]

I have just returned, yesterday, from walking from Irún to Santander and wanted to share my experience of the "hairy scary" path up Monte Candina on the Paso de Presa. I had previously read this thread about the dangerous route marked with black circles and arrows and was actually determined NOT to do that route. I usually take the easy option when walking as I'm not a fast or strong walker. My friend finished walking in Bilbao so I continued on alone, planning to try for Santiago until I had a particulary unsettling experience walking out of Castro Urdiales which made me decide to end my Camino early.

I set off about 7am and it was raining for the first hour when I met a local Spanish man out walking with just an umbrella. I speak Spanish so we started having a nice chat and he told me his name was Francisco, he was 76 years old and had sailed ships around the world when he was younger. He told me he walks the different routes in the area most days to keep fit. When we reached the next village he said he had planned to stop but that if I didn't mind he would like to continue walking to the next village with me and that he would catch the bus back. Well, he continued on walking with me until Islares. At this point I was actually craving some alone time and tried to make the excuse of wanting a coffee to get rid of him. He suggested coming with me to the camping site where they had a cafe. He offered to buy me a coffee and then told me about a shortcut when the tide was out where you could wade through the water and cut off kilometres from the walk into Laredo. I was unsure especially as I was a lone female with a man that I didn't know. He then mentioned a costal path that was beautiful and that he had taken 2 German women that way last year. I joked with him about the "hairy scary" path that I had read about on this forum and said that I did not under any circumstances want to walk it. He said he didn't know about any dangerous path and that the route he knew was easy. Then I noticed a Spanish family (with two children 18-25 years old) from Malaga that I had met previously sitting in the cafe. I introduced them to Francisco and told them about his suggestions for the shortcut and costal path. I said I was very very unsure about it, but asked them what they thought. They spoke to the man and eventually agreed that they would go with him and so I thought if they judged that it was ok, then I would too. So, we followed Francisco through the water and he took us up some steps on the other side of the beach. we used our water flasks to clean the sand off our feet as he said their were fountains on the walk. We all had full backpacks and poles but now not much water. Francisco went off ahead with the father of the family up a road and we just followed. Eventually a path went off to the right and we started climbing up the side of a mountain on a path that was very thin with nothing really to hold on to. It was a bit scary but do-able. Francisco was like a goat and shot off ahead and we were all trailing behind. The sun came out and it was now boiling hot but there wasn't any space to stop to rest and we had little water left. There were no water foutains as Francisco had promised. What eventually seemed to be the summit of the mountain quickly turned into a rocky dangerous mountaineering expereince that none of us were prepared for, except Francisco. The father of the family pleaded with Francisco to rest for a while and also to wait for the rest of us to catch up, but Francisco said, "No, it's only another 10 minutes, it's nothing". The Spanish father got annoyed and started saying that it might not be anything to him but to us it was exhausting. Francisco then shot off and refused to wait and disappeared! Francisco was carrying nothing but an umbrella, we had heavy packs. He basically left us all clinging to the side of a mountain not knowing where the hell we were or how to get down. There were black arrows and circles marking some of the stones but it was not clear, and there were some going up and some going down. At one point there was a hole between 2 rocks and a chain bolted to the side that you had to literally hang onto to get over. If I had been on my own I would have sat down and cried and called the police. It was only the fact that there was a group of us and we all worked together to get out of the situation that we made it through. At this point it started raining heavily and the trail was muddy around the rocks. We eventually climbed down toward what looked like an old house in a forest and managed to meet a trail runner who told us that we would eventually meet the path back to Laredo at some point. We were all exhausted, shocked and in disbelief that Francisco had got us into that situation and then disappeared and left us to our fate. Luckily none of us were hurt but we were very shook up and disappointed to have met such a person on the Camino. The crazy thing is I had told Francisco that when I arrived in Laredo my plan was to take the bus to Santoña as I had booked a hostel bed. When I arrived at Laredo bus station Francisco appeared again out of nowhere and said he had had to run off to catch his bus and that his bus hadn't turned up so he had had to walk into Laredo. He said he had been waiting for 2 hours. I was angry with him and told him that he had left us stranded and exhausted in a dangerous situation. He said he had had no idea that we where tired and just laughed and hopped on a bus and disappeared again. He was like the black spirit dog in the Paulo Coelho book about the Camino, apart from Francisco was a spirit man. It was a really unsettling experience. I actually met a Hungarian girl afterwards who said she had once ended up there and it was a terrifying experience too. And also on my final night in Santander in the hostel 3 French girls told me that they had just met a French man who was visibly shaking after getting into trouble on that mountain. He had been using mountaineering maps and ended up on that path.

So, my advice to anyone is DO NOT take that black marked path, it is for serious climbers only or people in really good strong shape with experience.

On a positive note I did get lots of great pics and the views were incredible, I was taking pics at first until I realised how dangerous the situation was.

 

[AJGuillaume]

I have just returned, yesterday, from walking from Irún to Santander and wanted to share my experience of the "hairy scary" path up Monte Candina on the Paso de Presa.

So, my advice to anyone is DO NOT take that black marked path, it is for serious climbers only or people in really good stong shape with experience. On a positive note I did get lots of great pics and the views were incredible, I was taking pics at first until I realised how dangerous the situation was.

Totally agree, @Teresita16 !
On the same positive note, we went up to where we thought it was getting too dangerous, and turned back to Oriñon, not without taking some great photos.

 

[Teresita16]

Totally agree, @Teresita16 !
On the same positive note, we went up to where we thought it was getting too dangerous, and turned back to Oriñon, not without taking some great photos.

I have almost exactly the same picture!

 

[Dave]

I finally got to walk this route over the summer and I loved every second of it (aside from that downhill after!). I get why it makes some nervous and everyone should weigh the factors in play and make the choice that is appropriate for them.

As for me, though, if the weather's good, this is my personal route of choice from here on. What a stunner. I've tried to write it out in a bit more detail here: http://davewhitson.com/index.php/2019/11/28/looking-the-devil-in-the-eyes-on-the-norte/

 

[AJGuillaume]

Thank you for the write up on your experience, @Dave .
It confirms we did the right thing last year.
I wonder whether another year you might try our alternative (post #31 above)

 

[Dave]

Thank you for the write up on your experience, @Dave .
It confirms we did the right thing last year.
I wonder whether another year you might try our alternative (post #31 above)

Man, there's always another approach to try. I was thinking earlier, though, about how much I'd like to climb to the top of the devil's eyes. Looks like your variant would work for that!

 

[john newman]

This is my blog post (johnstravels.co.nz) for 2nd June 2019, day 55 on the Camino.
“ What a day. Good execution overcomes shocking planning. A nice 27k walk with a cliff top path.
I should have known when I went to leave this morning and my phone hadn’t been charging overnight; I should have known when the other phone had zero charge; I should have known when the turn for the coastal alternative was unmarked; I should have known when there was no signage of a Camino; I should have known when the wise pilgrim app took me down an unmarked track through gorse and blackberry; I should have known when a woman yelled out to me to say I wasn’t on the Camino de Santiago. “This is not your day, John.” But by then I had that horrible sinking feeling that I knew exactly where I was, I had seen pics of it on the forum and made a mental note that you wouldn’t find me dead there. As Liam would say “This is a REALLY bad idea, Poppa”. But by then I was committed, 6km from the turnoff and a 40km day if I was to go back.
I looked ahead and saw a shear face with a faint sign of a track and the sea steeply below. It was gentle at first, but slippery with sand, then steep and finally towards the top, hand over hand, (I didn't take any photos here) all four limbs climbing. And I didn’t dare look down. 
I’ll let the pictures do the rest. I’ve not been breathless at all on this Camino but at the top I was very distressed. Then coming down was hard too. There’s a picture looking back at a mountain, I went around the cliffs on the left and then down the face that is facing the camera. 
I’m in Laredo, in a nice two star hotel. Some French people want me to join them for dinner but I think I’m too tired, I’ll have something to eat close by.
Before I finish I must get it on the record that Castro Urdiales is an absolute gem. Plenty to see, beaches and hundreds of bars and restaurants. And virtually no foreigners except a handful of pilgrims.
This will be the day I remember the Camino by.
”
John

 

[AJGuillaume]

This is my blog post (johnstravels.co.nz) for 2nd June 2019, day 55 on the Camino.
“ What a day. Good execution overcomes shocking planning. A nice 27k walk with a cliff top path.
I should have known when I went to leave this morning and my phone hadn’t been charging overnight; I should have known when the other phone had zero charge; I should have known when the turn for the coastal alternative was unmarked; I should have known when there was no signage of a Camino; I should have known when the wise pilgrim app took me down an unmarked track through gorse and blackberry; I should have known when a woman yelled out to me to say I wasn’t on the Camino de Santiago. “This is not your day, John.” But by then I had that horrible sinking feeling that I knew exactly where I was, I had seen pics of it on the forum and made a mental note that you wouldn’t find me dead there. As Liam would say “This is a REALLY bad idea, Poppa”. But by then I was committed, 6km from the turnoff and a 40km day if I was to go back.
I looked ahead and saw a shear face with a faint sign of a track and the sea steeply below. It was gentle at first, but slippery with sand, then steep and finally towards the top, hand over hand, (I didn't take any photos here) all four limbs climbing. And I didn’t dare look down. 
I’ll let the pictures do the rest. I’ve not been breathless at all on this Camino but at the top I was very distressed. Then coming down was hard too. There’s a picture looking back at a mountain, I went around the cliffs on the left and then down the face that is facing the camera. 
I’m in Laredo, in a nice two star hotel. Some French people want me to join them for dinner but I think I’m too tired, I’ll have something to eat close by.
Before I finish I must get it on the record that Castro Urdiales is an absolute gem. Plenty to see, beaches and hundreds of bars and restaurants. And virtually no foreigners except a handful of pilgrims.
This will be the day I remember the Camino by.
”
John

Just fabulous! Thank you @john newman !

 

[LaurelPeregrina]

We left Oriñon, went under the Autovia, followed the N634 for a short distance to a car park, where the track starts. We followed the red/orange path until it joined the blue, then followed that until it joined the yellow, and this took us to Ermite San Julian.
The first path is fairly simple to follow: there are no forks in the path, and there is the occasional coloured dot to confirm you're on the right track. The path is sometimes a bit rocky, and as it had rained the night before, in places it was a little slippery. The views of the top of Monte Candina are beautiful.
At a signpost showing the path to the summit, we went down the blue path. For the first 100m or so it is not marked, and we just followed what looked like a path in the grass until we saw a blue dot. From then on, the blue dots are frequent.
A word of warning: wear long pants! The path goes through lots of thorny bushes.
Finally, we get to the yellow path which takes us to the Ermita and we join the Camino again.
We didn't have our backpacks (first time in 94 days!!!) and they were sent forward by Correos. I wouldn't recommend you walk this with a backpack.
We thoroughly enjoyed this, without fear of cliffs, yet beautiful views. And certainly a better alternative to walking along the N634.

First post on the forum! I did a portion of el norte with two friends last month. (My first Camino and I’m SO HOOKED!) We are in our 50s, run together and came prepared for physical challenge. Last month June ‘24, we followed the “Liendo a tu Pies” map and directions in @AJ’s post #31 as we wanted to avoid as much highway walking as we could between Islares and Santoña and wanted to avoid the hairy scary route that detours off at Oriñon. With hindsight, I should have considered that AJ’s post was from 2018 and that the path may not still exist.

Following AJ’s directions, using the map printed in color and alltrails app, we set off on a foggy morning from the parking lot that we found just as AJs details off hwy N634. The path was overgrown, slick from rain the day before and rocky. We asked the small handful of local hikers that we passed (we speak Spanish) about the left turnoff and none of them were familiar with a route to Ermite San Julian. We carefully looked for the blue path OR any paths off to the left but after about 3 hours realized that we had completely missed it and were according to alltrails at the summit Pico Solpico. We saw no other hikers from this point on. We had no food but did have a decent amount of water and felt that we were too far into this hike to turn around. For a couple of miles nearing and crossing the summit hiking was slow but interesting over a very rocky, foggy terrain that frequently had us on our hands and knees scrambling over sharp rocks and having to hunt very carefully for the red circle trail markers (which were reliably painted on rocks and the only color trail marker that we saw the whole hike)!

Coming down from the summit, the fog started to clear which revealed breathtaking views but made it more challenging for my friend who is afraid of heights. We are not climbers but ended up having throw our packs and polls off the cliff and rock climb down two sections of rock face without ropes, crying and considering at moments that one or all of us could easily fall to our death. On our decent near San Julian, we met an astonished looking shepherd who told us that “no one goes that way!” From there, it was easy going to Laredo and we caught the last water taxi ride of the night at 6 PM to Santoña.

Thank you to AJ, as hands down this was probably the most exhilarating thing I have ever done in my life and my favorite Camino day. We do not regret having done this as we overcame some major fears and ended up having a fantastic time. I tried to upload photos, but have not figured out how yet.

Wanted to warn all of you who are looking for coastal alternatives in this region as this one is not well maintained and should only be attempted if you are up for possibly getting lost and are an experienced climber.

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks so much for this post, @LaurelPeregrina. I hope that anyone who is considering this alternative will pay careful attention to AJ’s post, because he sensibly found a way to avoid what looks to me to be an almost death-defying part of the trail. I trust AJ and his common sense completely, so if he says the route he took is do-able, I believe it. But pay careful attention, because there is definitely a much more dangerous alternative.

 

[AJGuillaume]

I trust AJ and his common sense completely, so if he says the route he took is do-able, I believe it.

Thank you @peregrina2000 ! And to put this in context, as we're known to be distance challenged slow walkers I would never have taken this path if my darling had objected. And the reason we took this path is that she objected to the more dangerous alternative.

With hindsight, I should have considered that AJ’s post was from 2018 and that the path may not still exist.

Ah yes, that's 6 years ago. I do remember regretting wearing shorts, as I ended up with scratches from bushes on my lower legs
You're right, this path may have become overgrown since 2018.
My only regret is that I didn't record my tracks on Wikiloc, as I didn't know it existed then. It would have potentially helped anyone trying to follow our footsteps.

Thank you to AJ, as hands down this was probably the most exhilarating thing I have ever done in my life and my favorite Camino day.

Thank you @LaurelPeregrina ! It was one of the many highlights of our Camino in 2018, with some amazing views. Thank you for bringing back some wonderful memories!