Re: Downloadable maps to iPad? & will I get room in auberges in
Hi Miradeara,
This is a tough one. I can only say every camino is different. Even on the Camino del Norte, Gijon may be too big for me with the industrial area after that, but I really like Aviles. Some places I really like are immediately followed by either very hard etape, or places there are not. Still, like in any camino, there are beauty in every place.
As for the starting point, I had the same thought as you at first to start from Donostia, until Mike from the forum showed me this video. The decision to start from Irun became obvious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZYpZSkTotk
I had already walked the Camino Primitivo from Oviedo in 2007, so for this camino, I chose the road along the coast instead. Primitivo is very different, very quiet, up in the mountains and remote, cheaper to stay and you spend less. I enjoyed the solitude and the mountainous beauty. Primitivo will still take 13 days to Santiago out of the 18 days that you have. If you decide to go on the Camino Primitivo, I really recommend to spending a day in Oviedo and walk just right outside the city to visit my favourite pre-romanesque church, Sta. Maria de Naranco. Also, I think the cows on the mountain top before Grandas is the highlight of my Camino Primitivo. So for which is better, they are all so different, it really depends on your preference.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1124615883 ... directlink
Back to the Camino del Norte. If you ask me, my favourite spot really is varied. The landscape on the first week (basque country) is the best but the cost is high as the towns/cities are really resorty (if there is such a word). The best place for me has to be in Tapia (12 km before Ribadeo). The working town with an excellent albergue right at the beach. It is not even on the main route on the Norte as I decided to go there only after discovering that I missed the albergue in La Carida and decided to walk further but along the cyclist path to Tapia instead.
I hope that helps in your decisions. For the time you have, you can either walked all the way to Ribadesella, or walk the Basque country and reserved the last 8 days from Tapia to Santiago, or last 13 days from Oviedo. As for me, I don't really like to skipped sections so naturally I will prefer the first option if I don't have the time, and come back to finish the rest next time.
One last advise, the accomodation guide only gives the municipal albergues (usually donativo or 5-7 euros) or hostal/pension (20 euros and up). Not very applicable for the basque area where even a youth hostel charges 14-18 euros. Beyond that, in Cantabria and Asturias, there are many private albergues (you are talking about around 10-12 euros) which is not in the guide. For that, you might want to check with other pilgrims' guide along the way (which is what I did) which will save on accommodation costs. (e.g. Llanes, the albergue at the train station).