jcat
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2016-2023
I recently had a free week while on vacation in Spain and decided to walk part of the Camino Vasco from Irun to Vitoria-Gasteiz. I walked for 6 days starting at the end of November and stayed in private rooms along the way. The Vasco had some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen on any Camino, had rain every day, had no other pilgrims, heard zero Buen Camino greetings, but met very kind locals.
Basically, I thought it was a terrific Camino option, but I would not repeat it in the winter. I experienced very slippery and muddy trails, and it lacked the Camino feel due to the lack of other pilgrims. But again, I would like to stress that it is a beautiful option, and I will give it another visit one of these summers.
Day 1 Irun to Hernani:
I technically didn’t start in Irun because I got a ride from San Sebastian and jumped out of the car at the first marker, leaving town. I got a very late start due to a delay with my luggage, so I pretty much put my head down and walked. It rained for most of the day, but it was mostly light rain for this day and for my entire Camino except for one day (San Adrian Tunnel Day), which I will cover later.
The day had plenty of ups and downs and varied walking surfaces from dirt, road, rocky, and concrete paths. Walked through beautiful farmland with several places to stop for a snack or coffee. I arrived in Hernani which was a lot bigger city than I was expecting, and stayed at Pension Zinkoenea. I had reached out to the Zinkoenea over WhatsApp a coupe days earlier and they got back to me within minutes. Found a Pizza place for dinner and called it a night.
Day 2 Hernani to Tolosa:
Today’s trail was mostly a paved shared pedestrian and bicycle path. It was a pretty flat day, and I stopped in Aldain and Elbaarrena for coffee and some pintxos. A lot of kind locals were out for walks and bike rides. The trail is well-marked for the most part, but I was happy to have my Mapy.cz app in a few spots. Encountered a road closure due to repaving, but the workers were nice enough to let me walk through. The alternative would have been a lengthy detour.
In Tolosa I stayed at the Hotel Oria. Nice clean room with a popular restaurant downstairs. On the hotel front desk's recommendation, I had dinner at Cafe Fronton which I can highly recommend. Total for the day: 15.43 miles.
Day 3 Tolosa to Beasain
Leaving Tolosa I ran into another trail closure where the trail runs through a park immediately after leaving the city. With the help of my Mapy.cz app, I was able to find a workaround without adding too much extra distance. Almost all of today's walk was on pavement and much of it along a beautiful river. My notes for this day do not list anything substantial, but I did note that there were plenty of small towns along the way for coffee and snack breaks.
In Beasain I stayed at the Hotel Igartza. Another nice and clean room with a restaurant on-site. There was some sort of festival going on in Beasain, so the atmosphere was lively. I visited a few bars at the city center and dined on pinxtos for dinner and people watched as everyone was in a great mood. My room was far enough from the center of town for a quiet night of sleep.
Total 13.97 Miles.
Day 4 Beasain to Zegama
A lot of rain today and some very tough terrain. There was a section of the trail that contained a very steep up and down over large rocks forming a sort of stairway. Just before entering this section, a local out for his walk warned me that the rocks (first pic below) get very slippery when wet and that he avoids them in the winter. I can conform that he was very correct!. It was a very slick / slippery section and I was glad when it was over.. Some of the rocks were like stepping on ice, and towards the bottom, they were covered in mud and wet leaves.
On a lighter note, the walk into Zegama contained some of the most beautiful scenery I have encountered on my Caminos. I arrived on a Sunday and stayed at Ostatu Zegama. Ostatu Zegama seemed to be the only place open in town. They have a restaurant that serves both lunch and dinner, and was very popular with the locals. Another clean and quiet room for a good nights sleep.
Total: 10.98 miles
Day 5 to be continued
Basically, I thought it was a terrific Camino option, but I would not repeat it in the winter. I experienced very slippery and muddy trails, and it lacked the Camino feel due to the lack of other pilgrims. But again, I would like to stress that it is a beautiful option, and I will give it another visit one of these summers.
Day 1 Irun to Hernani:
I technically didn’t start in Irun because I got a ride from San Sebastian and jumped out of the car at the first marker, leaving town. I got a very late start due to a delay with my luggage, so I pretty much put my head down and walked. It rained for most of the day, but it was mostly light rain for this day and for my entire Camino except for one day (San Adrian Tunnel Day), which I will cover later.
The day had plenty of ups and downs and varied walking surfaces from dirt, road, rocky, and concrete paths. Walked through beautiful farmland with several places to stop for a snack or coffee. I arrived in Hernani which was a lot bigger city than I was expecting, and stayed at Pension Zinkoenea. I had reached out to the Zinkoenea over WhatsApp a coupe days earlier and they got back to me within minutes. Found a Pizza place for dinner and called it a night.
Day 2 Hernani to Tolosa:
Today’s trail was mostly a paved shared pedestrian and bicycle path. It was a pretty flat day, and I stopped in Aldain and Elbaarrena for coffee and some pintxos. A lot of kind locals were out for walks and bike rides. The trail is well-marked for the most part, but I was happy to have my Mapy.cz app in a few spots. Encountered a road closure due to repaving, but the workers were nice enough to let me walk through. The alternative would have been a lengthy detour.
In Tolosa I stayed at the Hotel Oria. Nice clean room with a popular restaurant downstairs. On the hotel front desk's recommendation, I had dinner at Cafe Fronton which I can highly recommend. Total for the day: 15.43 miles.
Day 3 Tolosa to Beasain
Leaving Tolosa I ran into another trail closure where the trail runs through a park immediately after leaving the city. With the help of my Mapy.cz app, I was able to find a workaround without adding too much extra distance. Almost all of today's walk was on pavement and much of it along a beautiful river. My notes for this day do not list anything substantial, but I did note that there were plenty of small towns along the way for coffee and snack breaks.
In Beasain I stayed at the Hotel Igartza. Another nice and clean room with a restaurant on-site. There was some sort of festival going on in Beasain, so the atmosphere was lively. I visited a few bars at the city center and dined on pinxtos for dinner and people watched as everyone was in a great mood. My room was far enough from the center of town for a quiet night of sleep.
Total 13.97 Miles.
Day 4 Beasain to Zegama
A lot of rain today and some very tough terrain. There was a section of the trail that contained a very steep up and down over large rocks forming a sort of stairway. Just before entering this section, a local out for his walk warned me that the rocks (first pic below) get very slippery when wet and that he avoids them in the winter. I can conform that he was very correct!. It was a very slick / slippery section and I was glad when it was over.. Some of the rocks were like stepping on ice, and towards the bottom, they were covered in mud and wet leaves.
On a lighter note, the walk into Zegama contained some of the most beautiful scenery I have encountered on my Caminos. I arrived on a Sunday and stayed at Ostatu Zegama. Ostatu Zegama seemed to be the only place open in town. They have a restaurant that serves both lunch and dinner, and was very popular with the locals. Another clean and quiet room for a good nights sleep.
Total: 10.98 miles
Day 5 to be continued
. I was a muddy mess when I finally got to pavement, but no injuries. Sorry for your fall, in my research I hadn't heard anyone else mention this section.
