- Time of past OR future Camino
- Ingles, F+M, Salvador, Norte, V.Serr., Fr.Leopoldo
Dear forum users,
I have 2 weeks time in May and plan to hike part of the Norte. As I did Aviles-Santiago last year, I would like to go further to complete this camino. I read that the first week (Irun-Bilbao) is the most breathtaking part, followed later by the "Cantabrian tarmac hell" and the most unappealing section of the norte (Gijon-Aviles).
Since I won't reach Santiago this time, I thought about walking in reverse from Santander to Irun so I could finish with beautiful landscapes. Since I've learned to hike using GPS, hopefully it won't be too difficult to find the trail. As always, I plan a mix of different accommodations.
My questions:
Has anyone walked in reverse on the first half of the Norte recently? How was this experience? Have your motives often been questioned?
Will I be denied a place to sleep in donativos because I'm not going to Santiago and neither coming from Santiago, so I might not be considered a proper pilgrim? In this 8 years old thread, the answer was "usually not, but it can happen occasionally".
When I did the latter part of the Santiago in May last year, I heard from fellow pilgrims that most of the first half didn't require booking in advance, but there was a serious acommodation bottleneck at Deba and Markina-Xemein. Has anyone just walked by there and experienced problems? What was your solution?
I am grateful for your information. Thanks in advance!
I have 2 weeks time in May and plan to hike part of the Norte. As I did Aviles-Santiago last year, I would like to go further to complete this camino. I read that the first week (Irun-Bilbao) is the most breathtaking part, followed later by the "Cantabrian tarmac hell" and the most unappealing section of the norte (Gijon-Aviles).
Since I won't reach Santiago this time, I thought about walking in reverse from Santander to Irun so I could finish with beautiful landscapes. Since I've learned to hike using GPS, hopefully it won't be too difficult to find the trail. As always, I plan a mix of different accommodations.
My questions:
Has anyone walked in reverse on the first half of the Norte recently? How was this experience? Have your motives often been questioned?
Will I be denied a place to sleep in donativos because I'm not going to Santiago and neither coming from Santiago, so I might not be considered a proper pilgrim? In this 8 years old thread, the answer was "usually not, but it can happen occasionally".
When I did the latter part of the Santiago in May last year, I heard from fellow pilgrims that most of the first half didn't require booking in advance, but there was a serious acommodation bottleneck at Deba and Markina-Xemein. Has anyone just walked by there and experienced problems? What was your solution?
I am grateful for your information. Thanks in advance!