Norte questions questions...

[notion900]

Hi there

I did the Camino Frances in 2007, had a fantastic time. I have the idea to do the Norte this year and I am able to start between 1 and 7 August. I need to be back in the UK by about 8 September. I was planning to start maybe in Santander. If anyone can help me with these few questions I'd be very grateful:

1. Is it ridiculously hot on the Norte at that time? Ie are people getting up to walk at silly times like 4am?
2. How busy is it? Am I likely to be ever stuck without a refuge bed (assuming I do not book ahead)? I was never stuck on the Frances, it was busy but not ridiculously so, but I started that on about 11 September and reached Santiago on 18 October. However, I saw pictures from August showing huge numbers of people. So although I know the Norte is quieter I can't judge the pressure on the refuges. If this is severe, I could take my thermarest so I could sleep on floors, but am loth to take it just in case.
3. Distances between refuges - are there any sections where you must walk over 25km in a day?
3. How easy is it to go to the beach and have a swim?

Many thanks for your help xx

 

[jprogers]

Hi there
We did the Norte last year in June - started in Irun, took 38 days which includes 3 days rest. CSJ is a good guide - and don't forget to check updates on the CSJ website. The guide is also good for alternate cheap accomodation. Alburges/refugios were NEVER full. There are many yellow arrows, although the road works can disrupt in places.
The other folk on the track at that time were very respectful of times in the morning. No one got up too early at all -it was suprising. The other page within this site called Camino del Norte will have references to the alburges and other references too. There are MANY places to swim - the water may not be warm!!.
We kept along the coast until Galicia , where the trail then goes inland, and the accomodation was fine all the way along.
Its a great walk because its not too busy and yet enough pilgrims to make it meet with. It is spectacular scenery and lots of small coastal towns. We had hardly any rain, and no wind - although others have documented wind (being coastal)
Cheers Jill

 

[notion900]

Thanks so much Jill
It sounds just amazing. But I am concerned about the difference between July / August and other months. I know from looking at people's pictures that August on the C Frances is so busy that people put their backpacks in queues outside refuges and also that people get up at ridiculous hours to beat the heat and also so they can try to get a bed. This is not at all the case in September and June sounds similar.
Does anyone have any comments about August in particular????
Many thanks
Sarah

 

[jl]

Hi there, I it in late August last year and had no problems with either heat or refuges. The numbers start increasing from Santander (I guess because it is easier to get too) but never once did I have probelms getting a bed. There were a couple of times when the only bed was a top bunk and so I chose to go to a hotel (I don't do top bunks!) and a couple of times when I slept on the floor rather than in the top bunk, but that was my choice - not becuase I had to. I took the Primitivo path, partly because I thought it might be a little quieter, and again had few problems. Indeed there were a couple of places (not so flash ones) that there was choice of about a dozen beds to choose from! I never rushed to a place so that I could get a bed, and arrived a couple of times about 6.30 - 7/00 and still got a bed. I was surprised at how many Spanish people, of all ages, were travelling the Primitivo - it seemed that they claimed that one as their own (which it is!), whereas on the Norte there was a real mixture of nationalities traveling.

Cheers, Janet

 

[notion900]

Thanks so much, I think I am decided to go. What were your main reasons to take the Primitivo rather than stick on the Norte?

 

[jl]

I had planned for either route. Coming from the other side of the world and only being allowed 90 days in the Schengen States I had to know pretty much how long things were going to take. I planned an itinerary (which I was then free to change) and I planned to decide when I got there which route to take. I chose the Primitivo because it seemed to me that it would be a little quieter, and by then I was getting a hankering for the mountains rather than more seascapes as well. I was pretty fit (I had started from Troyes in france) and so I thought it was easy enough to do in my state of fitness. The Primitivo, like what I did on the Norte, is very beautiful.

Cheers, Janet

 

[giorgio]

Spanish people are keen on Primitivo as for them is a'mountain walk' compared to other Caminos, in fact for this reason Tineo is a popular starting place...
Buen Camino
Giorgio