Norte route in September

[corkydog]

Good morning. I am new to here and this is my first post. I am planning on walking from Santander to Gijon or Oviedo probably from mid September. I am a seasoned long distance walker and have chosen this route for the scenery and that I understand it will be a little quieter. I wanted to ask the following;
1. Will all the auberges and hostels be open during this time?
2. Is there transport back to Santander from both places?

Also any recommendations and tips would be welcome.

I apologise if I am asking a common question and it has been answered before, I am unfamiliar with the forum; and I thank you in advance.
Regards
Maria

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, corkydog,
Welcome to the forum! I have walked the Norte or pieces of the Norte several times, but always in spring/summer. I think mid September will be a good time because the heavy tourist crowds that throng to the coast in summer will be gone. What I found by walking before the high crowds, was that we were able to get really good deals on places that were geared to tourists in the high seasons and pitched to pilgrims in off season -- a bunch of us found two bedroom fully equipped apts for 70-75 on numerous occasions.

Albergues will definitely be open.

Transportation between main cities like Santander and Gijon will be easy to arrange. I haven't checked the schedules, but public transportation in Spain is top notch.

And just one little nudge -- you say you are a seasoned long distance walker. I would suggest you read some of the threads that discuss the pros and cons of this route. Some long distance hikers may be disappointed by the fact that this is not a wilderness hike, goes through major cities, and has a lot of asphalt walking.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...the-norte-best-to-read-this-page-first.53851/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...east-not-until-you-have-read-this-post.37007/

I suffered from the asphalt the first time I walked the Norte, but last year got a lot of help putting together a number of amazing alternatives. Turns out that the camino del Norte frequently goes along the highway, which is about 2 km from the coast and beautiful trails. You would need a GPS to make the connection from camino to coast in a couple of instances, but other than that, it is quite straightforward and amazingly beautiful.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/coastal-alternatives-to-the-nortes-asphalt.49578/

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Sandra Riordan]

I walked Norte from Irun to SDC in September/October 2017 and everything was open. Loved the walk and loved the scenery buses readily available along the coast.

 

[ElAines]

I’m just getting serious about researching a Norte route. Very glad to find this link summary, thanks Laurie.