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I did the northern route the same time and to be honest it's not very well-equipped in those months. A lot of hostels (mostly in the first half) were closed. Some days I had to do two stages in one and on another.occasion I had to shell out for a private hotel in Lezama. It's not ideal. With the northern route you feel more compulsion to stick to the recommended routes. Despite its beauty I can understand people feeling more Sheparded by it. Ten miles a day might leave you in the middle of nowhereSaying that if money is no issue you should be ok haha.
Don't feel bad. The main route is still a delight
>>>>>>>I did this route in March-April of this year and I had no problem finding places to eat or sleep. Most albergues were open and there are always plenty of very cheap hotels to stay in. While in Gijon for example, I wanted to stay in the center of town so I paid 15 Euros for my own room with a private bath. Pretty good considering many of the albergues cost 10-15 Euros for a spot on a bunk bed. The only possible hitch in your plan is if you want to keep your walking distances limited to 10 miles per day. Based on what I remember, I think you'd be okay, however, no matter the season, you won't find an albergue every 10 miles on the Camino del Norte.
I absolutely loved this route. However, this was my first camino so I don't have anything to compare it to. I think that if you allow yourself a slightly larger budget for lodging you will be fine. The section from San Sebastian to Bilbao seemed to be the most challenging in terms of terrain and places to stay. I'd recommend checking out gronze.com and buying the recently published book on the northern caminos. My suggestion is that if you feel that the Norte is the right route for you, you should go for it! I was almost swayed into doing the Camino Frances, but in the end I stuck with my original decision to do the Norte and it turned out to be an excellent choice.
>>>Hi Wildbill
This link might be of some use to you as well http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los-caminos-de-santiago/del-norte/
Buen Camino!
>>>>>>>
Thanks, especially for the reference to gronze.com - that's a very useful site I hadn't seen yet.
One good thing: I don't have to decide now, so thanks for helping me keep this option open.
How was the weather?
I hate crowding, but I don't want to be alone all the time - how many other pilgrims did you encounter?
El tiempo que vas a tener, como comprenderás, a estas alturas es muy difícil de saber. Lo "normal" sería que cuanto más avanzado esté abril, menos llueva, y en mayo ya vayan templando los días según avance el mes, pero es primavera, y por momentos aún pueden venir días que recuerden al invierno.
Si la pasada primavera me hubieran preguntado por el tiempo que iba a haber en septiembre y octubre, les diría lo contrario, más agua y frío según avanzan los meses, sin embargo, la gente que hizo el camino esos días, pasaron bastante calor, y aún hoy estamos esperando por el invierno.
Saludos.
>>>>>>>
Thanks, especially for the reference to gronze.com - that's a very useful site I hadn't seen yet.
One good thing: I don't have to decide now, so thanks for helping me keep this option open.
How was the weather?
I hate crowding, but I don't want to be alone all the time - how many other pilgrims did you encounter?
>>>>>>
What worries me most about the main route is the comments I read about crowding, people unable to get a cot at a hostel, even as early as May.
What does one do then?
Should I go earlier? I suppose I could start as early as mid-March - what's it like then?
I would suggest, mind you just suggest, that going backward is a bit purist. Unless you have missed something of significance, walking every step is a criterion solely in one's mind. You get the bragging rights to say you walked every step, but I have found that counts only to yourself, not anyone else. They do not care if you took a bus or taxi. The Pilgrim Office cares about the last 100km if you want a compostela, so that can be an external reason for walking every step of the last 100km. So I don't worry about starting or ending a day with a ride when it is necessary (necessary includes me simply wanting to take the ride), and I rarely backtrack. To each is own, of course.you have to hop a bus to the next town, then go back to your starting point the next day
I am thinking of doing the Way in April-May 2014. I am a male, 70 years old, reasonably fit. I will be traveling alone. I plan to take six to eight weeks to complete the journey. The northern route sounds more my style, but I am concerned that there will not be places to stay so early in the year, or distances will be too far for me, or it will be too challenging. I don't think I could camp out. I am sure I can walk ten miles a day, but more than that could be difficult if it had to be every day. I don't mind staying in a budget hotel occasionally, but would need to use the pilgrim hostels most of the time. How far apart are the hostels on the northern route? Are they open that early? What other accommodations are available? How challenging is the northern route? Thanks.
Agree 100% Falcon!I would suggest, mind you just suggest, that going backward is a bit purist. Unless you have missed something of significance, walking every step is a criterion solely in one's mind. You get the bragging rights to say you walked every step, but I have found that counts only to yourself, not anyone else. They do not care if you took a bus or taxi. The Pilgrim Office cares about the last 100km if you want a compostela, so that can be an external reason for walking every step of the last 100km. So I don't worry about starting or ending a day with a ride when it is necessary (necessary includes me simply wanting to take the ride), and I rarely backtrack. To each is own, of course.
See facebook Miraz refugio, also www.csj.org.uk for information on camino del norte, Miraz plans to be open on Sunday 13th April 2014 at 14.00 (new earlier time)I am thinking of doing the Way in April-May 2014. I am a male, 70 years old, reasonably fit. I will be traveling alone. I plan to take six to eight weeks to complete the journey. The northern route sounds more my style, but I am concerned that there will not be places to stay so early in the year, or distances will be too far for me, or it will be too challenging. I don't think I could camp out. I am sure I can walk ten miles a day, but more than that could be difficult if it had to be every day. I don't mind staying in a budget hotel occasionally, but would need to use the pilgrim hostels most of the time. How far apart are the hostels on the northern route? Are they open that early? What other accommodations are available? How challenging is the northern route? Thanks.
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