For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Thanks for your lovely blog. Really great. I am aiming to walk the Norte next month. Did you find it essential to take a sleeping bag? Did you need an international youth hostel card to stay in the hostels ou mention?We did the Camino del Norte starting on October 1, 2015. Before we started our hike, we were not aware of the forums, although I sure wish we would have known about it. Like many Americans, we were introduced to the Camino through the 2010 movie The Way. As soon as we saw it, we knew we had to do the walk. And five years later, we did just that!
We of course made some mistakes. For whatever reason, we believed the Northern route started in San Sebastian instead of Irun! So that is where we started. We didn’t take nearly enough rest days. We should have at least taken one day a week off, maybe even a day every five or six days. We were worried that if we didn’t hurry, we would be facing albergues that were closed as we reached the end. We should have just started a few days earlier. Our intention was to continue on to Finisterre, but by the time we reached Santiago, we were broken!
We chose the Camino del Norte because we wanted to walk along the coastline; and it was amazing. But, we knew that one of the big downsides of walking Norte was the amount of time walking on pavement. It was even more than we were prepared for, and it definitely contributed to breaking us.
Despite all of this, we had a wonderful journey, and it is one of the best experiences in our lives!
Anyway, we blogged about our journey, so hopefully this well help answer some questions that others may have, or simply provide some inspiration. We just did a post highlighting the why we chose Camino del Norte. I am hanging out in these forums because we are trying to figure out our next long walk. I am thinking that we may have to walk Camino Portugues next, although we do want to walk the Frances at some point.
Buen Camino!
http://randomcurrents.com/camino-del-norte/
I've given up taking a sleeping bag at this time of the year, saves on weight. I've walked Bilbao to Villaviciosa and the albergues have blankets, or, if none are evident you can ask and they usually have a spare sleeping bag or blanket. Credencial is all you need to sleep in the albergues.Thanks for your lovely blog. Really great. I am aiming to walk the Norte next month. Did you find it essential to take a sleeping bag? Did you need an international youth hostel card to stay in the hostels ou mention?
We should have at least taken one day a week off, maybe even a day every five or six days. We were worried that if we didn’t hurry, we would be facing albergues that were closed as we reached the end"].
Thanks for your reply!I've given up taking a sleeping bag at this time of the year, saves on weight. I've walked Bilbao to Villaviciosa and the albergues have blankets, or, if none are evident you can ask and they usually have a spare sleeping bag or blanket. Credencial is all you need to sleep in the albergues.
We did the Camino del Norte starting on October 1, 2015. Before we started our hike, we were not aware of the forums, although I sure wish we would have known about it. Like many Americans, we were introduced to the Camino through the 2010 movie The Way. As soon as we saw it, we knew we had to do the walk. And five years later, we did just that!
We of course made some mistakes. For whatever reason, we believed the Northern route started in San Sebastian instead of Irun! So that is where we started. We didn’t take nearly enough rest days. We should have at least taken one day a week off, maybe even a day every five or six days. We were worried that if we didn’t hurry, we would be facing albergues that were closed as we reached the end. We should have just started a few days earlier. Our intention was to continue on to Finisterre, but by the time we reached Santiago, we were broken!
We chose the Camino del Norte because we wanted to walk along the coastline; and it was amazing. But, we knew that one of the big downsides of walking Norte was the amount of time walking on pavement. It was even more than we were prepared for, and it definitely contributed to breaking us.
Despite all of this, we had a wonderful journey, and it is one of the best experiences in our lives!
Anyway, we blogged about our journey, so hopefully this well help answer some questions that others may have, or simply provide some inspiration. We just did a post highlighting the why we chose Camino del Norte. I am hanging out in these forums because we are trying to figure out our next long walk. I am thinking that we may have to walk Camino Portugues next, although we do want to walk the Frances at some point.
Buen Camino!
http://randomcurrents.com/camino-del-norte/
We have heard that a lot! That is actually fantastic that you still feel that way about Frances!Yes! Do walk the Camino Frances. In spite of walking many other paths, it is still my favourite.
I've given up taking a sleeping bag at this time of the year, saves on weight. I've walked Bilbao to Villaviciosa and the albergues have blankets, or, if none are evident you can ask and they usually have a spare sleeping bag or blanket. Credencial is all you need to sleep in the albergues.
Thanks for your lovely blog. Really great. I am aiming to walk the Norte next month. Did you find it essential to take a sleeping bag? Did you need an international youth hostel card to stay in the hostels ou mention?
Hi , I am going to walk the camino from Irun . I am really excited to do it eventhough a little bit nervous. I am leaving on the 12th of September from Irun. Is there anything to be concerned about , safetywise ? Did you find enough albergues along the way ?
Great lesson learned. In my opinion, the "albergue race" means that people don't enjoy the journey, they're constantly anxious about it, arrive too early in the next place and get bored, and spoil it for everyone else by getting up way to early. I'm not saying that you did any of those things, but plenty of people do. If I could create one rule for the Camino, it would be don't get up too early and don't rush, enjoy the walk. I have never missed out on a bed yet, and I often don't arrive at the next stop till after 7pm. There is way too much beauty to be enjoyed during the day walking.
I started from Bilbao, so don't know the first bit. I didn't have any safety issues. It all felt very safe. There is a good resource on here with lists of albergues on the Northern Camino. I've never had any trouble with finding albergues, but I haven't done it at the height of the season. Btw, don't let people tell you to take the train from Bilbao to the outskirts. I found that section really interesting. I walked along the right bank though, some people go the other way. Also, the albergue in Bilbao is miles off the camino uphill, there is a private albergue in town which is very good, but needs booking. I'm in a rush now, but can get you more information. If you check my posts, I wrote up an account of my experience of travelling from Bilbao to Santander.Hi , I am going to walk the camino from Irun . I am really excited to do it eventhough a little bit nervous. I am leaving on the 12th of September from Irun. Is there anything to be concerned about , safetywise ? Did you find enough albergues along the way ?
I would think about spending an extra day in San Sebastian to enjoy the food!
We never really felt unsafe, although a couple of people did raise the hairs on the back of our necks. Listen to your instincts. If you feel that something is off, do not be hesitant to separate yourself from them. If you are traveling solo, then be extra careful, and watch your drinks.
We only had a couple of issues with finding a bed, and you are starting earlier than we did. Public transportation was generally able to fix those problems for us quickly!
Great lesson learned. In my opinion, the "albergue race" means that people don't enjoy the journey, they're constantly anxious about it, arrive too early in the next place and get bored, and spoil it for everyone else by getting up way to early. I'm not saying that you did any of those things, but plenty of people do. If I could create one rule for the Camino, it would be don't get up too early and don't rush, enjoy the walk. I have never missed out on a bed yet, and I often don't arrive at the next stop till after 7pm. There is way too much beauty to be enjoyed during the day walking.
I have been able to book some in advance, but of course the municipales/donativos you cannot reserve, so it becomes a race to those! I believe I will try to stay in more rural areas between larger cities to avoid this.It may be like that all the way until the turn off for the primitivo, many pilgrims head that way, but August is the crazy month so it could last all the way on the Norte. Have you thought about booking in advance, if you know where you are going then you can check to see what Albergues have advance bookings, this is what you could be experiencing other pilgrims booking ahead and places being full before you set off even 2-5 days in advance.
Mike
We (three women) started from Irun on September 13th of last year. We never had a problem finding albergues or hostels to bed down. As for safety, we never felt threatened by any individual however if you are talking pathways then just step carefully when ascending and descending mountain paths, particularly when wet or slippery (sticks help tremendously) or particularly rocky. We did not do the path between Santona and Noja. It was a rainy day and that particular section is supposed to be treacherous when wet. Also, stay aware when walking on roadways.Hi , I am going to walk the camino from Irun . I am really excited to do it eventhough a little bit nervous. I am leaving on the 12th of September from Irun. Is there anything to be concerned about , safetywise ? Did you find enough albergues along the way ?
Thank you for your reply
Great to hear that you enjoyed del Norte - I have found it the most challenging mainly because of the constant height changes, altho the magnificent scenery more than compensates.We did the Camino del Norte starting on October 1, 2015. Before we started our hike, we were not aware of the forums, although I sure wish we would have known about it. Like many Americans, we were introduced to the Camino through the 2010 movie The Way. As soon as we saw it, we knew we had to do the walk. And five years later, we did just that!
We of course made some mistakes. For whatever reason, we believed the Northern route started in San Sebastian instead of Irun! So that is where we started. We didn’t take nearly enough rest days. We should have at least taken one day a week off, maybe even a day every five or six days. We were worried that if we didn’t hurry, we would be facing albergues that were closed as we reached the end. We should have just started a few days earlier. Our intention was to continue on to Finisterre, but by the time we reached Santiago, we were broken!
We chose the Camino del Norte because we wanted to walk along the coastline; and it was amazing. But, we knew that one of the big downsides of walking Norte was the amount of time walking on pavement. It was even more than we were prepared for, and it definitely contributed to breaking us.
Despite all of this, we had a wonderful journey, and it is one of the best experiences in our lives!
Anyway, we blogged about our journey, so hopefully this well help answer some questions that others may have, or simply provide some inspiration. We just did a post highlighting the why we chose Camino del Norte. I am hanging out in these forums because we are trying to figure out our next long walk. I am thinking that we may have to walk Camino Portugues next, although we do want to walk the Frances at some point.
Buen Camino!
http://randomcurrents.com/camino-del-norte/
That is great to know both about Camino Portugues and Via de Plata. That sounds just lovely! Thank you for the information!Great to hear that you enjoyed del Norte - I have found it the most challenging mainly because of the constant height changes, altho the magnificent scenery more than compensates.
I see that you did not like the amount of pavement walking, then I would caution that maybe Camino Portugues is not for you - the stretch from Lisboa to Porto is very much pavement orientated. If you are looking to avoid the crush of Camino Frances might I suggest Via de Plata, perhaps beginning in the beautiful ancient Roman town of Merida. It's a terrific route interspersed with seriously interesting historic towns.
Buen Camino
I started in Irun 8/10, and have almost every day been unable to get into an albergue because they are full. I know it is the busy season, but thought folks should know. I've been leaving very early and arriving in these towns around 12:00-14:00 each day and they are already full. The Camino "rush"is real - very frustrating. If anyone has tips for albergues that are off the path a bit or not advertised well, I'd appreciate it!
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?