Search 74,075 Camino Questions

Reflections of the Camino Norte in October.

BiggBlue

Robin
Time of past OR future Camino
17 Frances 18 Portuguese,
19 Primitivo 22 Norte
I posted on this forum before leaving for the Camino Norte, wondering if it would be very quiet. I received some helpful input but went expecting it to be very quiet.

I arrived in Santiago on the 4th of November and thought I would share some thoughts and reflections from my Camino. First, I should point out I read somewhere that nowhere on the planet have they built statues to celebrate the life of critics, so my observations are not to be critical but rather just observations which I would like to share with others.

The Camino del Norte is a very different experience from the Camino Frances; it is more solitary, undoubtedly more challenging, and the infrastructure is significantly less developed. I can't tell you how many mornings it was over 15 kilometres walked before I found a cafe bar that had coffee.

So, in no particular order, here are a few thoughts I would like to share for your consideration when you plan the Norte if you are doing it early or late in the season.

Albergues

Many of the Albergues in October were closed or about to close. On two occasions, I stayed in Albergues to discover it was their last night operating before they closed for the season. With limited pilgrim's it would not make financial sense to keep a building open, so I understand why they do this. But the information was rarely up to date, and in the guides, the closing date was never precisely indicated. (Always phone ahead)

My main frustration after a long day on the Camino was there is no quality control whatsoever on Albergues. With one or two notable exceptions, they are, I believe, run as businesses by the owners, which is perfectly fine. But you must give a service commensurate with your charges. I wonder if somebody one day will write a good Albergue guide. I stayed in several Albergues, which I will not mention, which were shocking value for money. But unfortunately, the owners didn't care, and the facilities needed upgrades or repair.

On the other hand, I stayed at a few others which were simply magnificent. The thoughtfulness and helpfulness of those who owned and ran them was humbling. I advise doing as much research as possible on any place you plan to stay. Booking.com is not your best source of research use Camino guides and talk to other pilgrims.

I never experienced an Albergue that was full though one or two were pretty busy with limited beds available when I arrived.


Pilgrim menus

In October, when I walked, I only came across three or four places with a Pilgrim menu, so you often have to cook your food if you want to be guaranteed a nutritious meal for the next day. Again I think this is a consequence of the law of supply and demand; as there is no great demand for Pilgrim menus due to the small number of people on the Camino, there will be a reduced supply. It just makes sense.

Yellow arrows and Signage

In a few places, I came off the trail, I am generally very diligent and have a GPS tracker as well, but on a few occasions, there are simply no markings. Of course, this can happen on any Camino - but in the Basque country, you need to be alert.

Many of the alternative routes shown in some apps do not exist, and I can tell from the way that the GPS stopped receiving a signal when the original people were making the path. On one occasion with an Italian fellow, we found ourselves in a very precarious position in a gully which showed we were directly on the Redpath. Still, there was no path, in reality, so be careful.

Physical Challenge

The first 6/7 days from a run to Bilbo are challenging as there are many steep ascents and descents. But if you get through that without any extremes or nasty blisters, you'll be good for the rest of the route. Unfortunately, I met a few people who had to retire due to injury before they got to Bilbao. The other aspect of the challenge is the weather. If it rains, you will get wet, and at that time of year, you will also get cold, so becoming mildly hypothermic is a possibility. Therefore, I would advise anyone doing it early or late in the season to bring plenty of layers to maintain body heat even in wet and chilly conditions.

How busy is it?

From October onwards, the route gets quiet; often, you would walk alone and maybe see a few other pilgrims. There is an opportunity to form small groups that meet most days but compared to the French route, you do not build the extensive infrastructure of companions due to the lack of people on the path.

The other thing that slightly surprised me is I expected only to meet experienced pilgrims on the route, whilst in reality, about 40% of the people I met were doing their first-ever Camino. I explained to them this was a little like joining an athletics club and discovering yourself in the Olympic Games the next day. I met most of them again in Santiago, so I no longer think the Norte is for experienced pilgrim knows, but as long as you are fit and manage yourself, it is a magnificent walk.
 
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Thank you for your feedback.

Re: albergues, this reminds me that I too need to leave some reviews on one of the guides: gronze/wise pilgrim/Buen Camino. Or even google. Guidebooks will unfortunately become out of date as soon as it’s printed, as they cannot keep up with the constant changes, kudos to the authors of cicerone guidebooks as they do release quite frequent updates. But nothing like reading recent comments from pilgrims who stayed at one particular place in the last week/month before your intended travel.
 
As with Albergues, hotels on the route can be questionable too. Don't rely on the star ratings.

But in fairness to the route there is one quite exceptional hotel I discovered in Cudillero - Casona de la Paca. It's an Indianos and run by someone with a real passion for hospitality. It's a few hundred yards away from the Palacio de Los Selgas which is worth a view and there is an excellent fish restaurant across the road (Arbichera). Stay was only about €60 including breakfast, if you need a break from awful Albergues.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Thank you for the information, I am aiming at walking the Norte soon, probably off season, so this is really helpful. I may combine it with the Inglese, by walking the coast to Ferrol and avoiding even more crowds, I do not fancy the more crowded routes like the Frances.
 
As with Albergues, hotels on the route can be questionable too. Don't rely on the star ratings.

But in fairness to the route there is one quite exceptional hotel I discovered in Cudillero - Casona de la Paca. It's an Indianos and run by someone with a real passion for hospitality. It's a few hundred yards away from the Palacio de Los Selgas which is worth a view and there is an excellent fish restaurant across the road (Arbichera). Stay was only about €60 including breakfast, if you need a break from awful Albergues.
I agree that there is a time that you need to get away from the Alberque and have the opportunity to chill out by yourself , though I would never say no to meeting up with others for lunch ..if I could pick one particular hotel then it would have to be ...Amanecer en Campos just past Fromista on the Frances ..it is a family run hotel for Pilgrim's very lovely staff lovely and your greeted with a glass of wine at reception and the evening there is a Pilgrim menu and a lovely breakfast before setting off in the morning and the opportunity for a packed lunch ..Best experience by far if I had to choose one
 
Thank you for the information, I am aiming at walking the Norte soon, probably off season, so this is really helpful. I may combine it with the Inglese, by walking the coast to Ferrol and avoiding even more crowds, I do not fancy the more crowded routes like the Frances.
If you are planning to walk soon I don't think you will find any route to be crowded.
 
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
I posted on this forum before leaving for the Camino Norte, wondering if it would be very quiet. I received some helpful input but went expecting it to be very quiet.

I arrived in Santiago on the 4th of November and thought I would share some thoughts and reflections from my Camino. First, I should point out I read somewhere that nowhere on the planet have they built statues to celebrate the life of critics, so my observations are not to be critical but rather just observations which I would like to share with others.

The Camino del Norte is a very different experience from the Camino Frances; it is more solitary, undoubtedly more challenging, and the infrastructure is significantly less developed. I can't tell you how many mornings it was over 15 kilometres walked before I found a cafe bar that had coffee.

So, in no particular order, here are a few thoughts I would like to share for your consideration when you plan the Norte if you are doing it early or late in the season.

Albergues

Many of the Albergues in October were closed or about to close. On two occasions, I stayed in Albergues to discover it was their last night operating before they closed for the season. With limited pilgrim's it would not make financial sense to keep a building open, so I understand why they do this. But the information was rarely up to date, and in the guides, the closing date was never precisely indicated. (Always phone ahead)

My main frustration after a long day on the Camino was there is no quality control whatsoever on Albergues. With one or two notable exceptions, they are, I believe, run as businesses by the owners, which is perfectly fine. But you must give a service commensurate with your charges. I wonder if somebody one day will write a good Albergue guide. I stayed in several Albergues, which I will not mention, which were shocking value for money. But unfortunately, the owners didn't care, and the facilities needed upgrades or repair.

On the other hand, I stayed at a few others which were simply magnificent. The thoughtfulness and helpfulness of those who owned and ran them was humbling. I advise doing as much research as possible on any place you plan to stay. Booking.com is not your best source of research use Camino guides and talk to other pilgrims.

I never experienced an Albergue that was full though one or two were pretty busy with limited beds available when I arrived.


Pilgrim menus

In October, when I walked, I only came across three or four places with a Pilgrim menu, so you often have to cook your food if you want to be guaranteed a nutritious meal for the next day. Again I think this is a consequence of the law of supply and demand; as there is no great demand for Pilgrim menus due to the small number of people on the Camino, there will be a reduced supply. It just makes sense.

Yellow arrows and Signage

In a few places, I came off the trail, I am generally very diligent and have a GPS tracker as well, but on a few occasions, there are simply no markings. Of course, this can happen on any Camino - but in the Basque country, you need to be alert.

Many of the alternative routes shown in some apps do not exist, and I can tell from the way that the GPS stopped receiving a signal when the original people were making the path. On one occasion with an Italian fellow, we found ourselves in a very precarious position in a gully which showed we were directly on the Redpath. Still, there was no path, in reality, so be careful.

Physical Challenge

The first 6/7 days from a run to Bilbo are challenging as there are many steep ascents and descents. But if you get through that without any extremes or nasty blisters, you'll be good for the rest of the route. Unfortunately, I met a few people who had to retire due to injury before they got to Bilbao. The other aspect of the challenge is the weather. If it rains, you will get wet, and at that time of year, you will also get cold, so becoming mildly hypothermic is a possibility. Therefore, I would advise anyone doing it early or late in the season to bring plenty of layers to maintain body heat even in wet and chilly conditions.

How busy is it?

From October onwards, the route gets quiet; often, you would walk alone and maybe see a few other pilgrims. There is an opportunity to form small groups that meet most days but compared to the French route, you do not build the extensive infrastructure of companions due to the lack of people on the path.

The other thing that slightly surprised me is I expected only to meet experienced pilgrims on the route, whilst in reality, about 40% of the people I met were doing their first-ever Camino. I explained to them this was a little like joining an athletics club and discovering yourself in the Olympic Games the next day. I met most of them again in Santiago, so I no longer think the Norte is for experienced pilgrim knows, but as long as you are fit and manage yourself, it is a magnificent walk.
On the Via, which is even less trafficked and has fewer resources than the Norte, I found Gronze to be by far the best resource for determining the availability, services and quality of accommodations. Did you use Gronze at all?

This is a more general question but it is sort of related to points you brought up. Do you find that many blisters come with wet weather? I can attribute all of my blister issues to wet socks.
 
My original plan was to walk the Del Norte route in the fall of 2020...then Covid happened.
Our current plan is for fall 2023.
 
Last edited:
On the Via, which is even less trafficked and has fewer resources than the Norte, I found Gronze to be by far the best resource for determining the availability, services and quality of accommodations. Did you use Gronze at all?

This is a more general question but it is sort of related to points you brought up. Do you find that many blisters come with wet weather? I can attribute all of my blister issues to wet socks.
One of the pilrims I walked with for a few days was using Gronze.com and it was in my opinion the best resource. As for blisters, wet socks will increase friction, making blisters more probable. I got my blisters before the rain came, so by that time each troublesome toe, was individually wrapped and that did the trick.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
One of the pilrims I walked with for a few days was using Gronze.com and it was in my opinion the best resource. As for blisters, wet socks will increase friction, making blisters more probable. I got my blisters before the rain came, so by that time each troublesome toe, was individually wrapped and that did the trick.
After my first two Camino's suffering blisters, I ditched my hiking boots and went with trail shoes and 'Wright Socks' and literally reduced blister issues my 95%.
Even walking all day in wet shoes resulted in surprisingly few foot issues.
Camino's are certainly more fun when your feet aren't killing you!
 
Not every culture has "quality control", and to "expect" a Club Med standard wherever you go .... well, you miss out on learning about life outside your bubble.
I'm sure the locals could share many stories about the "kinds of visitors" who "take advantage" of their kindness and generosity ... life over the past couple years must of been extremely difficult for many of them, and I'm sure many are struggling to find the resources to cope with the return of visitors.
Pilgrims might ask themselves, "What did I contribute to their life ... or did I just take?"
 
Thanks, @BiggBlue for your report back. It’s always great to have a variety of opinions from recent walkers. Just a couple of comments.

In October, when I walked, I only came across three or four places with a Pilgrim menu, so you often have to cook your food if you want to be guaranteed a nutritious meal for the next day.

I am missing something here, because whether a restaurant offers a pilgrim menu has no bearing on whether it offers a nutririous meal. Or are you talking about the fact that the restaurants stuck with Spanish meal hours and didn’t serve the evening meal early enough for most pilgrims’ schedules?

Many camino repeaters recommend avoiding the “pilgrim menu” altogether, because it is almost always high carb, low quality, cheap food for large numbers at low prices. Many restaurants in Spain offer the “menú del día,” not geared to pilgrims, and usually a much better price/quality ratio, though typically a few more euros in price. Since the Norte goes through so many tourist towns, though, I bet you will find that the tourist-oriented menús del día are no more delicious than the pilgrim menús del día!

Many of the alternative routes shown in some apps do not exist, and I can tell from the way that the GPS stopped receiving a signal when the original people were making the path.

This is why I do not rely on any app for my GPS. I use wikiloc, which allows me to download as many recorded tracks from their app as I want. I typically download four or five tracks for the next day‘s stage the night before walking. Then I can flip back and forth when I come to a confusing or unmarket spot. And the great thing about wikiloc is that you can put your phone away and the app will beep at you if you go off course.

But if you had a specific problem with the tracks on any of the apps, an email to the creator would be a good idea. The Wise Pilgrim apps, for instance, are produced by a forum member, who usually responds quickly to forum messages about app glitches.

The Norte’s coastal alternatives are spectacular but since they are ”alternatives”, there will be no markings and GPS is essential.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
My answer to the problem of meal timing is to avoid the "pilgrims menu" and eat tapas instead.
 
I posted on this forum before leaving for the Camino Norte, wondering if it would be very quiet. I received some helpful input but went expecting it to be very quiet.

I arrived in Santiago on the 4th of November and thought I would share some thoughts and reflections from my Camino. First, I should point out I read somewhere that nowhere on the planet have they built statues to celebrate the life of critics, so my observations are not to be critical but rather just observations which I would like to share with others.

The Camino del Norte is a very different experience from the Camino Frances; it is more solitary, undoubtedly more challenging, and the infrastructure is significantly less developed. I can't tell you how many mornings it was over 15 kilometres walked before I found a cafe bar that had coffee.

So, in no particular order, here are a few thoughts I would like to share for your consideration when you plan the Norte if you are doing it early or late in the season.

Albergues

Many of the Albergues in October were closed or about to close. On two occasions, I stayed in Albergues to discover it was their last night operating before they closed for the season. With limited pilgrim's it would not make financial sense to keep a building open, so I understand why they do this. But the information was rarely up to date, and in the guides, the closing date was never precisely indicated. (Always phone ahead)

My main frustration after a long day on the Camino was there is no quality control whatsoever on Albergues. With one or two notable exceptions, they are, I believe, run as businesses by the owners, which is perfectly fine. But you must give a service commensurate with your charges. I wonder if somebody one day will write a good Albergue guide. I stayed in several Albergues, which I will not mention, which were shocking value for money. But unfortunately, the owners didn't care, and the facilities needed upgrades or repair.

On the other hand, I stayed at a few others which were simply magnificent. The thoughtfulness and helpfulness of those who owned and ran them was humbling. I advise doing as much research as possible on any place you plan to stay. Booking.com is not your best source of research use Camino guides and talk to other pilgrims.

I never experienced an Albergue that was full though one or two were pretty busy with limited beds available when I arrived.


Pilgrim menus

In October, when I walked, I only came across three or four places with a Pilgrim menu, so you often have to cook your food if you want to be guaranteed a nutritious meal for the next day. Again I think this is a consequence of the law of supply and demand; as there is no great demand for Pilgrim menus due to the small number of people on the Camino, there will be a reduced supply. It just makes sense.

Yellow arrows and Signage

In a few places, I came off the trail, I am generally very diligent and have a GPS tracker as well, but on a few occasions, there are simply no markings. Of course, this can happen on any Camino - but in the Basque country, you need to be alert.

Many of the alternative routes shown in some apps do not exist, and I can tell from the way that the GPS stopped receiving a signal when the original people were making the path. On one occasion with an Italian fellow, we found ourselves in a very precarious position in a gully which showed we were directly on the Redpath. Still, there was no path, in reality, so be careful.

Physical Challenge

The first 6/7 days from a run to Bilbo are challenging as there are many steep ascents and descents. But if you get through that without any extremes or nasty blisters, you'll be good for the rest of the route. Unfortunately, I met a few people who had to retire due to injury before they got to Bilbao. The other aspect of the challenge is the weather. If it rains, you will get wet, and at that time of year, you will also get cold, so becoming mildly hypothermic is a possibility. Therefore, I would advise anyone doing it early or late in the season to bring plenty of layers to maintain body heat even in wet and chilly conditions.

How busy is it?

From October onwards, the route gets quiet; often, you would walk alone and maybe see a few other pilgrims. There is an opportunity to form small groups that meet most days but compared to the French route, you do not build the extensive infrastructure of companions due to the lack of people on the path.

The other thing that slightly surprised me is I expected only to meet experienced pilgrims on the route, whilst in reality, about 40% of the people I met were doing their first-ever Camino. I explained to them this was a little like joining an athletics club and discovering yourself in the Olympic Games the next day. I met most of them again in Santiago, so I no longer think the Norte is for experienced pilgrim knows, but as long as you are fit and manage yourself, it is a magnificent walk.
Great insight, I finished the VDLP on the 5th of Nov!!!, 1st Camino, and looking to Norte next October, thanks for follow-up to original post.
 

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Most read last week in this forum

I am planning my 4th Camino, next spring, the del Norte from Santander, and have heard from others that Cantabria and Asturias are poorly marked with markers that do not provide directional...
I walked Irun to SdC last year and am now on Norte with my wife (Santander to SdC). Am I not recalling things very well or have many of the routes changed from last year? For example, I recall...
I want to take the 'northern' route from Baamonde to Sobrado - it is 8 km shorter! Does anyone know the condition of the paths (mid October), or the elevation (assents/descents) of this alternative?

Featured threads

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Featured threads

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top