Santiago to Bilbao

[rmcginnis]

Hi, I plan to do the camino frances this summer. However, I was wondering if anyone has done this section of the camino norte, then take a bus to the nearest town on the french route? Is it worth the extra distance? We have around 35 days to make it to Santiago.

 

[mikevasey]

Santiago to Bilbao

Post by rmcginnis on 29 Apr 2013, 06:11
Hi, I plan to do the camino frances this summer. However, I was wondering if anyone has done this section of the camino norte, then take a bus to the nearest town on the french route? Is it worth the extra distance? We have around 35 days to make it to Santiago.

You can get a bus and train from Bilbao to Pamplona and from there to Roscenvalles. Or get a bus or train to Irun and from there cross over to Hendaye and go via Bayonne to Saint JPDP.The time taken to get to Bilbao and then onto your start point will probably take about 2 days out of your total.

What I would say is that time spent on the Frances camino is special in lots of ways that are hard to explain, if you have 35/34 days use them to the full.

Mike

 

[peregrino_tom]

Hi rmcginnis,
I'm not clear from your post which section of the Norte you mean. I can only see mention of Santiago to Bilbao in the title, which is walking pretty much the whole camino but going the other way. Whatever your planned section of the Norte is, I agree completely with Mike that 'time spent on the Frances camino is special in lots of ways that are hard to explain, if you have 35/34 days use them to the full.'

 

[rmcginnis]

I was looking at the possibility of walking from St. Jean Pied de Port to Pamplona, then take a bus to San Sebastian. From there, walk the camino norte to Bilbao and take a bus connection back to the nearest town along the camino frances.

 

[peregrino_tom]

I was looking at the possibility of walking from St. Jean Pied de Port to Pamplona, then take a bus to San Sebastian. From there, walk the camino norte to Bilbao and take a bus connection back to the nearest town along the camino frances.

It's an interesting and unusual idea. But I think in your attempt to not miss out on some spectacular places, you risk diminishing some of the impact you can have from concentrating on a single path and a single purpose, towards reaching Santiago.
Plus you'll miss some classic parts of the Frances such as the Alto de Perdon, the Bodega de Irache, all kinds of other wonderful things inc. great country before Logrono.

 

[mikevasey]

The 1st week of the northern route to Bilbao is spectacular but in my opinion the Frances more than matches it. There is options once you started the CF to vary it further on, you can take the San Salvador route at Leon and walk up to Oviedo, this would add 5/6 days to your total.Then you would be able to walk the camino primitivo to Santiago. My advice is start on the CF and see how it goes, you can always mix it with another way later on if you still feel that you want to do that.

Mike