Should I miss out Bilbao to Portugalese

[Halkida]

Hi

I an l to Bilbao on 13th September to walk from Bilbao to Santander . I arrive in Bilbao after 9pm in the evening and wanted some advice on whether I should:

head for Portugalete that same evening and start walking from there the next day as I have heard that the walk from Bilbao to Portugalete is not that interesting. I could do some sightseeing in Bilbao on my return from Santander on 2oth ;

Any advice would be much appreciated .

Thanks

J/P

 

[TeknoHead]

Hello,

I did the northern Camino last year and if there's a stage you skip by all accounts it's this one.

I skipped it because lost luggage set my friend and I back 2 days on an already tight schedule. If we hadn't had to deal with that we probably would have followed the advice of our guide book and skipped it anyway.

Fellow pilgrims who did walk that stage told us it was uninspiring, boring, ugly and yet very demanding. Most of it is through the industrial area on the outskirts of Bilbao.

My advice would be to save the time and visit the Guggenheim or eat Pintxos until you drop, you'll need the calories for later on your journey.

You're in for the time of your life. It was our first Camino and it changed our lives. I'd be jealous if it wasn't for the fact I'm on one of the lesser known Portuguese caminos as I type this.

Have fun my friend. Enjoy Llanes and Luarca, they stand out in my memory, as well as all the other magnificent places you'll visit. Good luck with the mountains, some of those can be a pain in the behind but the views at the top are magnificent.

Happy trails.

 

[TeknoHead]

Just read your original post again.... you're stopping at Santander.... well, have fun anyway.

In my defense I'm a little bit drunk on cheap Portuguese wine after a 30km walk.

 

[Halkida]

Just read your original post again.... you're stopping at Santander.... well, have fun anyway.

In my defense I'm a little bit drunk on cheap Portuguese wine after a 30km walk.

Hi, really jealous about the wine scenario. Thank you for the advice re skipping first part of walk. Was wondering how I would get from Bilbao airport to,portugalete around 9.30 pm . I know that the metro goes but not sure if it goes from the airport .

 

[TeknoHead]

The bus from the Airport stops at around 23:30 so you should be OK. It costs around €3 and takes you into the centre of Bilbao, dropping you off right next to a metro station if I remember correctly. Check this but I'm fairly sure I'm right.

Edit: I think the bus goes every half an hour.

You wouldn't have been jealous if you'd seen the state of me this morning. I'm now hydrating and hiding from the afternoon sun. It's 36℃ here at the moment. Probably should have gotten up and set out earlier.

 

[LTfit]

Just for anyone else that might be reading this. I actually did walk Bilbao-Portugalete and though uninspiring (like many stages on any Camino can be), it was neither industrial nor ugly. Urban yes.

There are two routes out to Portugalete, one following the river which takes you over to the other side via the suspension bridge and is only 14 km. I took the other one which was up and down through woods and suburban/urban areas into Portugalete. It was 18 km.

I did Irún-Portugalete last September and Portugalete-Ribadesella in June. I took the airport bus to the bus station and caught the metro to Portugalete at the station next to the bus station. All very easy.

Buen Camino whatever you decide. Lots of asphalt but a lovely Camino. Be sure to take the coast whenever possible - especially into Santander. The last 5 km were along an amazing beach then hopped on the ferry to cross.

 

[spursfan]

Gosh - Bilbao to Portugalete is only some 110km and you're proposing to skip the first 15km
For me, the whole point of walking the Camino is to take the rough with the smooth

 

[Halkida]

Gosh - Bilbao to Portugalete is only some 110km and you're proposing to skip the first 15km
For me, the whole point of walking the Camino is to take the rough with the smooth

thank you for your advice. Point taken. I have now decided to walk from Bilbao to Portugalete.

 

[Magwood]

I walked to Portugalete from Bilbao with the river to my left. I thought this would give me the best views of the Guggenheim, and I duly spent many happy minutes taking photos with the reflection of the building in the river. Quite stunning. And crossing the river via the suspension bridge was quite exciting. Sure, it wasn't the most inspiring walk between these two landmarks, but the start and end of the walk made it well worth while.

 

[peregrina2000]

Just for anyone else that might be reading this. I actually did walk Bilbao-Portugalete and though uninspiring (like many stages on any Camino can be), it was neither industrial nor ugly. Urban yes.

There are two routes out to Portugalete, one following the river which takes you over to the other side via the suspension bridge and is only 14 km. I took the other one which was up and down through woods and suburban/urban areas into Portugalete. It was 18 km.

Hi, LT, quick question. Did your route take you through Baracaldo and Sestao? And was the first part of the route through abandoned industrial routes and little pockets of a few substandard houses here and there?

That was my 2006 walk into Portugalete, but maybe the route has changed. Hopefully that's the case bc it wasn't too pretty. Before entering into Sestao, we went by a large abandoned apartment building, which had been reclaimed by squatters. Drug deals going down, at least that was what we assumed the fancy cars driving in and out quickly were doing. My walking partner and I were a little nervous but there were lots of little children running around playing and women hanging laundry, etc, so we figured we would be ok.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Laurie, I don't recognise the names of places you name, but I walked between the water/docks and metro line in 2014. Lots of low priced housing building, uninviting playgrounds, and cheap looking bars. Not smart of me to be walking there in the dark, after leaving the albergue around 4 or 5 am since I could not wait to get out of the albergue where I had been staying for 2 nights. Never would you catch me walking in such an area at that time of the dayback home!

And BTW, for those who think staying in albergues, not pilgrim only albergues that is, because you think that a rest day in a large town/city would be fun and intersting, think about it twice: great city=party city gery often, which=partiers craling back in in the wee hours of the morning keeping all up, amd I will pass on the details of the other consequences of too much alcohol and use of other molecules. If you want to spend 2 nights to get to know a city a bit better, splurge on a pension or hotel.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Hi J/P

I walked Bilbao to Portulgalete and I saw what Laurie and Anemone described. And I walked it in the middle of the night (not smart and PTSD driven; do not do as I did). If I took my sister on this Camino I'd skip it. There's no right or wrong way to do the Camino, and there is nothing on this stretch I saw to say "you don't want to miss the XYZ." And this is coming from someone who zigzagged all over Spain and multiple Caminos, and who drove Route 66 in the US stopping at every giant ball of string.
Do NOT feel obligated to walk every step, unless that's the reason you are going. I walked because I needed time to think, and be alone. And to see giant balls of string. If I were to walk with my sister, there are several places I'd catch a train or bus. Even by myself, I'd probably take a train through this stretch. The bridge is the only semi-cool part and you can always back track from Portugalete if that's a must (which for me it's not worth it).

The important thing is just because the trip you have planned is X km, there's no reason you must walk a sketchy and pretty uninspiring 15. If you feel guilty, walk the extra Km around Bilbao and her museums.

 

[AJ]

I took the metro both times. There are two, maybe three walking routes. Not sure if any at worth the effort.

 

[TeknoHead]

J/P... you're leaving tomorrow?

"I an l to Bilbao on 13th September to walk from Bilbao to Santander"

Do what you feel is right! Your Camino is your own. It doesn't matter what anybody else here has to say as long as you stay true to yourself.

Happy trails my friend, buen camino!

~T/H


From a personal point of view (and if anyone reading this disagrees please feel free to keep your opinion to yourself): Skip the stage... slow down and take the extra time to enjoy the rest of the journey, or hang around in San Sebastian and dunk your feet in the water, eat pintxos, lots and lots of pintxos.... just have a good time. Everybody's camino is different. Suffering and hardship, though essential and I'm sure you will experince that, is very important but not as much as the joy and happiness that the camino will bestow upon you. It's your path and yours alone. The pilgrims of old used donkeys, horse and carts, boats or whatever they could find to get to Santiago (or Santander in your case) as quickly and efficiently as possible. Why not use the modern day equivalent if you have no other choice? But only if you have no other choice! Do what you feel is right and ignore the judgement of others. Just stay true to yourself.

I have some cracking stories for you guys... and I think I have verbal diarrhoea at this point.... so I'm going to get some sleep and will explain all tomorrow or at least in the near future.

Take care and have fun OP.

 

[SYates]

... (and if anyone reading this disagrees please feel free to keep your opinion to yourself) ...

You really believe in freedom of speech, don't you? Buen Camino, SY

PS I agree with everything else you wrote, but that preamble just tickled me the wrong way ...

 

[TeknoHead]

That was a bit harsh and I apologise for misrepresenting myself.

Halkido (J/P),

~Take care!