Suggested Camino Del Norte stages in 32-34 days

[Simon Dorrington]

Hi all I have found a few different itineraries to complete the Camino del Norte in in 32-34 days but any suggestions would be welcome. I have also heard that at points you can follow an alternative coastal path. Please see 3 suggested itineraries and let me know if you have any alternatives. Also looking for a website where I can calculate custom distances and times between locations so I can tailor my own route, making sure the end of each day is at a location with Alburgues. Any help/advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

Itinerary 1

11/09/2017 Irun to San Sebastian 24.8km 06:00
12/09/2017 San Sebastian to Zarautz 22.2km 05:30
13/09/2017 Zarautz to Deba 21.8km 05:30
14/09/2017 Deba to Markina-Xemein 24.0km 07:00
15/09/2017 Markina-Xemein to Gernika-Lumo 24.6km 06:00
16/09/2017 Gernika-Lezama 20.8km 05:15
17/09/2017 Lezama to Bilbao 10.8km 02:45
18/09/2017 Bilbao to Portugalete 19.4km 04:45
19/09/2017 Portugalete to Castro Urdiales 27.6km 07:00
20/09/2017 Castro Urdiales to Laredo 26.6km 06:30
21/09/2017 Laredo to Guemes 29km 07:15
22/09/2017 Guemes to Santander 11.8km 03:00
23/09/2017 Santander to Santillana del Mar 37.1km 09:15
24/09/2017 Santillana del Mar to Comillas 22.1km 05:30
25/09/2017 Comillas to Colombres 29km 07:00
26/09/2017 Colombres to Llanes 23.2km 05:45
27/09/2017 Llanes to Ribadesella 31.4km 07:45
28/09/2017 Ribadsella to Sebrayo 31.6km 08:00
29/09/2017 Sebrayo to Gijon 35.8km 09:00
30/09/2017 Gijon to Aviles 25km 06:15
01/10/2017 Aviles to Walls of Nalon 22.6km 05:45
02/10/2017 Walls of Nalon to Soto de Luina 16km 04:00
03/10/2017 Soto de Luina to Cadavedo 23km 05:45
04/10/2017 Cadavedo to Luarca 15.8km 04:00
05/10/2017 Luarca to La Caridad 29.6km 07:30
06/10/2017 La Caridad to Ribadeo 21.6km 05:15
07/10/2017 Ribadeo to Lourenza 28.4km 07:00
08/10/2017 Lourenza to Gontan 25.2km 06:15
09/10/2017 Gontan to Vilalba 23km 05:45
10/10/2017 Vilalba to Baamonde 18.6km 04:45
11/10/2017 Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes 41.2km 10:15
12/10/2017 Sobrado dos Monxes to Arzua 21.4km 05:15
13/10/2017 Arzua to O Pedrouzo 19.3km 04:30
14/10/2017 O Pedrouzo to Santiago De Compostela 19.4km 04:30

Itinerary 2

11/09/2017 Irun to San Sebastian 24.8km 06:00
12/09/2017 San Sebastian to Zarautz 22.2km 05:30
13/09/2017 Zarautz to Deba 21.8km 05:30
14/09/2017 Deba to Markina-Xemein 24.0km 07:00
15/09/2017 Markina-Xemein to Gernika-Lumo 24.6km 06:00
16/09/2017 Gernika-Lumo to Bilbao
17/09/2017 Bilbao to Pobena
18/09/2017 Pobena to Castro Urdiales
19/09/2017 Castro Urdiales to Laredo 26.6km 06:30
20/09/2017 Laredo to Guemes 29km 07:15
21/09/2017 Guemes to Santander 11.8km 03:00
22/09/2017 Santander to Santillana del Mar 37.1km 09:15
23/09/2017 Santillana del Mar to Comillas 22.1km 05:30
24/09/2017 Comillas to Colombres 29km 07:00
25/09/2017 Colombres to Llanes 23.2km 05:45
26/09/2017 Llanes to Ribadesella 31.4km 07:45
27/09/2017 Ribadsella to Sebrayo 31.6km 08:00
28/09/2017 Sebrayo to Gijon 35.8km 09:00
29/09/2017 Gijon to Aviles 25km 06:15
30/09/2017 Aviles to Soto de Luina
01/10/2017 Soto de Luina to Cadavedo 23km 05:45
02/10/2017 Cadavedo to Luarca 15.8km 04:00
03/10/2017 Luarca to La Caridad 29.6km 07:30
04/10/2017 La Caridad to Ribadeo 21.6km 05:15
05/10/2017 Ribadeo to Lourenza 28.4km 07:00
06/10/2017 Lourenza to Gontan 25.2km 06:15
07/10/2017 Gontan to Baamonde
08/10/2017 Baamonde to Miraz
09/10/2017 Miraz to Sobrado dos Monxes
10/10/2017 Sobrado dos Monxes to Arzua 21.4km 05:15
11/10/2017 Arzua to Santiago De Compostela

Itinerary 3

11/09/2017 Irun to San Sebastian 24.6km
12/09/2017 San Sebastian to Zarautz 22.8km
13/09/2017 Zarautz to Deba 21.3km
14/09/2017 Deba to Markina-Xemein 24.2km
15/09/2017 Markina-Xemein to Gernika-Lumo 24.8km
16/09/2017 Gernika-Lumo to Bilbao 29.8km
17/09/2017 Bilbao to Portugalete 19.6km
18/09/2017 Portugalete to Kobaron 16.8km
19/09/2017 Kobaron to Castro Urdiales 17km
20/09/2017 Castro Urdiales to El Pontarron 11.2km
21/09/2017 El Pontarron to Santona 24.8km
22/09/2017 Santona to Guemes 27.8km
23/09/2017 Guemes to Santander 23km
24/09/2017 Santander to Oruna 19.5km
25/09/2017 Oruna to Santillana del Mar 30.4km
26/09/2017 Santillana del Mar to Comillas 23.5km
27/09/2017 Comillas to San Vicente de la Barquera 11.55km
28/09/2017 San Vicente de la Barquera to Unquera (Bustio) 16km
29/09/2017 Bustio to Po 25.6km
30/09/2017 Po to Ribadesella/Ribeseya 26.6km
01/10/2017 Ribadesella/Ribeseya to Sebrayu 31.4km
02/10/2017 Sebrayu to Gijon/Xixon 30.6km
03/10/2017 Gijon/Xixon to Piedrasblancas 27.2km
04/10/2017 Piedrasblancas to Soto de Luina 29.5km
05/10/2017 Soto de Luina to Luarca 32.2km
06/10/2017 Luarca to A Carida 29.5km
07/10/2017 A Carida to Figueras 17km
08/10/2017 Ribadeo to Lourenza 28.8km
09/10/2017 Lourenza to Abadin 26.5km
10/10/2017 Abadin to Baamonde 36.7km
11/10/2017 Baamonde to O Ribeiro 18.4km
12/10/2017 O Ribeiro to Sobrado dos Monxes 25.1km
13/10/2017 Sobrado dos Monxes to Arzua 23.1km
14/10/2017 Arzua to O Pedrouzo 17.4km

15/10/2017 O Pedrouzo to Santiago De Compostela 20km

 

[jsalt]

Hi all I have found a few different itineraries to complete the Camino del Norte in in 32-34 days but any suggestions would be welcome.

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum! My suggestion is to choose any itinerary that has an albergue at each place, but stay flexible. What I do is prepare a “suggested itinerary” on a spreadsheet, with the number of kms each day, and my booked accommodation at the top (start), and my booked accommodation at the bottom (end) (as I have a flight to catch). Then two blank columns headed “Actual Place Stayed” and “Actual Accommodation”. I fill those in as I go along, but otherwise I just walk for as many kms as I feel like each day. By comparing my actual route with my suggested itinerary I can see if I am ahead or behind schedule (and will catch my flight without having to take a bus in the last 100 kms).

Here is mine from last year (although no good for you as it’s 42 days).
Jill

 

[Simon Dorrington]

Hi Simon, welcome to the forum! My suggestion is to choose any itinerary that has an albergue at each place, but stay flexible. What I do is prepare a “suggested itinerary” on a spreadsheet, with the number of kms each day, and my booked accommodation at the top (start), and my booked accommodation at the bottom (end) (as I have a flight to catch). Then two blank columns headed “Actual Place Stayed” and “Actual Accommodation”. I fill those in as I go along, but otherwise I just walk for as many kms as I feel like each day. By comparing my actual route with my suggested itinerary I can see if I am ahead or behind schedule (and will catch my flight without having to take a bus in the last 100 kms).

Here is mine from last year (although no good for you as it’s 42 days).
Jill
View attachment 34489

Hi Jill

Thank you very much for your informed reply. I like the way you have planned your trip. If I could just ask you a few further questions it would be much appreciated. Would you recommend all of the Albergues and other accommodation you stayed at? What time of year did you travel? Were the Albergue's ever booked up? Did you work out the distances via a map or is there a distance calculator to work out stages on the net anywhere?

Many Thanks

Simon

 

[jsalt]

Hi Simon, I started from Irun on 9 Oct 2016 and arrived in Santiago on 20 Nov.

The private albergues were starting to close, but all the municipals were open. They were never full. The only places I tried to stay at which were full were two youth hostels – both times with youth groups.

You can use the Gronze website for distances: https://www.gronze.com/camino-norte

I can’t remember a bad place I stayed, so, yes, I guess I can recommend them all!
Jill

 

[Simon Dorrington]

Hi Jill

That's great pleased to see you managed to complete the full distance going into the winter season how was the weather? At certain points is there a coast path alongside the Camino path? Thank you for your advice it has been a great help.

Many Thanks

Simon

 

[peregrino_tom]

Simon,
I have also compiled a spreadhseet similar to Jill's when doing early planning. Best to get all the possibilities in one column and then look at the distances and options for each. This also gives the flexibility to adapt to the situation as you find it as you go along, rather than adhere to one set of options or another.
I have also used Gronze extensively and recommend it. The basic map will help you visualise the route and options ahead. For instance it shows you the shorter option from Bilbao to Portugalete, which can be handy as it gives you an extra half day's sightseeing in Bilbao and also the experience of the Puente Colgante at the end (where I think you can still pay to walk along the top of the structure?).
In terms of coastal path options, there's a thread running right now where Laurie is exploring new coastal path options. However, most of them are new and untested, often not well marked and away from the typical camino infrastructure. If this is your first camino, I'd advice you to just stick-to-the-knitting and take the standard paths, and just consider the established coastal alternatives given in the Cicerone guide. In particular the section around La Caridad to Ribadeo has some lovely coastal diversions on the E9 path and can take you to the coastal albergue at Tapia. Then you can walk along the coast from there to Ribadeo. All along this part there are lots of great beaches to stop off and swim.
Cheers, tom

 

[jsalt]

how was the weather? At certain points is there a coast path alongside the Camino path?

Hi Simon, the first three and a half weeks were fabulous weather, then it rained for about a week, and it cleared up for the last week or so into Santiago. I bought an umbrella and a cheap duvet sleeveless jacket at a China store in Luarca, once it had started raining and getting cold going out in the evenings.

There are often variations and alternatives in the path. I had the Cicerone Guide with me: “The Northern Caminos”. It was really useful for route planning and places to stay. It doesn’t have elevation maps though, and I do like to know what I’m in for regarding hills and valleys up ahead.
Jill

 

[Simon Dorrington]

Simon,
I have also compiled a spreadhseet similar to Jill's when doing early planning. Best to get all the possibilities in one column and then look at the distances and options for each. This also gives the flexibility to adapt to the situation as you find it as you go along, rather than adhere to one set of options or another.
I have also used Gronze extensively and recommend it. The basic map will help you visualise the route and options ahead. For instance it shows you the shorter option from Bilbao to Portugalete, which can be handy as it gives you an extra half day's sightseeing in Bilbao and also the experience of the Puente Colgante at the end (where I think you can still pay to walk along the top of the structure?).
In terms of coastal path options, there's a thread running right now where Laurie is exploring new coastal path options. However, most of them are new and untested, often not well marked and away from the typical camino infrastructure. If this is your first camino, I'd advice you to just stick-to-the-knitting and take the standard paths, and just consider the established coastal alternatives given in the Cicerone guide. In particular the section around La Caridad to Ribadeo has some lovely coastal diversions on the E9 path and can take you to the coastal albergue at Tapia. Then you can walk along the coast from there to Ribadeo. All along this part there are lots of great beaches to stop off and swim.
Cheers, tom

Hi Tom

Thank you for your invaluable advice I will come up with several options for flexibility as you say. Can't wait for a swim to cool off after a hard days walking. Did you book any accomodation or did you always manage to get a bed when turning up on the day?

Many Thanks

Simon

 

[Simon Dorrington]

Hi Simon, the first three and a half weeks were fabulous weather, then it rained for about a week, and it cleared up for the last week or so into Santiago. I bought an umbrella and a cheap duvet sleeveless jacket at a China store in Luarca, once it had started raining and getting cold going out in the evenings.

There are often variations and alternatives in the path. I had the Cicerone Guide with me: “The Northern Caminos”. It was really useful for route planning and places to stay. It doesn’t have elevation maps though, and I do like to know what I’m in for regarding hills and valleys up ahead.
Jill

Hi Jill

Thank you for letting me know your weather experience it sounds like it was pretty good for the time of year. Good to know there are stores on route to buy extra supplies when required. I have just received the Northern Caminos book and will use this in addition with Gronze to come up with some itineraries. Can't wait to start now

Thanks again

Simon

 

[peregrino_tom]

Hi Simon
I think Cicerone plus Gronze is an excellent combination. I did the first half of the norte in March/April and the second half from Ribadesella in August. I like staying in albergues and didn't book any accommodation. There were a couple of times that a place was either full or the albergue was closed. In all cases it worked out fine - the camino is used to coping with fluctuating numbers plus, you'll invariably meet up with some other pilgrims and between you and the helpful locals/hospitaleros, you'll come up with a solution - or an adventure! At Miraz about 8 of us slept on mats (provided) on the floor of the church.
Cheers, tom

 

[Addicted]

My wife and I start the Norte next week ( Sept 6 or 7 ) depending on travel from airport to Santander. best of luck to all hope to see you on the trail.
Buen camino

 

[amancio]

Hi Simon,

might see you along the way, I am planning to start on September 10th. I have used Gronze for distances, and am compiling a PDF with general maps and different profiles, I will send you that information once I have it fully compiled (if I have the time to finish it). I still do not know for sure whether I will link to Primitivo or else continue along the coast all the way.

 

[nickymd1]

Hey Simon,

from one Dorrington to another, welcome to the forum!

I've just gotten back from the Norte, having set off in Hendaye on 17.07.17 and arrived in Santiago on 17.08.17, with another 3 days thereafter to Fisterre. Walking the Way in 32 days is *very* doable; the German guidebook I used to plan my itinerary actually did it all in 29 days (Irun to Santiago) and I extended it a bit to have a longer stay in Mondonedo and to spend the night in Monte de Gozo and enter sdC in the morning.

I did similarly to the others above in that I created a spreadsheet beforehand of my planned stages, and then realised that the Camino laughs at the best laid plans! There were days when I was right on 'schedule', there were days where I needed/wanted to stop early and days that I walked further than planned to see something a little extra or because I had juice in the tank. Don't be too attached to your plan. I walked through the high season, which added accommodation difficulties that you're unlikely to face in September (there'll be fewer teachers and students walking then )

If you're interested, I can send you my actual itinerary, but I unfortunately can't offer accurate stage kms, as every guidebook, app and website has slightly different numbers. After the first 5-7 days it'll probably start to matter less exactly how many km it was as long as you're within a 3km or so margin of what you planned on!

 

[Maggie Y]

Did you enjoy Mondenedo. Was it a good experience to spend time there? Pls let me know?