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Thoughts on the Camino del Norte

er325

New Member
I just finished the Camino del Norte (June 30-July 26) and wanted to share some of my experience in case it helps anyone.

Guidebooks: obviously the German guidebooks are the best and you will have ample opportunity to make friends with Germans and yes they all have them. My walking partner had the yellow one with some great tips on albergues but the red one had life saving maps. Even if you don't know German it might be good to get one of them. We never had to stay in a hotel (did by choice once) because we had great resources on accommodations. I had the PDFs of the guidebooks that have been posted here in English. One albergue had free book versions of them and they were small but I eventually threw them out because when walking consulting the PDF was easier. We did use that guidebook for additional accommo advice as well as for maps. We lost the camino plenty but after a few days you get the hang of which direction Santiago is in so we didn't waste time backtracking and never had problems.

Terrain: I didn't realize this ahead of time for some reason but the Norte is super hilly, especially at the beginning. Some people got sidelined by knee problems; my walking partner and I powered through with wraps and ibuprofen for the first week and then the problems went away. Stretching is good. And doing no more than 25 km a day until you have your kinks mostly worked out. I think if I had been alone I would have babyed myself more but I managed to recover from all of my aches and pains while still going 25-35 km a day. Having said that most people I met were quite fit, and overweight people had the most problems so losing weight pre camino can help a lot of things.

Sleeping bag: yes! I brought only a silk liner and so did one of my camino friends and we regretted it. It was cold and wet and a sleeping bag wouldn't have added much weight.

Shoes: I wore med cut hiking boots and brought along fit flops because they are what I love to wear at home. I probably did half of the camino in fit flops. My feet got easily tired of the boots and changing shoes during the walk helped me walk further. If you are in good shape your problems will be more related to your feet than fitness and 2 pairs of walking shoes can help.

Albergues: with the proper resources (not relying solely on the camino markers) we never had problems finding albergues. Most were 5 euro or donativo, if we paid over 10 euro we usually got our own room or some more comfortable set up. I easily spent less than 200 euro per week and I went out to eat fit almost everything. I think this way is quite budget friendly despite what people say.

People: lastly I have to give a shout out to the wonderful people I met on my camino. I had wanted to do it alone but met someone with the same pace early on and we did, all in all, 810 km together. Like most things it was better having someone to share this with. We also met numerous awesome people along the way and spent a lot of time walking and eating with groups (I was much less into the idea of a camino family than my walking partner but compromise is a good skill to work on and he loved the group thing by the end). The experience is so multifaceted by the people are an important part so I encourage you guys to branch out and talk to people at the albergues and while walking. I am a super introvert but I did this and it only led to good things.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Great info!
PS. I am overweight, and have never had any problems walking the camino frances.... 3 times, but I notice that people who train only on flat surfaces...gym bunnies..yoga gurus..urban dwellers...have the most problems.
 
Thanks for your info and thoughts.
I am leaving for my first camino on Saturday (Sept 1) and will fly in to Bilbao and have about 25 days to reach Santiago, planning to walk around 15 km per day, and transport myself with train or buses on the less interesting passages.

So far I haven't bought any map or guide books, but was hoping to find it in Bilbao. Do you think that is a good plan, or should I try to print something from the net in advance?
I've had problems finding a good map to print, so any recommendations is most welcome.
Do you happen to know if the office where to get the camino passport is open on Sundays?

Thanks again,

Camino Åsa from Sweden :)
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I am walking the Norte from Sep 15 and walked the Camino Frances last year. There are lots of good outline maps on the web tyy http://tourism.euskadi.net/contenidos/i ... INGLES.pdf or http://www.gronze.com/camino-de-santiag ... -norte.htm or http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los ... del-norte/. Google translate works very well if you need the details in another language. I would expect there to be local guides available in Bilbao and on the route. Not sure about getting the credencial on a Sun but they are normally open then. From elsewhere on the forum for a Pilgrim's Credential stop by at the Amigos del Camino office in Bilbao:

BILBAO
ASOCIACIÓN DE AMIGOS DEL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO DE BILBAO
Nicolás Alcorta, 7 - Pza. de Zabalburu
48010 – Bilbao

or maybe this

Dirección: Grupo Santo Domingo de Guzmán nº 14 (lonja), frente a Calzadas de Mallona nº 5
48006 BILBAO - BIZKAIATeléfono: 946 792 099E-mail: info@caminobizkaia.netHorario: Martes y jueves: 19:00-21:00
 
Muchas gracias MikeIan!!

Buon Camino
MikeIan said:
I am walking the Norte from Sep 15 and walked the Camino Frances last year. There are lots of good outline maps on the web tyy http://tourism.euskadi.net/contenidos/i ... INGLES.pdf or http://www.gronze.com/camino-de-santiag ... -norte.htm or http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los ... del-norte/. Google translate works very well if you need the details in another language. I would expect there to be local guides available in Bilbao and on the route. Not sure about getting the credencial on a Sun but they are normally open then. From elsewhere on the forum for a Pilgrim's Credential stop by at the Amigos del Camino office in Bilbao:

BILBAO
ASOCIACIÓN DE AMIGOS DEL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO DE BILBAO
Nicolás Alcorta, 7 - Pza. de Zabalburu
48010 – Bilbao

or maybe this

Dirección: Grupo Santo Domingo de Guzmán nº 14 (lonja), frente a Calzadas de Mallona nº 5
48006 BILBAO - BIZKAIATeléfono: 946 792 099E-mail: info@caminobizkaia.netHorario: Martes y jueves: 19:00-21:00
 
er325
I am seriously considering the camino del norte this May, alone. I have never traveled alone. It's a scary idea for me but something I feel compelled to do. Any advice?
 
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,-
If you check out Terry's blog http://walktocompostela.blogspot.co.uk/ you will see his experience as a first time pilgrim in 2009. The other blogs listed there include things like training and pack weights and items taken. Also the various posts here under Camino del Norte will help you.
I have put a reply on the other thread too http://www.caminodesantiago.me/board/el-camino-del-norte/topic5849.html because I read it first.
May is a lovely time to walk but temperatures can vary, warm in the day but cold at night. A light sleeping bag would be top of my needed list, but no liner to save weight.
Read and enjoy the planning
Buen Camino
 

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