Vegan on Camino Del Norte

[jenerator]

I walked Frances last year as a vegan and whilst it was sometimes tricky (and I lost quite a bit of weight.. I think most of my calories came from the wine!) I mostly managed to eat fairly well by a combination of tracking down veggie albergues&restaurants, veggie paellas, and cooking my own food/buying lunch from supermarket. I'm planning on doing Norte next year and was wondering have any vegans here walked it? Eating eggs and dairy for a bit is not an option for me as I'm allergic. Any tips of suitable restaurants, albergues etc would be very welcome!

 

[Dave]

I'm vegetarian and have no trouble along the Norte. (Admittedly, the veg/vegan distinction is a big one in a world of tortilla.) There are a ton of kebab shops on the Norte, so there are lots of chances to grab a falafel. Early on, it's possible nearly every day--Irun, Zarautz, Deba, Gernika, and so on. (I keep track of this very important detail.) A number of albergues with communal dinners seem to have defaulted to veg/vegan friendly meals (Ontón, Caborredondo, Pendueles all come to mind), or they're very willing to accommodate. You won't have a ton of luck in bars, but you're probably used to that. There are a few sections that are lean on supermarkets (Portugalete-Laredo comes to mind), but if you plan well you should have no great discomfort.

 

[oursonpolaire]

Generally, Dave's information is quite correct and normally I would be reluctant to add anything to his contributions, as he is a del Norte expert if not the del Norte expert, but Portugalete-Laredo takes one through Castro Urdiales where I find 3 vegan-catering shops on happycow and 5 vegan-friendly restaurants on Tripadvisor, as well as the usual supermercados, where one can put meals together. About 10 minutes before the bullring (the albergue is behind it), there is a kebab joint on the lefthand side where I snacked and, for the more well-heeled pilgrim, on a side street toward the Ostende beach, one can find a sushi restaurant, the Hanami, where I recall veggie sushi on the menu in a visit perhaps 5 years ago.

While I'm an omnivore, I often find myself cooking for vegan friends and, as an occasional trainer of pilgrims, have answered queries from prospective pilgrims, so keep an eye out for these considerations. Going vegan on the del Norte was more challenging when I first did it, but the Spanish have come to be more sensitive to a changing clientèle in recent years.

 

[Dave]

Generally, Dave's information is quite correct and normally I would be reluctant to add anything to his contributions, as he is a del Norte expert if not the del Norte expert, but Portugalete-Laredo takes one through Castro Urdiales where I find 3 vegan-catering shops on happycow and 5 vegan-friendly restaurants on Tripadvisor, as well as the usual supermercados, where one can put meals together. About 10 minutes before the bullring (the albergue is behind it), there is a kebab joint on the lefthand side where I snacked and, for the more well-heeled pilgrim, on a side street toward the Ostende beach, one can find a sushi restaurant, the Hanami, where I recall veggie sushi on the menu in a visit perhaps 5 years ago.

Ha! We all have expertise to bring to this and thank you for doing so--you're totally right. My apologies to Castro-Urdiales for denying its existence for 20 minutes this morning! Indeed, C-U has a huge concentration of giant supermarkets, especially if you're willing to head over near the bus station. It's a place I always wish I could spend more time--and clearly I need to!

 

[oursonpolaire]

It is surely unwelcome on a veganocentric thread to mention the Meson El Marinero on the Plaza Ayuntamiento in CU, notable for its seafood but also for a very pleasant ambiance on the arcade tables on a warm evening, but I hope to be forgiven. They are traditional and have but two vegan-friendly dishes (only!), but there's always a chance that one can persuade the cooks to be helpful, a policy followed by a vegan cellist from Bavaria of my acquaintance, to great success. Verduras a la brasa (grilled vegetables) is always a good suggestion in such circumstances. Jenerator will, I think (and I hope, for the del Norte is a lovely Camino for those wishing a less social pilgrimage), manage quite well along the coast.

 

[jenerator]

Thank you for all your replies! Before French Way I was preparing myself to eating chips and green salad for a month but was positively surprised how well catered it actually was (and I'd recommend all the vegetarian albergues to omnivores too, they usually had the best atmosphere and communal spirit out of all places). So maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised on the Norte too

 

[Tia Valeria]

If you are allergic to dairy is that just cows' milk/cheese or are you able to tolerate goats' or sheep's cheese in an emergency? These are readily available for those who are lactose intolerant. I realise that this is not vegan, but might be useful to know if an alternative is acceptable.

 

[Ryan Alexander]

Followinggggg

 

[Dàoest]

For vegan meals, please consider:

1 .. Happy Cow smartphone app

2 .. asking for vegan dishes. (es posible hacer __ sin carne, pescado, leche, y huevo?)

You could prepare a laminated card with requests in Spanish (and other languages if walking in Galicia, Portugal, France, Italy) as follows (apologies for any inaccuracies):

Hola. ¿Podrías preparar una comida vegana que no contenga lácteos, huevos o carne? Gracias

Olá. Poderia, por favor, preparar uma refeição vegana que não contenha laticínios, ovos ou carne. Obrigado

Ola Podería preparar unha comida vegana sen leite, ovos ou carne. Grazas

Bonjour. Pourriez-vous s'il vous plaît préparer un repas végétalien qui ne contient pas de produits laitiers, d'œufs ou de viande. Je vous remercie

Ciao. Potresti preparare un pasto vegano senza latte, uova o carne. Grazie

Hello. Could you please prepare a vegan meal which has no dairy, eggs or meat. Thank you

 

[SYates]

And no honey ;-)
BC SY

 

[Geodoc]

Shoot me a message for a free digital copy of my vegan cookbook for solo vegan peregrinos

 

[Dàoest]

Geodoc,

Thank you. I gratefully accept your kind offer.

 

[BruceJ]

Shoot me a message for a free digital copy of my vegan cookbook for solo vegan peregrinos

Dear Human Geodoc, We would love a copy of your book as a vegan couple planning our 4th camino. Our email is ... Many thanks

 

[trecile]

Dear Human Geodoc, We would love a copy of your book as a vegan couple planning our 4th camino. Our email is

@BruceJ - you would be wise to edit your post to remove your email address. This is a public forum, and you have opened yourself up to spammers.
You can send @Geodoc a private message by clicking or tapping on their name and choosing "start a conversation"

 

[Thornley]

In jest Bruce , if I was walking the Norte I would take a years sabbatical , the fish is matched only by the start of the Portuguese.
Safe trip whenever you commence.

 

[Geodoc]

Can't say I've ever been addressed as "human" before. Usually it's just a part of the human anatomy that I'm called.

 

[BruceJ]

@BruceJ - you would be wise to edit your post to remove your email address. This is a public forum, and you have opened yourself up to spammers.
You can send @Geodoc a private message by clicking or tapping on their name and choosing "start a conversation"


View attachment 83705

Thanks for explaining this

In jest Bruce , if I was walking the Norte I would take a years sabbatical , the fish is matched only by the start of the Portuguese.
Safe trip whenever you commence.

Thanks Thornley. We plan a CF starting July 21. Flights are booked but we will need to be allowed out of Australia.

 

[wells.kim.p]

Shoot me a message for a free digital copy of my vegan cookbook for solo vegan peregrinos

I would love that! We are walking Del Norte in Sept. and Oct. and I eat vegan. I am so glad to know that this can be done! Thank you!

 

[JabbaPapa]

ewwww, curse your allergies !!

Make your own food as often as possible, and I sympathise from the diametrically opposite end of being basically incapable of eating plant foods.

Francès is easier than the Norte, and on multiple occasions before I understood my own food restrictions, I made veg meals for all. But that's more complicated on the Norte, as there are fewer of us, pilgrims that is.

FWIW, being a 90% carnivore isn't exactly easy either.