Walking the Way, May 22 Bilbao

[neilhendrick]

Howdy Pilgrims,

I'm Neil, I'll be hiking the Camino starting May 22 in Bilbao.

My plan is to hike the Norte route until Villaviciosa, where I'll swing South to Oviedo to walk the Primitivo route. After Santiago de Compostela, I plan to continue on to Fisterra.
Afterwards, I have family in Covarrubius, a medieval village just south of Burgos, so I'll drop in for a few days (I'm in Spain until July 5th, so depending on how long it takes to walk 411 miles) to drink wine and eat ham.

I hope I can ask a few questions of other pilgrims here;

This trip was unplanned until a week ago, call me reckless if you will, so I haven't a lot of time to prepare. I won't receive my Credencial in the mail in time. Can I get this in Bilbao before starting out? Where?

Do you get a Stamp in your Credencial in the place you start, or only where you sleep?

Should I expect much rain on this route? I'm doing minimal packing, so I'm debating rain gear.

In planning my route, I'm figuring in some rest days. How often do you like to take a rest day?

~from Nokomis, Fl
Neil

There are ways but the Way is uncharted
-Tao te Ching Translated by R.B. Blakney (1955)

 

[Jan_D]

Can I get this in Bilbao before starting out? Where?

Do you get a Stamp in your Credencial in the place you start, or only where you sleep?

Should I expect much rain on this route? I'm doing minimal packing, so I'm debating rain gear.

In planning my route, I'm figuring in some rest days. How often do you like to take a rest day?

- You should be able to get a credencial from the cathedral (which is actually dedicated to Santiago!) If not, you'll be able to buy the credencial from any of the municipal "albergue de peregrinos" - here's a link to the one in Bilbao. (Not sure whether you'll be staying there your first night? It's on the outskirts of the city, pretty far from the centre, so not ideal if you want to soak up the atmosphere of this great Basque city...)

- Stamps: it doesn't really matter on the first day, but probably best to get a stamp when you start. That way the hospitaleros can see you've walked to the albergue...

- The north coast of Spain has a mountainous maritime climate. It's very unpredictable. But there's a good reason it's known as the "green coast". Never mind, it's warm in late May/June, so if you get wet you'll dry out pretty quickly! But I'd definitely recommend a poncho that covers both you and your backpack. If you need more gear you'll find outdoor sport stores in all the main towns along the route; the Spanish are an active bunch!

- Maybe once a week? Not always easy to plan in advance. Sometimes rest days are forced upon you, due to blisters, injuries, or sheer exhaustion. Or maybe you arrive somewhere and you just know you have to spend the next day exploring, or chilling on the beach... Leave yourself a few days to play with.

 

[neilhendrick]

Thanks, Jan-D. Good advice.

 

[LTfit]

Hi @neilhendrick and welcome to the forum!

You can get a credential at the Albergue de Peregrinos on the outskirts of Bilbao. They will also stamp it. I called yesterday to make sure I can get one there as I will also need one and will be starting on the same day, May 22nd. I'll be getting in only at about 6 p.m.

I've walked the Norte before and you just don't know about the weather along the coast. I've had better weather in October than June. We will see soon enough!

 

[neilhendrick]

My credencial arrived from "American Pilgrims on the Camino" in plenty of time for my trip. What a great organization that just does that at no cost.

 

[Jan_D]

My credencial arrived from "American Pilgrims on the Camino" in plenty of time for my trip. What a great organization that just does that at no cost.

Oh how exciting! Only a few days to go!! ➡

 

[neilhendrick]

Thanks, @LTfit , I'll have a day in Bilbao when I arrive to get the credential. Will stop in to the Albergue de Peregrinos