For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Welcome to the forum @Kateline . As you live in Spain, and are already in Irun, I would suggest that you check ahead each day to secure accommodation, then walk as far as you can afford if you have a strict budget. You could then return another time to the place where you leave this time and walk further from there.Hello everyone!
My friend and I are starting part Irun-Bilbao today. Maybe there is somebody who is on the way now? We checked that all the allbergues for donation are closed. So it seems really complicated (or expensive) to go now :-/ We booked hostel in San Sebastian and now thinking should we continue or it was not good idea at first placeIf somebody is here please contact me
P.S. Irun welcomes us with a rain
Thank you !! And yes of corse we are following all the safety rulesHi @Kateline
Big decision but I read you are already there and starting today .
You live in spain I see., so I am guessing it would be easy for you to postpone and return home if circumstances right now aren’t favourable?
There are a few links at the moment (somewhere on the forum) which advises current accommodation. Below is a link to Norte accommodation available - updated by ‘wise pilgrim ‘.
Albergues and Hotels on the Camino del Norte | Guidebooks, Maps, & Apps for the Camino de Santiago
Albergues, Hotels, and other accommodation on the Camino del Norte. Quick booking links for reservations.www.wisepilgrim.com
There is also advice of an area in Galicia which is under 5 day lockdown now. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/04/euro...e-spain-coronavirus-outbreaks-intl/index.html
It’s your decision - just follow ‘covid safety advice ‘ if you continue.
View attachment 78289
View attachment 78287
View attachment 78288
Good luck
Buen camino
Annie
Thanks! That's exactly what we decidedWelcome to the forum @Kateline . As you live in Spain, and are already in Irun, I would suggest that you check ahead each day to secure accommodation, then walk as far as you can afford if you have a strict budget. You could then return another time to the place where you leave this time and walk further from there.
Also I suggest keeping a close check on any possible lock-down as has just happened in Lugo coastal area. A pilgrim starting there yesterday has moved out of the area (as permitted before midnight last night) because the Camino is effectively closed for at least 5 days.
Stay safe and well and Buen Camino
Will be happy to meet you!Hi @Kateline, I'm on my way to Irun now and am planning on leaving tomorrow morning, if everything goes as planned. I might see you guys along the way.
Thank you for supportAnywhere in mainland Europe has the same risk and chance of getting this or passing it on. Not all of us live on another continent. Please don't tell other Pilgrims what to do, just take reasonable precautions and get on with living. If you want to continue living in a house with water and electricity, not to mention eating, people have to go to work and one of the jobs they do is tourism. You stay at home if that's your choice. My choice is different. Actually, unless you live on an island with no transport links you might as well accept that someone near you has the virus anyway.
Let us know how you get on @Kateline. Buen caminoThank you for supportI absolutely agree. And also we try to follow all the rules for protection. But in San Sebastian for example it's really crowded today. In Irun and Pasai only locals , surprised to see us but still friendly, just with a distance
Thanks! You are right, coastline is just amazing!! And it was rainy only first dayHi @Kateline , from your words I understand you just met another pilgrim yesterday in San Sebastian and wonder approx. which the current figures on the Norte could be.
I think it was last sunday I read from another forum member that posted he had already seen a couple of groups walking through the town where he’s from, Aviles, that is about halfway starting from Irun.
Hope you have little rainon your way alongside that gorgeous coastline, and keep us posted as far as possible.
Buen camino and keep safe.
I'm not doing a lot of photos if honestlyGood luck! I'm jealous
I'm sure we'd all love to see your progress via Instagram. If you feel like sharing, you could post your profile name.
Well we've stopped our Camino in Bilbao unfortunately. In Basque country it was really complicated with acomendation. We were two, so we rent hotels and guesthouses for like 50-60 euros. Allbergue worked only in Getaria, for 15€. In Guernika we could't find any place to stay (but we came late, around 8 pm). I don't know, maybe later it will be better with hostels, but now it's really expensive to do Camino :-/ Some people paid 90€ for night sometimes, some other were doing extra kilometers to reach next hostel, but it's like 40 kmI'm happy anyway that we did those 6 days, Basque country is amazing, locals are super nice and love pilgrims! Better to know some Spanish though And now I better understand how to prepare myself for next try But it will be definetely not this year.
It's ok, it's safe if you follow all the rules with mssks and stuff, but since we've started there are more and more pilgrims every day, but still the same situation with hostels. So you should be ready to pay for hotel or have a tent maybe.
Thanks to everyone,
buen camino to those who will decide to go!
And many of the public albergues in Basque Country are not planning to open this year at all.The first week of the del Norte, between Irun and Bilbao, doesn't have a lot of accommodation flexibility, especially for pilgrims, and Gernika is a really good example of that. Even with my preference for private accommodation, I found planning essential. But as you say, the countryside is amazing, and the people are wonderful and helpful. In any case, you're better prepared for next year, by which time (we hope!), the current situation will have settled.
I wouldn't risk it if I were you. Even in a normal Camino season that would be a very low budget on the Norte. With so many public albergues still closed now it seems about impossible.Katelin I am heading to the norte on foot in August. If you are already there could you please tell me if the public hostels are open and most importantly if the charge more than the usual 6-10 euros? I am on a very strict budget so it might affect whether I go or not after all. Send me a pm if you like and we can also exchange contact info if you wish. Thanks a lot and buen camino!
Where I live it's hard to find a campsite or cabin to rent for a few days. People want to get out of town for a few days and be in nature.It seems that for the Camino del Norte this will be a lost season. Many public albergues closed and on the other hand tourism is booming again. At least in Asturias. It seems almost more crowded than in other July months. Like all Spaniards have chosen to spend their holiday in the countryside and as quickly as possible (before another lockdown). So it will be hard for pilgrims to find alternative lodging. Especially for an acceptable price.
This year it is different. Sometimes it is hard to predict what is or will be available until you set off. I am walking from San Sebastian to Compostela and then Finisterre. I have time, not so much money but also I have a tent which has helped as camping sites are good reasonably priced options. I want to support local businesses and those who rely on camino tourism. So far, we are 30kms from Santander and my friend has walked from Brussels since last year (Sept 2019) with his dog, all in one go. He was locked down in Hendaye. His camino is a way of life now, I’m joining them but have my own tent too. The Camino del Norte seems quiet but I have nothing to compare it to. Food and wine is good value (I am fromThere has been a lot of posts on the forum about using tents in the present situation have a little investigation of the Covid topics, there is also talk about the legality of wild camping and the do's and don'ts.
This year it is different. Sometimes it is hard to predict what is or will be available until you set off. I am walking from San Sebastian to Compostela and then Finisterre. I have time, not so much money but also I have a tent which has helped as camping sites are good reasonably priced options. I want to support local businesses and those who rely on camino tourism. So far, we are 30kms from Santander and my friend has walked from Brussels since last year (Sept 2019) with his dog, all in one go. He was locked down in Hendaye. His camino is a way of life now, I’m joining them but have my own tent too. The Camino del Norte seems quiet but I have nothing to compare it to. Food and wine is good value (I am from
London) and so it’s pros and cons. We have met some wonderful helpful people and some xenophobes who see us as CV-19 carriers, but such is life and the sea, stars, sun, rain trees and animals do not judge us. Buen Camino! Miranda
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?