Skip to main content

The Camino Norte



The Northern Way (or Camino del Norte) follows the northern coastline of Spain starting either in the Basque city of San Sebastian (Donosti in Basque) or in from the French border at Irun hugging the Bay of Biscay passing through Guernica, Bilbao, Santander, Llanes before going under the Picos de Europa and then heading along the coast into Galicia and Santiago.




Picture
Image taken from http://www.theroadtosantiago.com/camino-del-norte-map--additional-information.html







This Way is described as being very hilly and somewhat mountainous and thus is considered harder than the Frances. Add to this the sometimes sparse Pilgrim accommodation (which is sometimes more than 30km apart) and the walk can become strenuous particuarly as it is not as well signposted as the Frances (although the signage in Galicia is said to be excellent). The vistas though are impressive and there are many small beaches that are passed where you will be the only visitor and reports say that even in summer there are only 30 or so people a day who start walking this route (compared to 200 or more on the Frances according to http://www.caminosantiagodecompostela.com/camino-de-santiago-del-norte/), in 2014 172, 206 Pilgrims travelled on the Camino Frances (65.61% of the total) compared to 15, 826 on the Norte (6,03%) (taken from http://peregrinossantiago.es/eng/pilgrims-office/statistics/?anio=2015&mes=).




The weather is changeable and wet due to the Way’s proximity to the coast and the best time to walk is July and August when the days are warm and the nights cool. The rest of the year this route is wet and cool.


 
Pilgrims on the Camino Norte (taken from https://cbabcock.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/el-camino-del-norte-de-santiago/ which is a blog post written about the Camino Norte from 2010)



Guidebooks:


Cicerone publishes ‘The Northern Caminos’ which covers the Camino Norte and which costs £16.95 (or you can just download the part of the book on the Norte for £14.69) – available from http://www.cicerone.co.uk/9781852847944.cfm#.Vrr_w2fcuM8


Free downloadable guides in English [which I have placed on my kindle, some of these come out quite small (the map looks quite good but is indeciphable!) but they could easily be printed out] are available on http://tourism.euskadi.eus/downloads/tourist-leaflets/ - note that the ‘Guide to the Northern Way of Saint James’ has a drop down menu under ‘download pdf’ with ‘The Northern Ways to Santiago’ which has some background information and daily sections with maps, distances (including profile maps), photographs  and information on the day's walk but nothing on accomodation so ensure you also download the ‘accomodation’ part as well (which is from 2012-13) which lists not just albergues, hotels (listed within 2km of the Camino) etc. but also facilities available (bars, shops, medical attention etc.)


The Confraternity of Saint produces a guidebook for £4 (plus postage) from http://www.csj.org.uk/product/los-caminos-del-norte/















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Camino Primitivo

The Camino Primitivo (or the Original Way) is reportedly the very first Camino Way to Santiago in the 9 th century when most of Spain was under the control of the Moors and it runs from near the city of Ovideo in Asturias as it starts in Villavicosa (which also lies on the Camino Norte so many people follow this Way from   Basque city of San Sebastian (Donosti in Basque) or in from the French border at Irun ( this route then hugs the Bay of Biscay passing through Guernica, Bilbao, Santander, Llanes before going under the Picos de Europa and then heads along the coast to Ovideo) before branching off onto the Primitivo which goes across the mountains and through the city of Lugo before joining the Frances at Melide. The route is 320km long. Image taken from https://viaalpina2013.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/camino-del-norte-camino-primitivo/
1 comment
Read more

Symbols of the three main Christian Pilgrimages

The symbol of the Pilgrim to Santiago is the Scallop shell  of which many can be found on the coast of Galicia and it is actually a symbol of the Pilgrimage (and has become a symbol of other Christian Pilgrimages too) partly because you could find the shell easily there and so could go back home and show it off as proof that you had done the Pilgrimage. It has also been included in carvings in some Churches.
1 comment
Read more

Pilgrims' Trail to Saint Michels Mont, France

I have only walked two of the Camino routes (the Frances and Portuguese) and still want to try many of the others and yet I am also finding other Pilgrimage routes that I want to walk - I did the Pilgrims' Way in the summer which starts from Winchester which is also the starting point for the Pilgrims' Trail a 155 mile route that finishes at Mont St Michel in Normandy, France. The cult of saint Michel was popular in Britain from the 9th century and the Pilgrims walking this way were called Miquelots and many Pilgrims on their way to Santiago. The route is marked by green way markers in Hampshire taking walkers from Winchester to Bishop's Waltham to Southwick and then to Portsmouth where ferries are caught to France and Way markers become blue. Tradition says that, in 709 Saint Michael the Archangel appeared to the bishop of Avranches, Saint Aubert, and told him to build a chapel in his honour on the island. The bishop obeyed and soon sent a group of monks over t
Post a Comment
Read more