Camino del Norte (da Costa)
from Irun to Bilbao
After walking the Costal camino from Porto to Santiago last year, we decided to go for a more hilly camino and took the first leg of the Northern Route. The Basque country from Irun to Bilbao, 155 Kms, 7 walking days. It offers some of the nicest landscapes: A mixture of beaches, lush green hills with a lot of timber, gorgeous towns with some of the proudest freedom loving people.
Here are 7 things I noted:
1- Your really don’t need maps for the Camino... although this route is taken by only 6% of total pilgrims to Santiago de Compostella, it is very well maintained and signs are everywhere… it takes a lot of talent to miss the road. Even if you are walking on foot, cycling, on horseback… just follow the signs.
2- The beaches in the Basque Country are gorgeous: you will not find long, wide sandy beaches but a lot of small bays with complex ecosystems. Ex: Zarauz, also know as the Hawai of Spain for surfers. The Basque Country is also a cultural trove: the town Bolibar gave it’s name to Simon Bolivar 🙂 and yes, the people are very proud and independent.
3- Donestia / San Sebastián is underrated: Not only the cheesecake that you eat with a spoon but also the beaches, the corniche and the lifestyle. And yes almost every town has an original Basque name and a Castilian name….
4- Beekeeping: the land is not densely populated. It seems the timber industry is well-developed. You see kilometers of forests with eucalyptus and cypressus and heavy machinery. So not many beekeepers on the way, but the few we met were very engaged.
5- Destination Bilbao is everything they told you about lifestyle in Spain: people of all ages are in Bars on the streets drinking tinto de Verano and eating pinxos, literally from Friday 5 PM till Sunday night…. and they never run out of things to chitchat about. Here the destination for pilgrims Santiago Cathedral and also the market, the museum and above all, the lively ambiance or fiesta.
6- bonus track: Yes it rains a lot, but for short periods and people (like the Latin Americans in the photos) continue the walk and with the eternal debate: Poncho or Umbrella… the best answer is wait for the rain to stop 🙂
7- Last, the logistic:s: Hostel or Hotel… and the answer is depends, there are few hostels on this route and sometimes also not many hotels. We walked in April and the line of backpacks at hostels was quite long… I don’t know how overcrowded it will be in June/July. But I know there are some fine hotels on the way!
