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There's no way to predict the future, but in my experience, it almost never rains all day. I personally would not and have not adjusted my plans because of predictions which may or may not be accurate.
More often than not the forecast shows some rain every day, and over the 10 or so weeks I've...
We took the endless up and down through the eucalyptus forests in a pretty steady rain this March. There were a few shin deep streams to cross with all the water, and the muddy eucalyptus debris was out to trip you up the whole time. At the junction we stared wistfully at the sign for the...
This is my experience too. I've gone back and forth, but am currently a rain jacket / rain pants / pack cover wearer for these reasons:
We have had to endure some pretty strong winds on the Norte especially, and I've found a tighter fitting jacket and pants are both much quieter and less likely...
I think that's quite doable, but might be a little ambitious if you don't want to rush, and want to spend some time relaxing and enjoying the towns you stay in. I would check out the stages on Gronze for the Norte and the last two days on the Frances:
https://www.gronze.com/camino-norte...
I don't remember specific towns, but we have been caught more than once unable to buy groceries on a Sunday. We have always just stopped when convenient the next day and stocked up then. As @trecile mentions, there has always been a bar or restaurant open, though. We've learned to always keep at...
We took the train in 2018 and it was very easy and fast to do so. There is Alsa bus service too. I would recommend getting the lay of the land with rome2rio and then jumping from there to either Renfe/Trainline and/or Alsa.
Yes, don't forget the convenience of wearing your rain gear on those days you've got a pile of laundry and really want to splurge and wash the whole lot all at once in a machine! We have done this more than once and it has been super nice, even if it feels a little weird. :)
Even though I walk...
Last month we were traveling the opposite direction from Baamonde to Madrid and had to finish the leg into Ourense on a bus too. As @J Willhaus says, it is all very efficient. We were pretty amazed how well Renfe handled it all.
Our MD train from Baamonde was 10 minutes late when it picked us...
Sorry, my trail-addled brain has lost the exact spot, but it was somewhere between Gijón and the big turn inland at Ribadeo. Almost certainly the machines have moved on by this time. But as with all things Camino, it's best to be prepared for the worst any given day as things change all the...
Yes, we had one particularly bad section a couple of weeks back on the Norte where some of the transport machines were on the path which was an incredible mess of mud and debris. Thankfully, the operators were on the lookout, and they stopped and allowed us to slog around the machines. Despite...
We did the ridgeline route in 2022 in our 50s/60s and reasonably fit. We were not in a hurry and it was one of the best 8 hours and 51 minutes of my life. 😁
Any stretch is going to have it's mellow and spectacular parts. My "spectacular" favorites are sprinkled throughout:
Hondarribia / Irun to San Sebastian is epic
The alternate in the Basque Coast Geopark before Deba, especially if the tide is out and you can do the walk around the headland and...
We just got back from the Camino de Norte, and spent a day in Madrid. We always love Madrid, especially the museums! If you're looking for a great walk, though, it is pretty hard to beat the Gran Via. The architecture is spectacular!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_V%C3%ADa,_Madrid
I just got back from 2 weeks in Spain on the Camino del Norte with a pair of Topo Ultraventure 3s. In five prior 2 week trips, I've tried Merrel Moabs initially and the last two with Hoka Challengers (wide with Superfeet Green insoles). These Topos were the best I've tried.
I got one small...
We always take the Cercanías and it works very well. As others have mentioned, if you are connecting to/from a regular Renfe train, you likely have a combinado and the ride is free. Just be sure to use one of the turnstiles with the optical reader / scanner. They are usually to one end of the...
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