Bilbao 1st of April?

[griff]

Hi Folks,
I am hoping to walk the Camino Del Norte( my first Camino ) from April 1st (hope thats not an omen!!) and have to fly out of Santiago on 24th of April. Do people think this is possible? I am a fairly fit 55year old . I'm also Irish so the weather doesnt phase me at all !
Any thoughts on this , I'd really appreciate any help.

Griffo

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It is normally about 25 stages from Bilbao to Arzua, then another two days into Santiago, so most pilgrims would plan 27 days of walking. Twenty-three days would be a vigorous schedule!

 

[lettinggo]

Hola,

I'm with Falcon that it is a stretch to do in 23 days.
An alternative would be to get to Bilbao and take a bus to Santander.
That would give you enough time, and if you arrives early at Santiago, then you could walk to Finisterra.

Take a look at this thread about pacing oneself.
You may want to choose to go slow
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...drivers-seat-on-the-camino.24211/#post-186480

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[griff]

It is normally about 25 stages from Bilbao to Arzua, then another two days into Santiago, so most pilgrims would plan 27 days of walking. Twenty-three days would be a vigorous schedule![/quote

Thanks Falcon269,
This is the sort of information I am looking for . I might start in Santander

Buen Camino

Griffo

 

[griff]

Hola,

I'm with Falcon that it is a stretch to do in 23 days.
An alternative would be to get to Bilbao and take a bus to Santander.
That would give you enough time, and if you arrives early at Santiago, then you could walk to Finisterra.

Take a look at this thread about pacing oneself.
You may want to choose to go slow
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/comm...drivers-seat-on-the-camino.24211/#post-186480

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

Hi Lettinggo,
Thanks for the reply and I am looking at your suggestion . I do want to appreciate the journey and thanks for the link ,,, I'll look at it

Buen Camino

Griffo

 

[Tincatinker]

An alternative to the bus from Bilbao to Santander is the FEVE , a delightful narrow gauge railway, that departs from Estacion Atxuri adjacent to / below the main RENFE station. The FEVE runs parallel and frequently adjacent to the Norte for much of the route.

Buen camino, wherever you begin to walk

 

[griff]

An alternative to the bus from Bilbao to Santander is the FEVE , a delightful narrow gauge railway, that departs from Estacion Atxuri adjacent to / below the main RENFE station. The FEVE runs parallel and frequently adjacent to the Norte for much of the route.

Buen camino, wherever you begin to walk

Wow,
Thanks Tincatinker. that sounds deadly !
Brilliant tip . Cool people here. Much obliged to you all

Buen Camino

Griffo

 

[tipperary]

Hi Griffo,
Am sure you know Ryanair fly Dublin Santander.
Buen camino
TIpperary

 

[griff]

Hi Griffo,
Am sure you know Ryanair fly Dublin Santander.
Buen camino
TIpperary

Thanks Tipperary,
I have already booked and paid for the flights to Bilbao. I presume Ryanair wont change them!? But Tincatinker suggested a nice way to travel to Santander by old railway.

 

[peregrino_tom]

Griffo, some things to consider:
what kind of distance can you walk with your pack day after day, with quite a lot of that walking on Tarmac?
If you've got a rough estimate, that'll give us an idea about recommending a starting point.

I walked Bilbao to Santiago in 26 days but one was a rest day and there were a few stages where I was lounging about a bit, enjoying the beach and the sights. With some military planning I reckon that 22 days is quite possible if you don't mind averaging a bit over 30km a day. My calculation includes taking the metro to Portugalete on the outskirts of Bilbao and for the last day walking the 40k from Arca to Santiago in one go. If your flight home is in the evening you'll have 23 days walking but if it's the morning then realistically only 22 if you want to attend the cathedral's pilgrim's mass and pick up your compostela.
If you think these distances are just about within your scope then an alternative to skipping to Santander would be to adopt a tactic that I saw was quite popular last year. The FEVE runs parallel to the Norte for much of the way - at least until the Galician border (I think). It was quite common to see some pilgrims hopping on and off it when they either had a very long stage to keep to their schedule or it was raining heavily or there was an industrial part they didn't fancy (like Santander-Santillana). I found the section between Bilbao and Santander to be very fine, so I suggest you take a good look at the options before taking it out
cheers, tom

 

[griff]

Griffo, some things to consider:
what kind of distance can you walk with your pack day after day, with quite a lot of that walking on Tarmac?
If you've got a rough estimate, that'll give us an idea about recommending a starting point.

I walked Bilbao to Santiago in 26 days but one was a rest day and there were a few stages where I was lounging about a bit, enjoying the beach and the sights. With some military planning I reckon that 22 days is quite possible if you don't mind averaging a bit over 30km a day. My calculation includes taking the metro to Portugalete on the outskirts of Bilbao and for the last day walking the 40k from Arca to Santiago in one go. If your flight home is in the evening you'll have 23 days walking but if it's the morning then realistically only 22 if you want to attend the cathedral's pilgrim's mass and pick up your compostela.
If you think these distances are just about within your scope then an alternative to skipping to Santander would be to adopt a tactic that I saw was quite popular last year. The FEVE runs parallel to the Norte for much of the way - at least until the Galician border (I think). It was quite common to see some pilgrims hopping on and off it when they either had a very long stage to keep to their schedule or it was raining heavily or there was an industrial part they didn't fancy (like Santander-Santillana). I found the section between Bilbao and Santander to be very fine, so I suggest you take a good look at the options before taking it out
cheers, tom

Hi Tom.
Thanks for taking the time to reply! Great information again on this site, people are very generous.
I am a walking novice, I am in training for a 21k race on March 1st and so am relatively fit. I hope to run the 21k in about 2 hours and I am thinking that I should be able to walk 30k in a day ,,,,,, but as you pointed out ,,, its the repetition and the back pack that might make the difference.
I do want to complete the journey to Santiago and possibly even Finnesterre so it is looking increasingly like I'll have to start my Camino in Santander.
Do you recommend any particular guide books? How about footcare? People are recommending vaseline and wool socks on other threads but this does sound rather slimy and slippery!?

Thanks again

Griffo

 

[peregrino_tom]

Yes, Santander is looking your best option. Don't be too put off by the first day to Santillana which is not the greatest - it gets better after that!
The Confraternity of St James (CSJ) here in London do quite simple guides without maps or illustrations. They split up the route so you'd need two of them, but they're only £5 each
http://www.csj.org.uk/acatalog/The_CSJ_Bookshop_Pilgrim_Guides_to_Spain_23.html
I see that the main guide you'd need - from Villaviciosa was last updated 2010 and I would hesitate about purchasing it for that reason, even though I'm a CSJ member myself. You might be able to see a sample on-line to decide whether it's the kind of thing you want. http://www.csj.org.uk/guides.htm
I used the Cicerone guide of the Northern Caminos, which worked well. It has map excerpts which I liked and used frequently to check I was in the right place! One of the authors, Dave Whitson is regularly on this forum. The guide has just been updated. If you can't get locally you can get it through the CSJ bookshop
http://www.csj.org.uk/acatalog/The_CSJ_Bookshop_Pilgrim_Guides_7.html (other booksellers are available, but that's my guilty conscience appeased).
I think these are the only English language guides.
EDIT apart from a touristy guide that the Spanish state authorities publish - I've seen some pilgrims using just that, but it's quite basic and splits the route into odd stages. There's an online copy on this forum somewhere...
The German Rother guide has a good reputation.
Online guides are useful if you either have a small tablet or don't mind printing off stuff, or just for doing more background research and triangulation. The three most talked about are municamino, gronze and Eroski - all easily found on-line.
that should keep you busy for a while!

 

[shefollowsshells]

Griff,
This is the guidebook that I am mainly using (cut and paste from Tom's description).
the Cicerone guide of the Northern Caminos, which worked well. It has map excerpts which I liked and used frequently to check I was in the right place! One of the authors, Dave Whitson is regularly on this forum. The guide has just been updated. If you can't get locally you can get it through the CSJ bookshop
As mentioned via conversation I also have a German guide...I forgot which one as I am not at home right now to reference...
I have used David's book mentioned above (Cicerone) and have written little notes in it as to certain towns that some folks here really enjoyed. I also looked thru pictures and wrote little notes in the book as to where I saw pretty pictures etc...
IF you buy that book I can share the notes that I have written on different pages post research if it helps you!
Here is to Bilboa March 1st as I will be trekking into town one tired Peregrina the day you arrive.