Camino del Norte, April-May 2017

[Amanda___]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum/camino, and am looking to take on the Camino del Norte starting in mid-April and ending late May. I'm 23 and hike pretty regularly, do you think finishing this route in 5 weeks is realistic (starting at the beginning in Irun)?

I've also read on some of the forums that the albergues along the CdN may be closed at that point in the year, or will be few and far between. Would it be best to bring a light-weight tent along with me? Also with regard to camping, if anyone has a rough estimate of their total budget if they camped the whole camino versus if they stayed in albergues the entire time?

Also, how worried should I be about bed bugs on this camino? I had a bad run in with them earlier this year and finally got rid of them in my house and would hate to go through that whole ordeal again. Any tips for not letting bed bugs ruin my trip/bank account will be much appreciated.

Sorry if these topics are double-posted and can be found in other forums; if you know of other forums that discuss these subjects I would love to be pointed in their directions!

Thanks!

 

[SYates]

Hi and welcome to the forum @Amanda___

I really can answer only one of your questions, the bed bug one ;-) I put a PDF here https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/de-bed-bugging-your-camino-gear.483/ that you can download for free, that should help ;-)

Buen Camino, SY

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hello Amanda, and welcome to the Forum.

You have chosen a wonderful route.

Thwre are two very useful sites for planning distances as well as finding out the dates alebergues are open:

http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los-caminos-de-santiago/del-norte/

https://www.google.ca/search?q=gronze+camino+del+norte&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=fr-ca&client=safari

The second one is in English and show not only albergues but pensiones, etc. Eroski gives 35 days for the whole Camino route. Of course, you will have to decide if you stay on the Norte for the duration or take the Primitivo in Oviedo, but you can decide that en route, perhaps based on people you will have met.

Regarding bed bugs: as the Norte is less travelled there are few chances to encounter them but a good spray of your backpack and outer shell of your sleeping back with lermethryn should do the trick.

Finally, camping: wild camping is illegal in Spain and honnestly most places you may want to pitch your tent will be on private property which is a no no. This being said, there are a few camp grounds on that route and you could also pitch your tent outside the albeegues that have land, while still contributing financially for the jse of the facilities. There have been a number of threads on the forum about camping; I encourage you to do a search and see what you come up with.

This is a wonderful route.It just requires a tiny bit more planning to find albergues at good distance points for you depending on the dates. But as planning is part of the Camino fun, it'all good!

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum/camino, and am looking to take on the Camino del Norte starting in mid-April and ending late May. I'm 23 and hike pretty regularly, do you think finishing this route in 5 weeks is realistic (starting at the beginning in Irun)?

I've also read on some of the forums that the albergues along the CdN may be closed at that point in the year, or will be few and far between. Would it be best to bring a light-weight tent along with me? Also with regard to camping, if anyone has a rough estimate of their total budget if they camped the whole camino versus if they stayed in albergues the entire time?

Also, how worried should I be about bed bugs on this camino? I had a bad run in with them earlier this year and finally got rid of them in my house and would hate to go through that whole ordeal again. Any tips for not letting bed bugs ruin my trip/bank account will be much appreciated.

Sorry if these topics are double-posted and can be found in other forums; if you know of other forums that discuss these subjects I would love to be pointed in their directions!

Thanks!

Hi Amanda, and welcome to the forum
@SYates and @Anemone del Camino covered most of the points very thoroughly. I would caution against camping. It will be cold and very rainy when you plan to walk, wild camping is illegal (and in my opinion very rude), and carries a hefty fine. Since you are fit, it should be possible to walk the distances required to get from Albergue to Albergue thatare open (not a few of which will be youth hostals), and there are a lot of cheap pensions, plus as was mentioned, a few camp sites. In my opinion, the number of places you will be able to legally use a tent will be an extremely tiny portion of the route, not worth hauling the weight. Also, camping means limiting your access to showers (important anytime and especially welcome after walking in the cold rain), bathrooms, kitchens, and other pilgrims. Camping on albergue grounds won't save you money over just using a bed there, so really, consider leaving the tent behind. In addition to the albergues, there are a few convents and monasteries on the Norte, I'll find the thread and post it in a bit. You will love the Norte, I walked it the same time you are planning. Beautiful views, wonderful food, but lots and lots of rain. I was especially glad for my rain jacket/pants and a ball cap to keep rain out of my face.
Buen Camino
ps i didn't run into any bed bugs but there is no guarantee...it's easy to take care of if it happens. I personally think going so early you will be leading the crowds, and it is the crowds that brings the bugs

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...e-monasteries-and-convents.44229/#post-460027

 

[cherylmolly]

Like you, we are setting off April 23,2017 and looking forward to it. We may see you out on the track somewhere. Hope all goes well for you.

 

[Emma Squire]

I am heading off on the Camino del Norte on 10th April so I may see you around!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Like you, we are setting off April 23,2017 and looking forward to it. We may see you out on the track somewhere. Hope all goes well for you.

Hello , I begin my journey on April 22 , maybe we will meet along the way.
Would be nice to meet.

Wish you well, Peter.

 

[pilgrimjonas]

I will be starting my walk on April 1st. I finally booked and can't wait to start now Maybe my knees will finally crack so I collapse along the trail and lie there for weeks. If you find a broken pilgrim next to the trail, chances are that might be me. If so, please give some cake

 

[poogeyejr]

I met a couple on the Norte in 2011 who had walked from Amsterdam, camped all through France and 2 days across the border, sent their tent home via mail.
There was alternate accommodation available, but camping was not doable.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I walked the Norte/Primitivo route beginning April 20th 2016. I found most all albergue type lodgings open at that time. A few exceptions were noted in Dave Whitson's guide, so I knew ahead of time they would not be an option.

 

[Francis Terrance]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum/camino, and am looking to take on the Camino del Norte starting in mid-April and ending late May. I'm 23 and hike pretty regularly, do you think finishing this route in 5 weeks is realistic (starting at the beginning in Irun)?

I've also read on some of the forums that the albergues along the CdN may be closed at that point in the year, or will be few and far between. Would it be best to bring a light-weight tent along with me? Also with regard to camping, if anyone has a rough estimate of their total budget if they camped the whole camino versus if they stayed in albergues the entire time?

Also, how worried should I be about bed bugs on this camino? I had a bad run in with them earlier this year and finally got rid of them in my house and would hate to go through that whole ordeal again. Any tips for not letting bed bugs ruin my trip/bank account will be much appreciated.

Sorry if these topics are double-posted and can be found in other forums; if you know of other forums that discuss these subjects I would love to be pointed in their directions!

Thanks!

I am leaving San sebastian on 22 April. My daughter is going to walk with me for the first week. I am planning to arrive in SdC on 31st May. You should be okay in 5 weeks.

 

[Kanga]

The original post was last year, but just in case anyone is catching up - we walked the Norte in May and the albergues were all open. What was closed were the campsites! Mostly they don't open until July. We took a tent and finished by sending it on to SDC. It was not worthwhile.

 

[Dan B.]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum/camino, and am looking to take on the Camino del Norte starting in mid-April and ending late May. I'm 23 and hike pretty regularly, do you think finishing this route in 5 weeks is realistic (starting at the beginning in Irun)?

I've also read on some of the forums that the albergues along the CdN may be closed at that point in the year, or will be few and far between. Would it be best to bring a light-weight tent along with me? Also with regard to camping, if anyone has a rough estimate of their total budget if they camped the whole camino versus if they stayed in albergues the entire time?

Also, how worried should I be about bed bugs on this camino? I had a bad run in with them earlier this year and finally got rid of them in my house and would hate to go through that whole ordeal again. Any tips for not letting bed bugs ruin my trip/bank account will be much appreciated.

Sorry if these topics are double-posted and can be found in other forums; if you know of other forums that discuss these subjects I would love to be pointed in their directions!

Thanks!

I'll be walking west from Bilbao for a month beginning around April 19 and only expect to do 20 km or so a day, so I'll probably see you blast past me. I'll say Buen Camino to you now, since there won't be that many other pilgrims on the path to say it to you next month!

 

[Lynn C O'Hara]

Like you, we are setting off April 23,2017 and looking forward to it. We may see you out on the track somewhere. Hope all goes well for you.

I'm heading out from Irun on Apr 25th--pave the way ahead and please ask Mother Nature for sunshine!