Camino del Norte/Primitivo vs VdlP

[domigee]

Hi all,
I struggled on VdlP/Sanabrés this Summer and other pilgrims who were walking with us said it was much worse than the Primitivo or even stretches del Norte....
Now I am reading more about those caminos and they seem much harder than VdlP....
I am idling the time away and wondering if some of you who have done both could tell me what they think....
Thanks.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hi all,
I struggled on VdlP/Sanabrés this Summer and other pilgrims who were walking with us said it was much worse than the Primitivo or even stretches del Norte....
Now I am reading more about those caminos and they seem much harder than VdlP....
I am idling the time away and wondering if some of you who have done both could tell me what they think....
Thanks.

What did you find difficult about it? Heat? Road walking? Elevation?

 

[domigee]

I am not sure.... I just found it very hard... It was climbing, mostly.
Looking back, I think it may have been the heat...?

What struck me is that the people who had done the other Caminos ie the Norte and the Primitivo also struggled and said that was the hardest...so I don't know!

I am thinking about doing the Camino del Norte and the Primitivo next year and I don't want to start something way too hard for me? I will be a year older

 

[peregrina2000]

I am not sure.... I just found it very hard... It was climbing, mostly.
Looking back, I think it may have been the heat...?

What struck me is that the people who had done the other Caminos ie the Norte and the Primitivo also struggled and said that was the hardest...so I don't know!

I am thinking about doing the Camino del Norte and the Primitivo next year and I don't want to start something way too hard for me? I will be a year older

Hi, domigee,
If you were walking those high 30 degree days this June (I think we pushed into 40 once or twice), it's no wonder you thought the Vdlp was hard. I think those temperatures will make a walk in the park seem like a punishment.

As between the two, there is a lot more elevation gain on the Norte/Primitivo than on the Vdlp. The Norte has a lot of "down to the beach, up to the headlands" and then "repeat at the next beach". The Primitivo has one major climb to the Puerto de Palo and a fair number of other smaller ups and downs. But I think that as an experienced peregrina, it's perfectly do-able for you. I am a better walker now than I was 5 years ago, and you probably are too. On the norte you will find more alternative places to stop in case you don't want to push on. It's harder to do shorter stages on the Primitivo, but check out some of Tia Valeria's posts, because she and her husband did it that way and have some good suggestions. I say go for it, but maybe earlier in the year to avoid the chance of those killer temps again! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[grayland]

I have done The VdLP, the Sanabres, Norte (2014)and The Primitivo (2015)as a separate Camino.

The Sanabres and Primitivo seemed similar as far as daily elevation changes

The Norte had some daily climbing in the first stages and then was pretty mild after the Primitivo turn off. Most people seemed to turn off on the Primitivo but we stayed on the Norte in 2014 and came back for the Primitivo this year.

I did the VdLP in mid August 2013 ...so my recollections mostly revolve around heat...as high as 55c on the asphalt for many days (according to bikers with bike computers.)
Actually, there are many days that I don't have ANY recollections due to the heat.

I don't think you will find either the Norte or Primitivo any more difficult than your past Caminos.

Go for it .....it is all part of the great adventure.

 

[Peregrina 2013]

The Camino del Norte is by far one of the most difficult routes. As it has been stated earlier, the first stages start right away with grueling climbs. I would not call it mild at all; it is true that there are stretches that are easily accomplished, but do not be fooled into believing that only the first few days are hard.

It is an amazing route! If you have the time, don't rush your daily treks, there is plenty to see along the way! Sometimes even though there might be less mileage, beware of the climbs, which of course hold you back a bit, and your time spent on the trail could be longer. I would so readily do this Camino again! It was a most beautiful trek with so many historical buildings/sites on the route. In Comillas, make sure you stop and visit an amazing Gaudí building called "El Capricho"; it's one of his early architectural works, but you can see that his philosophy to adhere to nature never changed; he was passionate about his vision and it definitely shows in everything he touched. The most magnificent of them all being the "Sagrada Familia" Cathedral that still is under construction in Barcelona.

The best time to walk this route is earlier in the season, rather than waiting for July or August. I was there from early May until the 19th of June, and though there are some rainy days, it mostly had very comfortable hiking weather.

In late April and in May I am looking forward to walking the Sanabrés, but starting in Zamora which is part of the Vía de la Plata. According to recommendations, statistics and readings the best time to walk along this Camino is during the spring or in the Fall.

Forgive me for going on and on about he CDN, I simply can't help it It was the most incredible journey of my life!

Ultreïa!

Mary

 

[domigee]

Thank you so much for your encouraging responses, Laurie, Grayland and Mary. Ultreïa it is then!
I'll stop being such a wuss and start getting some training behind me
Laurie, you made me smile when I read 'experienced peregrina'! Oh I wish....
Grayland, I remember reading your account of the VdlP in August and wondering 'how did he do that??!!!'
And Mary, no doubt you'll love the Sanabres, there were some truly magical parts. Zamora is wonderful too.
Buen camino to all, amigos peregrinos and thank you again.
Dominique

 

[jesben1]

Hi all,
I struggled on VdlP/Sanabrés this Summer and other pilgrims who were walking with us said it was much worse than the Primitivo or even stretches del Norte....
Now I am reading more about those caminos and they seem much harder than VdlP....
I am idling the time away and wondering if some of you who have done both could tell me what they think....
Thanks.

Well I only did the Norte so I have nothing to compare it too, but I'm very in shape, a runner and a hiker and I found the first two weeks of the Norte to be extremely challenging, like literally the hardest thing I've ever done in my whole life. Most of it had to do with my horrible boots and deep open blisters, and things got a little better when I bought different shoes. But in general the Norte goes uphill just to go downhill. In fact we made a song to bring some comic relief to the relentless uphill and downhill of this camino. "love going uphill, just to go downhill, love going downhill, just to go uphill" and so on... we remade every genre of song we could think of with these lyrics. Stupid I know but it got us up and down those hills! A lesson we learned was " if you think your going to have to climb that mountain up ahead, you probably will"
My 50 yr old mom w/ plantar fasciitis made it through, I'm sure you will do fine. Just go at your own pace if time allows.

 

[Marc S.]

Hello Domigee. Only walked the Norte (not the Primitivo) and I agree with previous posters that the first part (Irun to Bilbao) is hard with a lot of acending and descending. The good news: there are enough albergues to allow for shorter stages if needed. After Bilbao, in my opinion, it all gets a little bit easier. In other words: you should be fine ! Buen camino, Marc.

 

[domigee]

@jesben1 The song made me laugh, we did that too really helps doesn't it?! Thank you for your comments, I now stand prepared...YIKES!

@Mark S. Ok....depending on how I feel nearer the time, I may...skip the Primitivo


Joke apart, thank you so much everyone for replying, much appreciated.