DaveJ
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2021, 2022
I My wife and I just spent a week hiking from Irun to Bilbao on the Del Norte. While there is a wealth of information on the Frances I found much less when planning for the Del Norte so I thought it would be helpful to share some of our experiences and recommendations in order to help pilgrims plan their trips. These are just or opinions and other pilgrims may have had different experiences and therefore different thoughts.
Firstly, the Del Norte is absolutely beautiful. Stunning in many parts. But the first week is also very steep and rugged. And support is frequently scarce. Hiking can be very slow going. Our standard pace was slowed considerably by the terrain. So plan your daily distances carefully. Unlike the Frances you don’t have the liberty to just stop hiking when you get into a town as there are long distances between them and lodging can be scarce.
We flew to Bilbao and took an Uber to Irun. This worked very well. However, San Sebastián is such a wonderful city that we regretted not having the time to explore it.
If you want to spend time there one option is to use it as a base to and spend a day there. Then the next day taxi or Uber to Irun and hike with a light pack back to your hotel. That would be the way we would do it if we could do it again.
The third option is to start in Irun and hike to San Sebastián and then zero the next day to explore the city.
Coming out of Irun we hiked the Purgatorio Route which is breathtaking. But it adds a lot of elevation and the trail is steep in sections. It is not technically hard. It’s just steep and slow going.
There is no water from Santaurio de Guadalupe until Pasajes and the arduousness makes it a very long day into San Sebastián with minimal support. I went through over four liters of water on this stage.
Additionally I would recommend not taking the Purgatorio Route in bad weather as you are above tree line for hours with no cover from the elements.
We did find this route one of the highlights of our trip but you need to be aware of the challenges it presents when planning your trip.
I read several posts that at Pasajes it is cheaper to take the ferry and have lunch on the other side. We followed that advice but we arrived during siesta so the town was locked up tight. Pasajes was booming so when we passed through we thought the far side would be too. We were wrong. If I had to do it again I would pay the premium to guarantee food before getting on the ferry. The only other choice would be to pack in your own food.
We had pre booked our lodging which worked out well. However we spoke to a number of people staying in albergues who stated that lodging was very scarce. As a result we met people who slept outdoors or had to take trains or taxis into Bilbao to get rooms and the taxi or train back the next day.
Deba seemed to be especially problematic. There seems to be a real shortage of lodging there. I think that the fact that you have Camino hikers and GR 121 hikers on the same route causes more stress on the already limited lodging.
Upon entering into the commercial district in Zumaia the Camino and the GR 121 split at a coffee shop. If you take the GR then you get to see a few kilometers of spectacular cliffs and ocean unlike any other. This is where Game of Thrones was filmed. It has staggering beauty. The GR 121 reconnects with Camino in about 3.5 kilometers.
Climbing to Itziar on a wooded trail leads to a major logging project. It is a dangerous area when work is going on. I would make sure that the loggers know that you are approaching.
As you enter Deba after a long and very steep road descent there are several long and steep flights of steps that the Camino wants you to go down. About 50 meters to the left of the top of the steps there are glass towers that are actually elevators that take you down into the town. Most pilgrims didn’t know about them.
Leaving Deba there was not much for services until Markina. There was a water fountain at the top of the first climb near a church. Plan to pack a lunch and water.
There is a beautiful alternate leaving Zarautz taking you into Getaria. The last 4 kilometers are on a pedestrian walkway right along the ocean.
The bar at Olatz was open on the day we were there and the water fountain there was working. Several posts on Wise Pilgrim indicate that both are inconsistent. So I wouldn’t count on having support there.
Water fountains in the towns were working when we went through. We filled up at each one given the high heat and general lack of services.
Guernica to Lezama does have some support at Larrabetzu.
Lezama has only one restaurant. We did not see a supermarket. There was a bread shop. There are plenty of services a couple of kilometers further on.
I hope that this is helpful to those of you planning a Del Norte experience. It is beautiful, steep and can lack support for long stretches. But we found the experience worth it. You just need to be aware of it. For those looking for a different experience than the Frances this is it.
Buen Camino!
Firstly, the Del Norte is absolutely beautiful. Stunning in many parts. But the first week is also very steep and rugged. And support is frequently scarce. Hiking can be very slow going. Our standard pace was slowed considerably by the terrain. So plan your daily distances carefully. Unlike the Frances you don’t have the liberty to just stop hiking when you get into a town as there are long distances between them and lodging can be scarce.
We flew to Bilbao and took an Uber to Irun. This worked very well. However, San Sebastián is such a wonderful city that we regretted not having the time to explore it.
If you want to spend time there one option is to use it as a base to and spend a day there. Then the next day taxi or Uber to Irun and hike with a light pack back to your hotel. That would be the way we would do it if we could do it again.
The third option is to start in Irun and hike to San Sebastián and then zero the next day to explore the city.
Coming out of Irun we hiked the Purgatorio Route which is breathtaking. But it adds a lot of elevation and the trail is steep in sections. It is not technically hard. It’s just steep and slow going.
There is no water from Santaurio de Guadalupe until Pasajes and the arduousness makes it a very long day into San Sebastián with minimal support. I went through over four liters of water on this stage.
Additionally I would recommend not taking the Purgatorio Route in bad weather as you are above tree line for hours with no cover from the elements.
We did find this route one of the highlights of our trip but you need to be aware of the challenges it presents when planning your trip.
I read several posts that at Pasajes it is cheaper to take the ferry and have lunch on the other side. We followed that advice but we arrived during siesta so the town was locked up tight. Pasajes was booming so when we passed through we thought the far side would be too. We were wrong. If I had to do it again I would pay the premium to guarantee food before getting on the ferry. The only other choice would be to pack in your own food.
We had pre booked our lodging which worked out well. However we spoke to a number of people staying in albergues who stated that lodging was very scarce. As a result we met people who slept outdoors or had to take trains or taxis into Bilbao to get rooms and the taxi or train back the next day.
Deba seemed to be especially problematic. There seems to be a real shortage of lodging there. I think that the fact that you have Camino hikers and GR 121 hikers on the same route causes more stress on the already limited lodging.
Upon entering into the commercial district in Zumaia the Camino and the GR 121 split at a coffee shop. If you take the GR then you get to see a few kilometers of spectacular cliffs and ocean unlike any other. This is where Game of Thrones was filmed. It has staggering beauty. The GR 121 reconnects with Camino in about 3.5 kilometers.
Climbing to Itziar on a wooded trail leads to a major logging project. It is a dangerous area when work is going on. I would make sure that the loggers know that you are approaching.
As you enter Deba after a long and very steep road descent there are several long and steep flights of steps that the Camino wants you to go down. About 50 meters to the left of the top of the steps there are glass towers that are actually elevators that take you down into the town. Most pilgrims didn’t know about them.
Leaving Deba there was not much for services until Markina. There was a water fountain at the top of the first climb near a church. Plan to pack a lunch and water.
There is a beautiful alternate leaving Zarautz taking you into Getaria. The last 4 kilometers are on a pedestrian walkway right along the ocean.
The bar at Olatz was open on the day we were there and the water fountain there was working. Several posts on Wise Pilgrim indicate that both are inconsistent. So I wouldn’t count on having support there.
Water fountains in the towns were working when we went through. We filled up at each one given the high heat and general lack of services.
Guernica to Lezama does have some support at Larrabetzu.
Lezama has only one restaurant. We did not see a supermarket. There was a bread shop. There are plenty of services a couple of kilometers further on.
I hope that this is helpful to those of you planning a Del Norte experience. It is beautiful, steep and can lack support for long stretches. But we found the experience worth it. You just need to be aware of it. For those looking for a different experience than the Frances this is it.
Buen Camino!
My wife doesn't seem to eat, ever, so a little fruit purchase the night before did the trick. We also adjusted start times each day a bit so we'd be likely to hit the few towns in between end points at around 1:30pm-2pm, which helped to be somewhere where we could eat the typical pilgrim menu at a restaurant.
