Help! i need some answers.

[Heisenberg420]

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to do the Camino Del Norte this May and i have some questions that i know you guys will provide me the best answers.

1. During May-June should i worry about accommodation? i walked the french way last march and for me it was the perfect time to do it.
my budget doesn't allow to sleep in pensions etc.. in that case, should i bring a tent? or a mattress and a liner is enough? do the albergues allow to spend the night without a bed?

2. Should i bring warm clothing? i guess rain gear is a must.

3. Boots! is it necessary to bring boots? or a pair of walking shoes will do the job that time of the year? (May-June).

4. I walked the French and the Portuguese way without any guidebook or map, using the information page i got in SJPP and Porto only.
I already got my Cicerone guidebook for the northern way, is it enough? just wanna be sure.

That's pretty much it, any further tips are more then welcome!

Nadav.

 

[SYates]

1. No worries about accommodation. No tent necessary, but do bring a sleeping bag, but not a pad. If you have back problems, just pull the mattress to the floor at night time.
2. Bring both.
3. Depends on your ankles.
4. Enough, plus there are online resources like eroski.

Buen Camino! SY

 

[grayland]

Sy has posted the answers to your questions.

The Norte is now very well marked and has the all of the services you would expect on the Camino Frances....just not quite as much duplication. There are albergues well located.
The Cicerone guide (if the current one) has all of the needed information.
The Norte reminded me of the CF back in 2009 in terms of numbers of Pilgrims and infrastructure.
You will enjoy! N

 

[MKalcolm M]

I walked in May/June 2013, and never had a problem finding accommodation, if an alberge is full the hospitelaro will either let you sleep in the living room, or know where else you can stay on a budget. I wondered about bringing a tent, but was very glad I didn't due to the extra weight, and the fact that it rained a lot would have made camping pretty unpleasant.

You will definitely need warm gear and waterproofs, a combination of layers is best. I walked in good quality walking shoes, which were fine, but again, make sure they are waterproof. The route can get very muddy so good footwear is essential.

I winged it the whole way with just a basic guide from the tourist info, the Ciccerone guide is all you need.

The Norte is very different from the Frances, less infrastructure and less choices for where to stop at the end of the day, so it is important to see it through fresh eyes, and just let it unfold in front of you. Despite the weather (It was particularly bad that year) I had a great time walking the Norte, and you will too.

Buen Camino!

 

[Rajy62]

I walked the Norte/primitivo in June last year.

1. Plenty of accommodation. Towards the end of june, we were booking one to two days in advance through the primitivo. If you are not picky about where you stay this won't be a problem.
2.Yes, a wateroroof/windproof shell and/or sleeveless poncho a must. A light insulating layer if you get cold easily.
3.Boots or not depends on your experience level. I had my plain old leather boot. walked through all trail conditions, wet, mud, steep ups/down, scree and asphalt. If you don't mind a wet/muddy feet and don't need ankle support, you can walk in trainers and sandals.
4.You won't get detailed guide/maps at the start of Norte like in CF. Tourist offices in some towns had some basic accommodation info. So, I relied on the cicerone guidebook for accurate info. Consulted the Spanish guide for elevation profiles.

Walking poles very useful to navigate the varying trails on Norte.

 

[tominrm]

I am going to start around April 22 or so from Irun, and the term "warm" clothing worries me. Last year, being the first time and on CF, I had my winter jacket. after first few days I shipped the coat to Santiago and bought a lighter jacket. Not to make the same mistake twice, I plan to wear a t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, light sweater, and then ultra light insulated jacket, total of 4 layers. I will wear my rain gear if needed. Since it will be my first CdN, I am wondering if this route is much colder than CF due to more mountains and the ocean.

 

[MKalcolm M]

Hi Tominrm

The four layers which you're taking should be fine, generally while walking you stay warm enough, its when you stop if exposed to wind and/or rain, or when staying in alberges which do not have a lot of heat that you need the warm clothes. I remember when walking from Orio to Deba it was pouring rain all day, and I was walking with a young woman from Germany. We stopped under the canopy of a church to rest and eat some food, and having stopped walking I got very cold. Julia my walking companion suggested that I put on a pair of her tights to keep my legs warm. I replied that while I have done things that I didn't expect to on the camino, I wasn't yet ready to start wearing womens underwear....

Because the route follows the coast, it is more exposed to wind and rain and the weather is more changeable. You will probably experience all types of weather by the time you get to Santiago.

 

[SYates]

... Julia my walking companion suggested that I put on a pair of her tights to keep my legs warm. I replied that while I have done things that I didn't expect to on the camino, I wasn't yet ready to start wearing womens underwear....

Another keyboard ruined by laughed out wine SY

 

[crackmrmac]

The Norte is now very well marked and has the all of the services you would expect on the Camino Frances....just not quite as much duplication. There are albergues well located.
The Cicerone guide (if the current one) has all of the needed information.
The Norte reminded me of the CF back in 2009 in terms of numbers of Pilgrims and infrastructure.
You will enjoy! N

Good to read this. Bought Cicerone guide shortly after publication. Hopefully heading for Norte late September.

Another keyboard ruined by laughed out wine SY

I laugh as I picture this. Thanks.

Buen Camino.

Edit: Heisenberg, has Skyler not told you everything!

 

[ranthr]

As MKacolm M , I walked a part of the Norte in Mai/June 2013. That year the Pyrenees was closed with snow and bad weather several days in May. Luckily I grabbed a goretexjacket instead of a thin rainjacket the moment I left my home in the north of Norway. I never regretted that. Used it every day both during my two weeks on the GR 65 in France and on my two weeks on the Norte. It was a lot of strong wind, rather cold and sometimes heavy rain. At the same time at home up in the very north, it was the spring of the century, Spanish hot summer in May and June while I was freezing in Spain.
You can never tell about the weather. Hope it will be better this year, but do not forget your raingear.
I would like to go back once to all those beautiful beaches at a time when it's hot enough for enjoying the beachlife.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

You have already gotten very good information. I walked CDN last October and had trekking runners and it was just fine. There is a lot of ashphalt on this route. As for a guidebook, there is one thing you need to know and may not find in the guidebooks: when in Deba, stop by the tourist info center, (it's where you get a key to the albergue if you are spending the night) because they will give you a map for a portion of the next part: a local land owner who does not appreciate pilgrims much keeps changing arrows so they get lost. Finally, do bring walking poles as there are a few places that would be very difficult to navigate without them.

 

[Heisenberg420]

Thanks everyone for sharing your memories, now i'm ready!
Buen Camino!

 

[amorfati1]

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to do the Camino Del Norte this May and i have some questions that i know you guys will provide me the best answers.

1. During May-June should i worry about accommodation? i walked the french way last march and for me it was the perfect time to do it.
my budget doesn't allow to sleep in pensions etc.. in that case, should i bring a tent? or a mattress and a liner is enough? do the albergues allow to spend the night without a bed?

2. Should i bring warm clothing? i guess rain gear is a must.

3. Boots! is it necessary to bring boots? or a pair of walking shoes will do the job that time of the year? (May-June).

4. I walked the French and the Portuguese way without any guidebook or map, using the information page i got in SJPP and Porto only.
I already got my Cicerone guidebook for the northern way, is it enough? just wanna be sure.

That's pretty much it, any further tips are more then welcome!

Nadav.

pardon this approach - but w/ a moniker/name of Heisenberg ... and then seeing a list of questions - i wondered what ever happened to the 'uncertainty principle' - you ought to be ship-shape with all the unknowns and unknowables and uncertainities seasons and caminos bring, no? and the way how one impacts all what one observes ... he he he.
sorry - couldn't resist

 

[Heisenberg420]

pardon this approach - but w/ a moniker/name of Heisenberg ... and then seeing a list of questions - i wondered what ever happened to the 'uncertainty principle' - you ought to be ship-shape with all the unknowns and unknowables and uncertainities seasons and caminos bring, no? and the way how one impacts all what one observes ... he he he.
sorry - couldn't resist

Heisenberg is my last name :|

 

[amorfati1]

Heisenberg is my last name :|

still would have had the same associations. i used to live and work in the university town where he lived and worked - impossible not to be associate with heisenberg -cheers -

 

[Anniesantiago]

1. No worries about accommodation. No tent necessary, but do bring a sleeping bag, but not a pad. If you have back problems, just pull the mattress to the floor at night time.
2. Bring both.
3. Depends on your ankles.
4. Enough, plus there are online resources like eroski.

Buen Camino! SY

SYates, I love eroski, and I don't hear it mentioned often.
It's one of the better guides, imo.
(except for Ivar's of course)

 

[Rajy62]

.... Julia my walking companion suggested that I put on a pair of her tights to keep my legs warm. I replied that while I have done things that I didn't expect to on the camino, I wasn't yet ready to start wearing womens underwear....

Lucky you had a female walking partner offering her tights...btw, those tights are also better alternative to liner socks for blister prevention...

 

[Phillypilgrim]

Heisenberg, I like your avatar. Better Call Saul too!