Printable English guides for the northern routes to Santiago

[mikevasey]

There are free english guides to the northern routes being published by the the Basque tourism people. These cover the Norte and Primtivo all the way to Santiago and also list the Interior Way, Batzan and Lebaniego. They do not list albergues or give you precise instructions but they do give you maps of the sections,distances between towns, height elevation and diagrams of the way in to the larger towns. http://www.tourism.euskadi.net/x65-19143/en/ once you are in the link scroll down the page and it takes you to two options for the camino, the first one is for the guides that cover all the way to Santiago and the next one is more precise guides for the Basque country.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Thanks! And while no alburgues are listed they do have a symbol in the hotel and B&B pamphlets for places within 2km of the camino--good for planning my rest days. Thanks again so much

 

[Arn]

If you haven't already found this site (I suffer from CRS, so can't remember):

http://www.mundicamino.com/

Go to the "North Way" and tie in the "Refuge and Lodging" tabs with the location.

Lots there!

Arn

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Thanks also to you! So many great options, this trip is getting longer and longer

 

[Arn]

Colleen,

The Camino only gets better and better!

 

[unadara]

Mike Thanks so much, this site information is really good and new too
Hoping to be in Irun 27th April, and go the Norte whole way to Santiago, though many seem to veer off to do Primitivo ? any thoughts on that, be on my own as hubby wants to stay for golf! but he wants to do Via de Plata soon too so who knows!
Una

 

[mikevasey]

Hi Una, see how you feel about which way to go when it comes time to make the decision, if you do stay on the Norte go via Oviedo, it will add a day on to your journey instead of going via Gijon, but it is better walking paths
I liked the coastal way past Aviles and the walk into Galicia felt a bit special, but I could feel the same about the Primitivo in a few months.

Good Luck and Buen Camino

Mike

 

[evanlow]

Hi Una,

As mentioned earlier, I've just uploaded the scan copy of the accommodation and distances booklet. It was not so easy to scan such a small size document.

el-camino-del-norte/topic13001.html#p89141

I will starting my Norte about 3 days after you. I will most likely not go via the Primitivo as I've already done that (13 days - Oviedo to SDC). Primitivo is a very nice and quiet mountain trail. i can't compare as I have not done the alternative (yet). I guess you can still decide until the detour if the sea or mountain is better. Or you can leave it for another time (short camino), If you do decide to go for the Primitivo, recommend you stay an extra day in Oviedo and walk just out of the city and visit the pre-romanesque church (Santa María del Naranco).

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Una,
I think you've got a great, but very tough, choice to make about whether to stay on the Norte or to dip down to Oviedo and go on the Primitivo. I've done both and would be hard pressed to say one is better than the other. I think the most likely thing is that you will be drawn to one or the other based on which way the people you've bonded with are going.

But here are a few differences.
Primitivo: Oviedo is a beautiful small city, and if you like pre-romanesque, the two sites on Mt. Naranco (one a palace, one a church) are incredible. Also, when you leave the Norte at Villaviciosa to head to Oviedo, you will have the option of a detour to another pre-romanesque gem at Valdedios. Stunning. Lugo is also a wow-zer city, IMO, walled, Roman ruins, etc.

Norte: CSJ albergue at Miraz is a wonderful place. Coastline west of the turn-off for the primitivo has some beautiful towns, particularly Cudillero and Luarca. The albergue at Tapia is right on the water, looking down on the coast from the headlands. A ***** view. And the coastal walk from Tapia to Ribadeo is one of the most beautiful ones on a very beautiful camino.

Either way, you can't go wrong. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[evanlow]

Wow-zer? Haven't heard this word for a long time.

 

[unadara]

Laurie and others
Thanks so much for advice. I am now walking on 19th April-have until 25th May-35 days. Is there somewhere Laurie I can read about your camino norte ?. I have csj guides and other eroski/mundi camino docs too, however I will print off list provided by evanlow with thanks. Interesting that I have made contact with a fellow walker/Irish woman through forums and she flys the same day and I think a friend is meeting her, so already I have 2 possible companions.
I intend to stick to the coast this time, who knows what influences will be brought to bear on final decision but as you say Mike-the primitivo is there for another day, and the walks you are talking about now in the Picos! wow-zer is right on!
Una

 

[peregrina2000]

Evanlow, you have to remember that I'm the one who can't figure out how to transfer pictures from a camera to my blog. So my vocabulary is likely to be stuck in the same pre-historic phase as my technology skills.

Una, I found an old post, written soon after I came back from the Norte in 2007. It lists my stages and a few bits of info. I got a chuckle to see that my big technological learning experience that year was to figure out how to put pictures on picasa, and there's a link to them on this post: el-camino-del-norte/topic2829.html

I also have a journal at home that would have more of my impressions, etc.

Buen camino, Una -- Laurie

 

[evanlow]

Hi Laurie,

It's so refreshing to hear words like that.

And I guess if you still have trouble transferring your pictures from your camera to your blog, then it is technology (making things to complex). Hope you have found the solution. If not, here's my blog post on the same topic (it's 4 years old but is still relevant). Get a geek to help you set it up before your next camino.

http://camino.wificat.com/2008/10/blogg ... ogger.html