BiggBlue
Robin
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 17 Frances 18 Portuguese,
19 Primitivo 22 Norte
I posted on this forum before leaving for the Camino Norte, wondering if it would be very quiet. I received some helpful input but went expecting it to be very quiet.
I arrived in Santiago on the 4th of November and thought I would share some thoughts and reflections from my Camino. First, I should point out I read somewhere that nowhere on the planet have they built statues to celebrate the life of critics, so my observations are not to be critical but rather just observations which I would like to share with others.
The Camino del Norte is a very different experience from the Camino Frances; it is more solitary, undoubtedly more challenging, and the infrastructure is significantly less developed. I can't tell you how many mornings it was over 15 kilometres walked before I found a cafe bar that had coffee.
So, in no particular order, here are a few thoughts I would like to share for your consideration when you plan the Norte if you are doing it early or late in the season.
Albergues
Many of the Albergues in October were closed or about to close. On two occasions, I stayed in Albergues to discover it was their last night operating before they closed for the season. With limited pilgrim's it would not make financial sense to keep a building open, so I understand why they do this. But the information was rarely up to date, and in the guides, the closing date was never precisely indicated. (Always phone ahead)
My main frustration after a long day on the Camino was there is no quality control whatsoever on Albergues. With one or two notable exceptions, they are, I believe, run as businesses by the owners, which is perfectly fine. But you must give a service commensurate with your charges. I wonder if somebody one day will write a good Albergue guide. I stayed in several Albergues, which I will not mention, which were shocking value for money. But unfortunately, the owners didn't care, and the facilities needed upgrades or repair.
On the other hand, I stayed at a few others which were simply magnificent. The thoughtfulness and helpfulness of those who owned and ran them was humbling. I advise doing as much research as possible on any place you plan to stay. Booking.com is not your best source of research use Camino guides and talk to other pilgrims.
I never experienced an Albergue that was full though one or two were pretty busy with limited beds available when I arrived.
Pilgrim menus
In October, when I walked, I only came across three or four places with a Pilgrim menu, so you often have to cook your food if you want to be guaranteed a nutritious meal for the next day. Again I think this is a consequence of the law of supply and demand; as there is no great demand for Pilgrim menus due to the small number of people on the Camino, there will be a reduced supply. It just makes sense.
Yellow arrows and Signage
In a few places, I came off the trail, I am generally very diligent and have a GPS tracker as well, but on a few occasions, there are simply no markings. Of course, this can happen on any Camino - but in the Basque country, you need to be alert.
Many of the alternative routes shown in some apps do not exist, and I can tell from the way that the GPS stopped receiving a signal when the original people were making the path. On one occasion with an Italian fellow, we found ourselves in a very precarious position in a gully which showed we were directly on the Redpath. Still, there was no path, in reality, so be careful.
Physical Challenge
The first 6/7 days from a run to Bilbo are challenging as there are many steep ascents and descents. But if you get through that without any extremes or nasty blisters, you'll be good for the rest of the route. Unfortunately, I met a few people who had to retire due to injury before they got to Bilbao. The other aspect of the challenge is the weather. If it rains, you will get wet, and at that time of year, you will also get cold, so becoming mildly hypothermic is a possibility. Therefore, I would advise anyone doing it early or late in the season to bring plenty of layers to maintain body heat even in wet and chilly conditions.
How busy is it?
From October onwards, the route gets quiet; often, you would walk alone and maybe see a few other pilgrims. There is an opportunity to form small groups that meet most days but compared to the French route, you do not build the extensive infrastructure of companions due to the lack of people on the path.
The other thing that slightly surprised me is I expected only to meet experienced pilgrims on the route, whilst in reality, about 40% of the people I met were doing their first-ever Camino. I explained to them this was a little like joining an athletics club and discovering yourself in the Olympic Games the next day. I met most of them again in Santiago, so I no longer think the Norte is for experienced pilgrim knows, but as long as you are fit and manage yourself, it is a magnificent walk.
I arrived in Santiago on the 4th of November and thought I would share some thoughts and reflections from my Camino. First, I should point out I read somewhere that nowhere on the planet have they built statues to celebrate the life of critics, so my observations are not to be critical but rather just observations which I would like to share with others.
The Camino del Norte is a very different experience from the Camino Frances; it is more solitary, undoubtedly more challenging, and the infrastructure is significantly less developed. I can't tell you how many mornings it was over 15 kilometres walked before I found a cafe bar that had coffee.
So, in no particular order, here are a few thoughts I would like to share for your consideration when you plan the Norte if you are doing it early or late in the season.
Albergues
Many of the Albergues in October were closed or about to close. On two occasions, I stayed in Albergues to discover it was their last night operating before they closed for the season. With limited pilgrim's it would not make financial sense to keep a building open, so I understand why they do this. But the information was rarely up to date, and in the guides, the closing date was never precisely indicated. (Always phone ahead)
My main frustration after a long day on the Camino was there is no quality control whatsoever on Albergues. With one or two notable exceptions, they are, I believe, run as businesses by the owners, which is perfectly fine. But you must give a service commensurate with your charges. I wonder if somebody one day will write a good Albergue guide. I stayed in several Albergues, which I will not mention, which were shocking value for money. But unfortunately, the owners didn't care, and the facilities needed upgrades or repair.
On the other hand, I stayed at a few others which were simply magnificent. The thoughtfulness and helpfulness of those who owned and ran them was humbling. I advise doing as much research as possible on any place you plan to stay. Booking.com is not your best source of research use Camino guides and talk to other pilgrims.
I never experienced an Albergue that was full though one or two were pretty busy with limited beds available when I arrived.
Pilgrim menus
In October, when I walked, I only came across three or four places with a Pilgrim menu, so you often have to cook your food if you want to be guaranteed a nutritious meal for the next day. Again I think this is a consequence of the law of supply and demand; as there is no great demand for Pilgrim menus due to the small number of people on the Camino, there will be a reduced supply. It just makes sense.
Yellow arrows and Signage
In a few places, I came off the trail, I am generally very diligent and have a GPS tracker as well, but on a few occasions, there are simply no markings. Of course, this can happen on any Camino - but in the Basque country, you need to be alert.
Many of the alternative routes shown in some apps do not exist, and I can tell from the way that the GPS stopped receiving a signal when the original people were making the path. On one occasion with an Italian fellow, we found ourselves in a very precarious position in a gully which showed we were directly on the Redpath. Still, there was no path, in reality, so be careful.
Physical Challenge
The first 6/7 days from a run to Bilbo are challenging as there are many steep ascents and descents. But if you get through that without any extremes or nasty blisters, you'll be good for the rest of the route. Unfortunately, I met a few people who had to retire due to injury before they got to Bilbao. The other aspect of the challenge is the weather. If it rains, you will get wet, and at that time of year, you will also get cold, so becoming mildly hypothermic is a possibility. Therefore, I would advise anyone doing it early or late in the season to bring plenty of layers to maintain body heat even in wet and chilly conditions.
How busy is it?
From October onwards, the route gets quiet; often, you would walk alone and maybe see a few other pilgrims. There is an opportunity to form small groups that meet most days but compared to the French route, you do not build the extensive infrastructure of companions due to the lack of people on the path.
The other thing that slightly surprised me is I expected only to meet experienced pilgrims on the route, whilst in reality, about 40% of the people I met were doing their first-ever Camino. I explained to them this was a little like joining an athletics club and discovering yourself in the Olympic Games the next day. I met most of them again in Santiago, so I no longer think the Norte is for experienced pilgrim knows, but as long as you are fit and manage yourself, it is a magnificent walk.
