The Tunnel Route ( La Ruta del Tunel)

[Ian and Mec]

Hi,

My wife and I are considering walking the Tunnel Route from Irun to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Does anyone know of a detailed route map or website that might help us plan our walk?
Why? One of the reasons is that last year we completed the Portuguese Route and because we had a detailed route map were able to book accommodation that was smack bang on the route .... most appreciated after a heavy day on the feet!

Thanks in anticipation

Ian and Mec

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi,

My wife and I are considering walking the Tunnel Route from Irun to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Does anyone know of a detailed route map or website that might help us plan our walk?
Why? One of the reasons is that last year we completed the Portuguese Route and because we had a detailed route map were able to book accommodation that was smack bang on the route .... most appreciated after a heavy day on the feet!

Thanks in anticipation

Ian and Mec

Hi, Ian and Mec,
I have moved your thread to the Vasco Interior sub-forum, which is the Tunnel Route. You had posted it in the Camino San Olav, which I dearly love, but which is a three day walk between Santo Domingo de Silos (not Santo Domingo de la Calzada) and Burgos.

If you scroll through this subforum, you will see a number of reports from forum members who have walked this route recently, and if you have specific questions, fire away!

 

[evanlow]

I put the kml file on my dropbox. You can download the overlay from here.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mzw89uucaf6qc12/Camino Vasco.kml?dl=0

To use it, on the computer, you can create a map using Google MyMaps and import this kml to a new layer.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/

Or on the mobile device download Maps.Me app (free), sent the kml as attachment on an email, open the email attachment on the mobile device and it will automatically load the route overlay to Maps.Me.

I used this kml overlay a few years ago when I walked this route. Should be still very relevant.

 

[Ian and Mec]

Evan, you're a star.

 

[KinkyOne]

Lots of info here:
https://www.gronze.com/camino-vasco
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/mobile/los-caminos-de-santiago/vasco/

Mundicamino (http://www.mundicamino.com/los-caminos/59/via-de-bayona/) has Via de Bayona which overlaps with Camino Vasco del Interior from Irun to just after the village of Estavillo but of course the overlapping section is the same Camino.

I walked Via de Bayona two years ago and it's nice Camino with lots of very friendly people. Infrastructure is plentiful. In the beginning maybe a bit too much asphalt walking, but it gets better. Try to stay another day in Vitoria/Gasteiz. It's nice town although the suburbs when entering are one of the most horrible I encountered on all Caminos.

Buen Camino!

 

[Ian and Mec]

I put the kml file on my dropbox. You can download the overlay from here.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mzw89uucaf6qc12/Camino Vasco.kml?dl=0

To use it, on the computer, you can create a map using Google MyMaps and import this kml to a new layer.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/

Or on the mobile device download Maps.Me app (free), sent the kml as attachment on an email, open the email attachment on the mobile device and it will automatically load the route overlay to Maps.Me.

I used this kml overlay a few years ago when I walked this route. Should be still very relevant.

Hi Evan,

Having studied your Tunnel route carefully I have come to the conclusion that my wife and I might not enjoy the Hernani to Tolosa to Zagema route as there appears to be an awful lot of road and built up areas. We have been spoilt by walking the Primitovo some years ago!!
Have you any detail on the alternative route from Hernani via Bidania? It looks much more wild and woolly!!!

Kind regards

Ian and Mec

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi Evan,

Having studied your Tunnel route carefully I have come to the conclusion that my wife and I might not enjoy the Hernani to Tolosa to Zagema route as there appears to be an awful lot of road and built up areas. We have been spoilt by walking the Primitovo some years ago!!
Have you any detail on the alternative route from Hernani via Bidania? It looks much more wild and woolly!!!

Kind regards

Ian and Mec

I can’t see Evan’s tracks on my ipad, but I was intrigued by your suggestion about an alternative to the asphalt. I found a wikiloc track that goes from Hernani to Bidania. If you read Spanish, you can see there are some interesting comments posted with the tracks (I can translate if you can’t read them and are interestd). https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/camino-vasco-lasarte-bidania-9365945

Total elevation gain is 1300 km, so that makes it a day like SJPP to Roncesvalles, but it seems to be a bit more spread out. 732 m descent.

The author recommends these stages:

Irún to Lasarte (30) (Not sure if there is a better way to get there, but one way would be to walk the Camino to Hernani, and from there it looks like an hour walking to Lasarte, which is not on the camino). Lasarte has 4 hotels on booking, but nothing in standard pilgrim price range.

Lasarte to Bidania (29) (one hotel here, not on the “official” Camino Vasco) It’s a 4 star, if this is the one he is talking about. It looks beautiful, but you would have to be up for spending over 100 euros for a night: https://www.iriartejauregia.com/en/inicio

Bidania to Besain (20) — wikiloc tracks from same author. https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/camino-vasco-bidania-beasain-9366873

Besaín to Zegama (20). (Gronze also shows a mountain variant for this stage) https://www.gronze.com/etapa/beasain/zegama

Zegama to Salvatierra (28) (but Gronze says this is only a 22 km stage, so I don’t know if there is a mistake or another mountain alternative).

I hope to walk this route next year and am keen to find as many off road alternatives as possible. This is a great start! Thanks, Laurie

 

[Ian and Mec]

Super helpful. Many thanks.
We are more 20 kms 'striders' so will moderate the distances accordingly.
When we completed the Northern route we did a couple of 35kms days that nae on killed us. Ever since we have tried to keep to 20 kms or thereabouts .... it not being a race etc.
All the best
Ian and Mec

 

[Helen1]

Other than the day you go through the tunnel (Zegama to Salvatierra) the first part of the marked camino route to Vitoria is mostly tarmac path at side of the road or tarmac road. After Vitoria I'm less certain because I was cycling and only occasionally hit the camino sign posts. I wouldn't say it's built up (obviously you have to walk through some small towns and urban areas). If you do the hiking trails bear in mind it's a pretty hilly area - Zegama to Salvatierra is almost the same altitude gain as going over the Napoleon route.

I can imagine it being a bit of an urban slog out of Irun. I went to San Sebastian and most of the route out of the city followed the river, urban but not too unpleasant.

 

[Ian and Mec]

Other than the day you go through the tunnel (Zegama to Salvatierra) the first part of the marked camino route to Vitoria is mostly tarmac path at side of the road or tarmac road. After Vitoria I'm less certain because I was cycling and only occasionally hit the camino sign posts. I wouldn't say it's built up (obviously you have to walk through some small towns and urban areas). If you do the hiking trails bear in mind it's a pretty hilly area - Zegama to Salvatierra is almost the same altitude gain as going over the Napoleon route.

I can imagine it being a bit of an urban slog out of Irun. I went to San Sebastian and most of the route out of the city followed the river, urban but not too unpleasant.

Sound advice re the hills.

 

[peregrina2000]

Just a quick update to say I found some tracks that give options for how to go those 5-7 km from Hernani to Lasarte.

https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/lasarte-hernani-urnieta-17976531

https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/hernani-lasarte-andatza-andoain-21038661

https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/hernani-lasarte-andoain-3626644

And I came across a post of Ivar's that indicated that in 2016, a restaurant in Lasarte had 3 Michelin stars. Guess that explains the lack of reasonably priced accommodation. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...-restaurants-in-spain-2016.37245/#post-357852

 

[Ian and Mec]

Just a quick update to say I found some tracks that give options for how to go those 5-7 km from Hernani to Lasarte.

https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/lasarte-hernani-urnieta-17976531

https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/hernani-lasarte-andatza-andoain-21038661

https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/hernani-lasarte-andoain-3626644

And I came across a post of Ivar's that indicated that in 2016, a restaurant in Lasarte had 3 Michelin stars. Guess that explains the lack of reasonably priced accommodation. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/michelín-star-restaurants-in-spain-2016.37245/#post-357852

You are proving a mine of 'route' information. Thank you so much.
As for Michelin star restaurants .... I recall my wife and I pulling into an out of the way farmhouse type accommodation with only breakfast as part of the deal on the Northern Route, after an over ambitious day, and sharing an orange and a bag of nuts between us. Be prepared .....