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LIVE from the Camino Which Camino; Frances or Norte

Kevin Considine

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2021
Camino Frances or Del Norte?

TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO-DAY 69:

After almost 2000K I am relaxing in the quiet village of Lesperon about 150K south of Bordeaux. Tomorrow early just a kilometer south I will reach the fork in the road that has been perplexing me since I started. The left way will take me to St. Jean Pied de Port and the Camino Frances and the right will take me to Irun and Camino del Norte. As I have walked Camino Frances twice already and have a goal of walking all the major Caminos, picking The Northern Way seems logical as I have walked these pilgrim routes already; Chemin du Puy, Portuguese, Via de la Plata, and Primitivo. Although for some reason I can’t commit. Looking for inspiration. Well tomorrow is decision time………...
 
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Go Norte, young man. Go Norte.

You've walked Frances. Try a new route.

Buen camino on this incredible jpurney.
 
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I've walked the entire Frances in one go once and the North from Irun to Bilbao, and I have to say the North was a little bit of a let down for me.

The scenery was beautiful, the towns delightful, but the spirituality was largely missing.

The big difference is that nobody in the big seaside towns cares about pilgrims because they make all their money from tourists. There are only one or two real hostels per town, so it's inevitable that you will spend more. Restaurants don't usually do pilgrim menus, the way markers are a little more hidden, there are no pilgrim masses or only one a week etc.

Obviously, it depends what you want to get out of your camino this time. I think it's worth doing if you want to visit each of those towns, but as a pilgrimage, for me it just wasn't the same.

Let me know what you decide and your impressions either way.

Buen Camino!

Marchioness.
 


The Fork. TIPPERARY TO SANTIAGO DAY 70:

Arrived at the fork before 7 enjoying unexpected cloudy skies on a cool morning with a long stretch of 30C+(86F) temperatures forecasted. This ended up being an easy decision. The practical way was Del Norte but The Camino teaches one to feel with the heart and use intuition and not the brain and ego. So I go left to Saint Jean Pied de Port. It can be crowded at times but it is also the most special of all the Caminos. Magical things seem to happen, you meet incredible people with inspiring stories, and kindness and compassion is the norm. Last, this is a very special Camino for me walking from my ancestral homes in Clare, Ireland. And after 2000K am feeling a bit drained and Camino Frances is a very dear friend whom will give me the strength and renew my spirit enabling this peregrino to once more walk into Santiago and finish this pilgrimage in Muxia by early September. And I will just have to return sometime for del Norte.
 
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