El Camino de Santiago has multiple routes of arrival, so we can choose different ways and trips when arriving at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The best known is undoubtedly the French Way that begins in Saint Jean Pied de Port, but today we are going to talk about a path that runs along the Cantabrian coast and that also has beautiful landscapes to offer. We refer to the Camino del Norte.
This The Northern Way begins in Irún and connects with the French Way in Arzúa, from which there are only two stages to get to Compostela. The attraction of the Camino del Norte lies in the coastal landscapes of northern Spain. It passes through cities such as San Sebastián, Bilbao or Gijón and takes off from the coast already in Ribadeo.
Prepare your trip
The Northern Way supposes about 33 stages until reaching Santiago, depending on how we distribute them. But at least we will be traveling along the coast for a whole month, so we will need to plan everything well so that too many unforeseen events do not occur. It is about enjoying the experience and being spontaneous if we want, but always controlling certain things that make the trip much easier for us.
It is a long journey, so backpacks should not be loaded. In any case, today there are some companies that are dedicated to carrying backpacks from one hostel to another so that pilgrims can walk lightly. It is not such an authentic trip, but we can take it into account in case we need this help at any time. In addition, in the places of stops and the cities there are usually these small spaces to do express laundry in a short time, so it is better to control that than to wear extra clothes.
Footwear is essential, and we must have it adapted to exercise. Nothing to buy some new trekking boots and start, we will destroy our feet. A blister kit, petroleum jelly to prevent chafing and good socks are also very important, because it is without a doubt what will suffer the most on this path. You also have to buy a wide raincoat to cover your backpack, don't forget how much it rains in the north and in Galicia.
In Google we can look for possible shelters at the stopping places and have the reservation already made. It's a way to get your work done and not have to run into last minute surprises. In high season, the hostels can be full and we run out of space, so we will have to look for more expensive alternatives.
How to plan the stages
On pages like Gronze.com we can find ideas about the stages we can do, to create a very complete and detailed itinerary. In this type of website we also see the distance to travel, what the stage is like and the places where we can stay, even with an approximate price range to be able to choose better. We also find information about each hostel and accommodation to make reservations and contact them. An interesting thing that we found is that it tells us the possible alternative stages to the usual path, which there are also, in case we want to modify the path a bit.
Stages of the Camino del Norte
The stages of the Camino del Norte can be a bit flexible, but in general this is the way. From Irún to Bilbao we have seven stages, that is to say, a week on the way. The stages are divided into Irún-San Sebastián, San Sebastián-Zarautz, Zarautz-Deba, Deba-Markina, Markina-Guernika, Guernika-Lezama, Lezama-Bilbao.
De Bilbao to Santander we go from stage 8 to 12. The daily stages are Bilbao-Portugalete, Portugalete-Castro Urdiales, Castro Urdiales-Laredo, Laredo-Güemes, Güemes-Santander.
De Santander to the well-known city of Gijón go stages 13 to 20. These are: Santander-Santillana del Mar, Santillana del Mar-Comillas, Comillas-Colombres, Colombres-Llanes, Llanes-Ribadesella, Ribadesella-Colunga, Colunga-Villaviciosa, Villaviciosa-Gijón.
From Gijón to Ribadeo we go from stage 21 to 27. It is divided into: Gijón-Avilés, Avilés-Muros de Nalón, Muros de Nalón-Soto de Luiña, Soto de Luiña-Cadavedo, Cadavedo-Luarca, Luarca-La Caridad, La Caridad-Ribadeo.
De Ribadeo we arrive in Arzúa, a place where the Camino del Norte meets the Camino Frances and they follow the same route to Santiago de Compostela. The stages go from 27 to 33 and are: Ribadeo-Lourenzá, Lourenzá-Gontán, Gontán-Vilalba, Vilalba-Baamonde, Baamonde-Sobrado dos Monxes, Sobrado dos Monxes-Arzúa.
Arrived in Arzúa, it remains to rest in this town known for its cheese making, joining the well-known French Way. From here there are only two stages that do not even reach 20 kilometers each. That of Arzúa-O Pedrouzo and O Pedrouzo-Santiago de Compostela.
As we say, these stages are flexible. We can put some of them together that are short with others to make two in one, or we can make them our way. In these pages they give us an idea of which are the stages that are usually done to better organize the time and thus not make too long or too short paths. These stages will also depend on the time we have.