PLEASE: ANY place you recommend to stay on this route?

[martinstuart]

Two of us going to try the Camino del Norte this year. Ordered the guides from the CSJ and I hope they arrive before I leave. But YOU may know best where to stay... my impression is that the route is really really quiet, very hard, and offers few albergues/refugios. So where DO pilgrims stay?

If you have gone on this route, PLEASE reply--for my benefit and for other/future readers. (I will check back on this thread when walking.)

Thanks much, Martin

[AMNUSA]

Have you started walking the Camino del Norte yet? If so, how helpful is the CSJ booklet? I have just received it and hoping that it will help us find accomodation on the route. Also, try the website www.mundicamino.com it has a wealth of information. We printed it all out but it is really large and probably too heavy to carry, but if you checked every so often you would probably be able to get the information you needed for each stage of the journey. Hope this is helpful

Buen Camino
AMN

[martinstuart]

Good news: there are lots of places to stay on the Camino del Norte. Bad news: there are not as many places as on the Camino Frances. This means that often you are left with a choice of walking just say 15km to the next albergue/refugio or else walking say 30-35 km. While 30-35 km may not sound too much, it is quite a lot on the Camino del Norte, which IS harder and therefore slower than the Camino Frances. Many people I walked with this year would agree that you tend to go 5km an hour without breaks on the Camino Frances (4km including breaks) and a km an hour slower on the Camino del Norte. It is harder because it is hillier. The above is based on my experience walking 2 and 1/2 weeks through the two provinces of the Basque Province and Cantabria (you then go into Asturia, then end in Galicia)(I also walked the full Camino Frances last year). It appears that Asturia has more albergues/refugios but of course, the closer you get to Santiago, the more people join in.

I was amazed at the number of books available in different languages on the Camino del Norte given the fairly few numbers who walk it (one hostel, in the middle of nowhere [Guemes] and so just about anyone walking the Camino must stay there, posted statistics from 2007 and only about 2,500 people stayed there in total for 2007--interestingly only 5 Irish and 24 English).

The most practical books are the Spanish ones (though one my friend, on his frist Camino, bought without examining it was 90% crap). The one produced by the Spanish newspaper El Pa?s is very good, but the one from jacobeo.net is the best. It weighs 300gm, which is light compared to some books. Sadly, the books from the CSJ are not as good or as useful or as up to date as its excellent book for the Camino Frances. Even if you don't speak/read Spanish, I recommend getting one of these books just for the excellent maps, height charts for each stage, and lists of accomodation (including phone numbers for the many private albergues).

The Camino del Norte appears to be in a state of significant growth and so on the Camino you will find new sources of accomodation and other resources that won't be in any book. The tourist offices in each large town are typically excellent in providing great colourful detailed maps for the next stage/etape or two or three. If I was to do it again, or go back to Astoria to finish and walk to Santiago, I'd check out online the toursim websites of the four different provinces--e.g. basquecountrytourism.net, who handed us a good guide for walking through the Basque country.

Having said all that, don't forget to pack a light-weight mat to lie on in case you have to, for whatever reason, sleep in your sleeping bag outisde some night(s). And if you do have to, so be it. Acceptance of your limitations, and of "what is", is all part of the Camino.

Take it easy and buen camino. "Struggle on rejoicing."