is anyone goign to walk camino del norte in end of July? is it necessary to know Spanish to walk cam

[malena]

Hi i am frist time walker. i wanted to walk camino de santiago de compostela for couple years but never managed to do it. this year i luckily managed to take three weeks off from work from 22nd of July and walk camino de santiago. the north route seems difficult, especially for first time walker but i am going to give it a go.
i was just wondering if i have only three weeks to walk it, where is the best place to start. and can i get the pelgrims passport there?
i want to see the most beutifull part of it.
do i need to know Spanish to walk camino del Norte?can i manage without it?

[amgirl5]

Hi, I was thinking of doing that one or the Primativo as well, starting in Oveido (I think, because of how long it sounds like it would take). I have heard the distance are longer between refugios, and that it is more difficult than the Camino Frances due to elevation changes (plus fewer pilgrims walk it). I have heard it's really beautiful. I can't go until August, I think. Have you found a guidebook? Also, out of curiousity, why this one as opposed to the Camino Frances or Portugal? You can get by on the Camino Frances w/out knowing Spanish, I've met people who only spoke Korean, and were fine. You might want to learn some basic phrases, it might make things easier, more enjoyable, but I wouldn't let not knowing a lot stop you from going.

Best of luck.
Liz

[malena]

thank you Liz why camino del norte? couse is beautifull and i like seaside more than walking inland. i am trying to learn some spanish. with rather little results but i am gonna take tent with me so even if i am slow and cant really comunicate with locals i will always have place to sleep
i dont have any guidebook yet. i have read a bit about the camino del norte on some webisites that some of other pilgrims recommended on that forum.i may get one later on but i will think about it. i dont really want to do primitivo. as i have only three weeks to walk and i would love to stay as long as i can on the coast.
i am really scared and i know camino de francesa could be easier..but i also looks like it can be proper crowded in July and August. so i think i will be brave and give camino del morte a go.
so you saying you gonna walk from oviedo?hmm? i was thinking to start from Irun but i will think about it.

[amgirl5]

I think I might not have enough time to walk further. I was in Irun a couple of years ago and saw a yellow arrow, and thought that I should just follow it. I met some other pilgrims there, they did follow, but inland on the tunnel route (I think) which also starts in Irun. I caught a train to Pamplona.

Maybe have a small notebook with useful phrases, and practice walking with the pack fully packed before you go, in case distances are long, and so as to get to used to pack and boots and everything. Also, check with the Confraternity of St. James in England, who probably have some sorta guide, Overview: The Coastal Route I think you can order it or download a copy for a donation. There will probably be other people walking, especially in July or August, who also probably want to avoid the crowds on the Camino Frances. (I've walked in late June, and late August, and though there were crowds, I did always manage to find a bed. Though in Roncesvalles, it was in a tent, and so cold, I thought I was going to freeze (I didn't have a sleeping bag, and was next to the tent flap), so I got up and started walking as soon as there was enough light.)

All the routes have a certain beauty to them. Best of luck, I hope you have a wonderful experience.
Liz

[cosmocavan]

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum. I will walk my 3rd Camino this July/August. I am preparing to walk Del Norte in July starting in Irun about the 13th. I have been doing some research and there isn't much out there on this route until you get to Irun or San Sabastian. To those Pilgrims who have walked it I would love to get any references for web sites for this Camino etc.

[unadara]

El Camino del Norte | Guía del Camino de Santiago | EROSKI CONSUMER google will translate it gives each stage and description, sounds wonderful.

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Cosmo and also Malena ~
Wondering how you liked the Camino del Norte. If you could drop a note and let us know I'm sure we'd all appreciate your review. I'm trying to decide between it and the Camino Portugues for 2012.
Many thanks!

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Sandy,

Just saw your note here and thought I'd throw out some reactions. I walked the Norte in 2006, so others may have much more up to date information. One thing is certain -- the numbers have grown, and as that happens, the camino feeling grows as well. Because unlike the routes in France, which are filled with holiday walkers as well as pilgrims, in my experience the Camino paths in Spain, even the less traveled ones, are used by people who tilt towards the pilgrim side of things.

The Norte has incredibly spectacular scenery, and I am not exaggerating. It's true that I am coast-deprived and surrounded by corn and soy fields here in the midwest, but I think that even people who are used to sea coasts rank this one highly. The Norte also goes through many touristy seacoast towns. Tthat means you will have lots of private lodging options, and the smaller number of albergues won't be a problem so long as finances aren't a problem. When I walked, my companion was a friend who is not a big fan of albergues, so we did stay in a lot of hotels/pensiones, etc (some of them were just lovely like these: Hotel Mar del Sueve Colunga Asturias - Bienvenido al Hotel ; La Casona de Pío < ( [ Hotel Villa la Argentina ] ) > Luarca - Asturias - España -- since I met you in the Posada Regia in Leon I can say with some certainty that you are, like I am, a sucker for places like these!). But being in so many beautiful touristy places does make it harder to replicate the camino feeling sometimes. I will say though that we met several people who had made a point of only staying at albergues and were able to do that almost all the time. I assume the number of albergues has increased in the last five years, because I've read reports that the Norte is quite crowded. For me, though the coast was the most beautiful, the last part of the Norte, which turns inland in Ribadeo, was the most camino-like. The albergues in Miraz and Baamonde are very special, the monastery in Sobrado was kind of like sleeping in Oseira on the Vdlp, and since we were in more rural territory, you got more into a pilgrim bubble.

As far as the day to day walking, there is a ton of asphalt walking on the norte. In fact, I think the day going into the beautiful town of Luarca was 100% asphalt, and there are others like it. Some people don't mind it but it kills my feet so I have to be careful. That for me is the biggest negative. There is much more up and down on the norte than most other caminos, too, though the ups are rarely more than several hundred meters -- they tend to go from beach to headland. That for me was a real plus because the changing vantage points just kept adding new perspectives to the beautiful scenery. I had many picnic lunches either down on a beach or up on a headland looking out over the ocean, and I can't say which was more lovely.

When you walk the Norte, you have to make a decision, kind of like when you're on the Vdlp in Zamora. You either stay on the Norte and continue on the coast till the camino heads south in Galicia, or you can leave the coast in Asturias (Villaviciosa), head south to Oviedo, and begin the Primitivo. Unable to choose one over the other, I have since walked both stretches and can only say that they were both wonderful.

Weather-wise, I walked the Norte in May, starting in Irun May 1 or 2 and had excellent weather. Just two full blown rainy days and a few days with short periods of rain. I walked the Primitivo from Oviedo to Santiago in October, a first for me, and I enjoyed it very much. Also had great weather, no rain, but some snow up in the mountains (much higher than where I was though). The primitivo's albergue structure was great, I only stayed in hotels once or twice, but again I think the numbers of walkers are putting a crunch on the lodging factor.

So, these are tough decisions to make, but they are so fun to research and dream about!

all the best, Laurie

[Atlantic]

Thank you Per

A fine and detailed post on the character of this camino.

Buen camino

Hi, Sandy,

Just saw your note here and thought I'd throw out some reactions. I walked the Norte in 2006, so others may have much more up to date information. One thing is certain -- the numbers have grown, and as that happens, the camino feeling grows as well. Because unlike the routes in France, which are filled with holiday walkers as well as pilgrims, in my experience the Camino paths in Spain, even the less traveled ones, are used by people who tilt towards the pilgrim side of things.

The Norte has incredibly spectacular scenery, and I am not exaggerating. It's true that I am coast-deprived and surrounded by corn and soy fields here in the midwest, but I think that even people who are used to sea coasts rank this one highly. The Norte also goes through many touristy seacoast towns. Tthat means you will have lots of private lodging options, and the smaller number of albergues won't be a problem so long as finances aren't a problem. When I walked, my companion was a friend who is not a big fan of albergues, so we did stay in a lot of hotels/pensiones, etc (some of them were just lovely like these: Hotel Mar del Sueve Colunga Asturias - Bienvenido al Hotel ; La Casona de Pío < ( [ Hotel Villa la Argentina ] ) > Luarca - Asturias - España -- since I met you in the Posada Regia in Leon I can say with some certainty that you are, like I am, a sucker for places like these!). But being in so many beautiful touristy places does make it harder to replicate the camino feeling sometimes. I will say though that we met several people who had made a point of only staying at albergues and were able to do that almost all the time. I assume the number of albergues has increased in the last five years, because I've read reports that the Norte is quite crowded. For me, though the coast was the most beautiful, the last part of the Norte, which turns inland in Ribadeo, was the most camino-like. The albergues in Miraz and Baamonde are very special, the monastery in Sobrado was kind of like sleeping in Oseira on the Vdlp, and since we were in more rural territory, you got more into a pilgrim bubble.

As far as the day to day walking, there is a ton of asphalt walking on the norte. In fact, I think the day going into the beautiful town of Luarca was 100% asphalt, and there are others like it. Some people don't mind it but it kills my feet so I have to be careful. That for me is the biggest negative. There is much more up and down on the norte than most other caminos, too, though the ups are rarely more than several hundred meters -- they tend to go from beach to headland. That for me was a real plus because the changing vantage points just kept adding new perspectives to the beautiful scenery. I had many picnic lunches either down on a beach or up on a headland looking out over the ocean, and I can't say which was more lovely.

When you walk the Norte, you have to make a decision, kind of like when you're on the Vdlp in Zamora. You either stay on the Norte and continue on the coast till the camino heads south in Galicia, or you can leave the coast in Asturias (Villaviciosa), head south to Oviedo, and begin the Primitivo. Unable to choose one over the other, I have since walked both stretches and can only say that they were both wonderful.

Weather-wise, I walked the Norte in May, starting in Irun May 1 or 2 and had excellent weather. Just two full blown rainy days and a few days with short periods of rain. I walked the Primitivo from Oviedo to Santiago in October, a first for me, and I enjoyed it very much. Also had great weather, no rain, but some snow up in the mountains (much higher than where I was though). The primitivo's albergue structure was great, I only stayed in hotels once or twice, but again I think the numbers of walkers are putting a crunch on the lodging factor.

So, these are tough decisions to make, but they are so fun to research and dream about!

all the best, Laurie

[twins walk on]

Twins walk on,
My twin sister and I, who live far from each other, have decided to spend some quality time together and walk the Camino. Luckily, we both have some flexibility with time (up to 6 weeks if needed). We'd like to start in France and do the Pyrenees and are now deciding which route to follow in Spain. We're leaning toward the norte route as we both love the coast, thought we'd have an easier time with accomodation (both of us don't like to make reservations ahead so we can be free to come and go as we please).
1- We are trying to decide whether to ride bikes on the north road. As it is all pavement, would the bikers be allowed on the path of the walkers?
2-We are on a budget, so is it possible to camp along the entire norte route? even if we "free" camp, find a patch of woods somewhere or even a beach!
3-Any advice about internet cafes? We are not wanting to bring any computers but obviously want to keep a blog and pcs on FB.
4-Are we going to miss anything really important inland on the Camino Frances that we should take public transport to (we are going during the Bull Run in Pamploma : July 7th-14th for example so we'll get down there for sure
5-Anything else? packs will be grueling as I already have neck and upper back issues so I'm trying to think of a wagon I can wheel via a harness or something.........that's another reason bikes appeal
Thanks for all of your postings! Very helpful. Hasta Luego!