Camino del Norte
Two and a half years have passed since we finished walking the Camino le Puy. When we crossed the Pyrenees we believed that within a few months we would continue towards Santiago de Compostela. Reality built a different script and the Covid 19 epidemic interrupted the plans.
The time that passed only increased our longing for the road. At last the day has come. As before, we used the Gronze site to plan our ten days of vacation. We decided to walk the first section of the camino del norte – from IRUN to BILBAO. The impressions we read prepared us for a challenging path, with many ups and downs. Since we both felt that we were not in the proper shape, we decided to divide the “steps” into segments that would not exceed 19 km per day. Since we set off at the end of August, still the peak of the tourist season, we booked accommodations in advance and we did not regret it for a moment. We sent the bag with the equipment with and thus it was possible for each of us to walk with only 5 kg on our backs.
As in any journey, the planning is a nice anchor and a basis for surprises. This time the surprise was twofold – hot weather combined with ninety percent humidity constituted the great challenge of the first part of the road.
Camino del Norte First Stage: Irun to Bilbao (160 km)
Our trip started from San Sebastian airport. We slept the first night in Hondarribia
Day 1
Original plan: Irun to Pasajes de San Juan. 17 km ( Taxi to San Sebastian in order to spend the night there)
Day 2
Original plan: San Sebastian to Pasajes de San Juan . 8 km (Walking the way in the opposite direction and then back to San Sebastian for another night)
Day 3
Original plan: San Sebastian to Orio . 15 km
Day 4
Original plan: Orio to Zumaia . 15 km (Through Getaria)
Day 5
Original plan: Zumaia to Deba through routa del Flysch . 15 km
Day 6
Original plan: Deba to Markina . 26 km
Day 7
Original plan: Markina to Ziortza . 8 km (And returning to sleep in Markina)
Day 8
Original plan: Ziortza to Gernika. 17km
Day 9
Original plan: Gernika to Zamudio. 24 km
Day 10
Original plan: Zamudio to Bilbao. 7 km
