El Camino del Norte : Bilbao to Escalante

Sightseeing in Bilbao then, and I do in fact get decent weather for it.  Interesting place, surrounded by mountains, I can see why the place has a stubbornly independent attitude.  There sure is a lot to see here, churches and monuments of course, and while the Guggenheim is shut because it is Monday, it's still impressive, and the giant spider outside is cool.  There is a giant floral puppy nearby too, and an open art museum which has both bizarre modern art and masterpieces from centuries ago.  And wow, I have spent all day wandering, barring an hour or so checking into a hostel slightly further along the route.  This one has pods - almost a room!  Well, time to head back there, via the Athletico Bilbao stadium, then some proper food, well pizza at least.

Walking out of Bilbao, unsurprisingly, involves a hill, not a huge problem to be honest, there is a nice view of the city for one.  I pass an opportunity to walk south to join the Camino Francés, eschewing that means descending, seems like there is extended urban, commercial or industrial terrain running north from Bilbao, and of course a river, railway and various motorways.  Before long I am out of the Basque country and into Cantabria, doesn't seem much different but at least I can read the signs now.  For whatever reason my plan takes an alternative Camino route, an impressively engineered cycle trail including lengthy viaducts, but much of it is alongside those motorways so not exactly scenic.  No matter, I finish the day with a pleasant valley leading back to the sea, then walk a bit of beach to Pobeña and my first pilgrim menu of the trip!  Lentils with chorizo and pescado a la plancha, worth the wait.  Pleasant company too, I find a fellow hiker who was on the PCT only a year after me, small world...

I make an early start from Pobeña, lovely walking on a cliff path, but a small problem after a few km, a locked gate blocking the trail.  Obviously, I and the two Polish guys who are striding ahead of me don't climb over and walk a hundred metres of closed, but entirely safe trail, oh no.  Well, the walking continues to be pretty flat, including some former railway, taking me to Santullán for 11am, way to early to stop.  Then back to the sea, Castro Urdiales is a substantial town, and yes there's an impressive castle.  I need to keep on though, the albergue here won't open for another couple of hours, and surely there'll be another within the next 15km or so...  I keep going, the Albergue in El Pontarrón is shut, on to Rio Seco, nothing here, then it is getting on for 5pm and I have a choice, up into the hills or a km south to El Puente where there are bars at least.  Not really a difficult decision, and indeed I am able to get beer plus a burger, but there's no albergue.  Nothing for it but to find a quiet entry to a building where I sleep undisturbed, it is warm enough and I manage without a bedroll, not something I want to do often though.

I make an early start from El Puente, not like it is tempting to lie in on a cold, hard floor.  I climb, cross the motorway a couple of times, and stop for a much needed coffee, and also to brush my teeth!  The way returns to the sea at Laredo, very pretty it is too, also the route splits here, I am taking the inland route, for one thing this avoids taking a boat.  I think most pilgrims must stick to the coast as I don't see many, perhaps understandable as this route involves a long stretch alongside a busy road.  Well, the last few kilometres are nice at least, a minor road alongside scenic wetland, a good place to watch birds it seems.  Destination today is Escalante, my cheap hotel turns out to be rather nice, so good to lie on a proper bed.  Yet another burger for dinner, this one has Serrano ham on it, and even comes with chips.  But hopefully something different tomorrow...

 

El Camino del Norte : San Sebastián to Bilbao

 I walk a km or so out of San Sebastián, then make a detour of some three hours(!) or so to visit Decathlon and buy a sleeping bag, having forgotten that even though this thing doesn't involve sleeping in a tent, I still need a bag.  Hmm, it really is very Basque here, the staff at Decathlon try speaking to me the language, and plenty of people on the trail say, I think, 'Egun on' rather than 'Hola'.  There are many signs in Basque, not sure this is ideal for a sign whose meaning is, for instance, 'not drinking water'.  Well anyway, back to the route, of course the only way out of San Sebastián is up a big hill, well at least the weather has improved, and this is lovely walking with a view down to the sea on my right.  I pass through Orio, where I spent my first night in Spain on the long cycle eight years ago, no time to stop though.  More up and down, another substantial settlement, Zarautz, then a little further along the coast to my destination, Getaria, a nice little place squeezed between a hilly near island and more hills on the mainland.  Seems a bit touristy, I get a beer or two, but then go for the cheap option of pasta and a bottle of wine at my hostel.

Day three, and wow, a long one, some 42km.  If this was the Camino Francés it wouldn't be too hard, but it's becoming clear that this is not the Camino Francés.  I repeatedly climb steep slopes, only to descend again, it is hard.  Well, I still seem to have some muscles, and my small pack helps - as last year, people ask if I have sent another bag on... And again, I overtake many people, mostly European I think, though again there are some Koreans.  Halfway through the day, the route turns inland, a mix of logging tracks, minor roads, and pleasant footpaths through the woods.  For a few hours I see no other hikers - I suspect I am doing two days in one, well, I want to get to Santiago within a month, and 20km days won't do.  In the event I get to Markina-Xemein before 6pm, not late, but I am relying on an albergue with no advance booking, and of course they are full. 'Let's see' says the guy behind the desk, and in fact by 6:30 I have a mattress in a corridor, I have slept on worse.  And there's still plenty of time to shower, wash clothes, and find a bar, although food options are limited, I get tortilla and some sort of chicken sandwich.  A proper pilgrim menu will turn up at some point I'm sure.

I make an early start out of Markina, there is a light drizzle but still nice walking through pleasant green country.  Seems like easier going today and I make decent time, through various little villages including Bolibar, birthplace of South American revolutionary Simon Bolivar.  I reach the highlight of the day, Gernika, in time for a late lunch.  This place is of course famous for the devastating German bombing in 1937, and the Picasso painting that inspired.  It's bigger than I expected, a substantial town, and I take time to wander around and photograph various monuments.  Then more walking, a little slowly due to the massive sandwich I had for lunch, but not far to tonight's albergue.  This one's in the middle of nowhere, but provides beer and indeed wine, plus home cooked food - there are even vegetables!

I eat a fairly standard coffee and toast breakfast at the albergue, and stepping outside I notice it is one of the massive, square plan buildings that seem standard in these parts - combining farmhouse, cowshed and barn in a single structure I guess.  From here, some nice walking through woods, then a long, easy flat section beside a road.  Not much to do after that, Zamudio is mostly industrial estates, then a climb through more woods before descending into Bilbao, I've been looking forward to this.  Sightseeing can wait though, it is raining and I could use a lie down anyway.  Although obviously I do emerge from the albergue in the evening to find a bar, and once again it's tortilla and a sandwich rather than proper food...

El Camino del Norte : 1

Is it time for another walk?  Yes, I think so.  Well, I really enjoyed the Camino de Santiago last year, and of course there are many different routes, so why not do another one?  This time the plan is to do the Camino del Norte, starting from the French border, near San Sebastián.  No attempt to ride French trains this year, San Sebastian has an airport, although no direct flights from the UK so I spend a few hours in Barcelona - not exactly a bad thing.  Indeed I have enough time to walk out of the airport and buy a cheap lunch from Lidl...

San Sebastián airport is to the east of the city, so close to the border and my start point, most convenient.  A good view from the plane as I approach too, we fly along the French coast, which I recall cycling along, wow, eight years ago.  Easy to leave the airport after a domestic flight, and a short walk to my hotel in Irún, a nice place I must say.  It does prove a bit tricky to find some dinner, plenty of bars but most just have dubious tapas, and while one is also a restaurant the service is so bad that I walk out.  Fortunately there is perfectly adequate bocadillo not far away.

Time to walk then, although first I want to get a pilgrim passport, apparently a local church does them, so I go there but they are not going to open until 10:30, OK, might as well walk some of the route then.  I wanted to start from the French border anyway, reaching it I am not surprised to find the bridge I crossed back on that long cycle.  There are familiar blue and yellow signs, the route leads me back to the church which is still shut, OK, I will go and buy some food for lunch, this takes a while as it is labour day, so most places are shut.  But finally the church opens, I get my credencial, and walk out of Irún, retracing my route from the airport for a while before heading out of town.

Not long out of Irún, I hit a footpath, and wow, this is not the flat, well built type of path I spent so much time on last time.  No, this is a steep slope of mud and rocks, with a stream running down it, because it is raining.  I could be in the UK!  Well, this is fun for me, I climb up and walk a high ridge, there are views down to the sea, all good.  It rains much of the day, but I can cope, and it is pretty cool to descend to an inlet where I need to take a short ferry journey to continue.  My hostel today is a fair way from the route, so plenty of walking through the cheaper bits of San Sebastián, seems nice enough, as is the hostel, for all that it is located on the ground floor of an apartment building.