El Camino del Norte : San Sebastián to Bilbao

Kilometres this section : 123

Kilometres completed : 151

Early morning in San Sebastián.

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.

Rather pretty around here.

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 tough work.  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.

Simon Bolivar monument.

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...

Gernika.  Or Guernica, in Castilian Spanish.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.