About this route.

The journey from Irún to Santiago på Camino del Norte (The coastal route) is a physical demanding journey.

 

Already from day 1, the trail will test your physique.  “Climbing” up the mountains...  on wide tracks with room for it all and slim overgrown tracks, where your legs will be cut if you do not wear long trousers...

 

The trail is not always well marked. Some places are badly marked and other stretches are very well marked.  However it is easy to get lost….  With or with out the way markers…  (the arrows and the shells).  You cannot see the coast the whole way, in spite of the name “the coastal route”….   Some places you will walk in the water and other places you will have a perfect view of the ocean.

 

This journey will take you into the mountains, the eucalyptus forests, along the coast and on roads with heavy traffic.  I was not very pleased with walking on the roads… partly due to the heavy traffic but also…..  The asphalt is not kind to your tired feet.   At the same time, walking on the National roads, will remove the silence and the meditative/spiritual change you normally would feel, as you constantly have to aware of the traffic…  and “outer” journey instead of an inner journey. However…  You will feel the inner journey as soon as you get into the forest or along the coast (with no traffic)….   A wonderful feeling of your mind will working its own way and you will start to feel “lonely” (lovely)

 

If you do not like to be on your on for a longer period of time, this journey is not for you.  I met in total 20 pilgrims on this Camino…  every body travels at their own speed, the stay in different places…  some will go inland by Ribadesella and head for Oviedo and others like me will continue towards Ribadeo….  And then head inland for Santiago.  I chose to travel on a holy year, which means more pilgrims than normal travel this route.

 

It is amazingly beautiful....  I never found it tedious…. And if you ask me…  I would say Camino del Norte is much more beautiful than Camino Frances….  But it is also much harder…  These 2 Camino’s are not to be compared… it is 2 different journeys, different sceneries, different cultures, different experiences… and another completely different mental journey.

 

Along the way I felt ”tested”... By whom? I do not know (….. probably my self...?) – you can read about my journey here on my website.

 

If you can questions about this journey, please feel free to contact me.

camino@raunsbjerg.dk  (please write camino del Norte in the  subject line).