Camino de Santiago Route Reveal!
Just a few short days ago, we announced that we were in Spain, doing a bit of exploring in Barcelona before we begin the Camino de Santiago.
You may also remember me noting that the Camino is not a singular trail or path, but actually a pilgrimage with many route options. Something like this:
Image credit: thecaminoprovides.com
Choices, choices.
THE MOST POPULAR ROUTES
Though there are several routes, there are a handful that emerge as the most popular, which means they are traveled well enough to be well marked and offer plenty of accommodation, restaurants, and other necessary services along the way.
Since we decided to leave misery behind on the CDT, it only stands to reason that we’d like it to be relatively simple to obtain beds and meal at the end of the day - not to mention a meal or so during the day - and maybe even a midmorning coffee. All this to say, we were keen on choosing a route with ample services.
Map of the most common routes of the Camino de Santiago. Map credit: stingynomads.com.
A few that stood out:
Camino Frances
Camino Frances. Map credit: pilgrim.es.
The most popular route, which many people are referencing when they say they are hiking ‘the Camino de Santiago’ - is the Camino Frances, or the French Way. This route starts (as you may have guessed) on the other side of the border in France - in Saint Jean Pied de Port - crosses over the Pyrenees, and takes a northern (but not coastal) route to Santiago de Compostela.
This is the most famous and popular of all the routes, with nearly 60-70% of pilgrims walking this route to Santiago de Compostela. The full route from Saint Jean Pied de Port is about 480 miles (~773km), making it one of the longer routes.
Pros: the most historic route, varied landscapes, very social, very well supported, Pyrenees!, mix of easy and difficult stages
Cons: very busy and crowded, particularly in the high season, harder to get a spot in the public albergues (pilgrim lodging)
Portuguese Way
Portuguese Way. (Map oriented with west at the top). Map credit: pilgrim.es.
The Portuguese Way, you guessed it, heads to Santiago de Compostela through Portugal, with three main starting points: Lisbon, Porto, and Tui. This route has a number of possible detours and options, including both inland and coastal routes. The longest option, from Lisbon, is about 372 miles (600km).
Pros: varied route options, vineyards, safe and well-populated areas with good services, fairly easy stages
Cons: fewer albergues (pilgrim lodging) than the French route
Camino del Norte
Camino del Norte. Map credit: pilgrim.es.
The Camino del Norte is the northernmost route in Spain, beginning in the border town of Irún and traveling along the coast before dropping southward through Galicia to Santiago de Compostela. The route traverses diverse landscapes through the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia and travels through some beautiful Spanish cities and fishing villages. The Camino del Norte is 497 miles (800km), making it the second longest route after the Via de la Plata.
Pros: coastal & mountain stages/scenery, diverse landscapes, great food, fewer people, option to combine routes (with Camino Primitivo)
Cons: fewer albergues (pilgrim lodging) than the French route, quietest of the routes (could be a pro or a con, really)
Camino Primitivo
Camino Primitivo route. Map credit: pilgrim.es
The Camino Primitivo is the oldest of the Camino routes, and - while the name may suggest that it is primitive, ‘primitivo’ simply means ‘original’. The route starts in Oviedo, which is not too far south from the Camino del Norte, so there is a chance to combine the two routes if desired. It mostly avoids paved roads, traversing challenging mountain stages with significant ascents and descents. The route is 200 miles (323km).
Pros: well established/marked, good network of albergues, rich history, natural beauty, challenging mountain sections, away from cities
Cons: hard stages with tough ascents and steep descents, sometimes muddy tracks, fairly short on its own (at least for what we’re looking for)
There are several other routes, but these are the main four that we looked into. When we’d looked into the Camino in the past, we thought we would likely do the Camino Frances some day – and maybe we will – but for this go, we’ve decided on...
THE ROUTE REVEAL YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR...
The Camino del Norte!
Our main motivation for steering away from the Camino Frances is that it’s become very popular - too popular - and will likely be overcrowded, especially as we are nearing the high season (July-August).
With this in mind, we started looking into some of the other routes and there was a lot to like about the Camino del Norte.
As noted above, while the route primarily travels along the coast, following the Cantabrian Sea, not all of the stages walk along the sea, and there is a good mix of coastal, mountain, and green landscapes and scenery, which appeals to us. The route is noted by many to have the most beautiful landscapes of all the route options.
Main cities/towns along the Camino del Norte. Image credit: caminodelnorte.home.blog
The terrain will vary between flat and mountainous stages (sections), which will provide a bit of variety, and – in addition to the beautiful landscape, the route crosses through charming fishing villages and some of northern Spain’s most fantastic coastal cities, including San Sebastián, Bilbao, and Santander.
The route will travel through Spain’s northernmost territories – Basque, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia – each a host of rich history, unique culture, and even different languages. Separatist movements are strong in at least two of the regions, which also adds an interesting dynamic to learn a bit more about as we travel through.
As if we needed any more reasons to take this route, it’s also known for its gastronomy. Nearly everything I’ve read about the Camino del Norte manages to mention that northern Spain has some of the most amazing food in the world. San Sebastián is one of Europe’s top cities for Michelin-starred restaurants. Anything we eat along this route will certainly be a step up from packaged ramens and granola bars.
Photo credit: caminoways.com
Finally, while this route is noted to be the quietest of the main routes, it’s been gaining in popularity. We’re hoping this equates to some sort of happy medium. Not so many pilgrims that there are issues with crowding when it’s time to find lodging for the night, but also enough hikers around for a good level of social interaction. We’ll see what we get!
Great food. Spectacular scenery. Beaches. What more do you need?
THE PLAN
As noted above, the Camino del Norte is one of the longer routes at just shy of 500 miles. For each of the routes, the mileage is broken down into “stages” which are basically just the sections that you hike each day.
While there are some common start and end points (towns/cities) for each of the days/stages, there are also a lot of options depending on how far you want to hike each day. A bit of choose your own adventure.
For the Camino del Norte, the route is typically broken up into somewhere between 31-36+ stages, with an average mileage of about 15-16 miles per day (some days longer, some days shorter).
This means the whole route will likely take us about 5 weeks or so including some rest days, which we plan to take in some of the cities/towns that we’d like a bit more time to explore. Or just when we want a break!
Preparing for the Camino by eating giant pans of paella. Yum!
Though we have a general idea of what some of our stages might look like, we also very much want to go with the flow of how we feel each day, stopping for the day when we’re tired and taking extra time in areas that we love.
While our current plan is to hike the Camino del Norte in its entirety, as mentioned above – there is also an option to combine the route with the Camino Primitivo. Something we can decide as we get closer to that juncture.
AND - if we reach Santiago de Compostela and want to continue hiking a bit longer, there are also options for us to continue on to other routes that lead to the coast, or continue southward along the Portuguese Way.
BUT... one step at a time. First up, the Camino del Norte!!
Warming up for the Camino with a short hike at Montserrat.
We have a couple more days in Barcelona, then it’s on to the start of the Camino!
We catch the train north on Friday, at which point the daily blogs will commence, Get ready!
Buen Camino! Here we come!