Spain Camino del Norte

Cantabrian Coast, Spain · Spain

Moderate35 daysEurope~£900 est.

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Overview

The Camino del Norte is the pilgrim route for people who would choose a cliff over a wheatfield: 830 km along Spain's green northern coast from Irun to Santiago, five weeks of Basque headlands, Cantabrian fishing ports and Asturian cider country, with the sea at your right shoulder most of the way to Galicia. The first week alone earns the trip — over the hills to San Sebastián's La Concha, the tilted flysch cliffs at Zumaia, and into Bilbao past the Guggenheim. The Norte's catch is spacing: albergues are thinner on the ground than on the Camino Francés, so stages regularly run 25-35 km, and the route climbs and drops relentlessly for a nominally coastal path. Rain is possible any month — green Spain is green for a reason — and the credencial needs its daily stamps for your Compostela in Santiago. April-June and September-October dodge the crowds and the worst heat. Budget £900-1,200 at pilgrim pace: municipal albergues at €10-15, menú del día lunches, and the occasional pensión when the Atlantic empties on you.