The rain in Spain may or may not fall mainly on the plain.
But as I found out during a hike across the northernmost part of the country this spring, it definitely rains a lot on the coast.
In fact, by Day 3 of my adventure, I was so tired of battling the continual downpours and Spain’s slippery, adobe-like mud, that I was sorely tempted to to catch a bus south to switch to a drier route.
Glad I stayed the course, though, because after the precipitation eased on Day 4, I was finally able to enjoy the spectacular seascapes and other pastoral scenery for which this part of Spain is famous.
The food, wine, architecture—and the opportunity to meet so many kind and generous Spaniards and fellow hikers from all over the world—added to making this one of my most memorable adventures ever. I also enjoyed that I was able to live pretty darn large on a budget of anywhere from €30 to €50 per day.
The actual hike I did started in Irun, a Basque town on Spain’s eastern border with France. My route was a linkup of two of Spain’s major Catholic pilgrimage routes—the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo. All of Spain’s camino routes eventually go to Santiago de Compestela, where the remains of the apostle James are reported to be buried in the cathedral. Some Catholics believe that by hiking one of Spain’s pilgrimage routes they will earn a place in heaven.
The Norte and Primitivo routes are considered to be among Spain’s most challenging caminos, because both require a lot of climbing. The elevation gain for the 827.2-kilometer linkup of the two routes was 66,437 feet. I hiked the routes May 12-June 17.
The Norte part of the route follows the Cantabrian Sea coastline 471 kilometers from Irun to Villaviciosa, Spain’s sidra (apple cider) capital. Some of the larger towns along the way include San Sebastian, Bilbao and Santander.
To access the Primitivo, Spain’s original Catholic pilgrimage route first walked in the 9th century, I hiked 44.5 kilometers south from Villaviciosa to Oviedo, where the Primitivo officially starts outside the city’s magnificent cathedral. Oviedo and Lugo are the two larger cities on this route. For me, both of these cities warrant another visit for additional exploration.
Camino veterans say the top cause of hiking failure is being overly ambitious at the beginning. Pushing too hard can result in blisters and other crippling foot and leg injuries. So I took my time trying to get used to hiking long days carrying my 17-pound backpack.
The longest I hiked was 24 miles in a single day, in an ill-advised effort to keep up with two younger and overly ambitious hiking partners. (One of these partners suffered such bad blisters on his feet that he had to take several days off to recover.) I took no rest (zero) days but did several short (nearo) days of 10 miles or less. I averaged 22.4 kilometers (or 14 miles) a day.
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| Route ferry |
I credit the fact that I suffered no blisters or other foot or leg injuries to wearing Chaco sandals with Ininji toe socks. These sandals are very airy and comfortable for me. The vast majority of my shoe-or-boot-clad fellow camino hikers seemed to have at least some blisters. Some, their legs crisscrossed with colorful kinesiology tape, were limping in agony.
I was glad that I took the trouble to learn rudimentary Spanish before this trip, because English is not widely spoken on the Primitivo, not even among caminantes hiking the route.
I also noticed that there are not as many restaurants and bars on the Primitivo as there are on more popular routes, such as the Camino Frances—the camino I hiked last fall. There were plenty of places to eat and get fresh water on the French route. Not so on the Primitivo. One weekday morning on the Primitivo I had to walk 15 kilometers to get breakfast. In the smaller Primitivo towns, many of the markets and restaurants are shuttered on Sundays. So I learned to pack food and stay in albergues that provide meal service on the christian sabbath.
Like many other caminantes, I started this trek solo but found it easy to link up with hiking companions along the way, including Peter, a marketing executive and artist from the UK, and Jose, a retired judge from Brazil who spoke fluent Portugese and Spanish but zero English. I also hiked for a few days with a group of French caminantes. Only one of the group’s members—Claude—was fluent in English.
In a testament to how safe Spain is, many of my fellow peregrinos on the Norte and Primitivo were single women.
In most camino towns on the Norte and Primitivo, bunks were available on a first-come, first-served basis for less than €10 at sometimes-spartan municipal albergues.
But I often booked slightly-more expensive beds in private albergues, preferring those that offered group dinners and breakfasts. The group dinners are a lot of fun and great for getting to know fellow peregrinos.
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| Marit, Peter |
When I was hiking with Jose, we stopped most afternoons to enjoy a large, three-course peregrino lunch (almuerzo), including dessert and a bottle of wine, generally for €15 or less. We found that the peregrino specials in the smaller towns were often better than the ones in the larger cities. Lots of camino restaurants shut down for siesta between 4 pm and 8
pm. So the wise pilgrims eat their big meals early when they can.
Some my favorite regular dishes included fabada (Asturian white bean and pork soup), caldo (Galician bean soup with cabbage and potatoes) and pulpo (octopus).
One of the trip’s most most memorable meals for me was served at the farm-based A Pocina de Muniz albergue in the tiny village of Vilar de Cas. The meal featured fabada, salad, the farm’s own beef, and artisanal cheeses with quince jam.
A Pocina is a three-generation family operation, and one of the nicest albergues I’ve ever stayed at.
Other albergues I enjoyed and recommend include:
Albergue de Peregrinos de Bodenaya. David and Celia are simply the sweetest hosts ever. This one is a donativo, meaning pilgrims are free to pay however much they like. Great vegetarian meal the night I was there.
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| Jose |
Albergue de Peregrinos Villa de Grado. The nicest, cleanest municipal albergue I’ve stayed at. There was fresh fruit and cookies for hungry peregrinos, and a spinner to help dry hand-washed hiking clothes.
Albergue Piedad, Boo de Pielagos. The co-owned bar/restaurant was on the other side of the patio. Nothing hits the spot after a long hot hike than a cold cerveza. Estrella Galicia is very, very good.
Albergue de peregrinos de Santullan, Castro-Urdiales. Loved hostess Eloisa and her perro. Immaculate facilities. Well done, senora.
In Santiago, I stayed for several days at the Hospederia San Martin Pinario, a charming 16th century former Benedictine monastery. For €55 per night, I got a private room with a private bathroom, including an all-you-can-eat breakfast. It’s right next to the cathedral. It was the perfect place to catch up on my naps after I picked up my compestela, or certificate of completion.
Pro tip: If you do this route, don’t forget the rain gear.
Next on the Spanish bucket list for me: the 962-kilometer Via de la Plata, starting in Seville, March 2024.
Eat, sleep, hike!
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