Category: 2022 Camino del Norte

Wed Oct 5. Bilbao to Poverno, 8 hours. 23km.

Getting out of a b-i-g city onto the Yellow Arrowed routes tends to be an undertaking because one’s booked accommodation is usually off the marked path. Generally as one enters a big city, one veers off on a direct route to one’s lodging using a map app.

There are Camino Apps that gets one back. We use a guidebook that outlined 4 possible routes and choose the one that our hotel was closest to.

We departed our lodging at 7.40am and our route took us by the Guggenheim Museum. Catching the morning rays off the exterior was cool.

Our route takes us along the river on the opposite bank. We crossed over on a bridge. The sidewalk was very broad. We did stop at a cafe that was opened that was on an inner street that was within 200m of the sidewalk.

The walk along the sidewalk would be to Las Arenas, about 8.4 km away. We opted to tanned an Euro 0.45 per person water taxi to the other side of the river, the Portugalete area. Our guidebook mis-printed the fares on the Puente Colgante by one decimal point as Euro 5.00 when it was Euro 0.50. Besides passengers, latter has space for 4 vehicles.

As we disembarked from the water taxi and wandered around the nearby square, searching for the Yellow Arrows, a gentleman approached us and started talking with us in various languages, starting with Japanese. Turns out he had an interest in languages and even knew a few words in Bahasa! Including the personal pronoun “I” used only by Malay royalty.

When we asked for directions, he shared there were two routes, one over the mountain (which our guidebook mentioned) and a coastal route! Our adventures began when we opted for latter.

This route would be about 12km, all the way to Pobena. In the early stages, it was a very enjoyable walk. Broad sidewalks with nearby cafes and restaurants. But as we got further out, the signs were much fewer and far in between.

We had to start relying on our maps app but had to backtrack when latter guided us to walk on a major road that had no sidewalks. So, we backtracked to the last Yellow Arrow that led down an alternative route. And then there were no other arrows that we could spot.

There’s a nature within us that seeks Security/Control, Independence/Power & Happiness. Situations such as above may cause anxiety. In allowing ourselves to be surprised, we allow Divine Providence to show up.

After studying the maps app, I deduced that a possible route was nearer the coastline. As we walked towards it, we saw two ladies coming from the direction. So we asked them, first in the stock Spanish phrase that I had memorized on where is the El Camino Way. Fortunately one of them was able to speak English. The other was an out of town friend of hers who did not know English.

After discussing asking themselves and consulting their own phones, they offered to drive us 3km up to a point where Loli (who speaks English) could point out the route (that she thought would lead us to Pobeno). Turns out they were nurses (the friend’s name is Monica).

We called them our angels!

What turns mis-adventures into adventures is accepting that I don’t always have to be in control. It’s accepting that surprises turn out in all shapes and sizes.

Thursday Oct 6. Pobena to Islares. 8 hrs 15 mins. 17km.

Today’s hike was one of the best, in terms of scenery as well as relative ease of terrain. We waited till 8am to leave our lodging Casa Rural Mugarri as it would be bright enough.

The start was a climb up about 120 steps according to the inn keeper. We prefer that to clambering over a mountain side trail that’s rocky and uneven. But once we reached the top, we had great views of the ocean and beach. The views got better as we walked along the coastline. This went on for more than an hour! There were no winds buffeting us, so it really was one of our most enjoyable walks.

Eventually we had to swing inland. And started walking alongside major roads. By checking Google Maps, I spotted two cafes that seemed to be open as we did not have any hot breakfast yet. We opted for the first one even though that was 100m out of the way as I had high confidence it would be open since there was a road sign pointing towards it and from the map, it was likely frequented by truckers. Voila, we had our hot breakfast at 10.20am. This decision proved correct because the second cafe did not appear to be open.

Sometimes we can go on auto-pilot in Life and on the Camino. In the latter case, it’s following the tried and Yellow Arrowed marked route. And mostly that’s goodness. But our guidebook recommended that we veer off the conventional route into Onton as that would continue us walking next to the major road. Rather it recommended going off onto a dirt road about 500m from Onton. How is one supposed to know that one is 500m from a destination that is ahead without any road signs?

Well, we knew that we were looking for a dirt path to the right as we walked towards Onton. Well, Someone up above arranged for a jogger to suddenly appear on the road running towards us. He seemed to jump out from the right side of the road.

This path led us to a beach. Where there was a grotto with the Virgin of Miono. We ascended shortly after that with a helpful Yellow Arrow painted on the road.

We all need our own ‘routes less traveled.’ That’s part of the Joy of Life, to sometimes wander with a carefree disposition.

Friday Oct 7. Islares. 0 km Camino walking.

Our second night stay in the same lodging. Not having to unpack every night, and pack every morning is a small luxury. It’s also one of the biggest attractions why people take cruises. We have met people who have taken double digit cruises as a preferred way of vacationing!

We woke up about 30 mins later than usual this mornig, i.e. 7am. Perhaps our bodies have been conditioned for an early wake up, that we cannot sleep in?

We decided to take a bus into Castro Urdiales as Islares is really a small sleepy town with not much. Google Maps is must-have app as it shows the directions to the transit point (i.e. bus stop in this case) plus the buses (schedules, bus #). Using Google Translate, I was able to confirm with a local lady who came a few minutes later, that this was the right bus stop to catch the bus to C-D. Again, she later confirm the bus must be running late, as the printed schedule on the bus stop showed an earlier schedule than Google Maps (fortunately, latter was correct, otherwise, we would have an hour’s wait).

When asked which is their favorite season of the year, almost everyone will have a response and reasons why. A similar question in the same vein is which time of the day is one’s favorite?

I know many catch the sun set, but not many catch the sun rise. But from a photographic perspective, the morning sun shines the best soft light on objects. See if you agree from the following pictures.

We did walk in C-D; and Joon’s Fitbit buzzed that 10,000 step marker soon enough. We ended up with 14,000 steps (yesterday, we clocked in at 40,000 steps!).

We enjoyed being tourists for the morning – checking out the sights, taking pictures, having cafe con leche and cafe solo with pincos at a sidewalk table, people watching, popping into the various panaderia to wonder at the range of pastries, and taking advantage of the ‘menu del dia’ (menu of the day – which comes with 1st, 2nd courses, bread, dessert and water or table wine). One cultural difference is that the restaurants (in general) ask us to re-use our silverware from 1st course. Imagine the amount of water, soap and labor saved if America adopted this for non-5 star restaurants!

The rest of the afternoon was some logistics planning. Earlier in the morning, I had posted on a Camino Forum a question about an upcoming coastal route. These Camino Forums are a wonderful resource of real life experiences. I had already booked a hotel on an inland route, and I was trying to assess if we could do the longer coastal route, as it seemed there was no accommodation options. To cut a long story short, I got a response, was able to re-arrange all my bookings for that stretch without any cancellation fees! Timing is everything.

Getting back to our hotel in Islares was a bit of adventure. Google Maps indicated we needed two buses (I suspect it didn’t have the local bus line in their system). So, we opted to walk about a km to a spot that we knew for sure, the return bus will pass by. Before we got to that target spot, we came across a bus stop, and a bus pulled up. I asked the driver whether it was going to Islares, she responded in Spanish that I should be waiting for Line 2 bus. The doors closed before I could sign-language whether this was the right bus stop. Well, what happened next was amazing. As the bus pulled away, I could see an old lady seated behind the bus driver gesturing to me that we have to walk further up to a different bus stop to catch Line 2. As we walked further upwards, Joon looked backwards (why?) and caught sight of Line 2 bus coming up. I was further ahead, and when I heard her called out, I saw the bus and instinctively put out my hand. Mind you, we were not at the next bus stop yet. The bus pulled to a screeching stop to let us in. The driver confirmed it was going to Islares. Second wonder! Is this all luck?

Finally, a Rest Day will be incomplete without restoring our inner spiritual balance. We spent time in the morning in Iglesia Santa Maria de la Asuncion. Joon spotted this hidden inside a gated chapel.

Mon Oct 10. Guemes to Santander. 15km + ferry ride. 5.5 hrs.

It’s jarring when one is getting used to the small villages and towns, to suddenly land in a big city like Santander. People moving around you, non-stop traffic on the roads, the cacophony of consumerism calling out from all the retail shops. Keeping one’s ‘balance’ is important as we walk; but I am getting ahead of myself.

Since we had a shorter walk today, we decided to have coffee plus some local cake at Posada Villa de Guemes before setting out. It was a change of pace, to be served in fine cups and enjoy the setting.

Walking out of Guemes at 8.30am was along the 2 lane road. There wasn’t much traffic against us. The walk was pleasant, cool and refreshing. We passed mainly countryside, residential areas in Galizano before coming to the coastal route.

This route was very uplifting. The weather was overcast, which meant there wasn’t much direct sun. But that meant blue skies were also a rarity. The coastal route passed along beaches and cliffs.

Why ‘balance’ as today’s theme? Look at the next picture and see what’s unusual.

It’s very rare for prime land like this to be kept for agriculture. In many countries, it would not be surprising to see commercial or residential developments.

Balance. Man using the land for cultivation purposes rather than development.

Balance. Living in the Present and Preparing for the Future. The Future will come to us, Day by Day, until there is no more Day.

Balance. We ended our day with a 6.30pm service at the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asunción de Santander.

Wed Oct 12. Santander to Soto de la Marina. 20km. 5.5 hrs (excluding rest stops).

Our two night stay at Alojamientos Cantiber was one of the great values in our Camino (with discount, Euro 46 per night). Their generous breakfast spread provided enough sustenance for a great start to our walk.

Raul, who had greeted us the first day, and is an attentive host, provided directions on getting the Bus Line #1 or #2 to Parque de Mesones, which is at the end of the beach and the start of the coastal path/route. This saved us about 2.5-3.0km walking through the city center.

This coastal route from Santander to Boos de Pielagos is not the “official” Camino route, which is inland. It’s also much longer, 31.7km vs the 13.7km on the inland route. Thus, we decided to spend a night at Soto de la Marina, which is about 20km from Santander. This coastal route is not “Yellow Arrowed” though one does find sporadic yellow arrows at cross roads. However, because others have recorded and uploaded/shared their trek, I downloaded the GPX files and used Wikiloc App on my phone as the directional guidance. I only realized as we were about 5km from Soto de la Marina that leaving the Internet on was rapidly draining my phone battery. One can use the Wikiloc without Internet as it’s GPS signals only. Live and Learn.

Post edit: It wasn’t the Internet that was draining my battery but recording my own trek on Wikiloc!

We reached Parque de Mesones about 8.20am. The weather forecast was overcast with 40% chance of rain about 1-2pm (it was dry throughout our walk!). We climbed a flight of steps that brought us to a paved walkway, that was about 50 feet above sea level. The elevation for the beginning walk was in this range to about 100 feet. This allows one to be ‘closer’ to the action (‘waves’).

In the early part of the walk, we got to a promontory, which allowed us to look back at the beach and part of the city. The rock formations were striking, with white waves crashing upon them. The sun had yet to break through the heavy cloud cover.

There were a handful of walkers and runners, but we pretty much had the path to ourselves. This walkway will pass the lighthouse, Faro de Cabo Mayor.

The walk for the first 5km or so was on paved walkways. It gradually turned into dirt paths and stony/muddy paths. We were fortunate that it did not rain today. The views continued to be breath taking and we opted to stop at multiple points and soak in the experience.

As we walked, we noticed some men walking amongst the bushes and undergrowth. They were seeking or hunting for something as they wore gloves and were carrying plastic bags. We saw men also raking and trucking dried seaweed off the beaches.

The Generosity of Mother Nature, in giving us a no-charge therapeutic environment.

Thursday Oct 13. Soto de Mayor to Santillana Del Mar. 6.5 hours. Estimated 20km walking as we took a train between Boo and Barreda.

We decided to have a simple breakfast of coffee and pastry s as we checked out. That was wise as that was the only coffee for the day as there were no other cafes along the remainder of the coastal route!

Fortunately we did not need to backtrack the way we entered Soto de Mayor but was able to join up further the coastal route. The joining was at the Playa de San Juan de La Canal. We reached the Playa at 8.37am as the sun was rising. Within 10 minutes after that, the sun was hidden by the thick overcast clouds!

For the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon, we didn’t see Mr. Sun again. It made for a cool walk along the coast. The climb wasn’t terribly difficult, likely within 200-250 feet.

One thing that stood out during today’s walk was the rock formations in the sea that remained as the Ice Age retreated millions of years ago. The oldest formation was estimated to be 135 millions years old!

Once we turned in from the coast line, we walked through a forest on nice cushioned dirt paths! The trees have great shade. We exited the forest to Boo de Pielagos. From there we took a train to Barreda. The rest of the walk was along roads and through residential areas, small towns, countryside before reaching Santillana.

Friday Oct 14. Santillana Del Mar to Comillas. 7 hours (including lunch stop 40 mins); 22.5km.

Yesterday late afternoon, after checking in at 3.10pm, we freshen up and rested as it was siesta time and things are closed. We made our way to the Colegiata de Santa Juliana to visit before it closes at 6pm. After the visit, as we wandered around the ‘medieval’ part of Santillana Del Mar, we were totally exhausted. There was no way we could wait till 8pm for restaurants to offer the dinner menu.

Fortunately, we found a smaller establishment that offered entree meals at this hour that was minutes from our hotel. So, we are heartily (I had a stewed half chicken). We quickly realized the issue. Because we were walking coastal routes, without stopping for a proper lunch, we had exhausted our body’s store. A change in strategy was needed!

This morning, we decided to have a proper breakfast at the same establishment that we had dinner. We shared a tuna empanada (Euro 5). I had a cup of hot chocolate which totally floored me. In USA, this would be made from cocoa powder with water or milk. I had real chocolate!

As we started our walk at 8.30am, one of the first signs we saw in Santillana was this. It became a guiding light for the day.

This message came at the right time. I was wrestling with mental fatigue. It came about from the daily exertions, dealing with getting meals before kitchens open at 8pm, and planning ahead (accommodations, unique situations, alternative routing, etc.) Thus, this “Carpe Diem” sign had a significance for me beyond the literal meaning. And that was very much needed. In Life, fatigue can easily degenerate into something worse. A Carpe Diem moment with loved ones might just be the tonic!

The walk in the mooring was very refreshing. In the main, the walk was on country roads with little to no traffic at times. As one looks around at the diffused lighting., the soft pastel colors does reveal how the old masters were influenced in their paintings.

As we reached Cobreces, there was two route options. We decided based on the perceived length of the routes, to take the shorter route. The two routes would reconnect further along. We forgot to note that the shorter route would take us past a Playa (beach). We learnt that means a descent and subsequent ascent!

As we approached the Playa, there was a restaurant with a patio overlooking the beach. Keeping to the theme of the day, we seized the opportunity to stop for lunch. Again, fortune was with us as the lunch menu was only available at 1pm, which would have required a wait of 30 minutes. But the cook agreed to take our orders at 12.30pm. Luck favors those who ask!

After lunch, we climb uphill and walked on some roads that passed residential homes. The temperatures were also climbing with us, Pat the forecast of 71F to 73F. It was taking some effort especially with an uphill ascent on hot asphalt roads. We spotted an ermitage at the top of a 4-way intersection. We planned to rest a bit in the shadow of said structure.

Having rested and prayed, we soldiered on to our lodging.

Postscript – We met Mary from outside Brisbane, Australia at a cafe. We walked and chatted with her a bit. Yesterday we met a Spaniard named Josea (Joseph in English)!

To seize the day is a mind set, an attitude and most importantly, a grateful heart.