Onward to Camino Del Norte

 

Just a few days until our Camino Del Norte adventure. I am excited and a little fearful, traveling in a foreign language, although I have been diligent with my Spanish lessons. Lauren is in the other room resting from all our prep work. We leave in a few days. This ancient pilgrimage, stretching from the border of France across the coast of Galicia to Bilbao, onward to Oviedo, and then over the mountains to Satiago de Compostela ought to be an exciting experience that will leave Lauren and I ready to come back again…IF we make it across the trek in mostly one piece. If all goes according to plan, we will be covering around 575 miles on the Camino Del Norte, Camino Primitivo, and Camino de Finisterre.

The Camino Del Norte, or the Northern Way, is a lesser-traveled route in comparison to its more famous counterpart, the Camino Frances. However, it is precisely this scenic solitude that drove Lauren and I to select this route out of the collection of trails that make up the Camino network. We are looking forward to the coastal walk of the Spanish countryside. I am excited to walk through the small towns, rich in history, and hopefully I will get to see some old herdsman walking the cobbled paths with a stick in hand herding cattle through town. Lauren is excited to uncover the hidden nooks where we can rejuvenate while sipping on a café con leche and watching the Spanish life roll past.

Our journey will begin in the coastal town of Irún, in the beauty of the Basque Country, not quite French, not quite Spanish, but almost a country of its own. From there, we will traverse the coastal hills and valleys of Cantabria, taking in the experience with maybe a dip or two in the ocean. The Camino Del Norte passes through the historic cities of Santillana del Mar and Comillas, where we will undoubtedly indulge in the local cuisine. Onward into Asturias, where we will connect to the Camino Primitivo and hike through the city of Oviedo.

After we arrive at the common endpoint for Camino hikers in the city of Camino de Santiago, where the remains of Saint James are said to be entombed, Lauren and I will walk the Camino de Finisterre. The added four or five days will take us to “The End of the Earth” at the Cape of Finisterre, the westernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula. The Camino de Finisterre is known to be a common secondary route traveled by many pilgrims who choose to extend their journey by continuing to the nearby lighthouse at Fisterra, which is the true western end of the Camino de Santiago.

For many hikers, the Camino is more than just a physical journey and cultural experience; it is a trip of self-discovery and transformation. As we walk the historic path, I wonder what sort of transformations Lauren and I might experience. We are both going in with little expectations, and are electing to approach the trail the same way as we did with the Pacific Crest Trail and Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. We are here to try to push ourselves from point A to point B, and we are open to letting the trail teach us whatever we are most receptive to learning.

Join us on this extraordinary adventure. I hope to post video updates on our YouTube channel, so you can follow along there.

https://www.youtube.com/@aslowerplace