CAMINO DELLA COSTA O DEL NORTE

Ringrazio l'amico Gareth Bodrell che ha tradotto questa pagina in lingua inglese

I walked this route this year.  I left on the 15^th May but had to come home as I experienced problems with my legs after having walked 400km in 12 days.  I left again on 21^st August, arriving in Santiago on 4^th September.  From there I carried straight on to Finisterre, where I arrived on 6^th September. 
The description of the journey is affected to some extent by the different periods in which I followed the Camino.

General Points
The “Camino de la Costa”  was the first pilgrimage route to Santiago, since the ships arriving from Northern Europe found easy mooring in the ports of Northern Spain.  In addition, in the centuries immediately following the discovery of the tomb of Saint James, this route passed in its entirety through Christian kingdoms, and therefore offered protection from the Moors who then controlled the majority of Spain.  In the following centuries, with the conquest of territory, the area controlled by the Christians expanded Southwards and pilgrims preferred to follow the route Roncesvalles / Pamplona / Burgos / León (el Camino Francés), which was easier to follow and was considered more convenient.

Geography and Geomorphology

The Camino crosses the regions of the North: Euskadi (the Basque Country), Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia. It begins at Irún (Franco-Spanish border) and it generally follows the coast with some deviations inland.  When it reaches Galicia it turns decisively South-West towards Santiago de Compostela crossing central Galicia.  There are almost no plains; the coastal strip consists of hills which plunge into the sea, large beaches are found generally at the mouths of rivers.  From the first day’s walking you encounter “rías” deep inlets formed by valleys submerged by the sea. Inland the “Cordillera Cantabrica” runs on from the Pyrenees creating a barrier between the Coast and the Spanish interior.  The climate is affected by the Atlantic: there are many days of rain, cool temperatures, changeable weather and constant wind.  There are vast wooded areas, a small amount of agricultural land and large areas of grazing.  In general, the landscape is more typically alpine than the stereotypical image of  Spain.

Hospitality
Any pilgrim who has previously walked the “Camino Francés”  will find the “Camino de la Costa” (and particularly the first part)  to be a very different proposition. There are far fewer albergues.  In the Basque Country there are no true albergues: you can stay in Zenzarruta Monastery, otherwise you must rely on Youth Hostels or find private lodgings.  There are some albergues in Cantabria but some areas are not covered.  The situation improves notably in Asturias and Galicia where there is a network of albergues maintained by the regional government.

Pilgrims
I met few other pilgrims: this was partly due to the time of year but, looking through the guestbooks in the albergues, I saw that even in July and the first half of August (the most crowded period) the number of pilgrims was not high except when a large group of pilgrims passed together.  Avoiding the crowds is certainly a positive aspect, but being alone in the albergues is quite depressing.  It shouldn’t be forgotten that the relationships and friendships between pilgrims are one of the most rewarding parts of the Camino.

The Yellow Arrows
The Camino is well marked in some areas, but in others the arrows disappear whilst in others still, they send you on illogical routes purely designed to take you off the main road, but which greatly extend the distance to be walked.  Clearly, there is no co-ordination of the signposting of the Camino. Thirdly, much of the Camino is on tarmac roads, which at times don’t have much traffic, but sometimes do.
As a result you need to have quite detailed maps and as precise a description of the Camino as possible, to avoid going off course. you should also always pay attention at crossroads and check for yellow arrows.

Asking for information: What a problem

Without the above you will have to ask for directions, which is often a serious problem: although everybody may know the Camino Francés, not everyone, in fact very few know the Camino del Norte.  Many people, particularly young people, have never noticed the yellow arrows along their roads.  I received all manner of answers when asking  for directions: on occasions I was directed to the motorway.  If I pointed out that I was walking they appeared confused and directed me to the “A” road.  On other occasions they did not know of the existence of a pilgrimage route.
I formed the opinion that old men were the most reliable group of people to glean information from, whilst young people were the most unreliable.
In order to get good information you should learn some key phrases / terminology (see mini dictionary)

The Route
You should bear in mind that the Camino runs parallel to the “A” road (Carretera Nacional) the N634 and on a number of occasions crosses it.  The Cantabrian motorway has been completed in the last few years.  This runs more or less parallel to the coast and the N634 and has also interrupted the old route of the Camino at a number of points.
The artificially tortuous nature of some stretches does make the Camino del Norte some 50 km longer than the Camino Francés.  Although there are no large climbs, the route is often continuously undulating and this can make even apparently easy stretches difficult.

Conclusions
All of the above go to make the Camino del Norte, and particularly the first part, “harder” than the Camino Francés, because of the greater distance, the continuous undulations and the “psychological” difficulties of always having to consult a map, to ask for directions, to look for a place to sleep almost every day and finally because of the loneliness.  The lack of a complete guide is another quite considerable problem: the information I give on this site may be of assistance but it is certainly not exhaustive, particularly because of the lack of a section with maps. The lack of albergues and the reduced number of pilgrims together with the fewer historic traces of the Camino make this route less suggestive and less “spiritual” than the Camino Francés.  On the other hand the landscape is very varied and beautiful.  I wouldn’t wish to dissuade anyone from following this route: on the contrary I would simply suggest you consider its particular characteristics. Finally, I would recommend that you do it in the company of others.

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