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Camino del Norte

April - June 2024
An open-ended adventure by anna-on-the-camino Read more
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  • TravelerCamino del Norte
    Day 10

    Albergue de pelegrinos de Pobeña

    April 27 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Up and out shortly after 7, the city empty and the air mild with the promise of a clear day. Off I go, alone for the first time, excited, and yes, I notice I'm a little nervous. Not of the road or the distance, not of being on my own or the threat of others, but the bed question: if you want to sleep in the public albergues you have to arrive before the last bed gets nabbed by someone else! They don't take bookings. But on the plus side it's dead cheap, either by fixed charge or 'donativo'. You should give apparently something like €10.

    Took the east side of the river, a shorter route and all on the flat, so that I would have the strength to go beyond the official stage today (Portugalete) and get to the albergue in Pobeña. I hopped onto the tree-lined grassy verges when I could, so as to avoid constant asphalt; 13 km of riverside industry this side of the river, and then 11km of towns and bypass bridges was a heck of a lot of man-made underfoot. But I enjoyed the views, all of them! Dilapidation and new-build, snazzy-ed up or merely functional, the route was well waymarked and varied. Vast shipbuilding areas made me feel like a midget!

    Nipped across from the east to the west side on the ferry, legged it up the steep hillside of Portugalete, took an 'alternative Camino' path so as to find food and drink, stumbled across some (mad?) women (or just happy/excited/hair-down/having fun: it seemed to be a hen-event-cum-pub-crawl for the friends of the mother of the girl getting married, where the fiancée herself sat looking bored to one side)("mother-hen" party?) dancing to a Mexican band, so joined them, of course, (and accepted a glass of cerveza - just because they offered ("the Camino provides", they say, and I'm absolutely prepared to let it); found 'rosy garlic' in the hedgerow, so pretty, later found myself walking alongside Andreas from Köln so we finished today's increasingly rural and pretty route together. Back at the seaside!

    And I got a bed! Alongside Anna-Maria from Switzerland, with a worryingly bad knee, and Elizabeth from Mannheim whose Camino partner was forced to abandon the trip with bad health so is continuing (nervously) alone. And 20 others, or so.
    For me, all is well.

    Here there are others from Mexico, Peru, Ireland, Holland, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany... Isn't it great?!    Read more

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
    11
    Day 11

    Oriñon

    April 28 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Long long day, too many impressions to note now. Decided to do the Big Hike, up the mountain instead of along the coastal shortcut; and was alone all day. It was glorious. Glorious. GLORIOUS.

    Lemon tree by the water fountain in Otañes; I took one to suck on and its sour-sweet made me feel really bright, buzzing, just 'yes!'.
    Santullan: stopped for a drink and bite at a bar, got chatting with a local who had studied in the US, met and married a Japanese lady there, two adult children now, etc etc, English teacher ... when I went to pay my bill I found he had already taken care of it!
    The woodland after Cerdigo, suddenly wild and rough after hours of made up paths, suddenly pretty, and intriguing, a distinctly ancient feel, after hours of new towns and buildings and streets; suddenly right at the ocean, vast and really really alive. Perfect, perfect.
    Courage to continue, Anna! Welcomed at the hostel with homemade soup and meat and fruit, with only 3 others, French, Jacques Joël, Bernard. For whom I had to translate.
    I'm really tired. 39km. Longest ever walk in a day.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
    Day 12

    Laredo

    April 29 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Day 12 Laredo
    Great fun with the French trio; we walked together all the way here, over the hills and down to the beach. At one point I lagged behind to take my fleece off, and as the path was at the side of the A road I decided to get my little fife out and have another go at playing as I walk. (I found playing in the forest too disturbing to the environment). The breathing is hard!
    They were apparently completely delighted with me: they stopped, waited, got their phones out and filmed me as I passed! So we continued together the rest of the way, singing and whistling tunes and them letting me in to their in-jokes, all in French don't you know, great fun, great fun.
    A hot sun but cold wind on the wide wide beach. Didn't swim. Lazy time, because I wanted to stay at the convent hostel and join in the mass and pilgrims' blessing. Very moving, no particular reason, just something real and raw and poignant for me.
    Dunno what's happening in me except that I know that to be here doing this is simple and good.
    The painting is lagging behind, which I'm disappointed about; but it's what is, so there's no point in fussing.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
    Day 13

    Güemes

    April 30 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Day 13 Güemes
    A hot hot day for the first time, a proper swelter.
    The hostel is AWESOME. A long-standing community of/for pilgrims, initiated by Ernesto who now at 86 likes to reminisce (ramble) to the visitors, in Spanish, before dinner; tonight over 50 of us. A real highlight of the trip, unforgettable. It's a 'Donativo' , which means it's free but they invite contributions, of course, and by it's worth a lot more than many commercial offers . A shared meal with wine, loud chatter in lots of languages, a lively, warm buzz ... just like it should be. Reminds me of summer youth camps, and church weeks away. A really happy place. This is how the world should be!Read more

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
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    Day 14

    Boo de Piélagos

    May 1 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Day 14 Boo de Piélagos
    Feeling a bit sick. Beautiful day, very very tired.
    Let it be what it is... Early bed

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
    Day 14

    May 1st

    May 1 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Stopping at a place of peace, comfort and kindness was a really good plan, and I feel rested and calm.
    Wanted to reflect on the shift I experienced during the day after Güemes. It started so happily. Walking off alone but caught up by the four youngsters who loved my flute-ing, and fell into conversation with Fabio (Italy, Torino/ Nottingham PhD in atom physics/ San Sebastian, daughter Gaia), Daniel (Stuttgart/ grief over unborn child). I separated off when they took a long break to chat with an old friend; French older man talked about the Camino starting points in France and the Gîte /food experiences.
    Glorious cliffs above thundering waves,
    Long, long beach! Rain! Dry with my umbrella, and absolutely content, singing. Childhood songs. Glad that I live, am I. Morning has broken. Antonio, Antonio!
    Lois, 30 today.
    Boat to Santander, lovely Belgian couple with trolley for breathing apparatus.
    Cathedral.
    Soup.
    I'm loved. Hold my heart open, holding courage to not shut down again. Luca. 31 years.
    Tears. Thankyou, strong tree.
    Valle verde de Peña. Rockface ... hard, yet crevices permit flowers to grow, and it feels like mutual gratitude. I support you, you adorn me. Sweet.
    KyeSoo trudges past, we leapfrog each other; no chat, but our shared smiles encourage me.
    Lonnnnng last section ... rather unfriendly reception. Nice rooms, only 5 beds.
    Video call with Luca. My husband. He's lonely at weekends. Yeah. I'm glad.
    A bit bleak until the French trio comes in and it's all gladness.
    Why didn't Jacques offer me wine?!
    Pierre, and tears, and sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
    Day 15

    Suances

    May 2 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Day 15 Suances
    Plodded rather today, realising that tiredness doesn't trump hopes, intentions, plans, but does change how I experience them.
    Some special pleasures along the way: bumping into the Italians again, Fiorella and Sergio (they took the train after a night in Santander and so caught up), so we walked together for an hour or two. They are great fun. Nuts, I think it's called. Probably not literally translatable!
    Discovering I understand loads of Spanish, gradually getting my ear and my brain in trim. Hooray hooray! But I had to laugh: when trying to use speech translation to understand the menu, it seems I was being offered baby squid stuffed with kangaroos. Didn't bother to find out what it take was though, because I don't like squid in any case. My accent needs improving, that's for sure.
    Arriving at my Big Treat For Today: Santa Ana Casa Rurale, an actual hotel! A little off route, but I love the name and isn't that enough reason to choose it? So nice to have private space again after 2 weeks of sharing rooms with 1 other or with 10 or 20. I ate a proper lunchtime meal, slept, painted and wrote and meditated ... and had chocolate cake and read fairy tales in Spanish before bed. Great way to learn.
    Good day, almost all alone. Lovely.    Read more

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
    Day 16

    Camillos

    May 3 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Day 16 Camillos

    Today I made a voice note as I began to walk in the morning, just describing what I saw around me. I've transcribed it here, to give you a taste of what it's like to walk. Imagine this spoken. (I reckon I sound like Clare Balding in Radio 4's Ramblings).

    Cantabria is really REALLY green, and it's so ... so pleasant, it's just a wide open spread.
    I'm coming from Suances, where I spent such a comfortable night in the Casa Santa Ana.
    Way over to the left in a huge long chain are mountains, with snow on the top of the mountains
    ... and closer to me here is just a bowl of green ... and gently rolling hills
    ... rolling is a good word for it ... it's a depth of rolling like the undulating ocean
    ... some of the fields are cut for hay already, which seems to me ever so early in the year ... there are smaller and bigger houses dotted about, which all seen to be cared for, improved ... although there are some that are fallen down, dilapitated.

    And this morning the sky is blue ... blue blue blue , pale, bright, deep, blue, with gentle clouds ... although they are more grey in the distance ... it's gonna be a scorcher of a day.
    It's just blissful really.
    Walking round the other side of the flat mountain over there yesterday, with the industrial area and boatyards, and the estuary, was dry, and barren, quite ugly ... and arriving at Santa Ana was just .. just lovely, it felt kind. The two ladies at the desk were polite, but the man was really kind, the one who spoke hesitant German ... that was really warm and pleasant, and all the people that worked there were just sweet; that really helped make it a restful thing.
    I'm going through cow land, it smells of cow,
    ... and it's vibrant and verdant in the hedgerows ... speedwell, wild garlic, speedwell, red dead nettle, buttercups, dandelion, mint, fennel, little-robin ... so, farmland, but soooo pretty, the birds singing as well

    ... it feels simple ... simple and comfortable.

    (*AND, I later added: red, white and pink clover, dog daisy, sorrel, plantain, daisy, vetch, knapweed, horsetail, catsear, spurge, rape, hedge bedstraw, lesser trefoil, rockrose, stinging nettle,
    spearwort, aquilegia, curly dock, white borage, and occasionally blue borage, lords' and ladies' slippers)    Read more

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
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    Day 17

    Pendueles

    May 4 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Day 17 The day of flowers.
    I have had a wonderfully happy day stopping at every new flower I spotted, taking a note and/or a photo, (and using Google lens when I didn't already know what it was). I learned a lot! Who can guess how many wild flowers I have spotted and identified in these two days? I hereby offer a prize for the best guess!

    The BEST OF ALL was the bee orchid. Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?! Finding it today took me back to around 1974 when on a church walk one Sunday afternoon, and I (by anecdote) nearly sat on a bee orchid on Swifts Hill, near Stroud (where I grew up). We have the photo to prove my find ( ... for some reason it makes me feel a bit Winnie the Pooh-ish, but I can't remember why).
    And then ... at the end of the day, where I took the extra long route to be close the coast at last again ... take a look at the video.
    I did dip in the little pool, all birthday suit and peppermint feeling
    Sooooo happy    Read more

  • TravelerCamino del Norte
    Day 18

    Pendueles 2

    May 5 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Day 18 Pendueles
    Day off walking; a day of simple pleasures on the beach, writing, going to church (Mass, which was the celebration of Confirmation, with the Bishop! Great friendly feeling in the congregation), talking, reorganising my things... and a return to this Best of All hostels. The right decision.

    Amused to find my flute-y stone twin in church

    Erna, and Dieuwertje, and John, Netherlands, wonderfully deep, personal conversations.
    Ernesta, Lithuania.
    Josh and Katelyn, Washington, US.    Read more

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