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Camino 2023
  • Terri's Trails
May – Jun 2023

Camino 2023

A 50-day adventure by Terri's Trails Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 11, 2023
    Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Paris with obligatory Eiffel Tower pic

    May 11, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    I arrived in Paris with my friends Joan and Chris. While we waited for our other friends to arrive on a later flight we walked to the Eiffel Tower.

    It was overcast, but not rainy, other than a few stray raindrops.

    Had a nice meal with the group at a cute restaurant near our hotel, then early to bed. We scheduled a walking tour for tomorrow, then we'll take the train to St Jean Pied de Port on Saturday to start the Camino.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    First day on the Camino

    May 14, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 54 °F

    We walked what is considered a half stage today, but it was actually farther than I've walked on the first day on the Camino Francés. This is the "crossing the Pyrenees" stage. While the terrain isn't difficult (it's actually foothills of the Pyrenees and most of the walking is on a paved road), it is very steep. The first five miles is the steepest section on the entire Camino Francés.

    In the past I've split this section by spending the night at Refuge Orisson which was the only hostel between St Jean Pied de Port in France and Roncesvalles in Spain. There is now another hostel one kilometer up the road, but my walking companions weren't keen on sleeping in bunk beds so we chose to use a service that picked us up when we reached the halfway point of this stage - about 7.5 miles.

    The day started out drizzly, but the walk was fairly dry until we reached Orisson where we stopped for lunch before continuing for 3 more miles. After a bowl of delicious vegetable soup we set out again for about another hour or so of walking until we reached our pick up point. Then it started to rain - lightly at first and we all put on our ponchos and deployed our handsfree hiking umbrellas. It wasn't long before we were in a torrential downpour with some hail mixed in. I also heard some thunder rumbling in the distance, and I thought of my umbrella and poles - the umbrella has a fiberglass shaft and ribs, and the piles are carbon fiber, so I was hoping that they wouldn't make me a lightning rod! Fortunately, I didn't see any lightning - in fact I couldn't see much at all at this point due to the mist that formed up in the mountains. Thankfully, the shuttle service sent the van up early because of the worsening weather and I arrived at the meeting point just as he got there. The others were behind me, and very happy to see a warm, dry van waiting for them.

    As is typical of days like this when we got back to town the skies cleared and it was beautiful!

    Until the rain really started the views were stunning, and I regret not taking more pictures.

    In the afternoon we walked around a bit more in St Jean which is an interesting old walled Basque town before heading to dinner.

    Tomorrow we will take the shuttle back to where we left off - hopefully it will be a lot dryer!    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Day 2 - onward to Burguete

    May 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    We began our day with a somewhat disappointing breakfast in St Jean Pied de Port due to the lack of a menu and French language skills on our part.

    Then we headed over to the tourist office where our shuttle van picked us up to drive us back to the monument of the Virgin of Orisson where we had been picked up the day before. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the statue because visibility was so poor. I'd hate to be responsible for driving a van load of people up the winding road in dense fog while also avoiding the pilgrims walking on the road!

    At first the only issue was poor visibility, but then we also had rain and wind. Fortunately there were breaks in the rain, but it was a bit of a slog, but without the extremely steep uphill climb of the prior day.

    Part of the time we walked through a lovely forest on a path that could only be described as mulch. I don't know how thick the layer of leaves was, but it was kind of fun and bouncy to walk on. Along the way we heard cows, goats, sheep, and horses, and could sometimes see them despite the fog.

    We walked past Roncesvalles which is where most people stop for the day because we had reservations in Burguete about 2 miles down the road at Hostal Burguete where Hemingway stayed when he was in the area. I regret not taking a picture of the beautiful well word staircase where Hemingway once walked.

    We had a fantastic "pilgrim meal" at a restaurant down the road - lentil soup, delicious roasted chicken, and carrot cake accompanied by a nice bottle of red wine all for only €12 - including the wine! A far superior and more plentiful meal than we had had in France and for much less money too.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Day 3 - the day of the mud

    May 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    This wasn't a particularly long day but rather difficult because of the rocky terrain and the mud and large puddles spanning the trail after the rain from the morning and previous days. The trail was also quite a bit more eroded than the last time o was on this part of the Camino in 2019, with jagged rocks sticking up.

    But the main feature was the mud. I have owned a pair of waterproof socks for several years, and took them on previous Caminos, but they were really put to the test today, and performed admiraly. I wore them over a pair of regular socks with my sturdy hiking sandals. The sandals and waterproof socks were caked with mud, but the socks underneath were clean and dry. It's much easier to clean mud off of sandals and socks than shoes, and they are faster to dry.

    The beginning of today's walk took us past a field of frisky horses that were having a great time running after one another.

    We spent the night in private rooms at a nice albergue (pilgrim hostel) and enjoyed a communal dinner with fellow pilgrims from all over the world.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Final day of the "Push Start Camino"

    May 17, 2023 in Spain

    My Camino this year is a little different. The first four days are what I'm calling a "push start" Camino - I'm accompanying 4 "newbies" on the Camino Francés, and today's walk from Zubiri to Pamplona was our final day together.

    I've tried to pass on as much "Camino wisdom" as I can, but the best way to learn anything is by doing, and I am confident that my fledgling pilgrims will do fine, albeit probably with some challenges and surprises along the way.

    We finally had a clear sunny day which was tempered by a cool breeze which kept the weather very comfortable for walking. There were a few spots with mud and puddles, but nothing like yesterday. Still, it was challenging with sore bodies after 3 consecutive days of walking.

    Most of the walk was on a tree shaded trail alongside the Rio Agra which was very high and really rushing by.

    There weren't any difficult climbs, but some of the descents were tricky. In fact, there was a German woman who apparently had some kind of accident and the Bomberos (Spanish rescue/ EMTs) were on the trail.

    We did avoid one hard climb with no shade by taking a slightly longer walk in the shade along the river into Pamplona.

    With our different walking paces it took longer than I'm used to to reach Pamplona, and I think that we were all pretty exhausted. We split up for a while in the afternoon while I met up with a fellow Camino forum member and her husband who I had been corresponding with. They actually have a Camino love story - they met while walking from Le Puy in France 9 years ago - she from Australia and he from France.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Back to France - Bayonne

    May 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    I'll start my solo Camino del Norte from Bayonne. I walked this route back in 2018 and started in Irun in Spain - I didn't realize then that I could start on the trail in France.

    I saw the rest of the group off on the Camino in Pamplona, then headed to the bus station for my journey to Bayonne.

    After arriving at the pilgrim refuge Chez Veronique where it appears I will have the place to myself the first order of business was to do laundry.

    While my clothes were in the wash I decided to wander over to the Bayonne Cathedral, which is right next to where I'm staying tonight.

    It's quite a beautiful place. Rather than try to write about it myself I've copied what Wikipedia has to say.

    "The site was previously occupied by a Romanesque cathedral that was destroyed by two fires in 1258 and 1310.[1] Construction of the present cathedral began in the 13th century and was completed at the beginning of the 17th, except for the two spires which were not finished until the 19th century. The structure has been much restored and refurbished, notably by Émile Boeswildwald, architect to the French government in the 19th century, and a pupil of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.[2]"    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Day one on the Camino del Norte

    May 19, 2023 in France

    I decided to start my walk from the lighthouse in Biarritz after the woman whose place I stayed at told me how lovely the walk along the coast is.

    It definitely was beautiful and there were tons of gorgeous old mansions along the way. The route that I took is the sentier littoral (coastal path) and the Camino pretty much followed it.

    It was a fairly easy walk along pedestrian walkways under blue skies and perfect temperatures.

    Several times along the way I enjoyed the fragrance of jasmine and honeysuckle. There were may locals and tourists out walking, and three different women asked me if I was walking to Santiago and wished me "bon courage" and "buen camino.". But I didn't see anyone else specifically walking the Camino.

    I passed by beaches full of surfers, surf schools, and many beach side cafes, stopping at one for a second breakfast of beignets and freshly squeezed orange juice.

    I'm spending the night at a pilgrims gite in the resort town of St Jean de Luz. They don't accept reservations and I'm happy that I arrived in time to get one of the ten available beds, which are €12 per night. If I had to get a hotel here it would be at least ten times the cost.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    St-Jean-de-Luz to Hondarribia

    May 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    While I was still walking next to the ocean today it wasn't on the pedestrian seaside walkways of yesterday. Most of the walk was along a fairly busy road, but the ocean views were still good.

    When I got to Hendaye I had to wait about 45 minutes for the ferry crossing to Hondarribia where I had reserved a hotel room. I had heard that this was a more interesting city than next door Irun where most pilgrims start the Camino del Norte. I was very pleased with my choice. Hondarribia (founded in 1203) is an old walled city with a maze of narrow streets, and I kept getting completely turned around while looking for a place to eat. I finally settled on a cozy bar and some pintxos (tapas) for dinner. Then a quick trip to a grocery store for supplies for tomorrow's walk.Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    El Purgatorio - Hondarribia to Pasaia

    May 21, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    I was hoping for clear weather today because I planned to walk the route called El Purgatorio, which follows a high ridge with great views. When I did the Camino del Norte in 2018 I was very jet lagged and it was raining so it didn't make sense to attempt this climb.

    They weren't kidding when they named it El Purgatorio, and I questioned my judgement almost immediately when I started the climb. I have a fear of falling backwards - I hate long steep escalators and stairs, and this was no different. The feeling was worse carrying a full backpack because my center of gravity was off. While others walked by at a seemingly normal pace I was practically crawling up the side of this hill. My poles weren't much help because the rubber tips that are great for most of the Camino didn't grab into the ground, and they were on so tightly that I couldn't remove them. After what seemed like an eternity while I considered every step I took I finally made it up this very steep part.

    Of course that wasn't the end of the uphill walking, but at least I was only often out of breath for the rest of the walk and not terrified of falling.

    The day had started out sunny and warm, but somewhere near the top of the mountain a cold wind carrying mist from the ocean came up. To my right on the ocean side it was foggy and cold, but to my left I could look down to see the city of Irun in the sun.

    Around this time I needed to stop to layer up and met an older French man who speaks fluent Spanish because his father was from Spain. So we could communicate, though I couldn't understand everything that he said. He waited for me to don my warmer clothing. Later I discovered that he's diabetic so I waited while he tested his blood sugar.

    We teamed up and helped each other the rest of the way, arriving together at the albergue around 2:30. It was supposed to open at 4:00 and I was prepared to wait, but the volunteer hospitalero was sitting on a bench outside and offered to let us in early. There are only 14 beds here, and reservations are not accepted, so I was happy to be able to get a bed, as the only other option was an expensive hotel room, as this is a really cute, but very touristic town.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Some pics from San Sebastián

    May 22, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    The sun did come out for a while, and I had some great ice cream. I'm usually disappointed in what most places call dark chocolate, but this place knows how to do it. Yum!

    I finished up the day with some pintxos, but wasn't too hungry after the ice cream. 😅Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Pasaia to San Sebastián

    May 22, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    After yesterday, today was practically a rest day! I only walked to San Sebastián about 5 miles. Of course the day started with a climb - up concrete and rock stairs - the equivalent of about 25 flights according to my Fitbit. After that it was steadily uphill until the rather steep descent into San Sebastián.

    Some beautiful views along the way, and the weather cooperated by not raining, though it was overcast and very dark walking through some forested areas.

    I quickly found my pensión and was able to drop off my backpack while I attended to the important business of the day - buying new waterproof socks. Somehow I managed to lose one that I had brought with me, and considered doing without, but I saw that Decathlon carries waterproof socks. I first checked the small Decathlon City store not far from the pensión, but their stock was very limited. I looked on the in-store kiosk computer and saw that they had a few pair at the large store a bit outside the city center. There was a bus nearby that took me right there and I now am the happy owner of 3 waterproof socks.

    I'm currently sitting in a laundromat waiting for my clothes to dry, then I have been told in no uncertain terms that I MUST get ice cream at s shop called Gelataria Boulevard by a fellow Camino forum member. It's an order that I'll be happy to follow.😂

    I'm a little disappointed that the weather isn't better, but I plan to make the most of my time here.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    San Sebastián to Getaria

    May 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Today was the longest distance I've walked so far on the Camino this year - just over 26 km, but it was fairly easy. A few climbs, but I walked with a couple of young women, one from the US and the other German, so the time went by quickly as we walked and talked.

    It was overcast all day which made for good walking weather, but not great for photos.

    At around the 10 km mark there was a house where a woman had set up a small tented area and offered hot coffee and cake for a donation, so we rested there a bit and met pilgrims from Italy, Israel, and Spain. Of course I forgot to take a picture.

    The American woman and I had reservations at the same hostel, and it's quite nice with large showers and curtains on the bunks. We are the only two in the room tonight with 2 bunk beds.

    Rather than wait until we could get dinner at 7:30 we had pintxos had a small bar that seemed popular with the locals.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Getaria to Ibiri Auzoa

    May 24, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌫 57 °F

    I didn't remember this stage as being particularly difficult when I did it five years ago, but maybe being five years older makes a difference. My calves never hurt, they just didn't want to take another uphill step. And this day had LOTS of uphill steps. According to my Fitbit, the equivalent of 380 flights of stairs!

    I walked all day with Emily from North Carolina who is only 28 and runs ultra marathons - she was kind enough to wait for me - a lot! We stayed in the same albergue last night, and it seemed that we were the only two there.

    Although it was a tough day it was really beautiful as we took the coastal alternative on the "Ruta de Flysch" so named from really interesting sedimentary rock formations that formed over millions of years.

    The albergue I'm at tonight is well organized with lockers for backpacks and bins to bring belongings into the dorms. They served a communal dinner. At my table there were two Italian men, and three women - Australian, French, and American.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Ibiri Auzoa to Markina

    May 25, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    While yesterday was more difficult that I remembered today was much easier than I recall from five years ago. I took my time walking, and was still second to arrive at my albergue shortly after they opened at noon. It's a place where I enjoyed staying before, so I had made a reservation.

    My walk today was powered by half a bag of potato chips. The listing for the albergue where I stayed last night listed breakfast for €5, but it was a bag containing things that I thought that I'd only eat half of, so I declined, because my Camino apps said that there was a bar (restaurant) just a few kilometers away. Unfortunately, it didn't open until 10:00, so I finished a package of potato chips that I bought yesterday. I also had some cashews, an orange and a chocolate bar in case I really got hungry.

    At this point the Camino went inland and much of today's walk was on country roads with horses, sheep, and cows along the way. I won't see the ocean again until I reach Bilbao in a few days.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Markina to Gernika

    May 26, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    I'm a little behind on posting so I'm writing this three days after the fact, so probably just mostly pictures

    I walked about 26 km today with lots of ups and downs as is typical for this route. Much of the day the Camino was along a little stream in the shade, and at other times it passed through farmland with cows, goats, and sheep. I had a fun meet up with another Camino forum member who is walking backwards along the route and counting pilgrims as he goes - I was number 15 for the day.

    The hotel that I booked in Gernika had a automated reception machine that sort of resembled an ATM. You enter in the code that was emailed when the reservation was made, then it has a scanner for your ID. After everything checks out it dispenses your room key and a code to enter the building.

    I went to dinner with the group of five Canadians I had met the night before and Emily from North Carolina who I had been walking with previously. We chose a pizza place which had excellent pizza and dined outside.

    An overall good day.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Gernika to Larrabetzu

    May 27, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    I thought that this was going to be a pretty easy day, since it wasn't a very long distance - about 16.5 km, or a little over 10 miles. In fact I planned to start a little later than usual because I had planned to try to get a bed at the municipal albergue, and it didn't open until 3 pm.

    So I slept in a bit (until 8) and then had some breakfast with the Canadians. It was already starting to feel warm, so I started to wonder if a late start was such a good idea. Then I decided that maybe I should reserve a room somewhere since the municipal albergue only had 11 beds (or 20 depending on which guide I was reading). There was nothing available on booking.com, so I decided to send WhatsApp messages to the nearby Casa Rurales - there were no pensions or hotels in the area.

    Before I could even send the second message the first place replied that yes, there was a room available. So I set out for what I thought would be about a 4 hour walk. I immediately encountered some steep climbs, and the temperature was also rising. Just the day before I had been thinking about sending my umbrella to Santiago since there's a lot more shade on the Camino del Norte than on the mostly treeless stretches on the Camino Francés. I was so happy that I had it with me to protect me from the sun! By the end of my walking day the temperature had soared to 90°F. 🥵

    Adding to my exhaustion was that there were no little towns or other places to stop and take a rest. Though at one house I passed a woman had slices of watermelon and other fruit for sale. She invited me to sit while I ate my watermelon, but I was afraid that I wouldn't want to stand up again if I did!

    The casa rural where I had booked was very lovely, and the owner was really nice. But of course it was at the top of a steep hill! The owner provided dinner so at least I didn't have to walk down and then back up to eat.

    A couple of my Camino forum friends, Laurie and Clare are together on another Camino route, and they called me on a WhatsApp video call. It was great to see their faces and chat a bit, and Laurie confirmed that I had made the right choice by not staying at the public albergue since the dorm is in an attic type space with poor ventilation, which would have been horrible on such a hot day.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Larrabetzu to Bilbao

    May 28, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    This actually was a pretty easy day. There were some hills, but they were mostly in shade and it wasn't anywhere near as hot as yesterday. I walked most of the day with Kasha from Poland who I met a few days ago. It only took me a few hours to walk the short distance to Bilbao, so this was mostly a tourist day. When I did this route back in 2018 I didn't stay in Bilbao and only stopped long enough to have breakfast and take some pictures at the Guggenheim museum.

    After checking in to my hotel, showering and washing my clothes I received a message from Edna and Janice, two sisters from British Columbia who I had met in Markina. They came over to the old town area where I was staying and together we walked around the city, including walking all the way around the Guggenheim. We found a large plaza with pintxo restaurants all around and chose one that offered 10 pintxos and a bottle of wine for 30€. We ended up supplementing that with a few more pintxos for a total of five each. Each one is several bites, so it was plenty of food.

    Then we had to have a dessert that's a specialty of Bilbao called a Carolina, which is a small custard tart topped with meringue which looks like a soft serve ice cream cone. It was delicious!

    Sadly, many of the people that I've met so far are either ending their Camino this year in Bilbao (many people, especially Europeans do a section of a Camino every year), or they are spending two nights in Bilbao, so I'll no longer be in the same schedule.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Bilbao to Portugalete

    May 29, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    There are three ways to leave Bilbao and none of them seem great. The official route is quite a bit longer, and my Camino app warned of a steep 1 km hill. My calves wanted a rest so I chose one of the shorter, flatter options. When I walked this route before I walked past the Guggenheim on my way out of town and stayed on a pedestrian walkway along the river for most of the way into Portugalete until finally crossing the river on the Vizcaya Bridge, also known as the Puente Colgante - hanging bridge. It's the first of its kind, built in 1893. It carries vehicles and passengers on a suspended gondola.

     The route that I ended up on today was not very scenic, and didn't have the advantage of going past a stunning museum. It was basically city streets and an industrial zone. So I decided to take pictures of some public art and graffiti (of which there was plenty!)

    The overcast skies kept the temperature just right for walking and I arrived quite early. I was able to drop my backpack off at the pensión, and take a couple of trips across the river on the bridge.

    I saw only one other person walking the Camino on this route, I'm hoping to meet some other pilgrims tomorrow.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023
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    Portugalete to Castro Urdiales

    May 30, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    One of the nice things about walking out of a town at 7 am is the smell of freshly baked bread from the panaderías. This morning that was the best thing about the walk out of Portugalete, as most of it was a long slog on a pedestrian/bike way adjacent to a highway. I finally reached the countryside with the familiar horses, cows, and sheep.

    Not too long after that I reached the ocean again. Unfortunately, part of the trail along the headland overlooking the sea was closed due to (I've read) a landslide.

    After the short detour I was again walking on a path overlooking the ocean. I mostly walked alone, but did meet a few other pilgrims on the way, and walked with a Spanish man whose English was slightly better than my Spanish. When we reached the village of Ontón a farrier was busy shoeing horses, and I considered an upgrade on my soles.

    I took a short nap after my daily shower and clothes washing routine, so I haven't had a chance to look around town yet.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Castro Urdiales to Liendo

    May 31, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Today I decided to "wing it" and set out without a reservation for a place to spend the night. There were a couple of options - one that was much shorter, but I wasn't paying attention and ended up on the longer route that went inland a bit, so I missed some ocean views along the way. But after a big hill I was walking through some nice countryside with of course cows, sheep, goats, etc.

    I met a couple from Roseburg who I think were smart enough to take the shorter route. But I ended up at the public albergue in Liendo where I've met a lot of people who I'm sure I'll be seeing again for the days to come. I'm also glad that I took a different route than I did when I was on the Camino del Norte 5 years ago. It's often nicer to be in the smaller towns like this one where it's easier to get to know my fellow pilgrims.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Liendo to San Miguel de Meruelo

    June 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    This was a pretty great day. I started out walking with Charlie from Ireland who was in my albergue last night. We quickly reached Laredo on the coast where we walked on the pedestrian walkway as far as we could, then on the beach until we reached the point where we needed to catch the ferry across the estuary to Santoña. We met Manon from France who had already been walking 45 days from her home while waiting for the ferry, and ended up eating breakfast with her in Santoña and walking with her for most of the day. At breakfast we ran into a number of peregrinos who at least one of us had previously met. This made for a bit of a prolonged stop. We then walked through town until we got to a beach.

    After climbing a small steep hill that was very rocky we were rewarded with amazing views. We then descended to a long gorgeous beach where we eventually took off our shoes and walked along the water.

    By that time we were hungry for lunch and chose a restaurant overlooking the beach where once again we saw some of our pilgrim friends. We obviously were paying for the view as our salads cost more than some complete meals. And once again we spent more time than planned eating.

    We eventually said goodbye to Manon as she was planning to walk farther than us. We arrived in San Miguel de Mereulo later than planned so did our laundry at a lavandería rather than hand washing and waiting for it to dry.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    San Miguel de Mereulo to Santander

    June 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    I'm way behind on posting so I'm not going to write much.

    This was another beautiful day with great weather, and some more beach walking.

    I managed to arrive for the ferry to Santander just as it was about to leave which saved me a wait of up to an hour for the next one.

    I stayed at a nice hostel that was in the same building as the train station, but didn't see any other pilgrims there.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsTravelerCamino 2023

    Santander to Liencres

    June 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    I opted for a much less traveled and "unofficial" coastal alternative and it was beautiful. There were no way markings so I followed a forum member's Wikiloc tracks. But it was pretty easy so long as the ocean was on my right. The terrain was pretty rocky, and I stopped to take lots of pictures and enjoy the scenery, so I didn't get to the hotel that I had booked until after 4:00.

    At one point the path was overrun with cows, but a Spanish couple walking the opposite direction told me that they would let me pass 😊

    I couldn't get an affordable room in the town where other forum members had stayed, so I booked a place a few km farther.    Read more

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