Camino del Norte

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Trip start
May 1, 2025
Camino del Norte JHarwood
Bilbao
May 1 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
On our first day of the trip we had an early morning flight to Santander and then caught the bus on to Bilbao. The city was a wash with football fans as we had inadvertently managed to arrive during a Bilbao V Manchester United game.

We settled in to the hostel and then made our way out for dinner, which was harder than we thought, as many places weren’t serving food, despite it being 19:00! Nevertheless we settled for beer and tapas before heading back to rest before starting our Camino.Read more
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Camino del Norte JHarwood
🥾 Camino Day 1: Bilbao > Portugalete
May 2 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Day one we hiked nearly 20KM from Bilbao to Portugalete. We left with high spirits which was soon dampened as we were hit with torrential rain, luckily our new bags didn’t get too wet inside, but I now have (slightly) soggy underwear. 🩲

We had two options for the hike the new shorter Camino which runs along the river (it is flatter and shorter at only 10KM), but we opened for the original route, with is twice as long and consists of two 200m climbs.

By the end of the day we were absolutely shattered but had a fantastic time and though sore we were ready for the next day.Read more
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Camino del Norte JHarwood
🥾 Camino Day 2: Portugalete > Castro U…
May 3 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Today was an absolute killer—we hiked nearly 27 km in total in very sunny weather (my tan lines are terrible).

Our hike took us out of Bilbao via a pedestrian/cycle path that ran for over 10 km to the town of La Arena. From there, we climbed to join the coastal path, which offered amazing views over the Bay of Biscay and the mountains rising around the shore.

The worst part of our journey came in the final 7 km, which consisted of walking along roads that snaked along the coastline. With 16% climbs and dramatic descents, it was a monotonous and draining stretch.

We finally made it to Castro Urdiales around 17:00 and, after a quick shower, headed out to find something to eat.Read more
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Camino del Norte JHarwood
🥾 Camino Day 3: Castro > Riosecco
May 4 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 17 °C
Today was a leisurely hike compared to yesterday, with a total distance of just over 15 km (bringing our total distance walked to 62.5 km).

After leaving Castro, we once again headed out of the town by road (similar to Bilbao) before dropping down through a small rocky forest and then onto a coastal path. We continued hiking until we reached the town of Islares, where we stopped for food and a drink. After this, it was a 6 km flat walk along the side of a road until we reached the town of Rioseco.Read more
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Trip end
May 11, 2025

Bilbao

🥾 Camino Day 1: Bilbao > Portugalete

🥾 Camino Day 2: Portugalete > Castro U…

🥾 Camino Day 3: Castro > Riosecco