After breakfast at the Albergue we hit the road, as usual it was up hill. Olabe is just short of the stage end, as Gernika didn’t have an Albergue. The 8km to the town I spent walking with a German pilgrim Nico. We had great conversations and laughter that made the distances fly by. MostlyContinue reading “Camino del Norte Day 8 – Olabe to Larrabetzu”
Tag Archives: Trekking
Camino del Norte Day 7 – Markina-Xemein to Olabe
In contrast with the walk so far, today was the easiest. For the first 5km it was flat but the only real climb came at 13km, by 1300h I reached my destination. I had the best night sleep on this Camino so far, I closed my eyes at lights out and opened them when theContinue reading “Camino del Norte Day 7 – Markina-Xemein to Olabe”
Camino del Norte Day 6 – Deba to Markina-Xemein
Everyone had been warning me that today is hard. Gronze gave it a 4 out of 5 on the difficulty level, but I found yesterday worse. Despite being above the train station my sleep wasn’t disturbed. In fact as soon as my head hit the pillow, the next time I opened my eyes it wasContinue reading “Camino del Norte Day 6 – Deba to Markina-Xemein”
Camino del Norte Day 5 – Zarautz to Deba
Today it was forecast to rain but not one drop appeared, although there was another downpour in the night. The air perfect for walking, Neill, John and I set off through the town. The route again had a variant, the easier path via the coast and the harder route. I chose the difficult one leavingContinue reading “Camino del Norte Day 5 – Zarautz to Deba”
Camino del Norte Day 4 – San Sebastián to Zarautz
There was a heavy rain during the night but luckily it had stopped when we left the hostel just after 0800h. It was straight into a climb but the air was cool and refreshed. The route consists of forest paths and country roads for roughly 13km with no places to stop – it was aContinue reading “Camino del Norte Day 4 – San Sebastián to Zarautz”
Camino del Norte Day 3 – Irún to San Sebastián
0600h on the dot classical music blared through the albergue, lights flickered on, signalling wake up time. Dawn wasn’t until 0750h so I milled around the kitchen area chatting to my fellow peregrinos before setting off around 0730h. As usual with leaving cities, it’s difficult to find the way; despite taking an unintentional variant weContinue reading “Camino del Norte Day 3 – Irún to San Sebastián”
Camino del Norte Day 2 – Guéthary to Irún
At 0800h I was back on the Camino which followed the coastline. Surfers were catching the morning waves with onlookers from the cliffs above. The route was quiet except for the runners and cyclists doing their morning exercises. The views out to sea in the early morning light was magical. It made up for theContinue reading “Camino del Norte Day 2 – Guéthary to Irún”
Camino del Norte Day 1 – Bayonne to Guéthary
The journey to Bayonne was painless, the trains were on time and the flight on schedule. I had booked an albergue in Bayonne, and with directions from the owner, it was a €3.90 bus ride – a lot cheaper than a taxi. It was 2100h by the time I was all booked in and straightContinue reading “Camino del Norte Day 1 – Bayonne to Guéthary”
The Camino del Norte
A common experience pilgrims talk about is ‘Camino Magic’. This is where something unexpectedly good happens to you. This could be a cold drinks seller appearing at a point you really need to quench your thirst, or the Albergue you have chosen provides fresh towels. Camino Magic isn’t restricted to the pilgrimage, it can manifestContinue reading “The Camino del Norte”
Wilbarston to Gretton
After a two year hiatus my friend Hannah and I picked up the Jurassic Way after our Welford to Wilbarston stage, October 2022. There was a break in the wet weather that has been synonymous of the UK this year, and it coincided with our rest days. As it’s been awhile, mega busy at workContinue reading “Wilbarston to Gretton”
Stu's Camino 