Camino del Norte Day 3, Zarautz to Zumaia, 10 km

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We decided to walk the next stage of our book over two short days in order to catch up with work and also because tomorrow they’re calling for foul weather. It was a real treat to arrive in Zumaia around 11:30am and have the entire afternoon and evening to catch up on the GPS data, route descriptions, photo management and many other tasks.

We’re staying at the municipal albergue of Zumaia, which is located in a 400-year-old convent! It is huge with many rooms, so we were able to get a room with two beds all to ourselves. It’s a fun, huge, quirky building with great showers and a big eating space. Sadly, no kitchen, as seems to be the norm around here, but there is a microwave so we may try to make a microwave meal tonight as our appetite for ham and cheese sandwiches is growing thin. We do have a camping stove but have not been able to find the right kind of fuel canisters yet, hopefully in Bilbao. I’m missing our cheap-and-filling pasta Camino dinners.

Many of the albergues in Basque country are only open in July and August so we are lucky to be here just in time to enjoy them. Otherwise, often the only option is a youth hostel, which are rather pricy at €20+ per person, and can be loud and crowded.

The route today follows a sidewalk along the sea wall from Zarautz to Getaria (about 4.5 km), then climbs up through rolling hills through vineyards with stunning views of the cliffs down to the sea. Zumaia is a cute little town with two beaches and some historic buildings and a marina. This evening we walked out to an amazing beach with towering cliffs above them, which were beautifully striated. There was a perfect path out onto a rock fin with a view back to the beach and cliffs. Really a surprising gem of spot.

Back in the albergue this evening, we had a microwaved dinner of “Tres Delicias” (a rice and seafood dish), pumpkin soup, and chocolate pudding, plus a healthy dose of the Spanish equivalent of Gatorade (called “Aquarius.”)

Tomorrow we will probably walk only 12 km to Deba. Or if the weather proves nice, we may press on an additional 20km to Markina-Xemein for a 32 km day.

Camino del Norte Day 2, San Sebastián to Zarautz, 22 km

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Today was a great day, after a very tiring day yesterday. The first few hours of the day, we explored San Sebastián, visiting the cathedral and the Old City. We left on the trail around 10am. There was a lot of walking through rural areas, with beautiful small farms and views of the ocean, along with traditional Basque architecture. There were some ups and downs, but nothing very intense. We are sore, but feeling stronger as we go. The sun came out to join us and it was fun to finally have some blue skies.

We had a picnic feast for lunch in Orio, a sweet little town along the water which was famous for whale hunting back in the 19th century. We continued along the shore and up and over a green hill for a beautiful descent into the town of Zarautz, known as the “Hawaii of Spain” for its great surfing. The long stretch of beach was ideal, and surfers of all levels were enjoying the water.

The albergue here is donation-based, and housed in a school during July and August (many albergues are only open in summer on the Norte route). It is very clean with very hot showers and a nice big yard for relaxing and hanging laundry. We walked along the sea promenade and visited the historic buildings and ate dinner downtown. Now we are ready to get a good night’s sleep. We are excited to see that his albergue has plenty of windows for ventilation. The albergue last night did not have windows and became very hot and stuffy with over 50 bodies in it!

Tomorrow we plan to walk 23 kilometers to Deba.

Camino del Norte Day 1: Irún to San Sebastian, 26 km

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Tiring but beautiful first day. Lots of sea views and charming seaside towns. We stayed in the San Sebastian albergue, which is a schoolhouse which has bunks in summer. Beautiful beach town. We are exploring the sites before continuing to Orio or Zarautz. We are surprised at how many other pilgrims are on the trail. The 60 beds at San Sebastian were all full by the end of the evening. we do have camping supplies but hope to still get a bed tonight!