Camino del Norte Day 23: Llanes to Piñeres

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I am finally feeling better today and was able to keep down my soup from last night. We woke up to another dreary day and the forecast looked like a lot of rain. We slept in a little and lingered over breakfast before setting out on the trail around 9am. We had some beautiful dirt tracks with views of the rugged sea and determined surfers out practicing in spite of the weather.

The weather varied a lot, with some perfectly sunny sections with blue skies and others under dark and stormy clouds. We weren’t sure how far we would make it today since I’m still recovering. The normal stage is Llanes to Ribasello, about 33 km. We ended up stopping at Piñera, at about 20km. There’s a sweet little albergue here called La Llosa del Cosme. The owner is super nice. We’re in a little cabin with two Dutch ladies. There is a little garden outside and a big green lawn. The owner did our laundry for us and we even have a kitchen. I backtracked about 2km to the last town to get some groceries to make a good dinner (we originally went by the grocery stores during the dreaded siesta hours when they were all closed…)

The forecast looks clear for the next few days so we hope to do some bigger days and get back on schedule.

Camino del Norte Day 22: Pendueles to Llanes

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Rest Day. This morning we slept in in our luxurious room while the rain poured down outside, then lingered over our breakfast.  Around 11 we caught the train to Llanes and checked into Albergue La Estación. Our American friends we met back in Irún had bused ahead and met us there. It was fun to be reunited and catch up. As soon as we got into our room, I unfurled my sleeping bag and fell right to sleep for about four hours.

I woke up in time to eat a dinner of chicken noodle soup and to explore Llanes. The weather was not conducive to pictures, but there are a lot of interesting sites. Down by the marina, the huge cement blocks used to fill the breakwater are painted in all kinds of bright and cheery designs, a work of art called Los Cubos de la Memoria.  There are many historic houses built by Indianos, a term for Spaniards who made their fortune in the New World and returned to Spain.

I was afraid that after sleeping all afternoon, I might not be able to sleep at night, but I needn’t have feared. We all slept well in our quiet room, with no snorers or bag rustlers.

Camino del Norte Day 21: Colombres to Pendueles/Llanes

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After my rough night, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to walk today. We slept in a while and went to a café to think about our options. I decided to try to walk and explore some of the closer accommodations options. Leaving Colombres we had to walk along a highway with truck after truck speeding by us. Finally in Buelnes we were able to get off the highway and onto the scenic GR E-9 path out on the cliffs above the ocean. This was one of the most scenic paths yet and we had amazing sunny weather.

I was still feeling weak and nauseous, so was happy to see a sign advertising rooms in a local café for €25. I figured a cheap room above a café might be pretty crappy, but would at least give me a place to lie down and recuperate. So I was very pleasantly surprised when we arrived to the room and it was a beautiful spotless room with a large luxurious private bathroom.

Dave dropped his pack and went back onto the trail to continue walking to Llanes in order to get the GPS data, while I took a hot shower and collapsed into bed. I was feeling so much better that I even ordered a dinner in the café below (they offer a delicious two-course meal with dessert for €7). The dinner was so tasty and I was so hungry from my two days of not really eating that I started off with too much too fast. Shorly after, my food made a reappearance. L  Clearly my illness is not over yet!

Camino del Norte Day 20: San Vicente to Colombres

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We awoke early this morning and had a small breakfast at the albergue. The hospitalero made a speech explaining how to follow the Camino today, but he began by telling us to cross the bridge and walk on the highway. Our book has a completely different route on the map, so we asked him about it. He barely looked at us and just said, “This book is bad.” He wouldn’t answer our question about whether the highway route he suggested was marked. We were getting frustrated that such an “expert” on the Camino couldn’t simply answer our question.

Based on his information, we decided to split up. I would walk the highway route that he suggested and Dave would walk the route outlined in other guidebooks. I ended up on a busy road with trucks flying past me. While the view down to the estuary area below was nice, it was hard to enjoy with the traffic. Also, the route was not marked at all, so I would never recommend that pilgrims take this route over the marked path, which is much safer and goes through picturesque towns and villages.

We arrived in Colombres, which has a private albergue on the way into town, but we had also heard that the polideportive in Colombres in available for pilgrims to sleep in. Most towns in Spain have a polideportivo, basically a rec center run by the local government. Colombres has a nice little gym with a basketball court, nice hot showers, bathrooms and a lofted weigh room area. The person attending to us, Sergio, was amazingly nice and helpful. There was a pile of thick gym mats as well as various army cots for us to use. We could spread out and set our mats wherever we wanted. The cost was €3. There is even a pool next door that we could use for €2.

Dave and I explored the town and were getting quite hungry around 5:30pm. We checked out the three local restaurants and were disappointed to hear that none of them started serving food until 8:30pm, so we settled for another grocery store dinner. We had a nice quiet night in the albergue, except my sickness was definitely getting worse and I awoke around 4am when my body decided to reject all the food I had eaten for dinner… I was at least glad I did not have a top bunk to climb down from for my frequent trips to the bathroom.

Camino del Norte Day 19: Comillas to San Vicente

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This was a short day so we decided to sleep in a bit and do some email and work in a café before beginning our 12 kilometer journey. The albergue in San Vicente has 44 beds so we didn’t feel in any rush to get there. The weather was cloudy and cool. I woke up feeling somewhat sick to my stomach and felt tired and draggy in spite of the short distance to walk.

The albergue in San Vicente supposedly opened at noon, but when we arrived around 1:30, it was still closed. Some of people who were waiting said they called and were informed that the albergue would open late at 1:30pm because of a local celebration, but the hospitalero didn’t show up until well after 2pm. We were a bit leery of this place because the entrance was very cluttered and the rooms, essentially in a basement, seemed rather damp and mildewed. The kicker was when Dave went to take a shower and encountered a stinky dog in the bathroom!

We should have trusted our intuition and found a different place to sleep. The online albergue information says this albergue costs €6 so we were surprised when they requested €13 each. Apparently the communal dinner and breakfast used to be on a donation basis, but now they were charging a flat fee for bed and meals.  As I was still feeling sick, I took a nap and then joined Dave in the common room. I was shocked to hear the daughter of the hospitaleros, who was in the corner loudly saying rude things about the pilgrims (who did not speak Spanish so did not understand her). She was saying “Why aren’t you helping? What kind of pilgrims are you? Didn’t you read your pilgrim passport? Read it, it’s right there, a pilgrim doesn’t demand, a pilgrim accepts. Help him, go help!” A few people did volunteer to help with meal preparation, but it would have been nice if up front they would have asked for volunteers. Usually when we pay for a dinner somewhere, we aren’t conscripted to help prepare it… The attitude of the daughter was very awkward and just set a bad tone.

Apparently the hospitaleros have been involved with the Camino for a long time and very active in the marking of the trail in this area. However, it seemed apparent to us that they may be suffering from “burn out” as they no longer seem to take joy in working with pilgrims and seemed to resent our presence. It probably doesn’t help that they seem to live in the same building in the room just next to the dormitory. I’m sure I would get tired of an endless stream of pilgrims with all their needs, smells, and idiosyncrasies! This seems to be why volunteer hospitaleros, who serve for a few weeks at a time, are so important to keep the positive energy flowing.

The dinner was tasty but not very filling, with pasta salad, sandwich meat, fish soup and an unflavored yogurt for dessert. After the meal, the hospitalero basically said, “I’m going to bed, you all clean up!” I continued to feel sick through the night and slept very poorly. I had a top bunk that was very rickety and difficult to get in and out.  If I’m ever in San Vicente again, I think I’ll get a hotel!

Camino del Norte Day 18: Santiallana del Mar to Comillas

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A nice day of walking today, sunny and rural with some impressive churches. The Camino is not marked through Santillana, as is true of many towns and cities. Luckily, we have the track on our GPS, but it is frustrating when those reassuring yellow arrows disappear.

Just outside town the arrows reappeared as we passed a campground and walked out into the fields and hills. We re-emerged to coastal views just outside of Comillas, a popular beach town. This was a short day, and we arrived in Comillas quite early with several hours to wait before the 3pm albergue opening time. The Comillas albergue is housed in the historic jail and is surprisingly nice. Most of the beds are in the attic and are regular beds, not bunks. There are lockers and a small kitchen with microwaves.

The 20 beds of the albergue filled rather quickly, and several people had to be turned away to get rooms in hotels. We seem to be meeting more “turigrinos” (tourist pilgrim) along this stretch, with some people walking only 10km a day and mostly wanting a beach vacation. One women we met told us she just wanted a cheap beach vacation. She had neglected to pack a sleeping bag or any kind of sheet, but had room to bring high heeled shoes for the evening!

Not surprisingly, she left the Camino to just stay at a youth hostel on the beach. Some even came to Comillas by bus, so it seemed rather unfair that they got an albergue bed when later walkers were denied. We enjoyed exploring Comillas, which has a Gaudí building and a lot of interesting architecture. The beach was also a short walk away and we caught a nice sunset.

In line for the albergue, we met two young French guys. Tattooed and smoking, they didn’t look like typical Camino hikers. One of them was very friendly and spoke good English and Spanish. We later learned that he is a social worker, and walking the camino with the other guy as part of a program for troubled teens. We met some Belgian social workers on the Francés route last year doing the same thing. It’s neat to the see the Camino used in such a positive way and I can imagine that the walk inspires a sense of pride and accomplishment in these teens.

Camino del Norte Day 17: Bóo de Piélagos to Santillana del Mar

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Today was a medium length day, disappointingly still primarily on paved roads. We started the day with a 2-minute train ride from Bóo to Mogro. The alternative to this small “cheat” is to walk over 7km in a big loop in order to cross the river at pedestrian bridge (rather than the train bridge). Guidebooks used to recommend that pilgrims walk the tracks across the train bridge and just try to time it that no trains are coming! Along with being dangerous, this is also illegal, so most pilgrims take the 2-minute train.

The weather has been quite hot the past few days and we are beginning to miss those cloudy, cool days. Most of this morning was on pleasant country lanes with nice views. In the afternoon we passed a huge industrial chemical factory, which was definitely not the highlight of the day. We arrived in Santillana del Mar around 2:30pm and were happy to see our German friend, Stefan, in the main square.

Santillana del Mar is also called the city of the three lies: “No es santo” (It isn’t holy), “No es llano” (It isn’t flat), and “No es del mar” (It’s not on the sea). However, it is a beautiful Medieval city with many historic buildings. The streets are full of tourists and there are many shops selling local dairy products, ceramics, homemade jams, and other products from the area.

Santillana is also only about 3 km from the Caves of Altamira, famous for their cave paintings from prehistoric times. After we checked into the albergue, we made the walk up to visit the museum and recreation of the main cave (the real cave is closed to the public after the paintings began to deteriorate from so much contact.) It was really interesting and even worth the extra walk in the hot afternoon sunny. We were lucky and were able to get a ride back to town with one of the museum staff.

The Santillana albergue is quite small with only 16 beds, and very simple without much space, but it has a great location by the main square of the old city. We were afraid it would fill up quickly but there are still some empty beds. Crowds on the Norte route seem to arise and dissipate very quickly. As we get farther into September it seems like there will be fewer hiker as vacation time is over.

We’re excited to be back on the coast tomorrow as we make our way to Comillas. We’re feeling pretty good, though Dave has a painful crack in his foot and the pavement continues to cause foot pain. We are really hoping for some sections of dirt path soon!

Camino Del Norte Day 16: Santander to Boo de Piélagos, 14 km

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We were still tired and recovering this morning, so we slept in a bit in our private room in a pension. We utilized the wifi to finish catching up on emails and other research, then had a late breakfast at a nearby café (café con leche and a big hunk of potato tortilla with bread for €2.20, delicious and filling).

We set out quite late, around 1pm. Most guidebooks have Santander to Santillana del Mar as their next stage, a whopping 40 km. Luckily, we learned that there is a new albergue along the way in Bóo de Piélagos. Walking through Santander was pleasant, and we had perfect weather today. Leaving the city there was some more unpleasant industrial areas, but then the trail weaves in and out of small villages and becomes more rural with lush green farms. We also saw a lot of evidence of Spain’s housing market crash, as there are many half-finished housing developments, or finished developments that appear as ghost towns with a “for sale” sign on every door.

Bóo is a sweet little town surrounded by farm land, which is also on the commuter trainline to Santander. The new albergue here is exquisite! Highly recommended. It is run by a very sweet family in several apartments above their house, with 28 beds.  Each apartment has its own kitchen and there is even a washing machine that can be used for free. There’s also a little sunny terrace with washlines for drying clothes. The beds have clean sheets, the bathroom has shampoo and conditioner and clean towels, there’s milk in the fridge and tea and coffee available — these are the little luxuries that mean so much to someone on the road. The owner, Piedad, is so nice and also offers to prepare dinner for pilgrims for very reasonable prices.

The price of the albergue, €12 per person (about $15) is a little more than many albergues (which are often supported by organizations or local governments), but the facilities are so much nicer and it includes breakfast.  I hope more albergues like this open and are able to be sustained, as they are so pleasant for pilgrims and ideally can provide a decent income for the owners.  Some people are concerned that the Camino becomes too “commercial” with businesses catering to pilgrims, but I think it is so important that the Camino benefits local people and businesses!

The best part of the albergue (for us at least) is that we are the only ones staying here. I guess since it is so new many people do not know about it yet. We are enjoying the luxury of having it to ourselves, but we hope for the sake of the very nice owners that the place becomes better known and full every night! There is a little shop up the street, so we just came back from getting pasta, meat, vegetables, and fruit for dinner as well as some bacon and eggs for breakfast (yes, breakfast is provided, but Dave likes to eat bacon and eggs every possible chance).

Camino del Norte Day 15, Rest day for Dave, Laredo to Castilla on inland route for Anna

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I caught the 7:30am bus to Laredo this morning to walk the inland route until it intersects the coastal route before Güemes. The day was grey and cloudy. It was nice to walk with a light pack, with my heavy things left with Dave in Santander in our pension room.

However, the inland path was really not enjoyable to walk. The first few kilometers were along a highway past a huge strip mall. The trail alternated between walking along the highway (with very little shoulder) and then off onto smaller country lanes. The lanes are of course more enjoyable, but I have found them just as stressful because of the many barking and snarling dogs in the villages. Along the Francés route, this was rare as I guess the dogs are more accustomed to pilgrim traffic. 99% of the dogs are chained or fenced in, but it still gives me a heart attack when I hear a dog growling and lunging toward me when I can’t tell if they are chained or not, and they are often chained very close to the road. A few smaller dogs did come running at me, so I yelled at them and waved my hiking poles. I’m not sure why the dogs seem so unfriendly here, I guess they are trained as guard dogs or just wary of strangers. German shepherds seem to be popular, along with some kind of larger breed that I can’t identify.

I finally got back to the place the alternative trails meet. Dave had checked online and found that there was one bus to Santander from this town (one per day). I got there around 3:10pm, hoping to make the 3:20pm bus to Santander. The bus flew by without stopping 🙁 so I waited another hour to get a bus back to Laredo and from Laredo back to Santander. I got back around 6:30pm exhausted. I felt better after a hot shower and dinner. It was really a treat to have a private room and just have a quiet relaxing evening.

We’re a bit sad that we have lost track of the two Americans from California that we saw almost every day. We last saw the in Laredo, where they were taking a rest day due to injury and also because they had lost their camera and were hoping it might be turned in to Tourist Info or the police station. We haven’t heard if they recovered it, but hope to cross paths with them soon.

Camino del Norte Day 14 Güemes to Santander

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Today was a short day, much -needed after our long day yesterday. There are several options to get to Somo, where the ferry takes us to Santander. Dave took the coastal route, with amazing cliff and sea views. I took the road route, which was a bike lane along a two-lane road. We met at the ferry station in Somo and took the 30-min journey to Santander.

We went to the albergue, which was open and the hospitalera invited us to leave our bags and come back at opening time (wait! I thought that was hopelessly against the rules!) 🙂 We were so hungry, so we stopped by a grocery store and had a picnic in front of the cathedral. After checking into the albergue, we walked around town, visiting the cathedral and the port, and had a very filling dinner of pizza.

The Santander albergue was extremely crowded, with 38 beds all in one room with little ventilation. There is also no common space, just a large dorm and two toilets/showers. The worst part we discovered at lights out time, when everyone crawled into their beds, that these are the world’s creakiest beds. Every movement elicits a loud creak. Dave was also placed next to rather loud snorer so he got almost no sleep. If you’re planning to stay in Santander, I recommend finding a private room! The hospitalero was very kind, and the facilities were in good shape, but would be more adequate to 20 people rather than almost twice that.

We’re taking a rest day tomorrow! Well, Dave gets a full rest day, while I go back to Laredo and walk the ‘inland route.’ This is a route to Güemes that can be used when the ferry between Laredo and Santoña is not running in winter. The coastal route was so nice that I can’t imagine who would choose to walk inland, but we need the GPS track to at least show the option and amenities in the book.