The Northern Way (Spanish: Camino del Norte) runs from France at Irún and follows the northern coastline of Spain to Galicia where it heads inland towards Santiago joining the Camino Francés at Arzúa. This route follows the old Roman road, the Via Agrippa, for some of its way and is part of the Coastal Route (Spanish: Ruta de la Costa).
This Camino will be a little bit longer than the one completed this year (820 km vs. 740 km.). It will also be quite different in other respects. As it largely follows the coast lines of the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia, it will present us with many short climbs. All in all though, at first rough calculations, it will be an overall climb that exceeds the cumulative climbing we did on the '09 trail. Needless to say, we have started getting in shape for this 820 km feast that we will want to complete in 7 days. One thing's for sure, we will be eating well, as the regions we will cycle through are well known for its good food.
More on our preparations in upcoming posts.
Hasta la próxima
Douwe
Hi Mik,
ReplyDeleteMy friend and i are planning a cycle trip in July, from bordeux to santiago de compostela. we are considering the camino del norte and would love to hear any suggestions you migh have as regards the route you are taking, terrain and elevations. I'm getting the impresion that the northern route is a lot more challenging in terms of fitness. We are giving ourselves 4 weeks to complete the journey. Any help advise or suggestions would be appreciated.
Peter.