Recos Corner: Camino de Santiago

Camino de Santiago is one the most memorable trips I ever had. I somehow convinced 3 of my friends to go on a two weeks trek across south of France to north of Spain. The trip took place in July of 2019 and I would highly recommend it to do it in summer as it is warm enough to finally enjoy it. At the end of the blog, I will share some quick tips about the trips that we found helpful.

Our trip goes from:

1. Bayonne => Saint Jean de Luz

2. Saint Jean de Luz => Hendaye

3. Hendaye => San Sebastian

4. San Sebastian => Zarautz

5. Zarautz => Deba

6. Deba => Markina

7. Markina => Gernika

8. Gernika => Bermeo

9. Bermeo => Bilbao

Bayonne => Saint Jean de Luz

We arrived from Paris to Bayonne the day before and found a cute ramen restaurant in the town. It is a cute town with a church you can a look. We had some great shell fish in Saint Jean de Luz beside the pier.

Saint Jean de Luz => Hendaye

And we cross the border from France to Spain, it was rather anti-climatic but it was a 15 min boat ride from one side to other. The view from Hendaye is out of the this world, as we hit only cliffs and were walking beside the ocean the entire time.

Hendaye => San Sebastian

The walk from Hendaye and San Sebastian was beautiful but incredibly harsh. It was really hot and barely any shade and we had to incline around 100 around noon when the heat was at it’s prime. We were absolutely exhausted. We had a small accident with one of our friends, and we end up taking a bus to San Sebastian from 3 km away. San Sebastian is a great beach spot, highly recommend there for some solid tanning. I went to a dock where all the kids and teenagers were doing flips off the dock, it was great to see everyone is enjoying their lives to the fullest.

San Sebastian => Zarautz

Lots of farm land you will come across, but each farm is super cute. The view is also stunning. Our injured comrade went to the next town via bus, and I asked him to take my backpack. I walked 19 km without a backpack, it was amazing.

Zarautz => Deba

More beautiful farm land near the coast. It was a 21 km day.

Deba => Markina

This was the worst day for me, 24 km and all uphills and downhills. By the end of the day it also started to rain, so I was clearly drained.

Markina => Gernika

I took a bus, best decision I had on the trip. Gernika is a cute tourist town, but kind of reminds me of Florida, where the average age was 60. Everything was super clean and pretty. The local Spanish people were so kind and they were all worried when I got off the bus at a hospital and I told them I just have to make a transfer to Gernika.

Gernika => Bermeo

A collective decision was made and everyone took a quick train to Bermeo. The route was also very boring therefore it was nicer to spend a relaxing day in Bermeo.

Bermeo => Bilbao

A few kilometres from Bermeo, it was the famous San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. While everyone went to the spectacular church from taking a motorized vehicle, we walked there. The stairs were a killers and I might have nearly took some people out with my backpack while going up and down the stairs. We stayed a extra two days in Bilbao to relax but also to attend the Bilbao music festival.

Tips

• Wear boots that have great ankle support, your ankle will need it and thank you for it.

• It is definitely not for the faint of heart and ill prepared. One of my friend and I run half-marathons, and it definitely feel like you ran at least a half-marathon and some more on your legs. However, I have had knee and ankle issues for a few years, so it might just be my own physical condition, haha.

• Everyday the trek will be a mild elevation from 100m to 300m and ends with decline, so be mentally prepared for it. One of my friends developing walking backwards to relieve the pain from our knee and ankle.

• You are looking at anything between walking 15km to 24km a day, therefore it is almost like running a half-marathon but with your luggage on your back going through different terrains.

• We find having a light breakfast, light lunch, and snack in between the most helpful. Our breakfast generally are orange juice, coffee, and a croissant. Then we head to the market or grocery store to get some fruits (banana, apple etc.) with some cold cut meats like salami or chorizo (for our lunch and snack).

• Typically we try to get started by 10 am so we can get to the next time before sundown. Yes it is 7 -8 day usually with 20-30 lunch break and a few 10-15 min water breaks. Since I am the slowest, most of my friends make use of the time I try to catch up as their additional break.

• Carry only essentials, because anything extra is just something you have to carry all the way to the end. If you are traveling, coordinate who should bring what. There is no need for more than one speaker between everyone.

• Bring a speaker or headphones if you are travelling alone. We had some solid karaoke time during our trek and definitely kept the motivation up.

• If you need to take a day off, please do. I did take a day off after 6 days of walking and took a bus to meet the guys at the next designation. And it’s generally a 1-2 hr bus ride from one place to another.

• Sometimes you wonder, why are you doing this to yourself - the view is breathtaking and the self-reflection is out of this world.

• Book your hotels ahead of time, therefore it motivate you to get to the next destination and not panick if there are a lack of it.

• We made bets everyday on when we will get to the next hotel, it helped keep us motivated (that and the reward was free drinks from the losers :D)

• One of my friend and I decided to send postcards out every town we end up in, it’s a good momento if you send it to yourself as well.

• Always follow the yellow arrow.