.jpg)
Walkers on the Camino del Norte
This magnificent and dramatic coastline is part of what makes the Camino del Norte a popular Camino de Santiago route.
They call it España Verde – Green Spain: the strip of land between the Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Mountains.
Well, some people do. The Spanish more commonly refer to it as the Cornisa Cantábrica – the Cantabrian Coast. Either sobriquet is apt for this wild and beautiful region in Northern Spain. Known for its spectacular cliffs overlooking the Cambrian Sea, its historic and charming towns and cities, and its long sandy beaches, the landscape here is kept lush and green by its wet and temperate oceanic climate.
The Camino del Norte route of the Camino de Santiago runs along this coastline – 827 km (514 mi) from from San Sebastian to Santiago.
I’m always amused by people who ask if I have walked ‘the Camino‘; el camino is Spanish for “the way” – and there are countless “ways” or trails or pathways throughout Spain. What most people mean is the Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St James, which culminates at the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. But even this is not one trail: traditionally, you started your pilgrimage from your home village, so there is a complex network of routes. Today there are nine popular ‘Camino Ways’ of varying lengths that are marketed to walkers: starting in France, Portugal, and various parts of Spain. If you want a ‘Pilgrim Certificate’, you have to walk at least the last 100km into Santiago.
We weren’t being anywhere nearly that ambitious! We were out for an afternoon walk on a very short section of this UNESCO-listed system of walking paths on the eastern side of Asturias – that is, roughly the middle of the Northern Spanish coastline. I was part of a small group studying Spanish at the Peak Me language school in nearby Panes in the mornings, and hiking in the afternoons with a guide from Canoe Adventure Trophy. Because of the rainy autumn weather, we had opted for a walk in the more sheltered woods of the Cambrian Mountains (see: Cicera, Cantabria) the day before.
I had my fingers crossed that the weather would hold as we walked the windswept limestone cliffs above the crashing waters of the Mar Cantábrico to the next town for a civilised drink in the local taberna.
.jpg)
Carretera del Cantábrico
We start our walk on a highway just outside La Franca, a popular beach town on the Bay of Biscay.
.jpg)
Rail Line – La Franca
Leaving the highway, we cross the rail lines that have been running along side us, …
Heading West
… and that, like the pilgrim paths, stretch west to Santiago.
North Coast Rocks
We head towards the the boulders and cliffs at the edge of the sea …
Walkers on the Ruta de la Costa
… and pick up a section of the Camino del Norte, or the Northern Way. This was a prominent pilgrimage route in the 9th and 10th centuries.
Cows on the Hill
The cattle are happy roaming over the verdant hills, and we have to wait for them to clear the narrow footpaths before we can pass.
Wildflowers on the Edge
Walkers on the Cliff
The Northern Way has been called the most scenic of the pilgrims’ ways …
Cliffs over the Cantabrian Sea
… and it is certainly rugged, …
Waves on the Cliffs
… with the waves of the Atlantic pounding below.
Green Cliffs Ahead
Bufón de Santiuste
In high seas, water can spout up to 40 metres (130 feet) here. As far as I could ascertain, the Spanish call these spouts ‘jesters’ (bufónes) because of the noise made when the water retreats again.
Houses on the Hill
Everything is misty on the hill, and we are never quite sure if it will rain.
Playa de Cobijero
The tide is very low, so there is not much water in what is a popular salt-water swimming hole in summer. The limestone cliffs here are riddled with tunnels and caves.
Twisted Trees
We turn away from the cliffs, …
Goat on the Wall
… and into the picturesque village of Buelna.
Gateway
Dark skies and old stones – there is a lot of moody character in these laneways.
Iglesia de Santa Marina
Spain has been almost exclusively Catholic since the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand united the country in 1469, and the formal end of the Reconquista era in 1492.
Under the Tracks
The skies have brightened somewhat since our drink-stop, and we make our way back …
Bufón de Santiuste
… through the scrubby green at the top of the cliffs.
El Paredón o las Palomas
From this angle, we can better appreciate those 38m (125ft) high limestone walls as they fold and layer upon themselves above the sea.
It was not the first time I’ve seen the yellow scallop shells that signal one of the many Camino paths and tributaries, but it was still exciting to find the yellow arrows underfoot, on ground that has been trodden for centuries.
So yes, I have walked on the Camino; I was pleased, however, not to be doing the whole 827 km of this one!
Happy Walking!
