The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Camino del Norte 2025

June 23rd to July 9th

Ride Coordinator: Karen Hass
Report by: Virginia Beckwith

The Camino del Norte is one of the oldest of the Camino de Santiago routes. It is also known as the Coastal Way and begins in San Sebastian, Spain and follows the old Roman route used by Christian pilgrims when Muslim domination made the French Way unsafe to travel. It is a spectacular and challenging route that takes you through 4 autonomous communities of Spain. Each of the communities have language, cultural and topography specific to the region.

We began in the Basque Country, País Vasco, with its fascinating history and language that is like no other in the world. We rode along the coast with the Bay of Biscay in view as we went in and out of seaside villages and hilltop farms. There is an active fishing industry which made for great seafood options all along the way. After 2 tough days of cycling we arrived in Portugalete, a gateway to Bilbao. A layover day allowed time to day trip to the Guggenheim and other highlights of Bilbao.

On day 5 we crossed into Cantabria, a beautiful, lush area between the Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Mountains. We had a lovely stay in Santoña at a beachfront hotel with a fun Paella dinner. The area is famous for Sardine fishing and quite a few of the group sampled them along the way. The Cantabrian coast has prehistoric relics, dinosaur footprints and cave paintings that rival Jurasic Park.

Our next community was Asturias with its dairy farms and cornfields and more amazing coastal views. Our home for the night in Cudillero was an Indiano, a name given to homes built in the 1800’s by Spaniards who made their fortunes in the Americas. The port town was an architectural wonder of homes stacked on the hillside. And it was quite a climb as we left the next morning.

 As we turned inland into Galicia, our final autonomous community, we began to encounter many Pilgrims as our Camino del Norte intersected with the French Camino, the most popular walking route. Lugo’s Roman Walled Old Town was an architectural wonder and the tapas cafes a lively experience. After an overnight in Arzúa we rode the last 32 miles to reach the finish line of our Camino at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The excitement and energy of so many Pilgrims in the Plaza del Obradoiro was emotional and inspiring. Our lodging in the Parador on the Plaza by the Cathedral was an exclamation point on a fabulous trip.

Our group was energetic and interactive, loving to make stops for coffees, snacks, meals and sightseeing all along the way. Our support from Simon and Hector from Iberocycle was over the top from every perspective- lodging, meals, routes to name a few. We had great Happy Hours with Interesting history, hydrology and geology “lessons” as well as personal anecdotes from their local perspective. Karen Hass, our Ride Leader hosted a wonderful experience for all.