Camino del Norte Day 0: Arriving in Hondarribia

Well, here I am. Back on the Way of St. James. Albeit this time I’ll be embarking on the Camino del Norte.

It’s been a long day. Starting with an early morning flight from Madrid, a boat ride into France, followed by a nice 5 kilometer (3 mile) walk back into Spain.

View of Hondarribia from the Castillo Carlos V

As such I’m aptly rewarding myself with a glass of Spanish rosé while sitting on the balcony of my hotel/Parador/converted 11th century castle/military fortification. I’m a sucker for historic accommodations with fabulous waterfront views, what can I say?

The Castillo Carlos V sits in the Basque town of Hondarribia on the border with France. Hondarribia, or Fuenterribia as it is also known, is a medieval walled fishing village which serves as one of the many starting points of the Northern Way of St. James. It is from where I will be starting my Way tomorrow morning.

The Northern Way: A different kind of Camino

This will be a very different Way from the one I embarked on two years ago from St. Jean Pied de Port in France. For one, I will not be walking all the way to Santiago de Compostela. I simply don’t have the time. Instead I will be walking around 275 miles (450km) give or take, to Oviedo—a city known as the starting point for the very first Camino sometime around 834 AD.

Arriving in Hondarribia

First steps on the Camino del Norte from Hondarribia

Significantly though, the Northern Way—sees barely a tenth of the pilgrims the French Way does. In 2023, nearly 450,000 people walked to Santiago. Of those, nearly half walked the French Way. Only around 20,000 walked the Norte.

And while the French Way is in many ways a traveling village—or circus—I have yet to run into a single pilgrim all day, either here in Hondarribia or in Irun, the more traditional starting point of this route. It is where I went late this morning to pick up my pilgrim passport at a local police station. Yep. No pilgrim office here.

Pilgrim Passport for the Camino del Norte

The fact is, because the Camino del Norte hugs the Spanish coastline, and is, with its mixture of sea and mountains, stunningly beautiful terrain, the towns that dot it are often times filled more with traditional tourists than pilgrims. As such I expect a quieter, more introspective walk this time around. It will also be much harder as well.

I look forward to the challenge, and to sharing it with those of you who wish to follow.