Camino del Norte Day 1: Hondarribia to San Sebastian

Wow. What a day. This first day on the Camino del Norte was more beautiful than I imagined. It was also very hard and totally different from my first Camino two years ago. I’m writing this from bed in San Sebastián on Monday morning as I had nothing left in me last night other than thoughts of food and rest. 

I started the day around 8:15am somewhat discombobulated. That at least was the same as my very first day leaving St Jean Pied de Port on the French Way. It was also later than I would have liked, but since I couldn’t have breakfast before 7:30am and there would be no food or drink options most of the day I had to wait. 

My first steps on the Camino del Norte

Once under way, getting out of town took a little bit of attention on my part for around the first half mile. Because Hondarribia is not a “traditional” starting point for the Camino del Norte there are very few markers on the way out. Fortunately the front desk at my hotel had explained the route for me and I was set. Good thing too. For the first mile I seemed to be the only Pilgrim on the Way that morning. That felt strange.

Arriving at the Ermita of Santiagoxo that all changed. An at first solitary experience inside the chapel quickly became a photo op for several pilgrims arriving from Irun, the opposite direction from where I’d come. After our requisite photos and basic introductions we continued on our way. 

Because I knew today would be quite hard I was surprised that these first two or three miles weren’t that bad. Then we arrived at the Sanctuary of Guadalupe. Being a Sunday there was a mass going on so I didn’t go in. But here is where a choice had to be made. There were three routes to take. One along the road. One just below the ridge line through the forest. Finally, there was the Purgatory route, which runs along the ridge line and was said to have mesmerizing views leading to the top of the Jaizkibel mountain range. If you know me, you don’t need to read on to know which one I chose. 

The Purgatory route: hiking the high road over Jaizkibel

The purgatory route began with a very steep climb. So intimidating it must have seemed, that the vast majority of pilgrims passed it by. Their loss. After a short climb which couldn’t have taken more than 20 minutes, I made it to the top. What opened up before me was simply incredible: a view of the Cantabrian sea, not on one, but on both sides. It was magnificent. I’m not going to lie. There was a significant amount of time spent taking pictures and just taking it all in. Then I remembered maybe I should keep on going. 

Along the way I encountered a great many people. But only a handful of them were pilgrims. As it turns out this is a popular route for day hikers, runners and mountain bikers and many of the locals were out enjoying the day. 

Pasaia: A brief respite

It took five hours for me to reach the first and only town along the way. Set at the mouth of the sea, Pasaia is small, but much more beautiful than I expected. At this point I was hungry so I sat down on a bench along the water to eat the nuts and dried apricots I’d brought with me. A two minute ferry ride later to get me to the other side of the river I continued on. This, is when I really felt it got rough. 

Maybe because I was already tired. Maybe because of the relentless up and down, and the muddy trails through sometimes dense forest, but these last three hours were tough. Even though at this point the purgatory route had merged with the not so hard route, it didn’t help that when the road split again I, of course once more opted for the hard route. An Israeli couple I briefly walked with distracted me from my exhaustion, but when It became clear my pace was faster than theirs I carried on on my own.

Arriving in San Sebastián

My first sight of San Sebastián was a welcome one. What a beautiful city. Though being a hungry, tired pilgrim on a Sunday evening in the Old Town, where all the restaurants appeared to be packed and encouraging of eating on your feet made for a very grumpy Michelle. 

I finally just walked into a tapas bar where I was able get a seat and ordered some food. Grumpiness lifted, I was pondering whether to try the famous Basque cheesecake for dessert, when an Irish couple sat next to me and proceeded to chat on endlessly for a couple of hours before I finally pulled myself away and back to my Pension. 

Speaking of which, what a great little place. My pension is nothing more than a handful of rooms on the first floor of a building a block off the water. But my room is modern and my balcony has a view of the sea. It’s time to drag myself out of bed. Time to search for breakfast and to explore. I may have only just begun, but I’m hitting pause on the Camino del Norte to explore this beautiful city.

Today’s Stats:

Distance: 14.5 miles approx (23.4K)

Elevation gain: 3,000ft (914m)

Walking time: 8 hours

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Food and Accommodation:

Accommodation: Pensión Peñaflorida. Modern, functional rooms in a great location.

Breakfast: Antonio Bar is a must. Best tortilla española I’ve ever had!

Lunch: Gandarias. Very good pintxos. It’s always crowded.