The Northern Way walking holiday in Spain
Highlights
Santillana Del Mar | Comillas | San Vicente de Barquera | Llanes | Ribadesella | Penultimate day is free to relax in Ribadesella |Description of The Northern Way walking holiday in Spain
Running from the French border town of Irún to the Santiago de Compostela, the Northern Way is a cracking alternative to the busier Camino de Santiago route which can be found adjacent, yet, further inland.This eight day walking experience takes in just over 80km of 'El Camino del Norte' (its entire length is 825km) and allows for a relaxed pace with average daily distances of around 15km.
Coastal scenery takes in some splendid images of fishing villages and flourishing foliage as well as providing a cool sea breeze from where beaches, mountains and medieval heritage merge into one.
To ensure walkers get to experience the very best of the northern Spanish coastline without getting completely worn out, we’ve created a wonderful walking route that is easily accessible for all levels of experience. From the pretty village of Santillana del Mar to San Vicente de la Barquera, Llanes and Ribadesella, our 8 day Northern Way walk allows for chances to pause and sup a sidra overlooking the sea rather than slogging it out from morn till night.
Flat gradients, sandy forest paths and seaside trails allow you to become completely absorbed in the beachside ambience blending from Cantabria to Asturias as well as providing comfy, homely, 2 or 3 star B&B accommodation in addition to luggage transfers from one hotel to the next.
Having self guided notes, hand-picked hotels and 24hr telephone assistance allows confidence to grow as you stroll and lessens the stress of attempting a trip with complete independence.
Trip Includes:
- 7 nights in 2 or 3 star Hotels
- 7 Breakfasts
- Luggage transfer between hotels (one bag per person, up to 20kg)
- Day 5 - Taxi transfer from San Vicente to Colombres
- Day 6 - Taxi transfer from Nueva to Ribadesella
- Pilgrim's Passport
- Camino Information Pack
- Detailed Walking Notes
- 24 hour phone assistance
- Transfer in case of emergencies
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comDeparture information
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
We focus on selecting local suppliers who are committed to preserve the environment. The transport companies we hire use modern vehicles with low CO2 emissions. We also rationalise transport so we minimise the number of vehicles in use. We primarily use electronic format for trip documentation. Our paper use is restricted to the Pilgrim's credential as this is necessary for them to collect their stamps in the different towns where they are staying.
Travellers are briefed on local environmental considerations including appropriate waste disposal. They are asked to be considerate not only with the local customs but with the environment they visit. For example, they protect their environment by not wasting their running water, disposing of rubbish in the appropriate bins provided by our hotels and to re-use materials when possible. Also, as they are walking trails in Northern Spain, they are encouraged to pick any litter they encounter in the forest areas and National parks to help keep these beautiful environments clean.
We encourage clients not to use plastic bags in supermarkets and either use ecological re-usable bags or to put items directly inside their rucksack when possible, re-use plastic water bottles, respect all animals that they may encounter as well as trees, plants and flowers. We also encourage our clients to stick to the sign posted path.
To reduce international travel:
- We encourage clients to consider taking the train to get to the start of their Camino, when possible.
- We provide details of public transport options to clients for all our trips.
- We use family run accommodation providers and hire local guides.
The Impacts of this Trip
Our business model supports suppliers at a local level so the majority of your money goes directly towards helping local businesses and their families in the Asturias and Cantabria region. We believe this is the best way to benefit the local economy. For example, we work primarily with family run/own hotels in these regions instead of large hotel chains.
For transport we work with local taxis/drivers who are self employed and receive a fair price as regulated by the regional Government instead of large transport companies which tend to pay low wages to their drivers.
In each town where they spend the night, we recommend three local restaurants so that clients can enjoy the regional cuisine as well as benefiting the local community, avoiding large franchise restaurants. For example, in this package clients can dine in local seafood restaurants in the fishing town of San Vicente de la Barquera or the unique cider-restaurants of Llanes.
We focus on selecting local suppliers who are committed to preserve the environment. The transport companies we hire use modern vehicles with low CO2 emissions. We also rationalise transport so we minimise the number of vehicles in use. We primarily use electronic format for trip documentation. Our paper use is restricted to the Pilgrim's credential as this is necessary for them to collect their stamps in the different towns where they are staying.
Travellers are briefed on local environmental considerations including appropriate waste disposal. They are asked to be considerate not only with the local customs but with the environment they visit. For example, they protect their environment by not wasting their running water, disposing of rubbish in the appropriate bins provided by our hotels and to re-use materials when possible. Also, as they are walking trails in Northern Spain, they are encouraged to pick any litter they encounter in the forest areas and National parks to help keep these beautiful environments clean.
We encourage clients not to use plastic bags in supermarkets and either use ecological re-usable bags or to put items directly inside their rucksack when possible, re-use plastic water bottles, respect all animals that they may encounter as well as trees, plants and flowers. We also encourage our clients to stick to the sign posted path.
To reduce international travel:
- We encourage clients to consider taking the train to get to the start of their Camino, when possible.
- We provide details of public transport options to clients for all our trips.
- We use family run accommodation providers and hire local guides.
The Impacts of this Trip
Our business model supports suppliers at a local level so the majority of your money goes directly towards helping local businesses and their families in the Asturias and Cantabria region. We believe this is the best way to benefit the local economy. For example, we work primarily with family run/own hotels in these regions instead of large hotel chains.
For transport we work with local taxis/drivers who are self employed and receive a fair price as regulated by the regional Government instead of large transport companies which tend to pay low wages to their drivers.
In each town where they spend the night, we recommend three local restaurants so that clients can enjoy the regional cuisine as well as benefiting the local community, avoiding large franchise restaurants. For example, in this package clients can dine in local seafood restaurants in the fishing town of San Vicente de la Barquera or the unique cider-restaurants of Llanes.
Popular similar holidays
The Northern Way holiday, San Sebastian to Bilbao
Walk along the lush green Basque coast in Northern Spain
From €650 - €695 8 days excluding flights
Learn Spanish and walk the Camino de Santiago, Spain
Spanish Course + walking in the Camino del Norte
From €659 7 days excluding flights
Sarria to Santiago de Compostela walking tour, Spain
9 days on the popular pilgrimage route - Sarria to Santiago
From €675 9 days excluding flights
The French Way walking holiday, Sarria - Santiago
Walk through fairytale like forests of Galicia
From €525 - €550 8 days excluding flights
protection
