The Northern Way holiday, San Sebastian to Bilbao
Description of The Northern Way holiday, San Sebastian to Bilbao
This Northern Way holiday is an ideal option for walkers wanting to complete the Camino de Santiago in stages. Over the course of a memorable week you’ll hike from San Sebastian to Bilbao, where you can easily rejoin the route for the next stage of this iconic pilgrimage walk whenever your schedule allows.
Beginning in the French border town of Irun and finishing in Santiago de Compostela 825km later, the Northern Way (El Camino del Norte) is often viewed as a more peaceful alternative to the busier French Way. But there are many other reasons to recommend this route, not least the magnificent scenery you’ll enjoy, from charming coastal fishing villages to vineyards, fragrant pine forest, beaches and mountains.
Follow seaside trails and quiet country lanes on daily walks that are designed to be manageable for any regular hikers in reasonable fitness. The route is well-marked of course, but you will be provided with comprehensive maps and route notes, as well as 24-support should you need it at any point. Every afternoon you’ll be welcomed into a comfortable guest house or hotel (your luggage conveniently transferred ahead of you), many of them family-owned and run so that your holiday benefits local communities you pass along the way.
Highlights of this section of the Northern Way (there are many) include chic San Sebastian, one of the foodie capitals of Europe, and the cosmopolitan Bilbao with its world-renowned Guggenheim Museum. Then there are quiet little fishing communities such as Getaria and Deba, where in the evenings you can relax with a glass of the local Txakoli wine (known in these parts as ‘white gold’), and watch the boats come in with the refreshing sea breeze.
The Camino de Santiago is one of the world’s great long distance walking routes, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be a slog. The Northern Way is a joy from start to finish as this holiday on the early section perfectly demonstrates.
Price information
Departure information
Travel guides
Holiday information
From London St Pancras International take the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord (journey 2h 22m). From Paris Gare du Nord, take the subway to Montparnasse/Bienvenue (journey 15mins). In Montparnasse 1 train station, take the train to Irun/Hendaye (journey 4h 25m). Change trains in Irun/Hendaye and take the train to San Sebastian (journey 30mins).
Reviews
2 Reviews of The Northern Way holiday, San Sebastian to Bilbao
Reviewed on 09 Sep 2022 by David Nicholas
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beautiful scenery and the wonderful fellow travellers.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Break in new shoes, buy good new socks, be prepared for a few lengthy uphill stretches and enjoy! Buen Camino!!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
By definition, walking is the most environmentally-sensitive way to travel. It also reinforces our connection with nature. The hotels and guest houses along the way were independent and run by local people, so it felt good to make a contribution to the local economy
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Memorable, worthwhile and fulfilling. I felt personally enriched.
Reviewed on 12 Oct 2021 by Perry Littleboy
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The scenery
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
I think this was a good time of year. Not too hot; not too cold and not too wet.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I am not sure. Possibly the local economy.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Responsible Travel
Planet
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 ration our transport so we minimise the number of vehicles in use.When sending our 'Camino Information Pack' and 'Detailed Itinerary Pack' to our clients, we use electronic format and not paper format. 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 and culture but with the Camino trail they will use.
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.
We ask our clients to:
- Not waste running water
- Not to litter and dispose of rubbish in the appropriate bins
- Pick up litter they encounter on the trails to help keep these beautiful environments clean
- Use ecological re-usable bags in supermarket, not plastic bags, or to put items directly inside their rucksack when possible
- Reuse materials where possible
- Take a reusable bottle and fill it up at the numerous fountains along the Camino,
- Respect all animals that they encounter along the Camino
- Respect all flora and fauna along the trail
- Stay on the sign posted path at all times.
People
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 Basque region. We believe this is the best way to benefit the local economy. For example, we work primarily with small family run/owned 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.
These type of hiking packages offer a greater contribution to the local economy and help create more jobs in the local community compared to traditional holidays packages that concentrate the money spent by tourists in one single location. According to researchers, 65% of your money as a hiker stays in the community on Hiking/Walking holidays compared to 15% for traditional beach-resort holidays.
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 towns of Getaria and Deba or the unique and renowned restaurants of San Sebastian.
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