We had a group of 14 people, all from Athens, Georgia, who signed up to walk a six-day section of the Camino del Norte from Bilbao to Santander. The group organizers were Susanne and Cristina. Cristina grew up in Bilbao and still has a family home there. Others in the group included Kathy P., Amy, Denise, Dan. Mohan, Laura, Lori, Daniel, Janet, Susan, Esther, and me.
Susanne took charge of our training. For several weeks before the trip, she had us walking at 6:00 a.m., covering 8 to 15 miles, three to four times a week. After walking for four or more hours on Saturdays and Sundays, I was usually so exhausted that I had little energy left for anything else the rest of the weekend.
We used an organization called Santiago Ways, which arranged all of our hotels and transferred our luggage from one hotel to the next. The cost was about $960 per person and included accommodations, breakfast, and luggage transfers.
Our adventure began in Bilbao, a city that beautifully blends Basque tradition with modern architecture. Esther and I arrived a day early so we could explore the city. We stayed with Cristina at her family’s beautiful apartment on the seventh floor of a high-rise building in the center of Bilbao. Today, only her brother Nacho lives there.
Cristina’s father had been a civil engineer during the years of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Following Franco’s death on November 20, 1975, he eventually retired. During our stay, Esther, Susan, and I took a walking tour of the city, where we learned about Bilbao’s devastating flood and saw the large marketplace that was built afterward. We also walked around the magnificent Guggenheim Museum and visited the Bilbao Museum.
The night before we began our journey, Cristina hosted a welcome party at her home for all of the Camino walkers. We enjoyed pizza, small bites, drinks, and plenty of conversation as excitement built for the adventure ahead.
Day 1: Sunday, May 17 – Bilbao to Portugalete
We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the hotel before setting out around 9:00 a.m. on our roughly 11-mile journey to Portugalete. The streets were quiet, and the morning air was still cool. It felt strange to begin a pilgrimage in the middle of a city, but within an hour the urban landscape began to give way to green hills and wooded paths.
The first day of any long walk is always an adjustment. Even though we carried only daypacks and Santiago Ways transferred our main luggage to the next hotel, my backpack seemed heavier than it should have been and was pressing on the small of my back. I kept stopping to adjust straps until I had the pack high enough it wasn’t bothering my back. Yet with every kilometer, life began to simplify.
Several small towns along the route offered opportunities to use the restroom, grab a coffee, and enjoy a quick bite to eat. One item that appeared in nearly every café was the Spanish tortilla, a thick omelet made with eggs, potatoes, and onions cooked in olive oil. It was delicious and looked somewhat like what we would call a quiche, although without the crust.
We encountered only a little rain along the way and were grateful for the mild weather.
By the time we reached Portugalete, we were hot, tired, and hungry. Fortunately, our wonderful hotel and a hot shower quickly improved our spirits. Portugalete is a historic riverside town located on the Nervión Estuary. Arriving beneath the famous transporter bridge felt like a fitting introduction to the Camino del Norte, where industry, history, and natural beauty coexist.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was taking the elevator to the top of the bridge and walking across. The views of the river and surrounding area were spectacular.
We also learned an important lesson about Spanish culture: people generally eat much later than we do in the United States. Most restaurants do not open for dinner until 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. If you’re tired, hungry, and hoping for an early meal, tapas are often your best option, as most cafés serve them throughout the day.
Day 2: Portugalete to Castro Urdiales
Monday, May 18
This was going to be one of our longest days on the Camino—approximately 21 miles. By the time we reached Castro Urdiales, we had been on our feet for more than 10 hours. It was simply too long of a day.
One of the challenges of traveling with a group of 14 people was that everyone walked at a different pace. Some hikers moved quickly while others preferred a more leisurely pace, which meant frequent stops and a lot of waiting. Decisions that would have been simple with two or three people often became group discussions. Choosing where to stop for coffee, lunch, or a rest break could take almost as much time as the break itself.
Food added another layer of complexity. Between vegetarians, gluten-free diets, lactose intolerance, alpha-gal syndrome, and people who avoided onions, finding a restaurant that worked for everyone sometimes felt like a pilgrimage of its own. It was a reminder that group travel requires patience and flexibility—two qualities that the Camino encourages you to develop.
The route itself was beautiful. We walked through small coastal villages, along country roads, and over rolling hills with occasional views of the Bay of Biscay. The scenery helped distract us from the growing fatigue in our legs and feet. As the miles accumulated, conversations became less frequent and everyone settled into their own rhythm of walking and thinking.
By late afternoon we finally arrived in Castro Urdiales, a picturesque seaside city with a beautiful harbor, sandy beaches, and a charming old town. After such a long day, seeing the water again felt especially rewarding.
Unfortunately, our hotel accommodations were less impressive than the city itself. Upon arriving at the Hostería Villa de Castro, we found ourselves crowded into a very small reception area while waiting for everyone in the group to arrive. The hotel staff would not begin distributing room keys until the entire group had checked in. Since each person had to present a passport and complete registration, the process moved slowly. After walking 21 miles, all any of us wanted was a shower, a chair, and a chance to rest.
The following morning presented another challenge. We faced another long day of walking, but breakfast turned into a frustrating bottleneck. Up to this point, most of our hotels had offered self-service continental breakfast buffets, allowing pilgrims to eat quickly and get an early start. At this hotel, however, breakfast was served restaurant-style.
Only one employee was responsible for seating guests, taking orders, preparing food, and serving tables. Despite working hard, there was simply no way one person could efficiently handle a dining room full of hungry pilgrims. The result was a very slow breakfast service and a much later start than we had planned.
By now, the realities of walking long distances day after day were beginning to catch up with some members of the group. Blisters were becoming a common topic of conversation. Every break seemed to involve someone removing a shoe, applying moleskin, changing socks, or comparing foot-care strategies. We were only on our second day, and already everyone was learning that on the Camino, taking care of your feet is almost as important as putting one foot in front of the other.
