Poitiers 18th
14.59 Train to Bordeaux
18.05 train to Hendaye
Arrive Hendaye
Walk to albergue des Pellegrino's get a credential and a bed.
Tuesday 19th
Walk 25km to San Sebastian
Get breakfast and water/juice.
Lunch in Pasaia after 18km at 2-3pm
Big hill out of town starts 7km stretch
Arrive a room in the city hostel at 5-6pm
18.00
Get 8pm tram to Hendaye meet Rich
Get 9pm tram to San Sebastian
Wednesday 20th
Get tram to Irun and walk same route to San Sebastian to arrive about 6pm.
Meet Stu off bus
Dump his bag
Tippy tapas
Thursday 21st -20km
Walk up huge hill on way to Zarautz
First 5km is like hunto arriving at igueido and should take 2 hours whereas the next 9 kms will be along the top and down to Orio. As we have to carry water and snacks it'll be very tough.
Arriving Orio about 2pm and then a little hill and in.
Breakfast in San Sebastian then leave town by 9.30 to arrive puggled in Zarautz 4pm is the executive summary!
Accomodation either on the front at the hostel or in an apartment Kaixo about 400m from the beach. Weather dependent.
Friday 22nd
Leave Zarautz at 8.30am and I like the look of Zumaya for elevenses although Askizu may find itself as a lovely place to stop as well. I feel age encourages stops and after yesterday we may be going a bit slower. If we get there for 10 we can leave at 10.15 to go downhill for 11 at Zumaya.
Then we climb again until the big drop into Deva. I'd reckon this could be 5 hours so a lot of water getting carried.
It's only 23.9km on the map
But it'll feel like 32km.
Friday night in Deba, you know the party starts here, zzzzzzz. Sleep well pilgrim.
Saturday morning and it's time for a stretch. We've only done 69km but for some of our aged bones it'll feel a whole lot more. Deba to Marquina will feel a bit easier but there's still at 300m hill in the middle of a fairly gentle 23.5km stroll through forest and farmland
Olatz seems to be the main stop so we should get a bocadillo lunch stop about 11.30-12.30 there. If we get to Larruskain by 2.30 and Marquina by 5pm another good day in the bin. Carrying lots of water and doing a lot of camel drinking at fountains will be essential.
It's a little bit of hills again today and so climbing and descending will be foremost. Stuart is bound to be galloping away and a rerun of Cruz de ferro seems most likely. My money is on Richard and Stu to be 15 mins ahead by Askizu on Friday and olatz on Saturday but I'll be playing the long game or sitting in the woods (oops typo) while shuffling my morning paper.
So Sunday morning we stretch our legs and walk to Gernika. Our easiest day yet.
It's hard to describe how your muscles and knees are after all this up and down. I get really sore above the knees as my thighs push down and the 17st pummels into my shock absorbers.
It looks fairly flat and almost a third by the road so ear plugs in and striding out. It looks like two good stopping places after 5km and another 6km which would be great another 8km sees us reach Santo Tomas and then the final 6 to Gernika.
I may have rose tinted specs but I think if we leave around 8am we will arrive about 4pm no bother.
Monday 25th we wake up to the sound of the Luftwaffe overhead as we replay 87 years ago and 1936. It'll be quite eerie knowing the way my dreams work but also when the town has fully moved on and is just another northern Spanish thriving metropolis.
Simon arrives tonight so our destination is Bilbao, but we may only walk to Ledema.
It's 27km with a 300m gradual hill to the gerekiz restaurant at Santa Maria de Morga. As long as there's a fountain I'll be happy. I'll carry juice and a donut up the hill as it's 14km.
Larrabetzu has two cafes and it's here we make our decision about walking on to Bilbao or getting the euskotren.
It makes our day 36km but it does look pretty easy relatively speaking and so it's an option. As I lie here typing this with 2km in my legs today it's an easy thing to type. Simon arrives at bus station about 9 and we may have some washing to do. Bilbao is a huge city to walk through so personally I'd walk to our lodgings and in the morning tram.
The next two days are flat, hence Simon arriving!
Update Monday Poitiers flight wins.
I'll fly monday 18th and get 3pm train to Bordeaux and change onto train arriving 20.47 I think Monday and stay in Albergue at Irun.
Tuesday 19th Walk to San Sebastian and then get checked in somewhere with 3 beds for me and Rich for tuesday adding Stu for wednesday.
Get train/tram along tuesday to meet Rich off the train in Hendaye then back along to San Seb.
Walk out of San Seb to Zarautz and then get the tram back (or do the first day of the camino Norte again from Irun - San SEbastian) now I know the way (!)
Wednesday So probably short day to Zarautz then Back to flat and do a washing! Stu arrives 9pm and we all set out
Thursday 21st in the morning to Deba from Zarautz.
Friday 22nd - DEBA TO MARKHINA
SATURDAY MARKINA to Gernika
Sunday 24th to Lezama a leisurely day washing today or in Bilbao.
Monday September 25th - Bilbao Simon arrives from Santander about 8pm-9pm.
By this stage we'll know how tough or easy we are finding it and rip the plan up and plan again!
Day 1: Arrive in San Sebastián
Day 2: San Sebastián to Zarautz | 20km
Day 3: Zarautz to Deba | 23km
Day 4: Deba to Markina | 23km
Day 5: Markina to Guernica | 23km
Day 6: Guernica to Lezama | 21km
Day 7: Lezama to Bilbao | 15km
This was from July 31st
The first half of the year was superb with January and April/MAy camino around Santiagp. Jackie's broken ankle on Friday 9th June was hardly the present Simon expected for his 61st and caught me unawares as I pulled my poncho off in Casa Loncho. I got a room and was delighted. Fantastic staff smiled at my drenched wee self gave me the key and offered to show me to the room. In typical pelegrino fashion I put down my bag and settled for a beer first. Then the room, shower and snooze.
Little did I know I'd be back later having read my phone with Jackie's ankle and discussing how to get back home pronto. There was a bus but it left in 30 minutes and with Santiago likely to be busy and with my bed only a few yards away it seemed obvious to enquire about a taxi. 80euro was the same price as a last minute room and a lot less hassle. 5 beers, bacon and eggs then bed became the obvious move.
Back to the point, September 17th flight from Stansted to Biarritz. £22 seems an obvious 06:20 flight. So I'll book it. Once I get off plane I can go to spain, 2 ways. I have the option of Hendaye/Irun and the primotivo/Norte or One more timeSt Gien. I'm only 60 and I need the hills to keep it real, both offer that. I'd arrive with little sleep but that's no great problem especially if I chose to walk out to Hunto/Orrisson. I've not checked the other options. The camino Frances route is roughly 30-34 days so its easy to map where you will be. Sunday night Hunto means Sunday night Logrono, Saturday night Burgos and then we approach Leon for Saturday 8th October. Ponferrade 12th, O'Cebreiro 14th, Sarria 16th, Palas Del Rei 19th Santiago 22nd.
Ive got an appointment to get back for currently on the 9th October. IF I can, I'll shift it, but if not I'll need to fly back from
Madrid or Santander. I reckon I should be at Fromista about 5th/6th so that works well.
If its the Norte flying back is even easier as Santander is bang on the route. Rough timings are less easy but Bilbao for 27th September and Santander October 3rd then Gijon 11th for the Teenage fan Club or Ferrol on October 13th has appeal. Since Simon and I went off piste to Vitoria for the gig last September as reviewed elsewhere and on the Deadbeatfanzine.blogspot.com site, this distraction has a lot of appeal. It keeps you in the camino bubble but still not so far up your own arse that you can see the rest of the world functioning.
So to finalise this stage of the planning, I'll book the biarritz flight.
And now the update - la Lande may be getting sold so I might fly to poitiers on the 18th.
Rich arriving Hendaye 19th
Stu Bilbao on the 20th when we will be in San Sebastian.
We will all walk to Bilbao in 6 days and Simon flies in Late to Santander so we need to collect or meet him. LAst bus to Bilbao will be fine.
We will then walk to Santander for 2nd October when Mark arrives and Rich heads back along for the Hendaye to London on the 3rd.
We may all go along on the Irun bus and split off in San Seb for Pamplona or Logrono, depending how Mark's training's been going and also how the craic is on the Norte.
That's the update with only 19 days or so to go!
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