Now that I’m home for a bit, after three months of walking–one on the Camino del Norte and two on the American Discovery Trail, I want to revisit a few of the alternative routes that I explored for the first time on the Norte. This is the first of three or four posts on the subject.
For years, the walk between Laredo and Santander (stages 10 and 11 in our book) has been pretty well locked in. Parts of that walk have been excellent. In particular, I’d highlight the first chunk, between Laredo and Noja, and the home stretch, between Galizano and Somo/Santander, as thoroughly enjoyable.
That middle section, though, between Noja and Galizano, has always been a bit of a bummer. It’s all paved, inland, and fairly monotonous, without a lot of interesting places to catch the eye. It offers one notable reward–the overnight at Güemes’s albergue, which is well-known for its hospitality–but the rest of it is largely forgettable.
It’s worth noting as well that, according to historians of the route, it’s not the traditional approach through this stretch, and that makes a lot of sense. There’s no geographic reason for the Norte to cut so far inland as Güemes, though there are a couple of intruding rivers that affect the walker’s plans, even today. For the most part, it’s the quality of the Güemes albergue that has made permanent this itinerary.
Over the last few years, though, more work has been done to recover an itinerary that hews more closely to the coast. Indeed, there are now waymarks in place for an alternative approach between Noja and Galizano, as well as an albergue in Isla/Arnuero that offers outstanding hospitality, including a pilgrim dinner and breakfast.
On my most recent pilgrimage on the Norte, I was able to check out this route and the albergue, and there’s a lot to like about it, but also some limitations. Indeed, I’m most inclined to recommend a third approach, one without any waymarks. Below, I lay out the three different routes between Noja and Galizano, along with some ways that you might combine together different chunks:
The Official Camino – 44km
Laredo to Noja (14km), Noja to Güemes (15km), Guemes to Somo (14km), +1km to Santander albergue
No need to rehash this here–check the book for specs!
The Official Variant – 47km
Noja to Isla/Arnuero (6km), Isla/Arnuero to Galizano (16km), Galizano to Somo (10km)
This approach overlaps with the Official Camino between Laredo and Noja, and then again between Galizano and Santander. It is fully waymarked. It is also, unfortunately, almost entirely paved between Noja and Galizano, with no time spent on the coast.
In addition to the bars/restaurants in Isla/Arnuero, there is a bar available when the route skirts the edge of Ajo. (Much more is available in Ajo itself, including a small supermarket, if you’re willing to make a modest detour.)
The Coastal Variant (60+km)
Noja to Isla/Arnuero (10.5-11.5km), Isla/Arnuero to Galizano (24km)
This option is, like many coastal approaches, longer than the official trajectories. However, it has some clear advantages–it features some great oceanside walking on footpaths or defined pedestrian tracks. In particular, I thought the first leg, between Noja and Isla/Arnuero is thoroughly enjoyable, with minimal distance added to the Official Variant. I can’t imagine why one would do that instead of this.
From Noja, instead of turning left into town, just follow the pedestrian track onward, just in from the beach. You’ll pass through a nice wooded stretch and then along a series of holiday communities, including a few large campgrounds. After a good section walking along the Playa de Candado, you’ll make a small river crossing, the Ría de Cabo Quejo. At least, I hope you will! This is the only piece that is unclear to me. We crossed it and it was no more than eight inches deep. At high tide, is it too high to cross? I don’t know and hope to get reports from other walkers. What’s clear, though, is that lots of beach-goers are used to crossing over into the neighboring town of Isla proper (not to be confused with Isla/Arnuero, where the albergue is located, or La Isla, further down the Norte). An inland approach, also marked on the map, would add 3km to the walk. Isla has hotels, restaurants, and places to grab a snack.
The coastal approach from Isla/Arnuero to Galizano (and note that it actually bypasses Galizano) is where the major distance increase occurs, thanks to a lengthy detour out on the peninsula. However, there are lots of ways you could cut through that chunk, saving a bunch of km, while keeping the rest of the coastal approach.
Combo Approaches
“But what about Güemes?”, I can hear people shouting. It’s totally easy to combine these routes and keep that stop. If you look closely at the map, you’ll see that both the Official Variant and Coastal Variant veer inland after Isla/Arnuero and come very close to the Official Camino. You’ll intersect it near Bareyo, passing alongside of Camping Los Molinos. Here’s how the distances break down with this approach:
- Laredo-Isla/Arnuero coast (25km)
- Isla/Arnuero-Guemes (11.5km)
- Guemes-Santander (15km)
So, if you stay in Isla/Arnuero–and it is a very nice stop–you’d have a short, rest day into Güemes, followed by another short walk into Santander (or, perhaps, a good reason to push on to nice albergues in Santa Cruz de Bezana or Boo de Piélagos.
Moving forward, I anticipate that I will continue to do the coastal approach between Noja and Isla/Arnuero. That is a clearly superior walk and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
