by Lazlo Woodbine
17 Comment(s)
11/11/22 Unfortunately I have been given a medical appointment for late June so will no longer be able to go on this trip. If anyone wishes to still go can they contact me and I will give you information about accommodation and luggage transfer.
27/10/22 GREAT NEWS. DIRECT FLIGHTS TO SANTANDER. Only from Stansted. You can go from Manchester via Dublin. IF YOU ARE STILL INTERESTED, PLEASE CHANGE YOUR STATUS.
15/10/22. There are now flights to Bilbao from London Gatwick (Vueling) and Manchester (Easyjet) where we can take a coach to Santander.(about 10 Euros) The best day for flights would be Thursday 15th June. Return flight would be Santiago to Stansted on 13/7/23. Are people still interested in going. Please contact me confirming if you are definite. Flights are still very cheap and I would need to start booking hotels etc.
9/9/22. By now I had expected to inform everyone of the flights to Santander. Unfortunately there are no direct flights on sale yet. You can fly via Amsterdam, or Madrid or Palma Mallorca. I looked at flights to Bilbao and catching the bus to Santander but there are no direct flights to Bilbao published yet except from Gatwick. This is most frustrating as I really need to start looking at accommodation.
24/06/22.
It's here at last, the first way of getting to Santander in 2023 has been announced. Brittany Ferries sail from Portsmouth to Santander on Monday 12th June at 21.30 arriving in Santander on Wednesday 14th at 08.00. Cheapest fare for foot passengers is £110, economy with additional £11 for a reserved seat. The flight will be less but not as interesting. Much more expensive if you purchase a cabin. So I can say with confidence that people should arrange either flights or ferry to arrive on the 14th of June and the walk starts on the 15th. I can now start booking accommodation once I know the numbers. Can those maybes please think about whether they want to commit to this adventure. I only want people who really want this, no faint hearts. If you feel this is something you really want to do please change your status to definite and send me a deposit of £100. Some of the hotels will want payment in advance while others are pay on arrival. The deposit should cover this. If you subsequently find you cannot go then the deposit will be returned to you if a replacement is found. By sending me the deposit you agree to this. Bon Camino pellergrinos.
As a veteran of 4 Caminos I want to do another before age defeats me. This is one I had planned for the previous 2 years but for obvious reasons have been unable to go. I have carried out all the preparatory work required for such an expedition so it would be a shame to waste it. Thousands of people walk to Santiago each year, the most popular route being the French Camino. There are almost as many reasons for walking it as there are individuals but most people find something from it. You get to see many aspects of Spain not available to the majority of visitors and can chat with people from all over the world. When on a Camino you are not a tourist but part of the scenery. There is also a certain joy in waking each morning to a new adventure.
The walk planned starts at Santander and follows the wild North Spain Coast for around 200 miles before turning in land through the hills of Galicia to Santiago. It can be started at Irun near the French border but that involves another 150 miles and walking though two further cities.
The coastal route takes in many of the picturesque towns and villages of Northern Spain, two of which, Santillana del Mar and Cudillero are in Spain's tourist top 10. It also takes in wild scenery and natural features such as the Cathedrals of Ribadesella and the Bafones of Llanes. Turning in land we discover the peace of rural Spain before reaching Santiago.
I have planned the route for 25 days walking and a couple of two day stays at the cities of Gijon and Santiago. This gives exactly 4 weeks for the tour. The average distance each day is 15 miles, the longest stretch being 18 miles.There three days with significant height gain.
The accommodation is a mixture of hotels, albergues (similar to YHAs although I never go in the shared dormitories) and apartments. The apartments are useful as you can wash and dry your clothes. I have one planned in for each week. When I planned it last year the cost for accommodation for the whole 4 weeks came to £650 for shared accommodation and £800 for single accommodation (about the same as a fortnight in the UK). You can also have luggage transfer which I recommend or carry your gear in a rucksack. A luggage transfer is around 6 euros a day.
Getting there. There are Ryanair flights to Santander and more flights to Bilbao but you would need an extra day and a coach ride. The flights are dirt cheap. There are also ferries from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander. The crossing costs around £120 and takes 18 hours. Return flights are daily to the UK from Santiago.
I know this is a long way ahead for people to commit so first I am asking for those interested to add their name as a maybe.
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Interest so far
Yes - definitely: Norfolk For GoodYes - maybe: ActiveAnnie, Another Chris, BigBadJohn, barbp-j
Sorry - can't come: Catwalker, Carpe Diem!, Tone, Walking boots on, Nick Theatre, JohnH, Glyn2, busyBee, Sukie Q, Lazlo Woodbine, going4gold
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I will opt for luggage transfer and single accommodation please. Just an age thing.
NTNick Theatre on 27/01/22 @ 18:14If I can make it, I'd go for the luggage transfer and the single accommodation
JohnH on 27/01/22 @ 18:20Luggage transfer for me too please
gogoing4gold on 27/01/22 @ 18:55I wonder if it’s a route you could also do by bike ? More time to site see
G4G All the Caminos have a cycle route. Takes much less time on a bike.
on 27/01/22 @ 19:03Well I am amazed, in fact my flabber has never been so gasted. I actually didn't expect any response for this invitation. Please note that some of the areas we pass through are very sparsely populated so finding any accommodation takes time so please don't complain if what you have requested can't be achieved.
LWLazlo Woodbine on 28/01/22 @ 9:39It sounds great.......as long as age hasn't caught up with me by then! Those dates will include my 76th birthday......
ACAnother Chris on 14/02/22 @ 23:41Chris, that is the day when according to popular opinion you are classed as old. That means I will still be middle aged but I don't know any 142 year olds.
LWLazlo Woodbine on 15/02/22 @ 0:14Luggage transfer preferred !
ToTone on 19/02/22 @ 21:52Hi Doug!
CDCarpe Diem! on 27/03/22 @ 11:18How many people are you hoping to take? I've wanted to do this for ages 😊 J
I will see when I get the flights and people have to commit. Accommodation is the tough one in the less populated areas. I can't do anything until the flights to Santander for next year are published.
LWLazlo Woodbine on 27/03/22 @ 17:54Sorry to pull out of this Doug, but my personal circumstances have changed and I can no longer commit to this. It sounds fabulous and I hope you have a magical trip.
CDCarpe Diem! on 28/06/22 @ 18:40Take care, Jonathan
Ferry travel:
on 29/06/22 @ 13:16I'm thinking it's easiest for baggage to travel by ferry both ways (or fly both ways). There's no advantage financially to a return ferry ticket. A 4 berth cabin with window works out to be around £275 each, return. At the moment Brittany Ferries is offering a 'free' 3 course dinner for all passengers on both trips. The senior train fare from Santiago to Santander via Madrid is about £75. Plus a return train fare to Portsmouth. Is it worth the extra cost to avoid nasty airports? Probably.
To be clearer, £275 includes the basic ferry fare. We can't expect Doug to take this on as well, so should we organise our own foursomes?
NTNick Theatre on 29/06/22 @ 13:37Ferry to Santander rather than fly is just an option. However ferry both ways means travelling 350 miles from Santiago to Santander first so a flight back from Santiago airport to the UK is almost compulsory. If there were 4 to share a cabin out that would be great but I could sleep in one of their seats if necessary. There will be flights to Santander, they just haven't been announced for next year yet.
LWLazlo Woodbine on 02/07/22 @ 16:20Back to top
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