Camino del Norte: San Sebastián to Guernica

After our day off in San Sebastián, we had our longest stretch of hiking days in a row ahead of us. We would hike for four days before a day of rest in Guernica.

San Sebastián to Zarautz

Our first day after San Sebastián was pretty easy in terms of mileage and elevation. We were super lucky with the weather and we were greeted with a crisp, beautiful late summer day. After leaving San Sebastián, we proceeded to immediately get lost. A stranger approached us and pointed us in the right direction. We quickly left the ocean and were surrounded by farmland with some sporadic views of the sea in the distance.

We continued to see lots of animals along the way which was a fun experience that I hadn’t anticipated for the trek.

After a fairly uneventful and pretty deserted morning, we made our way into the small town of Orio which was quite idyllic. We made our way to a little plaza that had a view of restaurants and had another delicious lunch and rest before heading back out toward Zarautz.

The trail in the afternoon was more along roads but these were pretty remote and felt very safe. There was a lot of quirky signs and some water spigots as well as a first-aid station.

We got into Zarautz mid-afternoon and had some time to check out the beach after getting settled in our hotel. Zarautz is known as a surfing destination and we got to see some of the athletes in action!

The town itself was very cute and reminded me of other beach towns — lots of activity on the boardwalk, a relaxed attitude, and a mix of locals and tourists. The town itself is a few blocks off of the coast and has lots of shops and cafes. As would be the case with many of the places we stopped, I could’ve easily spent another couple of days in Zarautz taking the town in. But, the trail awaited.

Zarautz to Deba

The next day we walked from Zarautz to Deba. It was a bit unique in that we walked through at least 3 or 4 towns — on other days, we walked through one, maybe two.

The trail out of Zarautz hugged the ocean and was a very popular paved path. There were lots of locals out running and walking on the path and others biking on the road. The first few kilometers were flat and within not very long, we arrived in another (very cute!) town, Getaria, where we stopped for some coffee.

After Getaria, the trail was pretty much straight uphill through a lot of farmland. The path climbed until we arrived at another town, Zumaia, which was our stopping spot for lunch. The trail continued to climb after lunch. This was the first day that we started to meet others also doing the Camino and we would start to see the same folx again which was fun! There were also a fair amount of locals out going for walks.

As with the other days, we had some spectacular views throughout the day.

We spent the night at a sweet hotel in Deba and had some time to explore the town. We were there on a Saturday night and it was lively! Tons of people were gathered in the streets drinking, dancing, and chatting. Kids were out with their families riding tricycles and playing with toys. I was expecting a fairly sleepy town and I was very wrong!

Deba to Markina

The next day was described as one of the hardest we’d do — over 16 miles and a lot of hills. It was also a Sunday and everything we read said that everything would be closed. In preparation, we carried more water than normal and bought some snacks in Deba the night before as we were certain we wouldn’t find anything open until we reached our hostel in Markina.

The trail started climbing immediately. For the first hour or so we still had some views of the ocean. Then the trail moved inland and we wouldn’t see the ocean again on our trip. After about 8km, we decided to take a break for a snack and saw some of the familiar fellow Camino-ers while we were stopped.

And, despite all of the warnings about nothing being open, about 30 minutes later there was a sweet little tavern open and filled with people. We stopped for a drink, a bite, and a rest as we knew there was more uphill in our future.

After our rest, we proceeded climbing. The uphill was accompanied by stunning views of rolling hills and lush green.

The whole day was spent surrounded by farmland and some forests. As a Pacific-Northwesterner, I was loving the vibrant fields, trees, and nature. We spent a fair amount of time on rural roads that were quite muddy in spots.

We also saw a lot of animals, again! This time we even saw a baby sheep and more miniature horses.

All of the blogs and guide books we read said that there is nothing in Markina — no stores, no cafes, and only one place to stay. So, we were quite surprised when we walked into town on Sunday evening and saw six restaurants and a couple of grocery stores open and a town square bustling with people. Naturally, we had to stop, have a quick drink, and take it all in.

We then had one more kilometer to walk to our hostel, Intxauspe Landetxea. This was the most unique and special place we stayed the whole trip. It’s an old farmhouse converted to a guesthouse and is run by an older couple. They do everything — reservations, check-in, and cook and serve dinner and breakfast. There’s a variety of rooms — some private rooms with bathrooms and other communal rooms with shared bathrooms. What felt unique was the family nature of it and the community that was fostered. In the courtyard outside, there are lots of tables for people to gather and meet. Dinner is served at communal tables. It was a wonderful way to connect with other travelers.

Markina to Guernica

We took our time getting started and did some errands in Markina before hitting the trail. The first bit of the path was on pavement along a stream then quickly changed into a small dirt path in the woods. At times, we were walking through people’s yards.

The day was pleasant with rolling hills and gorgeous views. We were moving a lot slower as the four consecutive days were taking their toll and we were enjoying the sites. After about five kilometers, we stopped for coffee in a tiny town. And a few kilometers later we stumbled across an artist from Senegal who makes art out of wood. We both purchased shells for our bags which people trekking the Camino typically display. He also made us each an additional carving with our names.

We stopped again for lunch a couple of hours later and ran into some of the trekkers that we had become friendly with.

The rest of the day was mostly through the woods and more farmlands. We went through some very muddy sections as well. The last couple of kilometers were tough for me — my left knee was acting up and the downhill was hard on it.

We finally made it to Guernica where we would get a day of rest! More on Guernica in the next post.