Description

A guidebook to walking the Camino del Norte and Camino Primitivo through northern Spain, popular variants of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage or Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela. Suitable for most abilities, the 820km (510 mile) Camino del Norte takes around 5 weeks to complete, whereas the shorter 355km (221 mile) Camino Primitivo requires about a fortnight. 

The Camino del Norte is described in 32 stages and the Camino Primitivo in 12 stages, each between 15 and 39km (9–24 miles) in length. The Camino del Norte roughly follows the coast from Irun visiting San Sebastian, Bilbao and Santander, whilst the Camino Primitivo takes an inland route from Villaviciosa via Oviedo and Lugo. An extension to Finisterre and link routes to connect the Norte and Primitivo are also described. 

• GPX files available to download 
• 1:100,000 mapping plus larger-scale town maps for key locations 
• Handy route summary tables and pilgrim lodging listings help you plan your itinerary 
• Detailed information about refreshments and facilities along the route 
• Advice on planning and preparation 

About the Author

Dave Whitson is a high school History teacher in Portland, Oregon and a graduate of the University of Washington. He made his first pilgrimage in 2002 on the Camino Francés and was inspired to return with a group of his high school students, which he did in 2004. He has made long-distance treks in Norway on the Pilgrim Road to Nidaros, in England on the North Downs Way to Canterbury, and in Turkey on the Lycian Way, all told walking roughly 10,000 kilometers on pilgrim roads in Europe.

Laura Perazzoli graduated from John Hopkins University with a degree in Writing Seminars and currently lives in Seattle, Washington. She completed her first pilgrimage in 2004 on the Camino Francés as one of the students on Dave Whitson's initial student pilgrimage. After this trip, she was excited to provide others with a similar experience and has since led student pilgrimage trips on the Camino Francés, the Camino del Norte and the Via Francigena. Laura first walked the Camino del Norte and Primitivo with a student group in 2009 and returned in 2011 to re-walk the route and to complete the Camino Inglés to ensure up-to-date route information for this guidebook.