Life is full of twists and turns – Arrieros Somos Y En El Camino Nos Encontraremos

Date: 14th July, 2022

Section: Portugalete to Castro-Urdiales

Region: Cantabria

Staying: Castro-Urdiales

Pensión La Mar – Small pensión, single room €35 per night

Recommend, yes ✔️comfy bed, clean, well located, cobblestones streets with excellent tapas (pinchos) bars on the doorstep!

Instagram: Link to extra photos and daily caption.

Today:

A proper camino morning start! Yesterday’s hard hiking and hot weather obviously didn’t wear me out because I was super organised and ready to leave this morning. This is the nice thing about your own room, it’s easy to spread out. Water in the hiking bladder, clothes ready, guide book read and marked, fruit to start the morning. Walking out of Portugalete there are two options. Take the travelator up the hill or walk. No joke. I walked given that I wash fresh and excited but I could see how in the heat of the day this travelator could be enticing, a given probably. 😉

Why do I love the camino? It is a question I am asked often. Honestly, it is just so easy. You can just rock up and walk. This works really well for me, especially easy for shorter trips because we are currently living in Europe. There is minimal planning required and I use the same kit each time (mostly). This is my fourth trip along a Spanish camino, always a different hiking route but the formula is the same. Pack light, arrive, get up to walk, find your way, eat along the way, find where to stay, wash yourself, wash your gear for tomorrow, get in your second set of clothes, immerse yourself in Spanish camino life. The more you walk the more I think you find your own rhythm. But please don’t be fooled into thinking that I have it all down pat and that there are no challenges. There are, today had challenges.

One of the routines or rhythms that works for me and that I actually love a lot is to hike to breakfast. Today it was a 15km hike before I sat down to a coffee and pulled pork tacos, there was even an ocean view. I recently (the day before this camino) turned 50 so I am of the age where protein with each meal is so important for women, especially on a day where I’m hiking almost 30kms. Some stretches along the camino can be tricky to get food with colour and protein but so far along the Norte since Bilbao it has been relatively easy. I am not normally a pork eater but sometimes I find I need to adjust to get what I need, otherwise I’m eating bread and tortilla every meal!

The del Norte begins in the Basque region and now I’ve hiked into the wild beauty of the Cantabrian region. Once again I am out of cities and the landscape just so pleasurable. I walked past animals, wild growing produce, through mountain tunnels, up fairytale stairwells, through quaint villages all the while flanked by the sea. I like to think I will swim along the way but it is harder than is sounds to simply stop with all your gear and jump in – for me at least. Perhaps if I stay seaside it will be a nice evening thing to do. I am happy to take my shoes of and walk along the sand where possible though. Sea air, salty feet – nothing like it!

In amongst all this delightful walking there were some tears. I walked further than planned. My guide book is a little out of date and I walked too long without food, lost the path and couldn’t find the place I had planned to stay. It no longer existed! It has been my experience that people along the camino are kind and helpful. Again today this was my experience of locals, they happily assisted me with my terrible Spanish to find what I needed, a kitchen was even opened to cook me a plate of scallops.

I really don’t take this privilege I have of walking along the camino for granted. Yes, it is hard and the tears are real and for sure I’m uncomfortable sometimes. I try to realise that my uncomfortableness is within a comfortable place. Even when I am hurting and am feeling unsure and am struggling with decisions: do I stop, do I stay, walk here, walk there. I am comfortably uncomfortable. Maybe this is a little about where I am in life. Oh the camino, there you go taking me deep into myself again.

My day ended up in Castro-Urdiales where I had a single room booked in a little pénsion. I booked it while refuelling on the scollops. Maybe there is an Albergue in town but it’s been a long day and I don’t think I’m ready to share a room or bathroom. I haven’t met anyone yet and the trails are very quiet. This is ok for me, but tomorrow I think I will be ready to find some interesting conversation … but first dinner!

Just because we are out of the Basque Region doesn’t mean the food tastes have slipped. I thoroughly enjoyed some pinchos and a glass or two of verdecho tonight. Yes, thorougly. I’m so glad to have my own space again tonight to return home to and yes, tomorrow is another day.

Highlight:

The countryside was so beautiful today. Aside from the short moments spent with the nuances of the guidebook and the questioning/second guessing of myself it was absolutely blissful walking amongst such beauty.

Ho hum:

Where has the trust in my decisions and decision making ability gone? This I’d like to ponder, is it a post pandemic thing, an age thing, a life stage thing, a confidence thing? Hiking is a great way to get curious – it shows you yourself.