Camino del Norte, Days 9-10: Cantabria

Pobeña to Castro Urdiales: 15 km

Castro Urdiales to Liendo: 25 km

“I’d forgotten this part of Camino life,” I wrote in my journal on the 9^th day of walking. “When the magic becomes normal, the feeling that walking is the way that I live now. The steady pattern of walk-eat-sleep-repeat. Take care of your feet. Soak in the sun. Be nice to your neighbors. Remember to look around. Just be.”

We’d come 180 kilometers already, and the rhythm was established, but the Norte refused to be taken for granted. As we left Basque Country behind and entered Cantabria, the geology changed. The rocks in the cliffs were more gray, the earth was drier. Even the cows seemed different. The rain stopped, and the sun sparkled on the ocean that popped up every few hours.

We spent a day surrounded by our Camino family, and a day walking alone, meeting new friends in a municipal albergue full of Germans. (Seriously. There were 18 Germans, 1 British woman, 1 Spanish man, and us.)

Sure, there were moments when we slogged along the shoulder of a busy road that curved precariously around sharp corners, with little space for us and the speeding cars passing by. There were grumpy moments when I wanted a rest or a cup of coffee or (most important) a bathroom. There were dull moments when the road Just. Kept. Going.

But with a few weeks of distance, those parts of the Camino fade, and what I’m left with are these snapshots of heart-stopping beauty.

43513827934_2c0863d613_z — A green tunnel leads us up and out of Pobeña

42425368684_daf38e5b8c_z — Sunrise on the water. Those dots in the water are surfers, catching the first waves of the day.

42425375384_fec9f7af9b_z — Goats in high places (the rock on the top right)

28274688417_5a95837138_z — Goats in low places

29272470298_7d2497f40c_z — Cows everywhere. The Camino del Norte has a surprisingly lax attitude about fences.

41333107510_be86a734ae_z — Can’t go over it, can’t go around it, so let’s go through it

43144110881_6029348208_z — The old and the new collide

29272508848_64ef25652e_z — The rocks are gray in Canbria, but no less dramatic

41333115380_8616f9a039_z — The moment when you crest the final hill and see your destination spread before you

43094042082_3450499868_z — The ocean pilgrims

41333120240_59c940105f_z — Our Camino family in Castro Urdiales. We split here, with some going farther ahead and some staying behind. But we were never apart for more than a day or two.

42239819945_f9f83b4a1e_z — The cathedral, disappointingly locked even on a busy Saturday afternoon

28274709577_3243e2d1fe_z — Castro Urdiales seawall

41483284220_1382e33457_z — Protected by both a fortress and a cathedral

44182746132_da342074f9_z — Imagine what it took to carve those steps a few hundred years ago

43144134391_91233120ee_z — Watch your step

42239823945_00e50c9cc5_z — Another perfect dawn

43094059482_45f4141246_z — We can see which way the wind blows. Passing pilgrims took turns standing at that fence on a point, looking out over the ocean

43513827114_d45fe0a99c_z — And then, at the end of it all, a warm room, a decent mattress, and the promise of another day

4 thoughts on “Camino del Norte, Days 9-10: Cantabria”

Cantabria Infinita 🙂

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Beautiful photos, it really makes me feel the breeze and see the sights, the boats, the cows, I’m transported. I also love the pic of your family. Amazing how we can form beautiful bonds with people through walking a couple of days with someone, even becoming a long term friend that lives on the other side of the world, shout out to Miss Helen 🙂

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