Camino del Norte (Northern Way)

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About the Route

Key Waypoints

1. Irun

   0km from start · 10m

   Irun sits on the Bidasoa River at the French border, at the exact crossing point used by pilgrims since at least the 12th century. The hilltop Ermita de San Marcial recalls the 1522 Battle of San Marcial, where Spanish forces repelled the last French attempt to take Navarre. The Church of Santa María del Juncal houses a remarkable Renaissance-period Black Madonna venerated by Basque fishermen.

2. Deba

   69km from start · 5m

   Basque coastal town where the Camino del Norte begins its dramatic clifftop sections. Deba's Gothic Church of Santa María la Real and its pristine beach make it a scenic stage start. The coastal path ahead offers spectacular Atlantic views.

3. Portugalete

   175km from start · 5m

   Industrial port town at the mouth of the Nervión River, famous for the Vizcaya Bridge — a UNESCO World Heritage transporter bridge built in 1893, the world's oldest of its kind. Pilgrims cross the river here to continue west along the coast.

4. Santona

   245km from start · 5m

   Cantabrian peninsula town famous for its anchovies, considered the finest in Spain. The Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora del Puerto is a notable landmark. Pilgrims take a ferry across the bay to continue the coastal route westward.

5. Llanes

   415km from start · 10m

   Alfonso IX of León granted Llanes its royal charter in 1228, and the 14th-century town walls remain partially intact, the most complete in Asturias. The Cubos de la Memoria — colorful geometric art panels filling gaps in the harbor wall by artist Agustín Ibarrola — created since 2001. The church of Santa María la Mayor preserves a striking Romanesque/Gothic transitional portal.

6. Gijon

   530km from start · 5m

   Gijón's Campo Valdés Roman baths (1st-5th c. CE) are among the best-preserved on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The old quarter of Cimadevilla, built on a headland jutting into the Cantabrian Sea, was the original Roman settlement of Gigia. Jovellanos, Spain's most important Enlightenment reformer, was born here in 1744 — his birthplace is now a museum.

7. La Caridad

   665km from start · 80m

   La Caridad takes its name from its chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad (Our Lady of Charity), which served as a pilgrim resting point on the coastal route long before the town itself was formally established. Sitting in the hills above the Porcia River valley, the village is notable for its Asturian hórreos and for marking the last section of Asturian coast before the Galician border at Ribadeo.

8. Mondonedo

   740km from start · 130m

   One of the ancient capitals of the Kingdom of Galicia. 13th-century cathedral with remarkable medieval frescoes of the Massacre of the Innocents.

28 waypoints total · Sacred Trails app contains full detail for every waypoint.

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