This year with my friends we tackled a portion of thr Camino Norte route in northern Spain. From outside Bilbao to just before Gijon, around 250 km. It is more difficult route than the most popular Camino Frances. We saw far fewer other walkers and pilgrims along the way, often just a dozen or so each day. The more difficult walking is rewarded with better coastal scenery and views along the coast. The first photo climbing over a small headland between two beaches after Laredo.

The path does not always follow the coast, coming inland to visit little old villages, such as the pleasant Santillana del Mar shown below.

The weather was fantastic, bar perhaps one day of rain. Often the sun was out and we had the way to ourselves crossing the hills, like below as a signpost was spotted giving the distances to Cobreces.

A couple of days we made sure we had a beach nearby to relax after the walking was done. Here is La Franca beach. In La Franca we stayed at a Sidreria, so had very good food and drink too.

There was a choice of routes before Llanes, where we followed the ridge along with a golf course on one side, then the hills the other side looking down to the sea.