A foodie pilgrimage along the Camino del Norte
21.07.2023 - 08:46
/ roughguides.com
/ Belle Epoque
/ Ros Walford
After a foodie pilgrimage along the northern Spanish coast, Ros Walford shares some of her edible highlights of the Camino del Norte.
There’s something magical about entering a city on foot. First, you see a rash of buildings in the distance; some hours later, you finally reach the centre, where, stomach rumbling, you follow your nose to a smoky grill and the promise of slowly barbecuing fish. For hikers, the reward of good food at the end of a long day’s walk is surely one of life’s greatest pleasures. Spain’s Basque Country has both, with a national pilgrimage route running along its coast and some of the best food in the world. Now that’s just greedy…
Since the ninth century, penitents have made the pilgrimage along the Camino del Norte – the oldest of several caminos that cross Spain – to pay homage to Saint James, but today, fortunately, this is one of the quieter routes. It runs the length of Spain’s northern coast, east to west from Irún, close to the French border, to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
The stage between San Sebastián and Bilbao is a moderate eight-day trek and one of the most interesting sections – not only for the food but also the beautiful landscape, geology, history and Basque traditions.
Image by Ros Walford
Like the best tapas recipes, this great Basque port is made of simple ingredients: one part English-influenced seaside town, one part cultural hotspot and a large part foodie destination. With so many interesting things to see, do and taste here, it’s tempting to linger longer than planned.
You can ride the 1912 funicular to the top of Monte Igeldo and boat along the quirky “rio misterioso” at its old-fashioned amusement park; stroll along one of three soft-sand beaches, admire modern art and Belle Époque architecture; get carried away in upmarket boutiques; or take in one of the numerous music, film and arts festivals (this is European Capital of Culture for 2016, no less).
And when you’re done with all that, pop into one of the hundreds of tapas bars and restaurants that populate the Old Town and Gros districts. Not only is this the birthplace of pintxos (an elaborate form of tapas), San Sebastián has the second-highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants per square metre than anywhere in the world.
In San Sebastián, go it alone or take a guided tour of the pintxos bars – worth doing for the fact your guide will pick out the best from a bewildering number of bars and order the best dishes. Either way, be sure to try a Gilda, the bar snack – named after the Rita Hayworth film – that started the pintxo tradition in the 1940s.
Hidden downstairs in the fish market, Bar Azkena (Mercado de la Bretxa, 36 – only open during market hours) is a welcome surprise serving