Stage Castro Urdiales to Laredo

The stage between Castro Urdiales and Laredo covers the eastern end of the Cantabrian coast and is one of the most varied days on the Camino del Norte: cliffs, an estuary, two inland valleys and a bay at the end. Its length depends on the variant chosen, between about 25 and 30 kilometres, and the profile is a constant up and down which, without any great heights, ends up weighing on the legs.

You leave Castro Urdiales with the harbour, the Gothic church of Santa María de la Asunción and the castle-lighthouse behind you. The Camino soon reaches the outskirts and links Allendelagua and Cérdigo, two small hamlets at the foot of Monte Cerredo. From Cérdigo, a coastal path runs above the cliffs, between meadows and holm oaks, with the Cantabrian Sea breaking below; it is the most beautiful stretch of the day and ends in Islares.

After Islares comes the Oriñón estuary, where the river Agüera opens to the sea beneath the limestone walls of Monte Candina, home to a colony of griffon vultures. The Camino follows the estuary upstream to El Pontarrón de Guriezo, and here comes the decision of the day. The waymarked route heads into the Guriezo valley as far as Rioseco and then crosses the hills on forest tracks, longer and with more climbs but away from cars. The alternative follows the hard shoulder of the N-634: it saves more than five kilometres, although it means walking beside traffic.

Both options meet in the Liendo valley, a quiet green hollow surrounded by hills. Hazas, its main village, has traditional Cantabrian manor houses, the parish church and the services needed for a break before the final effort. The way out of the valley through Iseca Vieja gains height again, and from the top the view suddenly opens over the bay: La Salvé beach, with more than four kilometres of sand, El Puntal, Santoña and Monte Buciero.

The descent enters Laredo through the Puebla Vieja, the medieval enclosure listed as a historic site, with its steep streets and the church of Santa María de la Asunción, from the 13th century. Further down, the fishing harbour and the long seafront promenade offer hostels, hotels and restaurants in which to recover. The next day, in season, the boat that crosses from El Puntal to Santoña awaits.