Portugalete to Santullán

What you pass through

Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Portugalete. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.

1. start
   Portugalete50 m4 to stayBar · food

   The route from Portugalete to La Arena is almost entirely on paved surfaces, and getting out of the expanses of the city require twisting and turning your way around and under the complex network of highways that crowd out green space. Much of the trail is along a dedicated bike path, separated from the highway by a tall glass divider and decorated with the silhouettes of birds. This bike path is part of a larger network of paths that connect many of the suburbs, so pay close attention at every junction. See notice below for possible confusion near La Arena.

2. 11.2 km
   La Arena20 mBar · food

   The camino follows the boardwalk in La Arena, where it eventually joins a new foot bridge over the small estuary and into Pobeña. After crossing the bridge you have the option of going across the parking lot to the town, where you will find the albergue and several restaurants.

   Just prior to arriving in La Arena, you may notice old arrows directing you to your left. They occur shortly before passing under a bridge and should be ignored. Continue straight into La Arena.

3. 12.1 km
   Pobeña5 m1 to stayBar · food

   To keep on the camino, do not cross the parking lot. Instead look to your right; just past the Residencia Pobeña is a narrow path that takes you uphill for a beautiful walk along the headlands.The camino turns inland and passes under the A-8 just before arriving into Ontón, and along the way you cross into Cantabria.

4. 18.1 km
   Ontón30 mBar · food

   In Ontón the camino climbs a set of stairs to bring you back up to the level of the N-634, at a point where the road curves sharply and arrows point in two distinct directions.‌Option 1: Along N-634 through Mioño & tunnel- 7.1To follow the new route, simply follow the bend in the road and keep on it as it twists and turns. It will cross under and over the A-8 several times before arriving in Mioño.‌Option 2: ‌The Old Camino - 14.8The old camino route crossed over the N-634 at this bend, and followed the CA-523 in the direction of Baltezana. The way is still well marked but has been largely abandoned in favor of a newly marked route along the N-634.

5. 19.4 km
   Baltezana100 mBar · food

   Baltezana is on the old camino route, now largely abandoned in favor of the shorter Mioño variant. A quiet hamlet of about 300 residents with no pilgrim services. If you came this way, the route continues through Otañes …

6. 24.4 km
   Otañes80 m

   Otañes is a hamlet of about 750 residents on the old camino route between Baltezana and Castro Urdiales. The area has Roman roots — the road through here follows an ancient route. No services for pilgrims.

7. 28.0 km
   Santullán75 m1 to stayBar · food

   A hamlet on the old camino route. The Iglesia de San Julián, dating to the 14th century, contains an unexpected treasure: an alabaster funerary sculpture of Juan de Garay, viceroy of Catalonia, depicted in 17th-century m…

Mioño or Otañes?

The path splits here and rejoins before Santullán. Both ways are below, because the question is which to take, and that is not a question two separate pages can answer.