Camino del Norte
10.6 km, 297 m up and 230 m down, through 4 places, 3 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Soto de Luiña. 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.
From Soto de Luiña there are two different routes to take. Both are well waymarked and the split is evident. It occurs along the road and there is a marker with two shells indicating which direction to go.Option 1: Mountain Route - 19.9This route is entirely mountain walking and is far and away the most scenic option. As the name suggests it takes you up to and along the ridge of the mountain. If you chose this route be sure to pack enough food and water as there are no services along the way. At the point where the camino splits, the Mountain Route turns left and begins to climb.Option 2: Road / Ballota Route - 19.5Although this route does not reach great heights, it does do a considerable amount of climbing and descending; it is essentially a long series of switchback shortcuts that parallel the road. A word of caution is in order. Because this route frequently joins the road it is necessary to keep a watch for all the arrows which take you away from it. Although you will reach your destination if you stay on the road, you will walk a great deal farther and do a lot more up and down. There are quite a few more services along this route. To follow it, simply keep to the road where the split occurs.
A hamlet on the Ballota route. No services.
A hamlet on the Ballota route. No services.
Turn at the sign for Playa del Silencio.
A hamlet on the Ballota route between Castañeras and Ballota. No services.
The hamlet that gives the route its name. No services, but the views from the approach are good.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 185 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 11.8 km.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.