Cheap Travels

Markina to Olabe

Distance Covered: 13 miles / 21 km

After days of coastal hiking, this stage pulls away from the sea, trading ocean views for quiet mountain roads and lush greenery. This section of the Camino del Norte weaves through farm land, rolling hills and a few small villages. The slightly shorter section offered a welcome recovery day for me after the long climbs I did the day before.

For most pilgrims, day five of the Camino del Norte ends in Guernica, but after hearing from other pilgrims that the albergue there was closed, I decided to veer slightly off the main trail to stay in a small privately owned albergue in the mountains. The place had good reviews online, and served dinner, which was important for me since I would be stopping between cities and was not sure if I would find any good dinner options that were open.

If this is the first post you’re reading and want to start from the beginning, check out my Camino del Norte page, which features all of my Camino posts in chronological order. If you want to learn more about the Camino de Santiago itself, read my post breaking down the basics of the Camino de Santiago.

Early start at the albergue in Markina

I woke up at 6:30 to head to the albergue dining room for the complimentary breakfast of coffee and toast with butter and jam, which was just enough to motivate me out of bed. Still feeling a bit tired from the cumulative miles walked that week, I went straight for the coffee before the toast. I sat down at a table with a young French woman, which I would eventually end up sorely regretting. After about five minutes of conversation, I realized I was not in the mood for light conversation just yet.

Before the caffeine had even started to help me wake up, this girl was telling me how old she thought I was, and how young people always guess she is. When I asked her what she did for work, she explained that she does not have a job, and is not currently looking for one… Sounds pretty nice… More coffee, please.

A third person joined us at our table after a few minutes, a Romanian man who had spent the last few decades living and working in the US. He must have been truly Americanized, because he spent the entire meal complaining about the food, complaining about having to wake up and leave at a particular time, and the lack of air conditioning. For a five or ten euro stay, you can’t really expect too much – the albergues públicos are not for everyone, but they are certainly cost-effective. If you want a more luxurious place to stay, they’re definitely out there.

Setting out towards Olabe

I ended up walking out of the albergue around the same time as the Romanian pilgrim, and he was still complaining about the experience the night before, so I said I needed to fill my water and told him to have a good day. He stood looking at me for a moment, and then somewhat reluctantly said goodbye. To be honest, it’s better to walk alone than to walk with someone who only has negative comments to share.

I stayed on the marked path this day, following the yellow arrows and sign posts marking the route. The miles were starting to wear me down a bit, and I was excited to take a day off in Bilbao once I got there. There is something very peaceful about the whole experience once you get into the groove; you wake up, eat a bit, and just go from yellow arrow to yellow arrow.

The morning flew by as I just carried on, putting one foot in front of the other, enjoying the quiet mountain roads and following the trail markings.

Before I knew it, it was already after noon and I had covered several miles in a daze. One of the most wonderful differences between the Camino and, say, the Appalachian Trail, is the ready availability of food and services. If you feel like stopping early one day, or getting a proper meal, it’s just a matter of waiting an hour or two until you come across another small town.

Stopping in town for lunch

After just putting my head down and walking all morning, I had worked up quite an appetite. Instead of just eating snacks during the day, I figured I’d stop at a restaurant to get a more substantial meal. I ordered a coffee and a few larger pintxos, which really hit the spot but made me a bit sluggish.

I had heard from several other pilgrims that the albergue público in Guernica was temporarily closed, so rather than walking there to then have to carry on hiking, I figured I would stop a little earlier. The bartender told me about an albergue privado that was a little bit off the main route, but served dinner and had some nice views. After quickly confirming the location of the albergue using Google Maps, I headed off again along the Camino route.

Hiking further inland

The hiking meandered between small mountain towns and rural farm land, with a few steep climbs. I strolled along at a leisurely pace, still pretty tired from the long day before, but knowing that as long as nothing catastrophic happens I’d still make it to Santiago with plenty of time to spare.

After eating a big lunch, I was content, but sluggish. Pushing myself a little bit too hard the previous two days, a shorter day sounded like a dream.

I arrived to the albergue fairly early, which felt strange after walking well into the evening hours the past few days. The early arrival meant that I could handwash my clothes, and hang dry them in the sun.

The weather in northern Spain is quite unpredictable, and in my experience it’s normal to see both dry and warm or wet and cold summer days. On these unusually warm days, taking a cool shower was one of the greatest luxuries in the world. After showering and hanging my clothes up to dry, I had a little time to relax out on the terrace, chat with some other pilgrims, and take the time to charge some electronics.

Dinner at the albergue

Because this albergue was between towns, I paid a few extra euros to have dinner included with the stay. Dinner was a three-course meal that included a salad, vegetable purée, and pork cheek. Honestly, it was delicious and well worth the money. The meal also included wine, but I opted out, hoping to get a good night of sleep to try to catch up after a few long days.

There were probably around eight or nine of us that ate dinner together, some Spaniards, a few French couples and a Brazilian couple who were on their honeymoon. We chatted for an hour or so after we ate and then eventually made our ways to our rooms.

I was in a shared dorm with eight other pilgrims, which only cost me 12 euros for a bunk. Overall not bad, and as tired as I was, I knew I could sleep just about anywhere. I took the opportunity to charge all of my camera gear, message with some friends and family back home, and generally do the things that I had been too busy to do over the previous days.

Route details

For a detailed description of this route, take a look at the map on Gronze.com. On that website there is a route map and a comprehensive list of the places to stay along this section with rough price guides. The red and green bars signify the distance from the Camino route, each with a rough distance estimate.

The private albergues and hotels allow for booking ahead of time, while the donation-based albergues (marked with a “D” for donativo) are all first come, first served. The amenities are basic, but it’s by far the most affordable way to walk a Camino.

If you’re interested in reading the detailed route description, you’ll have to translate the page from Spanish to English, which you can do using the three vertical dots in the upper right.

Final thoughts

This dinner was one of my first large meals in close proximity with strangers since early 2020, and it felt great to be back out in the world. I was glad to call it an early night and to use the time to catch up on laundry. My clothes had already dried in the sun by late afternoon, and I was able to gather everything before going to bed.

The goal for the next day was to get through Guernica and take some time to check out the city and the monuments before carrying on. I hoped to get to Morga or Larrabetzu, and from there it should take just one more day to get to Bilbao. I had reached out to an old teacher friend who lives in Bilbao, and I’d be staying with him while in the city.

After a very long couple of days walking along the steep coast, I was fairly worn down, and this shorter day was just what I needed. If you have done the Camino, let me know down below what kind of schedule for followed for rest days, or if you took any at all. And as always, ¡Buen Camino!

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