After an early night and no sleep in our Albergue today sees us walking on the Camino del Norte day 4 Deba to Markina.
Walking from Deba to Markina
Our journey on the Camino del Norte Day 4 sees us walking from Deba to the lovely town of Markina.
Last nights meal in Deba was really nice but we were too damn tired to even play cards. Anyway after eating we watched some football, did laundry and then proceeded to collapse into bed.
Deba was a great little town and the municipal albergue was really nice.
Table of Contents
Camino del Norte Day 4 Overview
- Distance – 29km
- From – Deba
- To – Markina
- Terrain – challenging
There was 20 people in our room at the Deba municipal Albergue and our old friend from the Camino Frances, Ulrich Von Schnitzel Burger has appeared!
We all agreed the noise coming out of one man was amazing. It was snoring to the extreme and none of us got more than 4 hrs sleep.
How hard is the Camino del Norte
I am asked this question a lot and I can confirm that the first 3 days of walking the Camino Del Norte have been very hard especially with the elevation gain each day.
My Top Tip is to plan lots of hill climbing into your pre Camino training schedule. I’m asking myself ‘Have we challenged ourselves too much? This question wasn’t going away.
We were up with the dawn, had breakfast and then headed off and started a 1,000 ft ascent.
It wasn’t that long ago since I had walked the largest mountain in the UK, Ben Nevis, and it felt like climbing it all over again.
The pressure on my knees was pretty extreme so my advise to anyone attempting the Camino Del Norte is to train. A lot !
This stage from Deba to Markina is a really pleasant stage of the Camino del Norte.
The trail is a winding hike from the sea up into the hills.
It follows tracks and some small roads and some amazing small villages which were all but deserted.
We walked upwards through pine forests and the quiet and stillness at that height was fantastic. We stayed up here for most of the day.
The views were to die for although it was very hard on the legs which were hurting a little.
On a few occasions we even descended into little hidden valleys full of sumptuous trees, gushing streams and trees inserted into the landscape with tender thought..
ah well as Nigella Lawson says. “You know what I mean“. I think we miss our wives !
We even passed Pilgrims Bobs own wood store. They were cutting down trees in the high forest and the logs were stacked everywhere.
The Camino del Norte is a hard and beautiful walk but the infrastructure isn’t like The Camino Frances, so if your looking for lots of shops, cafes and Albergues this probably isn’t for you.
We finally arrived on the outskirts of Markina and were ready for a cold beer and something to eat.
First of all we had to find an Albergue for the night so headed to the first bar we came across to see what was available in the town.
Markina
Markina is a town in Northern Spain directly on the Camino del Norte route and is a relatively large town with all the amenities you would need for lodging, food and laundry.
We made our way to Bar Pitis as we had heard they had a good hostel and we were not disappointed. First of all we wanted to have something to drink and we noticed they had afternoon meals on and we ordered the house special.
We were served lentil stew with crusty bread and it was magnificent and that was just the starter. The main was a chicken dish and just as nice.
So nice we ordered a bottle of red wine to go with it and it was only €10 a person for everything !
The owner of the bar couldn’t do enough for us and after lunch we were led to an apartment they owned with one of chap from Ireland. It was bunk beds in a room for 4 pilgrims.
It was standard with basic facilities but it did the job and was relatively cheap at €12 a person for the night.
Markina is also famous for their 2 sided courts where the men come to play the sport jai alai. The municipal court in Markina has produced a lot of players that have gone to to have international fame and has earned the nickname the University of Pelota.
Finally please pay a thought for my foot. I think it is literally goosed with an old hairline fracture injury as well as a hot spot on one toe.
A knee replacement would be good as well. They said The Camino del Norte was tough over the first 5-6 days and its true,
Anyway tomorrow’s another day and we’ll see where we get too. The Camino will provide.
Today we did:
- 38,257 Steps
- 5,062 Calories
- 318 Floors
- 28.2 Km
Buen Camino
Accommodation in Markina
Hostal Pitis
- 12 beds
- €12/€15 per person inc breakfast
- Open April to October
- Laundry, bar, Terrace, dinner
Albergue Intxauspe
- 16 beds
- €14 per person
- Open April to October
Albergue de peregrinos Convento del Carmen Markina
- 40 beds
- Donativo (donation only)
- Open April to October
