Camino del Norte · stage 14 of 34

Santillana del Mar to Comillas

Gaudí by the sea

Distance
22.2 km
Climb
380 m up, 440 m down
Ground
0 to 170 m
Time
5 to 7 hours
Difficulty
moderate
Underfoot
coastal, forest, paved, dirt
Two maps

Where this day sits on the Camino del Norte

Above, the highest and lowest ground of each of its 34 stages. Below, the word each day is given.

TERRAIN500 m1,000 m1,500 mhighest ground · 710 m100 km200 km300 km400 km500 km600 km700 kmIrúnArzúaINTERIORStage 1: Irún to San Sebastián. The border.The borderStage 2: San Sebastián to Zarautz. Basque coast.Basque coastStage 3: Zarautz to Deba. Flysch.FlyschStage 4: Deba to Markina-Xemein. Inland.InlandStage 5: Markina-Xemein to Gernika-Lumo. Gernika.GernikaStage 6: Gernika-Lumo to Lezama. The approach.The approachStage 7: Lezama to Bilbao. Bilbao.BilbaoStage 8: Bilbao to Portugalete. Industrial heritage.Industrial heritageStage 9: Portugalete to Castro Urdiales. Crossing into Cantabria.Crossing into CantabriaStage 10: Castro Urdiales to Laredo. Cantabrian coast.Cantabrian coastStage 11: Laredo to Güemes. The ferryman and the dreamer.The ferryman and the dreamerStage 12: Güemes to Santander. Boat into the city.Boat into the cityStage 13: Santander to Santillana del Mar. Santillana the beautiful.Santillana the beautifulStage 14: Santillana del Mar to Comillas. Gaudí by the sea.Gaudí by the seaStage 15: Comillas to Colombres. Into Asturias.Into AsturiasStage 16: Colombres to Llanes. Bufones and cliffs.Bufones and cliffsStage 17: Llanes to Ribadesella. The inland beach.The inland beachStage 18: Ribadesella to Colunga. The Jurassic coast.The Jurassic coastStage 19: Colunga to Villaviciosa. The fork.The forkStage 20: Villaviciosa to Gijón. Xixón.XixónStage 21: Gijón to Avilés. Industrial beauty.Industrial beautyStage 22: Avilés to Muros de Nalón. Leaving the city.Leaving the cityStage 23: Muros de Nalón to Soto de Luiña. Cudillero.CudilleroStage 24: Soto de Luiña to Cadavedo. Regalina.RegalinaStage 25: Cadavedo to Luarca. Luarca.LuarcaStage 26: Luarca to La Caridad. The last coastal stretch.The last coastal stretchStage 27: La Caridad to Ribadeo. Into Galicia.Into GaliciaStage 28: Ribadeo to Gondán. Inland at last.Inland at lastStage 29: Gondán to Mondoñedo. Lourenzá and Mondoñedo.Lourenzá and MondoñedoStage 30: Mondoñedo to Abadín. Onto the plateau.Onto the plateauStage 31: Abadín to Vilalba. Vilalba and the tower.Vilalba and the towerStage 32: Vilalba to Baamonde. The qualifying start.The qualifying startStage 33: Baamonde to Sobrado dos Monxes. The longest day, the oldest monastery.The longest day, the oldest monasteryStage 34: Sobrado dos Monxes to Arzúa. The junction.The junction

From open-pilgrimages: each stage's highest and lowest ground and its interior theme.

The day

Comillas is the surprise of Cantabria. El Capricho de Gaudí (1885) is one of only three Gaudí buildings outside Catalonia — a small Mudéjar-fantasy summer villa with sunflower-tile walls, built for a local indiano (a Spaniard returned rich from Cuba). It sits just below the former Pontifical Seminary, a 19th-century neo-Gothic building that housed the Comillas Pontifical University until 1969, when the university moved to Madrid. The combination of Gaudí, the Comillas town, and the Cantabrian beach is one of the Norte's least-expected reveals.

What pilgrims often meet here

  • The Cistercian abbey at Cóbreces — unexpected among the fields
  • First sight of El Capricho through the trees
  • The sunflower tiles on El Capricho's walls
  • The former Pontifical Seminary looming over the beach

Gaudí and the Camino do not belong to the same century, but they share a village. What does encountering the unexpected do to the shape of a pilgrimage?

The ground

Descends from Santillana through Cóbreces (with its striking Cistercian abbey), Oreña, and Cuchía, then tracks the Cantabrian coast through a succession of small bays. Comillas is known for its Gaudí building (El Capricho de Gaudí) and the imposing former Pontifical Seminary that housed the Comillas Pontifical University until 1969.

Beds: moderate. Water sources: 5. Along the way: atm, pharmacy, grocery, restaurant.

The light

Sunrise and sunset in Santillana del Mar depend on the day you walk.

Plan the light for this stage on Daylight

Walk it with Pilgrim

In Pilgrim's Honor mode you can walk this stage as it is drawn here, and save its maps for days with no signal. The morning opens with this day's word, Gaudí by the sea, and its story. When you arrive, it asks the question above, and you can answer out loud. Your walk stays on your phone.

Open this stage in Pilgrim

With Pilgrim on your phone, this opens the stage, ready to begin. Without it, you'll see the stage and where to get the app.

Pilgrim on the App Store · pilgrimapp.org

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