Gernika-Lumo to Lezama
The approach
- Distance
- 19.8 km
- Climb
- 580 m up, 520 m down
- Ground
- 10 to 310 m
- Time
- 5 to 6 hours
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Underfoot
- forest, dirt, paved
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.
From open-pilgrimages: each stage's highest and lowest ground and its interior theme.
The day
A shorter day, by Norte standards. You climb Bizkargi through mixed forest, pass hamlets too small to appear on maps, and by early afternoon you are in Lezama, a suburban village with a pilgrim albergue, a bar, and a church. The rhythm of the past three inland days — climb, forest, village, descent, village — is about to be broken by the arrival in Bilbao tomorrow. Use the quiet of Lezama.
What pilgrims often meet here
- The last forest day before Bilbao breaks the rhythm
- Small Basque hamlets with nothing open at midday
- The strange feeling of knowing tomorrow is a city day
Four days into an inland section. What is the forest teaching that the coast could not?
The ground
The approach to Bilbao. Climbs over Bizkargi hill (320 m), passes the small town of Goikolexea and Morga, and descends to Lezama on the northeastern outskirts of Bilbao. Lezama is small but has pilgrim accommodation.
The light
Sunrise and sunset in Gernika-Lumo depend on the day you walk.
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, The approach, and its story. When you arrive, it asks the question above, and you can answer out loud. Your walk stays on your phone.
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.