Walking the Camino del Norte was a wonderful experience. There’s a saying pilgrims pass along the trail almost like a password: “the Camino provides.” Trusting in a thousand-year-old pilgrimage trail sounds like a platitude until you’ve spent a month with sore feet and your backpack, watching it prove itself true in small, unglamorous ways.
Looking back, I remember that every day was filled with joy and the simple pleasure of putting one foot in front of the other.
In April and May, I walked 400 kilometres on the less-travelled Camino del Norte, along Spain’s northern coast. Only four per cent of pilgrims take the Camino del Norte, making it a quieter, more introspective experience, something I was desperately seeking.
My journey started at Gijon, about halfway through the route, and took almost a month. I planned it with a slow travel mindset, taking stops in small villages along the way.
I booked my own accommodations along the way, including the traditional hostels (albergues), but also stayed at more comfortable places like paradors, where I could have my own room and bathroom.
Everyone has their own Camino journey. Here’s what I learned on this, my second Camino:
It is your Camino
The single most repeated truth is also the simplest: no one can walk the Camino for you. The women who get the most out of the experience are the ones who stop measuring their pace or distance against anyone else’s. Slowing down, it turns out, isn’t a compromise.
I had seen photos of the route, but nothing prepared me for the beauty of Playa de Silencio or the mountainside village of Mondoñedo.
The small moments made the walk memorable— noticing each village’s hórreos, the way the light shimmers in the forest, or the sound of the sea crashing against the granite rocks.
Preparation matters more than fitness
Ask veteran pilgrims for their one piece of advice, and gear comes up almost every time — not flashy gear, but tested gear. Boots broken in months in advance. A backpack that’s been carried on practice walks, not just bought and thrown in a suitcase.
Layers that can handle rain, wind and sun in the same afternoon, because Spain’s weather rarely commits to one mood for long.
The women who struggle most aren’t usually the least fit; they’re the ones who discover, 20 kilometres from the nearest town, that their boots need inserts or their rain jacket isn’t actually waterproof.
Stress-testing yourself and your equipment beforehand isn’t overcautious — it’s what lets people with real physical limitations still finish the walk on their own terms.
Don’t feel you have to buy everything new — it’s not a fashion show. My top tip: bring hiking poles and wear compression socks if you’re prone to swollen feet (walking 25 km a day will do that to you).
Enjoy every single step
It’s tempting to fixate on Santiago de Compostela as the end point — the spires, the pilgrim’s mass, the final stamp in your credential.
But almost everyone who’s walked it will tell you the same thing: the destination stops mattering somewhere around day three. What replaces it is presence — paying attention to wherever you happen to be, rather than treating each village as a box to check on the way to the finish line.
Ironically, the pilgrims who release their grip on the destination tend to arrive with the most to say about the journey.
It doesn’t have to be life-changing
Not every pilgrim finds religious meaning on the Camino, and that’s fine — the trail doesn’t demand it. What it delivers instead is connection: to your own body’s capabilities, to a version of yourself that exists outside your job, your family role, your usual routines.
I have never felt as attuned to every muscle in my body, every bone in my foot, every sensation as I did walking the Camino. It’s connective inside too.
Standing outside Santiago, I was overwhelmed with emotion, arriving not with a sense of spiritual arrival, but with an unexpected wave of grief that my walk was over.
Almost immediately I committed to doing it again, every year. The month away ceased to exist; I only felt gratitude for my body, my mindset and my resolve.
In the end, the Camino teaches through a simple rhythm: wake, walk, repeat. Whatever you are looking for, chances are good that you’ll leave with something you didn’t know you needed — and a scallop shell you’ll want to keep long after the memories fade.
Now that I’ve done my second Camino, I’m ready to start planning my third, and fourth, knowing that being in the moment, on my own, is precious, one of the best gifts I’ve ever given myself.
Resources for women who want to walk the Camino del Norte
What to Pack for the Camino del Norte https://journeywoman.com/solo-travel-advice/packing-tips/the-camino-de-santiago-what-women-should-pack-to-hike-the-camino-del-norte-in-the-spring/
How to Prepare for the Camino del Norte: Fitness Tips https://journeywoman.com/type-of-travel/adventure-travel-for-women/how-women-50-can-prepare-for-adventure-expert-tips-from-a-wellness-coach/
Where to Stay on the Camino del Norte (including a 15% discount for Spain’s Paradors) https://journeywoman.com/destinations/europe/spain/where-to-stay-on-the-camino-de-santiago-from-albergues-to-historic-paradors/
Bio: Carolyn Ray is the CEO of JourneyWoman, the world’s first solo travel publication for women, established in Canada in 1994.
Named one of the most influential women in travel, Carolyn has been featured in the New York Times, Skift, Rick Steves Monday Night Travel, The Toronto Star and Conde Nast as a solo travel expert, and speaks at women’s travel conferences around the world. Learn more at https://journeywoman.com/
Want to learn more about the Camino del Norte and other wonderful walks on the Camino de Santiago? Check out these handy references.
What are your thoughts on the Camino del Norte? Let us know in the comments.
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