Information about stage 2: Stage from San Sebastian-Donostia to Zarautz
| STAGE 2 |
KM 20.3 |
TIME 05:30 a.m. |
Itinerary
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Km 0. San Sebastián/ Donostia (All services)
The second northern day, lighter than the initial one, starts on Marbil street, at the foot of Mount Igeldo . From the La Sirena hostel it is easy, you go down 150 meters and Marbil street is the first on the left. Or from San Sebastián we head towards Paseo de la Concha which we take to continue along Paseo Satrustegui until the end, leaving Ondarreta beach on our right, and once there take Igueldo street to the left, we continue along said street 150 meters and we take Marbil street to the right. We are solving the unevenness by means of stairs, local tracks and a refreshing path that ends next to the car park, which we cross towards the Hotel Leku Eder .
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km 1.4. Monte Igeldo (Hotel. Pensions)
We continue along the shoulder of the road while we enjoy unbeatable views of the Cantabrian Sea and the Igeldo lighthouse , from the mid-19th century. At the detour to the Buenavista car park, we leave the road and enter Calle Amezti de Igeldo, an independent municipality since December 2013. At number 24, a stop is mandatory. The pilgrim José María Soroa shares a couple of chairs, some bottles of water, a stamp for the credential and practical information at the door of his house. Whoops! A couple of direction changes put us on Camino de Marabieta street (Km 2.7). This council expands in the form of small urbanizations and hamlets and comforts the mix between hydrangeas, fruit trees and dairy farms with the sea in the background. The route through Igeldo continues along the paths of Arritxulo (Km 4.3) and Buztintxuri .
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km 5.4. Igeldo-Camino Buztintxuri (Bar-Grill)
We pass next to a Spit and further on we enter a sheltered path prone to getting muddy (Km 6.6) . After a stretch of road and a few streams, you come out onto an open path that ascends the north slope of Mendizorrotz . The Jacobean itinerary follows it for 450 meters and then unmarks and continues straight ahead along a wooded path. Thus we arrive next to a farmhouse and briefly resume the asphalt (Km 9.1) to avoid a gate and finally hit the road. After the Munioetazar farmhouse (Km 10.1) , the halfway point of the stage , we leave the road in a curve and head down another path (a sign indicates 787 kilometers to Santiago). Being careful not to slip if it has rained, we find a spring and go down without quarter to the A-8 tunnel (Km 12.5) . A steep slope disturbs the arrival at the hermitage of San Martín de Tours , renovated in the 16th century, and the ruined wall of the house of the seroras in charge of its maintenance. Three hundred meters further down, on the left hand side at the foot of the Camino, is the pilgrims’ hostel of Rosa Arruti , a great hospitalera and one of the pioneers in welcoming pilgrims on the Camino del Norte . We enter Calle Mayor de Orio , with several interesting buildings from the 16th century and a Camino Interpretation Center, and we pass under the balcony that connects a house with the robust parish church of San Nicolás de Bari . Thus we descend to the center of Orio .
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Km 14. Orio (All services)
We turn left and cross the estuary over the bridge in the direction of Zarautz. We border this at the foot of the N-634, another of the companions of our trip, we arrive at a crossroads where it indicates to the right towards Txurruka and Puerto. Be careful at this point, the cyclists will continue towards Txurruka and continue that road, they will pass under one of the amazing viaducts of the A-8 up to the Txurruka Youth Hostel, but the pilgrims on foot in the same curve once past the detour will take a path to the right between two houses, they will pass under the A-8 and then ascend to the left along the wide paved track that goes up between txakoli vineyards , a typical white wine from this area, up to Talaimendi and the Gran Camping Zarautz. In the facilities they have adapted a space for pilgrims, although it is located in the upper part of a garage and let’s say that it is better to check it before staying. (Km 17.4) At this point in the stage, this last ascent has made a dent and our great consolation is that from here to the end you just have to let yourself go. We go down the road with an excellent view of Zarautz , the golf course and, in the background, Getaria and its mouse. Subsequently, a path next to the right shoulder leads us to the entrance of the town. Here is the Zarautz Hostel . To get to Calle Mayor , with some pensions and hostels, you have to continue along Avenida de Navarra for one kilometer and turn left in any of the streets that lead to the old part.
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km 20.3. Zarautz (All services)
Difficulties
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From San Sebastián to the Munioetazar farmhouse:
From sea level on Ondarreta beach you ascend to a height that in some points exceeds 300 meters. It is very bearable and the most pronounced unevenness is solved from the beginning with the ascent to Igeldo. In some sections of the Igeldo path and the Mendizorrotz mountain range, the presence of mud is frequent.
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N-634 to leave Orio:
After going down the cobbled street in the neighborhood of San Nicolás de Orio, you will reach the bridge over the estuary and continue along the N-634 for a short stretch.
Observations
The first hostel for pilgrims on the stage is located at the entrance to Orio, just 14 kilometers from San Sebastián. It is run by Rosa Arruti, a lover of the Camino, and Zarautz has three private hostels.In terms of culture, the old town of Orio and its church of San Nicolas de Bari stand out, as well as Santa María la Real in Zarautz.
What to see, what to do
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ZARAUTZ
Zarautz is located in a privileged environment , an extensive plain on the Cantabrian coast backed by an important forest mass where the farmhouses are scattered. In addition, it has the longest beach in the entire province , almost 3 kilometers to the delight of bathers and surfers. The village of Elkano and its church dedicated to San Pedro, mentioned in a document from the year 1025, make historians opt for the place where the nucleus of Zarautz was located. The town appears from the beginning linked to the lords of Zarautz. It was one of the most important lineages in the province and several of the most important buildings, such as the Palacio de Narros and the Torre Luzea , were owned by it. On the coat of arms of the palace the inscription reads -Zarauz before Zarauz- referring to the importance of the lineage over the town itself. Agriculture, shipyards, inshore fishing with txalupas, -small boats with a deck and two masts- and whaling were the main tasks of its first inhabitants. In fact, a whale together with a castle and a lion are the elements that make up the town’s coat of arms . The fishing crisis and, above all, the summer stays of Queen Elizabeth II in this area of the Cantabrian Sea turned Zarautz into what we know today: an excellent tourist and service town.
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Narros Palace
Located next to the beach, it was the summer residence of Queen Isabel II and the illustrious Jesuit Father Coloma . Dating from 1536 and a prototype of a Renaissance palace, it is a square building surrounded by an English-style garden.
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Torre Luzea
This is the best example of a civil Gothic palace-tower in Gipuzkoa . It has four floors and on the upper access door there is a shield that according to Yrizar belonged to the Zarauz lineage.
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Casa-Torre de los Zarauz
Abandoned in 1457, it was the original house of the Zarauz family. These tower-houses were built throughout the 14th and 15th centuries at a time of political and social instability where the most powerful lords fought among themselves for political and economic control of the province.
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Parish Church of Santa María La Real: Its current appearance was defined in the 18th century
. From the original temple it preserves the Latin cross floor plan. In the complex, the altarpiece of Andrés and Juan de Araoz stands out. In one of the side chapels is the tomb of Lope Martínez de Zarauz, adviser to King Enrique IV.
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