Why the official Camino del Norte is not always ideal for cycling

The layout with the yellow arrows is designed primarily for walkers. For safety reasons, it often moves away from coastal roads (which do not always have a shoulder) and favors inland trails, wooded sections or roads that avoid traffic.

That makes sense if you’re walking… but if you’re biking, it often means missing wonderful parts: quiet coastal roads with little traffic, gentle curves and spectacular views of the Bay of Biscay. For us, those sections are some of the best.

An anecdote that explains it well

On one of our first rides we wanted to follow the official arrows to the letter. We were riding along a coastal road with good asphalt, great views and zero traffic. Suddenly, the arrows sent us through a ravine full of undergrowth, down through a dense forest, across a river between rocks that forced us to get off the bike, up a steep slope… and, after all that effort, we were back on the same road, just a few curves away.

For those who walk, it can make sense, because it avoids roads without shoulders. For those who ride, it simply breaks the rhythm without doing any good. That’s why we repeat the Camino several times, adjusting and recording the best variants for cyclists.

The Bicigrino’s cycling route to the north of the country

From this work was born our cycling track Camino del Norte, designed for cycling tourism and tested in terrain. What are we looking for with it?

• ✅ More safety and better logic for cycling.
• ✅ Prioritizing quiet secondary roads when they are the best option.
• ✅ Avoiding pointless detours or impossible stretches.
• ✅ Choose variants with scenery and true Camino experience.

Pendueles – Llanes: the variant that takes you to Los Bufones

Near Pendueles, the official Camino moves away from the coast. In our cycling track we prefer to take a signposted path great for cyclists: the GR-204 (Senda Costera / E9). This section replaces the original route (which does not pass through) and takes you straight to Llanes.

This variant is much more enjoyable by bike because of its logic, its beauty and its rhythm. It also allows you to visit a place that is totally worth it: the Bufones de las Arenillas.

Los Bufones de las Arenillas: when the Cantabrian Sea is unleashed

The bufones are like natural chimneys in the limestone rock. When the sea enters the cavities with force, air and water shoot out through cracks in the cliffs, creating jets of water, foam and sounds that impress even the most hardened of the coast.

Conclusion: if you go by bike, choose your route wisely.

Doing the Camino del Norte by bicycle should not mean going around “traps” or detours designed for another form of pilgrimage. When you go on two wheels, choosing the right route makes all the difference: you go safer, you enjoy more and you discover amazing places like the Bufones de las Arenillas.