CF, CN, Via de la Plata or other

[Camino1990]

Hi all,

I am planning a trip to Spain in mid-May to do a Camino route. My hope is to find a track with the most stunning natural scenery alongside historical sites. I want a pilgrammage route for spiritual growth and hope to stay in albergues, homestay accommodations.

I have until early July to complete the route (~7weeks).

Which track has the best natural scenery - going through rural villages, mountainous paths etc?
Which track would you recommend?

Thanks for your recommendations.

 

[Antonius Vaessen]

Whitch one you will like most depends on your preferences :
- if you like the sea you will like the norte ( with many views on the mountains also) and cities like San Sebastian, Bilbao, Santander and Gyon
- if you like open views with sometimes long straight roads (some people find them boring) you could opt for the via de la plata. In may in the southern part is probably hot. It has nice cities like Merida, Salamanca and Zamora.
- If you like mountain walking you could combine the Salvador from Leon to Oviedo and the Primitivo from Oviedo to Santiago. That will take you about three weeks. You could start on the Camino Frances to Leon. ( you can combine the Primitivo also with the Norte, after Villavicioso you take the path to Oviedo.
- Of course you can like most people do, walk the Camino Frances. I never did because it is too busy to my liking.
- As you think there are many possible choices , certainly if you look at the possibility of combining routes
Whatever you choose, I wish you a buen camino

 

[lt56ny]

I have only walked the Norte and the CF of the routes mentioned above. I have friends that have walked the Primitivo and the VDLP. If you like mountain paths and great vistas I think maybe walking the Norte all the way or the Norte/Primitivo may be your best option. The Norte has lots of ups and downs especially early on. You do go through some big and bigger cities. San Sebastian/Bilboa/Santander/Gijon to name a few. There is alot of road walking but there are alot of variants you can take on the Norte to avoid some of them. Search for Coastal Variants and you will find lots of information. I walked in late September to the end of October and it was never crowded. After the Camino turned south I was all alone most days. I know the same was true on the Primitivo. There is some spectacular scenery to behold in this route.
I want to walk the VDLP but I will do it in March/April in a year or two. I would not walk it even in May as I know the temperatures in the south of Spain can be brutal. Of friend of mine walked in September/October of last year and he said he had to stop walking by 1:00PM at the latest because temperatures were reaching 45C. He is an older guy about 60 but in fantastic shape. If you want solitude and reflection you probably cant find a better camino than this one. There also is alot of history and I have heard really great Roman ruins on this Camino.
The CF? Well there is tons of information regarding the "main" and by far the most traveled route. I will be walking it for the third time but I will actually leave SJPP on October 29th. I love this route and have lots of great memories on it but it is way too crowded for me when most people walk.
One word of advice you will never really know with certainty if the camino you choose is the right one for you. So don't really worry too much. Whatever your expectations are you will realize after you started to walk you can barely remember them. Just walk and take it one step at a time because that is all we have. The step we are taking now.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

Good advice above.

Of course there are many caminos that haven't been mentioned. Consider that the four most popular routes in 2018 were Frances, Portugues, Norte and Primitivo (in that order). Other routes are quieter. For some people that's a positive and for others a negative - What do you prefer?

For historical interest I think the routes that start in southern Spain are mind-blowing since you pass through sites that show the ebb and flow of so many civilisations - from protohistoric tribes, through Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Christians. The variety of landscapes is to my liking - from olive groves, through dehesa ranchlands, and ultimately into the forested mountains of Galicia. But as has been mentioned above, you are starting at a time when the south is getting hot. Walking the long stages on the Via de la Plata in June is a serious challenge. There have been fatalities due to heatstroke.

You mentioned homestays. I think that is relatively rare - although I can think of one Casa de Acogida that I stayed at which was a room in someone's home. When you have chosen your Camino, you might want to check out couchsurfing.com and see if there are people who will host you on your route. You could also consider how active the local camino associations are - I'd like to walk the Camino de Ucles (from Ucles to Madrid and then onto the Camino de Madrid) one day, in great part because I can see that the guys who have set up that route have such a passion for their Camino.

 

[williamlittig]

A nice time for a beautiful walk and perhaps some rest. Consider the Sanabre from Ourense to Santiago then on to Finnestere and some beach combing .