Food and costs on the VdlP

[gb]

Food

I have found nothing on the subject of feeding on the VdlP other than a passing remark. Cooking myself is my least favoured option! Is it safe to say that in the villages along the route there is a restaurant of sorts where one can get a meal? I found when walking the Camino frances all villages had a restaurant of sorts and most offered a menu pelegrino / menu del dia.

I assume that most if not all albergues enable one to cook a meal. Would this be correct? And, indeed, if one cooks for oneself one has to buy food, ideally where one is staying so as to avoid carrying it. Any observations, please?

Costs

When I walked the Camino frances in 2005 the generally held view was that the overall cost on the Camino amounted to roughly E1 per km. For those who have done both the Camino frances and the VdlP would any say if this is still the case? In my own case in 2005 I know I spent more than E1 / km because from time to time in the big towns I stayed 2 nights in a cheap hotel, had the laundry done…..However, this is a subject which I realise is quite personal but some thoughts would be useful.

gb

 

[Davroos]

Having just ridden the VDLP in April, generally we spent €7-8 per night for a menu del dia. Lunch would be €5ish, depends on how many coffees whilst breakfast was around €4 at the most. The albergues that we stayed in cost no more tha €5 per night.

As we rode, we were only on the route for 13 days. Breakfast was the hardest meal to find as we did not carry our food. Nomally, we would have to ride upwards of 30Ks before we found a village that was open !!! That was the hardest bit for us.

I hope that helps

 

[jaws101]

Davroos

I notice that you RODE the VDlP. What info did you use? Did you ride the actual caminos or did you use the roads? Did you have any problems anywhere along the route? We hope to ride the route towards the end of October, do you foresee any problems at this time of year?

Thanks for any info you can give.

 

[jaws101]

Davroos

Saw your posting to my question after I wrote the above. Please ignore my question

Sorry and thanks.

 

[viajero]

I walked in March this year. Several of the albergues (at the beginning) cost 10 euros/night...some 7. In a couple of towns where there are not albergues a pension was about 18 euros in a single room. I ended up spending less than I thought...the previous post about costs seems pretty accurate. There are not as many food options as on the Frances. I ended up buying food to make sandwiches and I bought fruit. Some very small villages have neither shops nor bars so on those days I would plan in advance and carry food. Most of the towns where there is an albergue have a bar or shop for food. Some days you will walk very long distances without any food options so it is always good to be prepared on those days.

 

[jeff001]

The VDLP is not nearly as pilgrim-oriented as is the Frances and passes through some of the poorest areas of Spain. Unless you are very adventurous I think a guide to let you know where you will be able to eat, sleep, resupply etc is essential.

 

[LTfit]

My experience on the VdlP last summer is a bit different than described above although I do agree that the infrastructure along the VdlP is NOT the same as along the Francés - you must be indeed more prepared!

Along the Francés: started out early and ate breakfast in the first available café (usually within 2 hours). Brought nuts/fruit to nibble on and stopped on occasion for something to drink. Slept in municipal or parish albergues at E6.00 (E5 in Galicia) and rarely ate a Menu de Pelegrino. Made salades, etc in the albergue. Average cost spent: E15.00 per day.

Along the VdlP: as the distances between towns is much greater (at times an entire stage 20-30 km)had breakfast (E2) in the town BEFORE departure. When nothing open had a piece of fruit or nuts to tide me over until we reached a town. Had around 3-4 p.m. a menu del día at E8 or a salad/gazpacho for about E4-5. This replaced my dinner which usually was olives and a drink in a bar. Stayed in municipal albergues (E5), albergue turísticos in Fuente de Cantos and Zafra (E10) and 3x in a hostal for about E30 for 2 (Almendralejo, near arch at Caparra: Hostal Asturias and in Salamanca during a rest day). This was required as there are not always municipal albergues along the Via de la Plata. So in the end it was more expensive than the Francés. After about a week I stopped keeping a record so sorry I have no averages.

My daily routine was different on the VdlP due to the extreme heat in Andalucia and Extremadura in July. Rather than continuing in the afternoon and preparing a dinner in the albergue or going out for a menu de pelegrino we stopped by 2-3 p.m. took showers and went off to have lunch with the locals. This worked out well and to tell you the truth we did not see anyone cook but then again the group walking was very small, many a times we were alone in the albergues!

 

[gb]

Some excellent info here and thanks to davroos, viajero, jeff and LTfit. Clearly a more expensive camino than the Frances and more difficult, it seems.

I shall certainly take a map / guide. I have found one, in French, some time ago but did not note its source so cannot pass it on at the moment although it’s on my computer (some 87 pages of maps and descriptions). Should I find the source I’ll post it here as I think it will be very useful and quite similar to the excellent French books I used on the Frances. Peregrina2000 has posted some excellent info in this forum too and, indeed, I have found a useful link in this forum here camino-mozarabe-and-via-de-la-plata/topic3757.html
where one can collect all sorts of info.
gb

 

[LTfit]

And definately check out http://www.godesalco.com/plan if you don't know it. Fantastic for planning your stages and checking where the albergues are located. I brought the print-outs on both the Francés and the VdlP. On the Francés I threw out the schedule on day 2 as I could walk further than expected per day. During the VdlP I kept to it a bit beter but this time due to the heat I walked less than expected. So there you go, you just never know how it will turn out!

 

[Davroos]

And even though I was on a bike, I used godesalco as well. We planned where we would stay and able to lock up the bike

I have not been on the Frances, but I loved the seclusion

 

[mmm042]

Hi GB.

I walked the VDLP in stages between Nov. 2010 and Oct. 2011. I slept in pensiones or hotels, as I was making an app trail guide in English, and I was sending my laptop, extra camera and other such gear ahead each day. So I was able to eat breakfast every morning in the pension or casa rural or wherever.

When I needed food or water during the day, most towns had something available, although yes, there are a few stretches where you don't go through any towns all day long. I'm surprised to read people ate menus del dia for 7 or 8 euros. I normally paid 10 or 12, and I wasn't going anywhere fancy -- just wherever the other peregrinos went! Maybe I hit the peak season. Oh, and because I sent my bags ahead, I had the luxury of packing a lot of energy bars and that sort of thing before I left home, so I packed a few of those in my day pack each day. You could pack a few from home and start your trip with some, then stock up when you hit a big city.

If you have a Droid or iPhone, check out my app. It's working really well because pilgrims have the ability to update things as they're walking. So in spots where, say, I mention poor signage from my passage in March 2011, pilgrims are leaving comments that the signage has been fixed, or detours are now removed, or albergues are now closed -- that sort of thing. It's always current, then, although I'm going back this fall (yay!) to update it officially.

Here's the iPhone version: http://sutromedia.com/apps/Via_de_la_Plata
And the Droid: http://sutromedia.com/android/Via_de_la_Plata

Melanie

 

[gb]

Food and costs on the VdlP, and walking sticks

Thank you those who have commented and passed over info. I have looked at sites mentioned: all useful stuff.

I doubt I shall be using iphones, ipads or any other "i" device!! A map will do + guide book and mobile phone.

Plane ticket to Sevilla has been booked. However, a major blow to morale when I discovered that I am not allowed to take my own walking stick on the aircraft. I'm very attached to mine:it's been a long way and is rather special. Perhaps others have had this problem - and found a way round it? I shall be phoning the airline in due course to hear what they have to say.

gb

 

[Deleted member 3000]

found a way round it?

Check it.

And Graeme, will you be dusting off your blog and continuing it??

 

[gb]

Yes, falcon, I will be blogging but will almost certainly start a new and separate one. Will advise here later as I will not be starting my walk before September. I will also write on this forum under "Live from the VdlP". I have the impression that computers may be less numerous on the Via than on the Camino Frances.

gb