How busy is the Camino Frances

[The Gilldaleys]

Hi everyone,
We have never done the pilgrimage before, and I am struck by the numerous comments about how busy the Frances route is. I have been informed that it is OK to cycle on mountain bikes as the paths are shared use and other people have obviousley enjoyed the trip on a bike. The travel company I have looked at recomends it also as a good route to cycle. Please could someone give me a clue about how busy busy is, like is it Oxford street Saturday before xmas or walking through a high street in town or a walking festival in the countryside. We are considering cycling , I have been out voted 5-1 over walking so in the interests of democracy I really need to persevere with organising a cycling trip, but if it really is too busy for bikes we will need to walk as we will be walking anyway, just with bikes!! We are used to shared use paths where we live at home (north England, rural area not really busy) We generally find we pass groups of walkers every 100 to 200 metres or so and as there are not millions of us cyclists we all get on reasonably well regarding going round people or standing at the side, just saying hi or commenting about the weather or the wildlife. The busiest place is a promenade we use which is a melee of people walking, running, kids on scooters, old people on mobility scooters,dog walkers all sorts and even here everyone just weaves round each other with no real problem. So please can someone help. We are a family with 4 kids so we will have travel in the summer school hols.
Thanks a lot
The Gilldaleys

 

[Olivares]

Why are you using a travel company? The Camino Frances has to be one of the best mapped, documented, and accesible long distance trail there is. It is not a walk in the park for sure and if your heart is not set in cycling, but walking, I would strongly advise you reconsider because there are sections you will go on pure determination.

As far as how crowded, it is tough to give you an average on an 800 Kms trail. The worst case scenario may be the last 100 Kms where the amount of walkers triples easily from previous sections. That could be described as groups of 5's every 100 meters. In the summer time, I would advise to walk some sections and cycle others. Buen Camino!

 

[DeadFred]

Hi Gilldaleys! Here's some interesting Camino stats shared by Johnny Walker for the first 6 months of 2014
http://www.johnniewalker-santiago.blogspot.com/

Buen Camino

 

[Tia Valeria]

When the CSJ bookshop is running again, or by phone/email, you can get a guide to the Camino. For the Primitivo it gives clear instructions to cyclists as to where they have to divert from the walking tracks and where they rejoin them. I would think that the guide to the Camino Francés does the same. It also explains the rules for albergues, where cyclists are accommodated as a general rule after walkers, and also gives some private accommodation where you can book. August will be busy. In May, at the latter end of the Francés, we found that there was a constant stream of pilgrims walking with cyclists trying to get past on a track that was hardly wide enough for both. You might find that you are walking the bikes uphill. Good luck with your research.

 

[GerryDel]

From Sarria to Santiago is crowded. I went in July of this year and there were times the bikes were coming too close to the walkers. If you must go via bike, please use a bell or call out "Buen Camino" or "Bike" or something before you reach the walkers, not after. I found myself calling out for some bikes as they weren't doing it, and there were children walking ahead on the trail.

 

[Felipe]

There are webpages specific for cycling the Camino -just google it- for instance this , that seems well informed. I remember also a Facebook group.
I agree, you don' t really need an expensive travel agency, but it is up to you.
Some mountain paths, also, are quite narrow, but there are not too many. I have seen that cyclists take the lower route to Roncesvalles, and sometimes prefer paved roads, instead of paths, for instance after Castrojeriz, because of the challenging Mostelares heights.
Transporting bycicles requires some planning, I guess. I only can say that many trains in France accept them; there is an icon on the SNCF reservation webpage.
Another point is going with children. You may find useful this thread.
Buen camino!

 

[tyrrek]

Hi! As a walker, at busy times of year you will always be able to see a few groups of pilgrims ahead of you or behind you if the path is straight enough. Stop for a break and someone will pass within a few minutes. It's that kind of busy. Potholes and stones mean that neither walkers or cyclists will go in a perfectly straight line so you have to be aware of each other when passing etc.

Search out the 'how busy is the Camino Frances' spreadsheets in the Camino Resources section of the forum to see how different parts of the route vary at different times of year.

I agree with others to consider very specifically what value a travel company will add. They'll want to be seen to be helpful and organise things for you, but it's probably not necessary and could even end up being a bit of a burden.

Buen Camino!

 

[vgen5122]

I agree with everyone who has posted so far. How crowed depends on the time of year. During the summer there are a lot of students and families. It was my experience that it was the most crowed in the last 100km of the Camino. To bike or not to bike depends on your reason to do the Camino in the first place. If you are doing the Camino for the excerise alone, I would say to you ride your bike. If you intend to walk the Camino for a deeper experience, keep the bike at home. I am trying not to judge anyone but, personally I found the bikes annoying. Hoping you choose well and that the Camino will be all that you expected.
Buen Camino.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

There will usually be someone 100 metres in front of you and behind you, at times you'll be alone, at times there'll be a group... August gets more groups, but not oxford street. Walking later in the morning puts you behind the majority as well. Walk in the afternoon and you'll be alone

 

[Helen1]

How old/experienced bikers are the kids? The camino isn’t flat and in Galicia I would say the paths are hard going for mountain bikes, not technically challenging just bumpy, tiring and a lot of up and down. 90+% of the time you will be on rocky farm tracks and the paths are wide but you will need to walk in places. In my view O’cebreiro is better tackled by road, on the path the descent would be harder work than the ascent but it really depends how keen/skilled mountain bikers you are and what you enjoy. For the middle of the route the paths are basically flat and you can choose to ride on the road or on a gravel path next to the road but it’s not very exciting riding, it can be baking hot with no shade and there can be a fierce headwind. At the start of the route I mostly used roads but I did push my bike up Alto del Perdon in the early evening – I think you would need a fair amount of skill to ride up there. If you try to go up it in the morning when the route is busy you will be walking. I took the road route over the Pyrenees, I would say its safe and the gradient of the road is fairly gentle but you are climbing for hours.

I’ve done a few cycle holidays around the world I would only recommend the camino as a cycling holiday if you are interested in the camino and its history. If you kids are young (under 10 say) and have their own bikes I think supervising them could be a headache. If you are riding tandems with the younger ones then no sweat. Bear in mind that you have a number of cities to cycle though, it’s easy and safe enough but imagine walking/riding 6 bikes right through somewhere like Chester with narrow streets, traffic and pedestrians and you will get the idea.

I am not sure I would pick a guided tour option where you ride as a group and a van carries your luggage on the camino. I have done tours like this elsewhere and loved them, special moment for me was visiting Machaerus in Jordan where John the Baptist was beheaded as part of a cycling tour – not something I think I could have done by myself. The camino is easy to self-organize and I think you would miss out on a huge part of the experience if you do it as a tour. However, if you have kids of different ages access to a support van that can transport the younger ones when they get tired sounds might suit you well.

 

[jennie]

Hi everyone,
We have never done the pilgrimage before, and I am struck by the numerous comments about how busy the Frances route is. I have been informed that it is OK to cycle on mountain bikes as the paths are shared use and other people have obviousley enjoyed the trip on a bike. The travel company I have looked at recomends it also as a good route to cycle. Please could someone give me a clue about how busy busy is, like is it Oxford street Saturday before xmas or walking through a high street in town or a walking festival in the countryside. We are considering cycling , I have been out voted 5-1 over walking so in the interests of democracy I really need to persevere with organising a cycling trip, but if it really is too busy for bikes we will need to walk as we will be walking anyway, just with bikes!! We are used to shared use paths where we live at home (north England, rural area not really busy) We generally find we pass groups of walkers every 100 to 200 metres or so and as there are not millions of us cyclists we all get on reasonably well regarding going round people or standing at the side, just saying hi or commenting about the weather or the wildlife. The busiest place is a promenade we use which is a melee of people walking, running, kids on scooters, old people on mobility scooters,dog walkers all sorts and even here everyone just weaves round each other with no real problem. So please can someone help. We are a family with 4 kids so we will have travel in the summer school hols.
Thanks a lot
The Gilldaleys

thats a tough one,as a walker i have seen an older guy stumble fall and knock his head after being hurried out of the way by a cyclist,its not so easy to jump out of the way when tired with a bag on your back,, we met cyclists that pretty much ran us out of the way and this kind of created a them or us feeling,on the other hand others were really aware and gave us time to move.. it sounds to me like the fact you cared enough to ask the question you will fine,, problem for you i think maybe that walkers are not so much in groups and can be pretty spread out meaning you may have lots of stop ,start and go and slow down situations.

 

[Emia]

Nice video on youtube:
Search for "rushhour in the netherlands".
It won't be that on the Camino

 

[maggiec]

Hi everyone,
We have never done the pilgrimage before, and I am struck by the numerous comments about how busy the Frances route is. I have been informed that it is OK to cycle on mountain bikes as the paths are shared use and other people have obviousley enjoyed the trip on a bike. The travel company I have looked at recomends it also as a good route to cycle. Please could someone give me a clue about how busy busy is, like is it Oxford street Saturday before xmas or walking through a high street in town or a walking festival in the countryside. We are considering cycling , I have been out voted 5-1 over walking so in the interests of democracy I really need to persevere with organising a cycling trip, but if it really is too busy for bikes we will need to walk as we will be walking anyway, just with bikes!! We are used to shared use paths where we live at home (north England, rural area not really busy) We generally find we pass groups of walkers every 100 to 200 metres or so and as there are not millions of us cyclists we all get on reasonably well regarding going round people or standing at the side, just saying hi or commenting about the weather or the wildlife. The busiest place is a promenade we use which is a melee of people walking, running, kids on scooters, old people on mobility scooters,dog walkers all sorts and even here everyone just weaves round each other with no real problem. So please can someone help. We are a family with 4 kids so we will have travel in the summer school hols.
Thanks a lot
The Gilldaleys

Spoke to someone recently who did it on a bike. Disappointed that they had to take the road so much as the bikes couldn't access a lot of it. They still had a great time but missed so much. Spoze it depends really on why you are doing the Camino in the first place...

 

[Luka]

@Emia This is my daily 'commute route':

I am trying not to judge anyone but, personally I found the bikes annoying.

Unfortunately I have to agree. For me a pilgrimage is a lot about contemplation. That was sometimes difficult when I had to look over my shoulder all the time for passing bikes. Especially at small paths where cyclists were shown a different route, but some of them stubbornly took the walking path. I am Dutch, I own a bike instead of a car, I have nothing against bikes or bikers. But in some situations walkers and bikers are just not an ideal combination.

 

[Olivares]

I went in July of this year and there were times the bikes were coming too close to the walkers.

Gerry-- when in July were you there? I walked into Sarria on July 8, made it to Santiago on July 13th. You are right about the bikers after Sarria, way more inconsiderate on average from bikers before Sarria. Many were behaving as if the Camino was a bike trail exclusively and the walking pilgrims were on THEIR trail. I saw many pilgrims on close calls with speeding cyclers coming in from behind with no warnings and bad attitudes. A shame.

 

[GerryDel]

Gerry-- when in July were you there? I walked into Sarria on July 8, made it to Santiago on July 13th. You are right about the bikers after Sarria, way more inconsiderate on average from bikers before Sarria. Many were behaving as if the Camino was a bike trail exclusively and the walking pilgrims were on THEIR trail. I saw many pilgrims on close calls with speeding cyclers coming in from behind with no warnings and bad attitudes. A shame.

I walked from Sarria to Santiago from July 15th - 20th. We just missed each other. Yes, the bikes were bad. My son was nearly hit coming out of Arzua. I saw a deaf woman who had just passed us nearly get hit. Granted she was kind of all over the trail, but still the bikes need to be extremely careful. They are the ones who can see what's about to happen. I saw a bike literally come up to a woman with her young son, about 7, and demand that they move to either side of the trail, and went between them. He could have easily went around to their left. They kept saying "Buen Camino" after they had passed and I thought to myself that the "Buen Camino" would have been much more useful before they passed.

 

[Lynda t]

I was a walker and tended to day dream with my own thoughts. Hence you will need a bell on the bike or call out to wake the walkers up!!! We will move over when we hear you coming. It wasn't too busy when I walked. Not Oxford street at all.

 

[Lynda t]

The only problem I can see is that the cyclists don't get the beds first. They have to wait for the walkers to arrive first, and cycle on if there weren't enough beds or it was that way 4 years ago. Your children might need to rest before then so maybe you should go with an organised group unless the children are older.

 

[Charleston Tom]

Hi everyone,
We have never done the pilgrimage before, and I am struck by the numerous comments about how busy the Frances route is. I have been informed that it is OK to cycle on mountain bikes as the paths are shared use and other people have obviousley enjoyed the trip on a bike. The travel company I have looked at recomends it also as a good route to cycle. Please could someone give me a clue about how busy busy is, like is it Oxford street Saturday before xmas or walking through a high street in town or a walking festival in the countryside. We are considering cycling , I have been out voted 5-1 over walking so in the interests of democracy I really need to persevere with organising a cycling trip, but if it really is too busy for bikes we will need to walk as we will be walking anyway, just with bikes!! We are used to shared use paths where we live at home (north England, rural area not really busy) We generally find we pass groups of walkers every 100 to 200 metres or so and as there are not millions of us cyclists we all get on reasonably well regarding going round people or standing at the side, just saying hi or commenting about the weather or the wildlife. The busiest place is a promenade we use which is a melee of people walking, running, kids on scooters, old people on mobility scooters,dog walkers all sorts and even here everyone just weaves round each other with no real problem. So please can someone help. We are a family with 4 kids so we will have travel in the summer school hols.
Thanks a lot
The Gilldaleys

 

[The Gilldaleys]

@Emia This is my daily 'commute route':

Unfortunately I have to agree. For me a pilgrimage is a lot about contemplation. That was sometimes difficult when I had to look over my shoulder all the time for passing bikes. Especially at small paths where cyclists were shown a different route, but some of them stubbornly took the walking path. I am Dutch, I own a bike instead of a car, I have nothing against bikes or bikers. But in some situations walkers and bikers are just not an ideal combination.

Hi, Are the alternative bike paths signed? I agree that bikes should not be on footpaths, too dangerous. Sometimes that happens in the forests near where we live.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Hi, Are the alternative bike paths signed?

Only in a few places. Generally there is a road running parallel to the footpath. European cyclists have maps that they use to locate the nearby roads. The bicycles on the footpath are the ones that do not want the road. They want the "authentic" route. Of course, the authentic route was paved over when roads were invented, and they would be on it if they would follow the road!!

Quite frankly, I think they just want to be noticed by the walkers. A feeling of power, or some such.

 

[RENSHAW]

Leave the bike at home - this is for pilgrims , sometimes on a small path ..............and if you really have to .......... PLEASE GET A BELL!!!

 

[Cambridge Pilgrim]

Quite frankly, I think they just want to be noticed by the walkers. A feeling of power, or some such.

Quite frankly, I think that's the most ridiculous comment I've read on here for a while.

Well done.

Sigh.

Cyclists and walkers can coexist perfectly well on the trail just so long as common courtesy is observed by both sets of PILGRIMS.

Cyclists - make your presence known in plenty of time when walkers are ahead.

Walkers - when on roads (as much of the Camino is), walk on the left and look before walking out into a road (I lost count of the number of people who didn't realise that the trail they were walking on was actually a road and just didn't bother looking to see whether a bike....or a car....was coming).

 

[JoeNYC]

Cyclists - make your presence known in plenty of time when walkers are ahead.

I won't hold my breath. I've spent a great deal of my training time on shared roadways as a walker. My estimate is less than 5% of the cyclists look at walkers as anything more than an obstruction.

 

[jpflavin1]

Hi everyone,
We have never done the pilgrimage before, and I am struck by the numerous comments about how busy the Frances route is. I have been informed that it is OK to cycle on mountain bikes as the paths are shared use and other people have obviousley enjoyed the trip on a bike. The travel company I have looked at recomends it also as a good route to cycle. Please could someone give me a clue about how busy busy is, like is it Oxford street Saturday before xmas or walking through a high street in town or a walking festival in the countryside. We are considering cycling , I have been out voted 5-1 over walking so in the interests of democracy I really need to persevere with organising a cycling trip, but if it really is too busy for bikes we will need to walk as we will be walking anyway, just with bikes!! We are used to shared use paths where we live at home (north England, rural area not really busy) We generally find we pass groups of walkers every 100 to 200 metres or so and as there are not millions of us cyclists we all get on reasonably well regarding going round people or standing at the side, just saying hi or commenting about the weather or the wildlife. The busiest place is a promenade we use which is a melee of people walking, running, kids on scooters, old people on mobility scooters,dog walkers all sorts and even here everyone just weaves round each other with no real problem. So please can someone help. We are a family with 4 kids so we will have travel in the summer school hols.
Thanks a lot
The Gilldaleys

Gilldaleys:

Hello and welcome to the forum.

For a starters, I would second the recommendation that you review the statistics provided monthly by Johnny walker. This will give you a sense of the volume of Pilgrims on a Monthly basis. Where they start and whether they are walkers or some other means.

The route is well marked and in most places accessible by both bike and foot. There are several sections I would never take a bike but have seen the occasional rider. Most of the route has access to nearby roads, so detours or marked suggestion to cyclist (bici). A few cyclist like any group are discourteous and have created a little less love from the walking community. Bells are appreciated as many times we walkers are in the zone.

I would not hire a guide or a transport company. They can be expensive and in my opinion offer little value. There are several good guide books that list accommodations and you can easily plan your own daily treks. Albergue for the most part will accommodate walkers before riders. That said, it might be a good idea in smaller towns to use Private Albergues, casa rurals or hotels. They are usually a few euro's more but you can reserve rooms ahead of time.

The Summer is the busiest time of the year so there will be a lot of walkers off and on. That said, the real crowds do not begin until Sarria. you will be spending a lot of your day weaving between groups of Pilgrims. The first day out of SJPdP and Roncesvalles could also be a bit crowded

Have a wonderful Camino. I am sure you will create many great family memories.

The Camino Norte could also be a nice alternative to the Frances and provides lots of scenic ocean views.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[Finisterre]

Northern England eh?

The Tissington and Monsal trails are busier at weekends than the CF. On weekdays I would say the CF has more foot traffic than either. The are hardly any dog walker in Spain in comparison to UK levels except in Lugo on the town walls.

All in my experience and it is quite limited. Personally I would choose the Camino North. Only because my brother, keen cyclist and Spanish resident thinks it a nicer ride. Save the CF for a less frenetic crossing.

 

[The Gilldaleys]

Northern England eh?

The Tissington and Monsal trails are busier at weekends than the CF. On weekdays I would say the CF has more foot traffic than either. The are hardly any dog walker in Spain in comparison to UK levels except in Lugo on the town walls.

All in my experience and it is quite limited. Personally I would choose the Camino North. Only because my brother, keen cyclist and Spanish resident thinks it a nicer ride. Save the CF for a less frenetic crossing.

Thank-you this is really helpful

 

[Jochen_Schmidtke]

The numbers of pilgrims on the CF are risig, rising, rising.
See my statistic.
BC
Jochen

 

[The Gilldaleys]

Gilldaleys:

Hello and welcome to the forum.

For a starters, I would second the recommendation that you review the statistics provided monthly by Johnny walker. This will give you a sense of the volume of Pilgrims on a Monthly basis. Where they start and whether they are walkers or some other means.

The route is well marked and in most places accessible by both bike and foot. There are several sections I would never take a bike but have seen the occasional rider. Most of the route has access to nearby roads, so detours or marked suggestion to cyclist (bici). A few cyclist like any group are discourteous and have created a little less love from the walking community. Bells are appreciated as many times we walkers are in the zone.

I would not hire a guide or a transport company. They can be expensive and in my opinion offer little value. There are several good guide books that list accommodations and you can easily plan your own daily treks. Albergue for the most part will accommodate walkers before riders. That said, it might be a good idea in smaller towns to use Private Albergues, casa rurals or hotels. They are usually a few euro's more but you can reserve rooms ahead of time.

The Summer is the busiest time of the year so there will be a lot of walkers off and on. That said, the real crowds do not begin until Sarria. you will be spending a lot of your day weaving between groups of Pilgrims. The first day out of SJPdP and Roncesvalles could also be a bit crowded

Have a wonderful Camino. I am sure you will create many great family memories.

The Camino Norte could also be a nice alternative to the Frances and provides lots of scenic ocean views.

Ultreya,
Joe

Gilldaleys:

Hello and welcome to the forum.

For a starters, I would second the recommendation that you review the statistics provided monthly by Johnny walker. This will give you a sense of the volume of Pilgrims on a Monthly basis. Where they start and whether they are walkers or some other means.

The route is well marked and in most places accessible by both bike and foot. There are several sections I would never take a bike but have seen the occasional rider. Most of the route has access to nearby roads, so detours or marked suggestion to cyclist (bici). A few cyclist like any group are discourteous and have created a little less love from the walking community. Bells are appreciated as many times we walkers are in the zone.

I would not hire a guide or a transport company. They can be expensive and in my opinion offer little value. There are several good guide books that list accommodations and you can easily plan your own daily treks. Albergue for the most part will accommodate walkers before riders. That said, it might be a good idea in smaller towns to use Private Albergues, casa rurals or hotels. They are usually a few euro's more but you can reserve rooms ahead of time.

The Summer is the busiest time of the year so there will be a lot of walkers off and on. That said, the real crowds do not begin until Sarria. you will be spending a lot of your day weaving between groups of Pilgrims. The first day out of SJPdP and Roncesvalles could also be a bit crowded

Have a wonderful Camino. I am sure you will create many great family memories.

The Camino Norte could also be a nice alternative to the Frances and provides lots of scenic ocean views.

Ultreya,
Joe

Thank-you for taking the trouble to write all this, it is really very helpful to us.