How many pilgrims on the VDLP in October?

JAL · Feb 9, 2017

Hi All,

I am in the which-camino-next planning stage and thinking about doing the Via de la Plata in October. Did anyone walk the VDLP in October of 2015 or 2016 that can give me a feel for how many pilgrims they encountered? I'm trying to find the "Goldilocks" amount; not too many and not too few.

Any insight or comparisons (I have done the CF, Le Puy, and Norte/Primitivo) would be much appreciated.

John

Levi · Feb 9, 2017

Hi
I walked the vdlp starting on 18 September, through October. My experience was in general a small number of pilgrims. For the first week or so I saw around eight, many days I walked on my own seeing no one else. However, there were those times when an albergue would suddenly fill up and I'd be thinking 'where did all these people come from?'.
It's a great walk - you'll always meet yourself out there. Buen Camino!

maggiec · Feb 10, 2017

JAL said:
Hi All,

I am in the which-camino-next planning stage and thinking about doing the Via de la Plata in October. Did anyone walk the VDLP in October of 2015 or 2016 that can give me a feel for how many pilgrims they encountered? I'm trying to find the "Goldilocks" amount; not too many and not too few.

Any insight or comparisons (I have done the CF, Le Puy, and Norte/Primitivo) would be much appreciated.

John

I walked it in oct/nov 2016. There were days when I didn't see anyone but there was NEARLY always some more pilgrims in the albergues at night and I wondered where they came from. Overall, prob saw around 20-25 pilgrims walking in the 6 weeks it took. A lot of people only walk halfway. It is certainly the road less travelled and there are far fewer shops and cafes etc than on the Frances.

Karen Patterson · Feb 10, 2017

Hi Jal , I walked the entirecVDLP in Sept /Oct 2016. It was challenging and fantastic, quiet times mostly and only a few pilgrims along the way if any some days. However we met up with a number of regulars evety day or so and became reassured when we met that we weren't all alone after all. I had walked the Norte 2 years before and loved it too. However maybe because I knew how to prepare I loved the Vdlp more this time. Maybe I am just getting into the long walking thing? I yearn for another but in no way wish for crowds .vbeen very fortunate to have done 2 very beautiful walks . Met amazing people along both. Buen camino.
I am in the which-camino-next planning stage and thinking about doing the Via de la Plata in October. Did anyone walk the VDLP in October of 2015 or 2016 that can give me a feel for how many pilgrims they encountered? I'm trying to find the "Goldilocks" amount; not too many and not too few.

Any insight or comparisons (I have done the CF, Le Puy, and Norte/Primitivo) would be much appreciated.

John[/QUOTE]
Hi Jal, I walkwd

Deleted member 3000 · Feb 10, 2017

There were 885 pilgrims who received compostelas in October 2016 on the VdlP.

Maxie · Feb 11, 2017

I started from Seville mid September and finished Santiago in early October 2016. I always found a bed, sometimes I was the only person there, pretty quiet in my opinion but a nice walk all the same.

daizy · Feb 12, 2017

This is all great news to me.

My first camino starts from Seville at the end of September. Can’t wait ! Thanks everyone for this wonderful resource.

Lynda8540 · Mar 20, 2017

I, too, am considering the VdlP in October so this is valuable info, but I'm also wondering about the language. Were there any English-speaking people encountered on the route? I've heard they are mostly if not all Spanish.

bsewall · Mar 20, 2017

In terms of the pilgrims you will meet on the VdlP, most will not speak English. On my first Camino I knew very little Spanish and quickly learned to become friends with those few pilgrims who spoke English and Spanish. On my second Camino I made a concerted effort to learn Spanish before hand and it helped greatly. You can survive with little knowledge of Spanish on the VdlP, but it is a far more enjoyable experience if you enough language skills to at least order a meal, reserve a bed over the phone, and register with the hospitalero.

In terms of the Spanish people you meet along the way, it is best to assume none will speak English. You will be walking for the most part in rural farm land where language skills are not vital to day-to-day life. As a guest in their country I've always felt it best that I learn their language, instead of forcing them to deal with my wild hand gestures and unintelligible questions.

Lynda8540 · Mar 20, 2017

bsewall said:
In terms of the pilgrims you will meet on the VdlP, most will not speak English. On my first Camino I knew very little Spanish and quickly learned to become friends with those few pilgrims who spoke English and Spanish. On my second Camino I made a concerted effort to learn Spanish before hand and it helped greatly. You can survive with little knowledge of Spanish on the VdlP, but it is a far more enjoyable experience if you enough language skills to at least order a meal, reserve a bed over the phone, and register with the hospitalero.

In terms of the Spanish people you meet along the way, it is best to assume none will speak English. You will be walking for the most part in rural farm land where language skills are not vital to day-to-day life. As a guest in their country I've always felt it best that I learn their language, instead of forcing them to deal with my wild hand gestures and unintelligible questions.

Thanks kindly for sharing your experience with me and others on this forum. I do speak enough Spanish to order a meal, arrange for a bed and exchange pleasantries however without enough Spanish for an in-depth conversation I'm thinking I will have a lonely time of it if no one else speaks English. I might be better off on another route, however other than the Frances, I don't know where I would find enough English speakers.

C clearly · Mar 20, 2017

I am on the VDLP now. As far as I can tell, the day's cohort (starting to walk from Seville on Sunday) consists of: 2 French Canadians, 2 Anglo Canadians, 2 Dutch, 1 Belgian, 1 German, 1 Italian, 2 Australians. The common language is English among the pilgrims, and there are enough who speak passable Spanish to help the others communicate to locals.

bsewall · Mar 21, 2017

Lynda8540 said:
Thanks kindly for sharing your experience with me and others on this forum. I do speak enough Spanish to order a meal, arrange for a bed and exchange pleasantries however without enough Spanish for an in-depth conversation I'm thinking I will have a lonely time of it if no one else speaks English. I might be better off on another route, however other than the Frances, I don't know where I would find enough English speakers.

One of the lessons I learned on the last VdlP is that the difference between loneliness and solitude is connection. As long as I felt connected to someone or something (even if I walked alone for hours), I was not lonely. Speaking in a common language is a great way to create a connection with others and minimize the chance of loneliness. Yet speaking a common language is not the only way to connect with other pilgrims. I've been in many communal dinners with other pilgrims on the VdlP where I understood no more than 10 or 20 percent of what was said. Yet we found a common ground and had a grand time. And the connections seemed far deeper.