July crowds???

[Stellaluna]

Hello, I am deep in the midst of planning my first camino for this coming July The problem is that I can't decide between the Frances or the Primitivo. I'm leaning toward the Frances for a few reasons; 1. many on this forum have said that it's the best "first time" camino, 2. I like the idea of meeting a camino family, and 3. I love the fact that it is so long! On the other hand, I like the ruggedness of the Primitivo and, I would like to have the opportunity to walk alone sometimes. I guess my question to all of you is just how crowded is the Frances in July? Does it resemble a parade? Are the pilgrims spread out? Are there a lot of partying students? I do like company and meeting lots of people but I also like some quiet as well. Ohhhhh! I'm so confused!

 

[domigee]

Hi Stellaluna,
I've walked the camino francés twice, in July 2012 and July 2013. I had nothing to compare it with at the time and I loved it, both years. It is crowded but I never, ever walked in a crowd ... I often walked on my own but if you stop for a while, then you see hundreds of pilgrims passing you by!
After Sarria you do get a lot more people(you notice it when you stop in a café) but I found I was so much faster than them by then it was no trouble, I just overtook the groups and was on my own again...

I think you'll have different views, this is just mine and a bit out of date. But...my walking mate did the Francés again for the 5th time last Summer and still loved it.

I have never walked the Primitivo so can't tell but there are definitely fewer pilgrims there.

My advice is...do both

 

[Stellaluna]

Thanks, Domigee, for the positive input. Nice to hear that the crowds are not overwhelming!

 

[naplesdon]

I would not worry greatly about the crowds, the other pilgrims will be spread out evenly based on the time of day they get started. Weekends get busy due to Spanish school groups but they are generally well behaved and chaperoned. The larger cities tend to be gathering spots for louder louts who came to do the Camino for a party. If you plan to stay in Leon, Burgos, Pamplona you might consider staying away from the albergues if you don't like that kind of crowd.

 

[Stellaluna]

Thanks, Biarritzdon. Perhaps it's possible to pass through the cities altogether without staying there?

 

[domigee]

Of course it is. Pick and choose

 

[naplesdon]

You will get advice like be sure you "don't miss this and don't miss that" but you can arrange your daily schedule to take in the major points of interest and stay in the villages a few stops before or after the major cities. Like Domigee says, "pick and choose." I sometime choose to stay in comfy hotels in the major cities for my rest days, do the sites and eat at a recently elevated Michelin restaurant because I am a foodie.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Stellaluna,
I will be walking the Primitivo in late June/early July and expect it to be pretty crowded. Reports last summer were of a low level bed rush, so your choice isn't between solitude on the Primitivo and crowds on the Frances. But in terms of sheer numbers, you're right that the Primitivo has a lot fewer people. It also has a lot less infrastructure, though.

I was on the last 200 km of the Frances for the first time in a decade a couple of years ago and was reminded how very beautiful that last part is. There were lots of people from Sarria onwards, but it's pretty easy to find "in between" places to stay. I was surprised at how that really cut down the numbers of people I saw -- but there was rarely a time I was "alone."

Where are you thinking of starting the Frances? Delicious dilemma to have, btw.

 

[Stellaluna]

Hi, Stellaluna,
"

Where are you thinking of starting the Frances? Delicious dilemma to have, btw.

Hi Peregrina,
I would start in SJPP around July 5.
And yes, indeed, it is a delicious dilemma to have!

 

[peregrina2000]

So, here's one idea since you apparently have a lot of time. Start in SJPP, and when you get to Leon, you can decide whether to continue on the Frances or take a right turn and walk four/five days on the Camino del Salvador from Leon to Oviedo (since you like rugged, though no Camino is really rugged, there are mountain stretches on this short route that are unsurpassed on any other camino, IMO), and then the Primitivo onto Santiago.

Having said that, my bet is that by the time you get to Leon, you will be unwilling to cut loose from your camino pals and will continue on with them to Santiago. But it's an option. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[sabbott]

So, here's one idea since you apparently have a lot of time. Start in SJPP, and when you get to Leon, you can decide whether to continue on the Frances or take a right turn and walk four/five days on the Camino del Salvador from Leon to Oviedo (since you like rugged, though no Camino is really rugged, there are mountain stretches on this short route that are unsurpassed on any other camino, IMO), and then the Primitivo onto Santiago.

peregrina2000, how long would this route take for a moderate/slow walker, would you reckon? I have 2 months open (mid-April to mid-June) to get from SJPP to Santiago, could I do Salvador/Primitivo ending in that time--and maybe also Finisterre/Muxia?

 

[peregrina2000]

peregrina2000, how long would this route take for a moderate/slow walker, would you reckon? I have 2 months open (mid-April to mid-June) to get from SJPP to Santiago, could I do Salvador/Primitivo ending in that time--and maybe also Finisterre/Muxia?

Well, I always have a hard time knowing what's fast, slow, or moderate. But the standard stages from St. Jean to Santiago are about 35 days.

Standard stages from St. Jean to León -- 21 days
Standard stages León to Oviedo -- 4-5 days
Standard stages Oviedo to Primitivo 12-13 days

So the second option is longer, since you head north for 120 km and then turn southwest.

Do you have any idea about how many kms you are likely to enjoy per day? The above days are based on about a 25 km average, but of course to get that average there will be some days over 30.

I know that @Anemone del Camino walked the Primitivo doing shorter stages just this past summer, but I haven't found a listing of her stages after a quick search. I´m sure they're on the forum, though.

buen camino, Laurie

 

[purplesage]

Hello, I am deep in the midst of planning my first camino for this coming July The problem is that I can't decide between the Frances or the Primitivo. I'm leaning toward the Frances for a few reasons; 1. many on this forum have said that it's the best "first time" camino, 2. I like the idea of meeting a camino family, and 3. I love the fact that it is so long! On the other hand, I like the ruggedness of the Primitivo and, I would like to have the opportunity to walk alone sometimes. I guess my question to all of you is just how crowded is the Frances in July? Does it resemble a parade? Are the pilgrims spread out? Are there a lot of partying students? I do like company and meeting lots of people but I also like some quiet as well. Ohhhhh! I'm so confused!

@Stellaluna... confused?? OMG noooooooooo. You're in the process of the catepillar turning to a beautiful butterfly!! You're in the right spot. Last year, I wanted to go back to do part of the Frances, and a dear friend in the pilgrim's office in Santiago advised me not to ..."because its like a carnival out there". This was in September.... so I opted for The English Way. The Frances was my first and I simply LOVE it. You will get to stop at often not stopped at places, so beds should be OK. Go with your heart and may the Holy Spirit guide you. You're in for a fab time. Buen Camino

 

[mall]

Hi Peregrina,
I would start in SJPP around July 5.
And yes, indeed, it is a delicious dilemma to have!

hi stellalune my friend and I from Victoria bc will b e arriving in biaritz on the 6th july and starting from sjdp on the 7th so will only be a day behind you may meet up along the way
buen camino
joseph

 

[Stellaluna]

hi stellalune my friend and I from Victoria bc will b e arriving in biaritz on the 6th july and starting from sjdp on the 7th so will only be a day behind you may meet up along the way
buen camino
joseph

Hi Joseph,
I'm not fully sure of my dates yet. Have you already bought your plane ticket? I haven't yet.
I also haven't decided whether or not to stop at Orisson. Have you?
Lots of fun thinking about it all though!
Jennifer

 

[sabbott]

Do you have any idea about how many kms you are likely to enjoy per day?

Thanks for the information, peregrina2000. I think I'd like to keep my daily mileage at about 20 kilometers, so I'll do the math and see if the extended camino is feasible for me--or play it by ear, and see how I feel and how much time I have when I get to Leon. I'll check other threads and see if there's info, so this thread can say on topic of July crowds!

 

[C clearly]

It takes about 17 days.

That would be from Madrid to Sahagun, right?

 

[C clearly]

Do you have any idea about how many kms you are likely to enjoy per day?

I like the way you phrase that question. "Walking slowly" suggests a slow pace to me, but some slow walkers take shorter breaks and reach the same point at the end of a period of time. Others are perfectly happy to walk for more hours.

 

[AlanB]

I walk at the beginning of July. I wouldn't worry too much about the crowds. They really thin out after Pamplona. I stayed in a few albergues which were virtually empty in mid-July. If you are concerned about the crowds then avoid reaching Sarria on , or around the 20th July. The crowds heading to Santiago for the 25th are something else