Monthly Pilgrim numbers from St Jean

[David]

Hi all - I once had a neat graph that displayed monthly pilgrim numbers from St Jean but cannot find it now.

Have done a lot of searching - I know it or similar exists! - but have failed. Can't get a link from the St Jean pilgrim office and the cathedral seems only to show those arriving in Santiago ....

I am off soon to the Camino doing the first aid thing and was wondering when is the earliest I can go and find sufficient numbers of victims - ooppss, casualties .

Can anyone point me to where I can find out the info? Knowing March, April, numbers from St Jean, and even Roncesvalles and Pamplona - those first few days, would be helpful as I find that from day 2 to 7 is when bodies tend to fail - if they are going to fail after the Camino shock of walking every day, too far, too fast, too heavy, wrong footwear, etc.

Thanks!!

 

[WaterLili]

This site has some statistics of pilgrims starting from St. Jean.

STATISTIQUES DES PELERINS – Compostelle.fr

Près de 90% des pèlerins démarrent à Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

www.aucoeurduchemin.org

 

[Felipe]

Yours is really a good, laudable purpose.
I have seen many people ending with problems after the SJPP-Roncesvalles stage, especially amongst those that choose the steep forest descent. The last 100k is another source of problems, because people starting in Sarria have frequently no experience and try to keep pace with a larger group.

 

[t2andreo]

I am searching the web. So far, I found these places for you to start noodling...

Annual numbers: https://www.editorialbuencamino.com/estadistica-peregrinos-del-camino-de-santiago/

I also ran the following Google search: "monthly statistics Camino de Santiago"

The results were very interesting. Duplicate this from your keyboard and follow the links...

Hope this helps.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Hi David. You had a similar request last year that for some reason I responded to in a PM. I dug it up and here it is:

The average number of pilgrims arriving in Santiago on the CF in March over the last 5 years is about 4,000. If they did the whole thing they would have left in February. The CF arrivals in March 2013 was about 4,000. So thats what I'll use. The office registered im March 2013 about 275 coming from SJ, about 225 from Roncevalles and about 100 from Pamplona. So about 20 per day would be passing through Puente de Reina.

 

[David]

thanks for all the above - truly helpful!!

 

[David]

Have now found one of the graphs (on a dusty mem' stick!) - shows weekly from St Jean but about five years ago I think. Interesting peaks - first week in September having the most pilgrims.

The first leap in numbers is week 13, which is the last week in March - so will make that period my first visit this year. Coo! Packing now!! hurrah!!!

 

[JLuis]

First week of September is always the busiest week in SJPP
This is from 2017

 

[Luka]

So it is less crowded on the Camino in June/July than in May/September. Wonder why...

 

[David]

Hi Luka - not so much the crowds on the Camino, which do peak earlier in the year, but specifically numbers leaving St Jean.
The majority of pilgrims are Spanish and almost none of those start in France.

It is pilgrims from other parts of the world who start in St Jean and I have absolutely no idea why it is always busy late August until end of September and with a big peak first week of September in St Jean - is sort of counter-intuitive isn't it!

 

[Former member 2537]

All- While not addressing SJPP specifically, please see the Statistics page on the American Pilgrims site: americanpilgrims.org/statistics. Relative to the Sarria topic, be sure to see the analysis of pre-Sarria numbers.

 

[Luka]

The majority of pilgrims are Spanish and almost none of those start in France.

Ah yes, of course! I think by the way that the GR 65 (Le Puy en Velay - St Jean PdP) is also more crowded in May and September. For some reason the French seem to prefer those months. Maybe to avoid the warm summer months?