Returning to CF after 6 years, anything new I must take into account?

[elviento]

I will commence in Carrion de Los Condes sometime September. What, if anything, do I need to take into account this time around or would I find helpful? I do not plan to pre-book stays unless I learn while on route it is imperative. Honestly, I don't want to overthink this trip. I just want to grab my previous credentials, fly, and go. Is this being foolish?

 

[Vacajoe]

Not foolish, but things HAVE changed and you may want to take that into account.

Numbers are up (as always) and September can be extremely busy, but if you don’t have to stay in a certain town or albergue and don’t mind walking a bit farther if everything is full, go for it without booking. On the plus side, there are more accommodations, too.

More places have wifi and accept credit cards, but cash is still king in the smaller villages and at bars. Be sure to have both.

 

[henrythedog]

Not foolish in any way - it still seems to be what the majority do. If you’re staying in shared rooms in albergues all is as it was; although you will be walking at one of the peak times. There will doubtless be bed-race stories on here in September; as there is every April - but it’ll be fine.

 

[trecile]

Numbers are up (as always) and September can be extremely busy,

although you will be walking at one of the peak times. There will doubtless be bed-race stories on here in September; as there is every April

Yes, it's peak season for those starting from St Jean Pied de Port, but not necessarily from Carrión de los Condes. Most of the September "bed race" occurs between St Jean and Pamplona. After that the pilgrim traffic tends to spread out, as there are more intermediate towns to stay in.

 

[Telelama]

There will doubtless be bed-race stories on here in September; as there is every April - but it’ll be fine.

And this right here is a major change. While we walked the Primitivo in May/June, we hadn't walked since 2016. April and May, as well as September into October, were not popular months to walk just a few years back. We had May almost to ourselves, and now it's pretty darn popular time to walk.

There's also a lot more conveniences available to the pilgrim. For example, the section from Carrion de los Condes to Calzadilla was a 17km stretch with no services. Perigrinos spoke about this section for days before we reached it with a bit of anxiety. We talked about gearing up with stops at grocery stores to ensure we had food/fuel to make it to Calzadilla. We all congratulated each other after making it through this tough section with no services. Now there's a big food truck with tables, chairs and shade. It is very different now.

 

[Anhalter]

adding to what has been said already: Things have gotten more expensive. Between 2019 and 2022 it felt like 30-50%. Still cheap compared to other european countries but you might want to consider it.

 

[good_old_shoes]

My first walk was in 2015, the last one (so far) last year.

I didn't see that much difference over the years.

Apparently more people do make reservations nowadays, and even some municipals accept reservations now. But I still walk without and was fine so far.

Some albergues that had fully functioning kitchens before, now only have a microwave, but there were still kitchens available often enough.

Prices have gone up a bit, but overall it's still not that much for such a long time. There are still enough albergues in the 8-15€ price range, and pilgrim menus for roughly the same. Supermarket prices also were still reasonable.

I wouldn't worry too much, not even about crowds, since you will be in front of the huge september wave with your start in Carrion.

Plan for a slightly higher budget, but apart from that, it's still the Camino

Buen Camino!

 

[J Willhaus]

More pilgrims with electronic devices. Fewer with just a guide book. More bag shipping than 2016. Faster train from Santiago to Madrid than 2016. Bus and train now co-located in Santiago. In Santiago the Cathedral doesn't have scaffolding and you can tour the Portico de Gloria. Pilgrim office has a new system for compostellas which is faster, but in my opinion less "pilgrimy" with printed compostellas and no standing in lines commiserating with others.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Numbers are up (as always)

Actually, numbers on the Frances are very close to 2017/2018 and may actually be down on some months.

I think that when people ask for a long term perspective that it would be better to look at the actual numbers rather than just assuming that because lots of people have recently bleeted about increasing numbers that those bleets were factual.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I don't think much has changed in the past 6 years, apart from increased numbers from Sarria onwards.

But even that's not too bad, just choose your rest places away from most others. Sleep at Calvor or wherever before Sarria, then just walk through the place -- unless it's off-season , in that case sleep there.

 

[Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt]

Well, don't know how old you are, but, to state the obvious, you are 6 years older....just sayin' when it comes to taking things into account...

 

[RRat]

I will commence in Carrion de Los Condes sometime September. What, if anything, do I need to take into account this time around or would I find helpful? I do not plan to pre-book stays unless I learn while on route it is imperative. Honestly, I don't want to overthink this trip. I just want to grab my previous credentials, fly, and go. Is this being foolish?

More and more pilgrims are using electronic devices. and tour services all along the Camino. Tour services have an impact on bed availability. The will reserve an entire albergue or two. So instead of lodging being spread out it becomes concentrated. Good luck if you plan on staying in a small town with limited beds. Advance booking using electronics also impacts availability. Good luck arriving early to assure a bed. Advanced booking has made that irrelevant. Also in the afternoon you will find many pilgrims bent over their phones spending a considerable amount of time arranging lodging and communicating back home. Not relaxing and socializing with others.

 

[Brooklinn]

Cost!!!! Walked 2013, 2019 and walked in September 2022. Cost up a bit from 2019. However, just finished CF from SJPP a few weeks ago June/July 2023 walking in my typical fashion, staying at the same or similar places to last September and it was completely shocking that In only 9 months the cost of many things had GREATLY increased from food, meals, to private rooms and some albergues. It really added up over the entire trip. I was not entirely prepared for that.…haha.

 

[good_old_shoes]

More and more pilgrims are using electronic devices. and tour services all along the Camino. Tour services have an impact on bed availability. The will reserve an entire albergue or two. So instead of lodging being spread out it becomes concentrated. Good luck if you plan on staying in a small town with limited beds. Advance booking using electronics also impacts availability. Good luck arriving early to assure a bed. Advanced booking has made that irrelevant. Also in the afternoon you will find many pilgrims bent over their phones spending a considerable amount of time arranging lodging and communicating back home. Not relaxing and socializing with others.

That can easily be avoided by staying in albergues that can't be booked. If you stay at parroquials and the no-reservation municipals, you'll meet more of those who simply "wing it". I thought there was still a great sense of community in those albergues last year. People talked with each other and sometimes even went shopping together, cooked together, and had self-organized communal meals. That was really nice.

So I guess the experience depends on the kind of accommodation one chooses (among many other things, of course).

 

[BROWNCOUNTYBOB]

My wife and I hiked Camino Frances 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 all started in September and we arrived in Santiago in mid/late October. Our 2021 CF was towards the end of Covid restrictions. Many places were enforcing wearing of masks. The huge difference for us was walking through many towns and seeing our favorite places shut down / out of business. There were shops, grocery stores, bars / restaurants that we stopped at during our three prior caminos that had gone out of business when we walked through in 2021. Bob

 

[naplesdon]

Not being foolish. Just do it!
Not knowing where you are from just take into consideration how much has changed since you last Camino. Spain has changed, too.

 

[Vacajoe]

I think that when people ask for a long term perspective that it would be better to look at the actual numbers rather than just assuming that because lots of people have recently bleeted about increasing numbers that those bleets were factual.

BLEET BLEET

In what world of statistics are you living that the numbers on the Camino are NOT up over the past six years?!?!

BLEET BLEET

While Holy Years cause spikes in the numbers, the overall reported Pilgrims Office numbers consistently show an upwards trend of more pilgrims receiving Compostelas. This does not include those repeat walkers who choose not to seek that documentation but still take up beds and trail on the route.

BLEET BLEET

And finally - anecdotally - having walked multiple routes since 2017 and served twice as a hospitalero, it’s definitely obvious that the statistical trend is correct.

 

[hikentravel1234]

Yes, it's peak season for those starting from St Jean Pied de Port, but not necessarily from Carrión de los Condes. Most of the September "bed race" occurs between St Jean and Pamplona. After that the pilgrim traffic tends to spread out, as there are more intermediate towns to stay in.

I walked late May thru early Pamplona.

Yes, it's peak season for those starting from St Jean Pied de Port, but not necessarily from Carrión de los Condes. Most of the September "bed race" occurs between St Jean and Pamplona. After that the pilgrim traffic tends to spread out, as there are more intermediate towns to stay

I will commence in Carrion de Los Condes sometime September. What, if anything, do I need to take into account this time around or would I find helpful? I do not plan to pre-book stays unless I learn while on route it is imperative. Honestly, I don't want to overthink this trip. I just want to grab my previous credentials, fly, and go. Is this being foolish?

It will be very very hot so start early--no later than 7AM, especially if heat adversely affects your exercise tolerance

 

[David Tallan]

BLEET BLEET

In what world of statistics are you living that the numbers on the Camino are NOT up over the past six years?!?!

BLEET BLEET

While Holy Years cause spikes in the numbers, the overall reported Pilgrims Office numbers consistently show an upwards trend of more pilgrims receiving Compostelas. This does not include those repeat walkers who choose not to seek that documentation but still take up beds and trail on the route.

BLEET BLEET

And finally - anecdotally - having walked multiple routes since 2017 and served twice as a hospitalero, it’s definitely obvious that the statistical trend is correct.

Certainly overall numbers for pilgrims to Santiago are up. But that doesn't mean they are up everywhere along every Camino at every time of the year. What I've been seeing is that some routes or sections are up a lot (Sarria to Santiago on the Frances, Porto to Santiago on the Portugues) others are not up so much or, by some reports, are actually down (SJPdP to Sarria on the Frances).

But I'm not sure if those reports of reduced numbers on the earlier parts of the Frances are in comparison to six years ago or more recent numbers, or if they are just applicable to certain times of the year.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Certainly overall numbers for pilgrims to Santiago are up. But that doesn't mean they are up everywhere along every Camino at every time of the year. What I've been seeing is that some routes or sections are up a lot (Sarria to Santiago on the Frances, Porto to Santiago on the Portugues) others are not up so much or, by some reports, are actually down (SJPdP on the Frances).

But I'm not sure if those reports of reduced numbers on the earlier parts of the Frances are in comparison to six years ago or more recent numbers, or if they are just applicable to certain times of the year.

Thanks.

I am still in Spain and so I don't have access to the historical data that I downloaded from the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim office. I tend not to promise to do something too far in the future and so I have resisted pointing out how the reply post simply propagated confused thinking.

The original poster asked about the Camino Frances from Carrion de Los Condes.

@Vacajoe replied with generalisations that are not applicable to this part of the Camino Frances and I wonder if that person has even bothered to look at any actual data other than some some generic overall number of pilgrims from all Caminos. This person has not quoted the data source(s) that were used to back up their claims.

If I still have the interest in replying once I get home and I have access to the data then I will start another thread and I will include sources for any data that I quote.

One of the (new) issues with providing factual data is that the Pilgrim Office has changed their website. It used to be possible to access their data in a computer readable format but with their (now) usage of Microsoft's (less technical) tool access to their data has taken a backstep.

There have always been data quality issues with the Pilgrim Office data but there are some workarounds for that but by not making their data available in a computer readable format they have probably made it uneconomic to access their data for any real statistical purpose.

That, I think, is unfortunate because it makes it that much more difficult to show that the generalisations that most people quote on social media including this website are factually inaccurate.

Even more unfortunate, the French organisation that collects pilgrim information in SJPdP also seem to have ring-fenced their data and this used to be an excellent counterpoint for the Santiago de Compostela data.

 

[elviento]

Thank you everyone! The use of electronics to pre-book does seem a bit alarming and will be new for me, but I'm still going to go with the flow and see how the day unfolds each day. I'm excited!!!

 

[J Willhaus]

Thank you everyone! The use of electronics to pre-book does seem a bit alarming and will be new for me, but I'm still going to go with the flow and see how the day unfolds each day. I'm excited!!!

Depending on your situation, you don't have to prebook. Many don't unless they have a need such as shipping a bag or are uncomfortable with just walking to a place they feel like stopping.

 

[vasque]

Cost!!!! Walked 2013, 2019 and walked in September 2022. Cost up a bit from 2019. However, just finished CF from SJPP a few weeks ago June/July 2023 walking in my typical fashion, staying at the same or similar places to last September and it was completely shocking that In only 9 months the cost of many things had GREATLY increased from food, meals, to private rooms and some albergues. It really added up over the entire trip. I was not entirely prepared for that.…haha.

Curious to hear if you had any trouble finding a place to stay. Albergue or hotel?

 

[Zoran K.]

I will commence in Carrion de Los Condes sometime September. What, if anything, do I need to take into account this time around or would I find helpful? I do not plan to pre-book stays unless I learn while on route it is imperative. Honestly, I don't want to overthink this trip. I just want to grab my previous credentials, fly, and go. Is this being foolish?

I've just came back from my 3rd CF, last one was in 2019 and many places were closed. Mostly places to eat and drink along the path but many shut down. I guess Covid took it's toe

 

[geraldkelly]

Electric bikes.

You're walking up a hill, you see them 100m behind you. You think you've got a minute or two before they catch up. Ten seconds later they're there.

 

[Brooklinn]

Curious to hear if you had any trouble finding a place to stay. Albergue or hotel?

No problem finding a bed or room. I was traveling with my 10 year old grandson. Our strategy: We booked ahead before leaving in places we wanted to stay such as Borda (fantastic) and first few nights from SJPP. Of the 37 nights, We stayed in eight Albergues dorm rooms, and the rest a combo of private rooms in Albergues, one Airbnb, one hotel, and a camp. We called ahead one or two days for places we really wanted to stay. Albergues always seemed to have bunks available if we couldn’t get a private room. Staying in between the popular stops was pleasant and sometimes quite empty. We booked Santiago before we left so we could stay at Hospederia San Martin Pinario with pilgrim rate for last three nights.

 

[Brooklinn]

Forgot to mention, we met a fellow pilgrim on our first night in SJPP. She walked the entire thing (end of May to July 8) and NEVER booked ahead except a couple of nights the last week as there were numerous student groups walking as well (equaling hundreds of students). She had no problem finding a bed. We were often staying in the same village or town where I called a day ahead. Don’t rely entirely on Booking.com if booking. Call the place directly. Many places still have rooms and beds, and cheaper ones at that. Also, we found an astounding apartment in Burgos right across from the Museum of Human Evolution, in the heart of everything for only 32 euro a night on Airbnb. It was on the sixth floor, but being pilgrims, we didn’t mind the climb and it was worth it!

 

[leichecerca]

More pilgrims with electronic devices. Fewer with just a guide book. More bag shipping than 2016. Faster train from Santiago to Madrid than 2016. Bus and train now co-located in Santiago. In Santiago the Cathedral doesn't have scaffolding and you can tour the Portico de Gloria. Pilgrim office has a new system for compostellas which is faster, but in my opinion less "pilgrimy" with printed compostellas and no standing in lines commiserating with others.

To me, waiting in the long line at the Pilgrim Office was one of the highlights of the Camino. Reunion time!

 

[AlwynWellington]

In what world of statistics are you living

Kia ora @Vacajoe (greetings and may you be in good health)

You might be able to help me on this point.

I recall reading that numbers in very recent times were up overall;
with comparatively large number starting from Sarria and/or other 100 km routes;
while starts from further back were not yet as buoyant.

If you can help me on this point, then @elviento might be assured on some of his queries.

Kia kaha (take care, be strong)