I am in Lalin, having started in Ponferrada. The Invierno is IMHO the most scenic Camino I have yet done; to include the Frances, Portuguese and Madrid.
There is a price to pay for the beauty, however. This route has lots of climbs and descents. There are relatively few pilgrims, I saw three in a week.
My favorite part are the steeply terraced, Roman-era vineyards that are still producing in the Ribiera Sacra wine-making region. The descent into and climb out of Belesar made the first day out of Saint Jean Pied de Port on the Frances look like a stroll in the park...just sayin...
Hope this helps.
Often photos just can’t pick up the beauty that the eye can see. Only 10 for you as that’s the limit I can load
Some of my pics (files were too large ! )
I walked completely sola from 6/4/18 to 17/4/18 and had cold wet weather but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Annie
View attachment 41710
Photo from my Invierno 2017-04-11
Thanks so much for sharing theseOften photos just can’t pick up the beauty that the eye can see. Only 10 for you as that’s the limit I can load
Some of my pics (files were too large ! )
I walked completely sola from 6/4/18 to 17/4/18 and had cold wet weather but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Annie
Hi, Christian,And where did you find information about albergues, towns/shops etc along the way?
The newest CSJ guide revision suggests itineraries from 9 to 12 days. The overall distance, including the last 50 - 60 Km on the Sanabres (northern extension of the VdLP) into Santiago from a Laxe / Lalin is about 258 - 260 Km.
In my experience this year, struggling to accomplish this steep route in 10-days, it occurred to me that the 12-day estimate is likely more reasonable for most folks. Then again, I am not descended from a long line of mountain goats...less is more.
This route is so scenic that you will likely not mind the extra days. Relax, enjoy the views.
Hope this helps.
Hi, Christian,
In my maybe not so humble opinion, I think the forum guide in the resources section is a pretty good place to start. We do a revision every year and hope that this year's Invierno pilgrims who use the guide will help us out with next year's updates!
You can find the guide here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/invierno-forum-guide.535/
Enjoy the Invierno, it is a gem!
Christian, I am on the way now, with a planned ahead reststop in Monforte de Lemos. I have managed well with the forum guide and the posts in this forum up to now and I guess so on the next days too. I sometimes use www.gronze.com too, but not while walking. Bought the wisepilgrim app for this camino, but except for the maps it does not give more information than the pdfguide here. I prefer the maps.me for maps. Wifi is weak or not working most places, so I am glad I took a print of it before leaving.
Hi, Christian,
In my maybe not so humble opinion, I think the forum guide in the resources section is a pretty good place to start. We do a revision every year and hope that this year's Invierno pilgrims who use the guide will help us out with next year's updates!
You can find the guide here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/invierno-forum-guide.535/
Enjoy the Invierno, it is a gem!