Second Camino advice

[NomadBoomer]

Hi
I walked the frances in September 17 from sjdp. I absolutely loved it and now having caught the bug I plan to do a second one in April this year.
I want to walk a different way this time and I like the thought of a quieter route. After a fair bit of reading I am uncertain of which way to go and would appreciate any input.
I have a bit of flexibility but I am looking at 3-4 weeks say 400-500km sometime between late march and mid may. 22-25 km a day is perfect but some 30km+ days are fine.
My ideal walk is a well marked trail, easy underfoot, flat or undulating or steep climbing all OK. I am not very keen on steep downhills on narrow rocky trails. It is nice to have a bit of variety but I enjoyed the meseta too. It would be great to get some of those special Camino places again like the pilgrim masses, volunteer run alburges, open churches and communal meals. I am happy to walk alone or with a few others but it would be good to have other people to talk to in the evenings. My Spanish is terrible unfortunately.
At the moment I am leaning towards the vdlp from salamanca via ourense. Initially I was looking at the Salvador / Primitivo but I now think it might be a little tough alone this time. Any advice or input about these or other options, or timing would be great.
Cheers Paul

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Hey Paul,

I am going back in May but this time I will complete the Camino Frances. My first was a disaster, but it was long enough for me to catch the bug as well.

The Via de la Plata from Madrid is about 1,000 km, not shorter, but perhaps it could be done in two trips. Beyond this, there is the Portuguese Route and then to walk to Muxia and Finisterre would work out time wise. Del Norte is certainly comparable to CF in length and ups and downs but is much quieter. The down side is to make it fit your timing, it may be wise to start around Santander, which is easily accessible from Bilbao.

Another option is the Camino Ingles adding Finisterre / Muxia. On this one, I must stress that though many skip Muxia, it is one of the most spiritually uplifting places on all Caminos. Visiting here, will help provide a satisfaction, a reward for the effort given to get there, across the entire country. Do not pass it by. You could, but you will never know what was missed. I guess it could be put in that category of, "going the extra mile."

 

[J Willhaus]

Paul,
We were hospiteleros at Zamora this winter. If you enjoy company you may find the vdlp to be more solitary. Also the trek is more hilly/mountainous in the north the closer you get to your end point to my understanding. I think Seville to Salamanca (about 500 km) may be flatter.
Janet

 

[Kitsambler]

Any advice or input about these or other options, or timing would be great.

Have you thought about walking the the Le Puy route in France? With four weeks, you might be able to reach Moissac.

 

[jpflavin1]

Hi
I walked the frances in September 17 from sjdp. I absolutely loved it and now having caught the bug I plan to do a second one in April this year.
I want to walk a different way this time and I like the thought of a quieter route. After a fair bit of reading I am uncertain of which way to go and would appreciate any input.
I have a bit of flexibility but I am looking at 3-4 weeks say 400-500km sometime between late march and mid may. 22-25 km a day is perfect but some 30km+ days are fine.
My ideal walk is a well marked trail, easy underfoot, flat or undulating or steep climbing all OK. I am not very keen on steep downhills on narrow rocky trails. It is nice to have a bit of variety but I enjoyed the meseta too. It would be great to get some of those special Camino places again like the pilgrim masses, volunteer run alburges, open churches and communal meals. I am happy to walk alone or with a few others but it would be good to have other people to talk to in the evenings. My Spanish is terrible unfortunately.
At the moment I am leaning towards the vdlp from salamanca via ourense. Initially I was looking at the Salvador / Primitivo but I now think it might be a little tough alone this time. Any advice or input about these or other options, or timing would be great.
Cheers Paul

Paul:

My first inclination was to recommend a combination of the San Salvador/ Primitivo. This is a wonderful combination. The San Salvador (4 to 6 days) is, I believe , still sparsely traveled. It is a beautiful walk. The Primitivo (11 to 14 days) is a great hilly walk and more likely to provide some companionship. I really enjoyed both these Camino's. That said, if you intend to walk in the March time frame you could encounter snow and muddy conditions.

So, if walking in solitude and Spring, my recommendation would be the Madrid (11 to 14 days). The weather in general might be wet and there could be snow in the mountains between Cercedilla and Segovia. Once you reach the Frances in Sahagun you will probably be wanting for some conversation. You will also have lots of options for extending you walk. In Leon you could head north and walk the San Salvador or stay on the Frances. Once you hit Ponferrada, if the Frances becomes to busy, you can pick up the Invierno.

There are also other good options, Norte, VdlP, or Portuguese etc. etc.

Whatever route you take, I am sure it will be a great walk.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[cher99840]

I think the VdlP sounds perfect that time of year. March 2017 I walked from Seville to Merida. Have other plans for 2018 and won’t get to Europe, but March 2019, hopefully I’ll be back on the VdlP.

 

[NomadBoomer]

Thanks for the advice folks. Based on this and responses to a similar question I posted in the Primitivo thread. I think I will opt to walk the Vdlp/Sanabres starting from Salamanca in early/mid April. I will save the other suggestions for another time.