Tom Conklin
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances (2016)
Porto (Fall 2017)
Via (2022)
Via de la Plata (with a Sanabres finish) - March 4 - April 12 2022
You have to let the path shape you – there are some stretches you are going to have to do that you do not want to and there are some places you are going to have to stay that you may not like. This means you are going to have longer, +30k days and sometimes some shorter 10k days. It also means that you may have to pay more for nicer accommodation or stay in an albergue you hadn’t planned on.
The Via is flat, but it's not. There are many up and downhill stretches, but there are far more flats. The Sanabres is definitely not flat. Both have significant road walks but for the most part they have very little traffic. The farm road stretches are many and spectacular.
There is not a lot of traffic on the Via. I befriended 30 or 40 people, but that was pretty much everyone I encountered. I went on my own but travelled with a new Camino friend for three weeks at the beginning and another friend for 9 days at the end. I was in and out of various groups over the 40 days and I often checked up on people who I had travelled with for short periods of time. When I arrived in Santiago I met only one or two of all of these people in the two days I was there. I did however, receive end of Camino celebratory texts from many people before and after my arrival.
There are a lot of late middle aged men on the Via. It sort of makes sense because it is the Camino for more experienced pilgrims who have time on their hands. There are younger folk but they are often stuck listening to chat about pensions and arthritis.
Way marking arrows are generally really good throughout the Via. Central Seville is very poorly marked and there are some spots where you really need something to guide you other than the arrows.
Accommodation on the Via is not expensive. Municipal and Xunta (Galicia) albergues are often less than 10€. Private albergues are between 10 and 15€. The Galician albergues are absolutely spectacular with the notable exception that their kitchens usually have very little in the way of pots and cutlery etc. During March and April of 2022 I was on the top bunk twice and someone was on my top bunk twice. This was partly because of the time of year and the remnants of Covid rules.
Casa Rurals, especially if you are with someone else, are a great alternative to albergues – they are relatively cheap and are a huge step up from albergues (attached bathroom, towels, sheets, soap). They usually cost around 40€ for two people.
Although Casa Rurals are a nice alternative to albergues, they are best used as a treat. You will find your community at the albergues where you will easily meet people. It is difficult to do this when you stay in a room by yourself or with a Camigo. On the Via, at least in the slower times, you will get to know everyone unless you prefer being more solitary.
Lunch is a complicated thing on the Via, or its not. Because services are not as abundant you often have to plan ahead more carefully. The easiest thing to do is buy and carry food (bread, meat, cheese, hummus, fruit, yoghurt…) to eat on the trail.
Dinners are less complicated than lunch as you usually plan to be somewhere with a restaurant, bar or good grocery store. There are menus del dia in most places and many albergues have really good kitchen facilities.
Weekends are always tricky but are even more so on the Via because you have less flexibility. You will often have to plan two days ahead of time because services often close after 2 on Saturday and are fully closed on Sunday.
Good route and location apps (Buen Camino, Mapy.cz) are great ways to make sure that you are definitely on the right path. Be aware though that at times these apps follow their own Via. They are almost always very accurate, but they sometimes leave out optional routes.
Gronze is a fantastic website for general information and maps of stages, it is particularly good for accommodations and it is, for the most part, up to date. Take a look at what other apps and sites (Wise Pilgrim, Gerald Kelly’s CaminoGuide…) have to offer and choose one that you feel comfortable with.
Internet and cell service is generally good most places. European pilgrims will have no problems with their home service. Canadians will fall in love with the price, coverage and service available for very, very little compared to home. I bought 28 days of service through Vodafone for 15€ that included 50G of data and 800 minutes of long distance. With that I didn’t really have to use the free Wi-Fi in bars and albergues.
You have to let the path shape you – there are some stretches you are going to have to do that you do not want to and there are some places you are going to have to stay that you may not like. This means you are going to have longer, +30k days and sometimes some shorter 10k days. It also means that you may have to pay more for nicer accommodation or stay in an albergue you hadn’t planned on.
The Via is flat, but it's not. There are many up and downhill stretches, but there are far more flats. The Sanabres is definitely not flat. Both have significant road walks but for the most part they have very little traffic. The farm road stretches are many and spectacular.
There is not a lot of traffic on the Via. I befriended 30 or 40 people, but that was pretty much everyone I encountered. I went on my own but travelled with a new Camino friend for three weeks at the beginning and another friend for 9 days at the end. I was in and out of various groups over the 40 days and I often checked up on people who I had travelled with for short periods of time. When I arrived in Santiago I met only one or two of all of these people in the two days I was there. I did however, receive end of Camino celebratory texts from many people before and after my arrival.
There are a lot of late middle aged men on the Via. It sort of makes sense because it is the Camino for more experienced pilgrims who have time on their hands. There are younger folk but they are often stuck listening to chat about pensions and arthritis.
Way marking arrows are generally really good throughout the Via. Central Seville is very poorly marked and there are some spots where you really need something to guide you other than the arrows.
Accommodation on the Via is not expensive. Municipal and Xunta (Galicia) albergues are often less than 10€. Private albergues are between 10 and 15€. The Galician albergues are absolutely spectacular with the notable exception that their kitchens usually have very little in the way of pots and cutlery etc. During March and April of 2022 I was on the top bunk twice and someone was on my top bunk twice. This was partly because of the time of year and the remnants of Covid rules.
Casa Rurals, especially if you are with someone else, are a great alternative to albergues – they are relatively cheap and are a huge step up from albergues (attached bathroom, towels, sheets, soap). They usually cost around 40€ for two people.
Although Casa Rurals are a nice alternative to albergues, they are best used as a treat. You will find your community at the albergues where you will easily meet people. It is difficult to do this when you stay in a room by yourself or with a Camigo. On the Via, at least in the slower times, you will get to know everyone unless you prefer being more solitary.
Lunch is a complicated thing on the Via, or its not. Because services are not as abundant you often have to plan ahead more carefully. The easiest thing to do is buy and carry food (bread, meat, cheese, hummus, fruit, yoghurt…) to eat on the trail.
Dinners are less complicated than lunch as you usually plan to be somewhere with a restaurant, bar or good grocery store. There are menus del dia in most places and many albergues have really good kitchen facilities.
Weekends are always tricky but are even more so on the Via because you have less flexibility. You will often have to plan two days ahead of time because services often close after 2 on Saturday and are fully closed on Sunday.
Good route and location apps (Buen Camino, Mapy.cz) are great ways to make sure that you are definitely on the right path. Be aware though that at times these apps follow their own Via. They are almost always very accurate, but they sometimes leave out optional routes.
Gronze is a fantastic website for general information and maps of stages, it is particularly good for accommodations and it is, for the most part, up to date. Take a look at what other apps and sites (Wise Pilgrim, Gerald Kelly’s CaminoGuide…) have to offer and choose one that you feel comfortable with.
Internet and cell service is generally good most places. European pilgrims will have no problems with their home service. Canadians will fall in love with the price, coverage and service available for very, very little compared to home. I bought 28 days of service through Vodafone for 15€ that included 50G of data and 800 minutes of long distance. With that I didn’t really have to use the free Wi-Fi in bars and albergues.
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