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I live in Castro Urdiales. On Sunday the only grocery stores open are a Carrefour Express on Camino de Ronda and a fruteria/mini-mercado next to the La Barrera bus stop. Both are in the city center. Restaurants, bars and cafes are generally open.
Walked the Portugese Camino from Porto to SDC in late October- November 2022. Heavy rain all except 2 days. Weather is different every year. YMMV. Washing clothes and getting them dry by the next day was a challenge.
Since good food and cute villages are 2 things you're looking for and arriving in Santiago isn't a priority, how about San Sebastian-Bilbao on the Camino de Norte.
Every year will be different weatherwise. I walked the VDLP in 2018 and didn't start until May 29th. It turned out to be an unusually cool year and I spent more time being too cold rather than too hot which is atypical. There were also still plenty of other people on the route for sharing the...
When I walked the VDLP in 2018 my recollection is that there were more men than women but not by a lot. There was also a nice mix of ages. A 40-ish gentleman with his 10-year old son, young post-college types, middle-aged couples and retirees like me.
Walked it last year in late March. It might be a good idea to check with the places you're thinking of staying to be sure they will be open. A couple of the places I stayed I had to arrange a meeting time to get the key as March is still off-season in that part of the world. Beautiful route...
Personally I would opt for the spa. Unless for some reason you need the services or shopping opportunities that Pontevedra offers. It is a lovely city but not sure I would put it in the 'can't miss' category.
Huge amounts of rain seem to be happening in many parts of Spain at the moment. Attached is a video from the Camino Aragones showing the river in Canfranc Pueblo.
For backpack transfers on the Invierno get in touch with Manuel at Bar Mar in Sobradelo. He is very reasonably priced (6€ per stafe) and reliable. +34 639 24 19 39 via phone or WhatsApp.
Finished the Invierno last Tuesday and my experience was the same as the OP. Saw very few people the entire route. For those who seek solitude on their Caminos, the Invierno is the Promised Land.
What a difference a couple of days can make. I started the Invierno 2 days before OzAnnie. In the first 6 days I only saw 6 other peregrinos. Now on Day 7 I have finally found 3 others.
According to gronze.com there are no services available between A Rua and Quiroga. I think it was in Bendillo...
In Córdoba the Museum of the Inquisition is a real eye opener. Gave my husband bad dreams that night. Of course if you're wanting to rest it might be counterproductive.
Coffee addict here. When I'm doing less traveled Caminos where services are limited I pick up coffee-to-go the night before. If you're fussy about your coffee being hot this won't work. If you're like me and not picky about how you get your fix it's a way around coffee scarcity.
Fellow coffee addict here. I check gronze.com for the next days route to see what stops are available. If it doesn't look promising the evening before I go to a bar/Cafe and get coffee to go. That way it's available first thing. If you're fussy about your coffee being hot this won't work but...
I just finished walking the 3 days from San Vicente to Santo Toribio. Gronze.com has gps tracks for this route which I found really useful. The website also has information on distances between towns and available services/accommodation.
Do you mean pack transport? If so, when I walked the CF-San Salvador in 2021 I developed tendonitis part way through. A gentleman replied to my request for pack transport saying that he was committed to covering that route. When I reached Pajares he informed me that he was no longer available...
I am currently walking the Lebaniego- Vadiniense- Olvidado-San Salvador combination (about 14 days) and personally find it more challenging than the Primitivo. YMMV. It will definitely satisfy your desire to be in mountainous terrain.
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