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Hi, I'm thinking of walking Via de la Plata in spring 2014. I have a few questions and hoping you can help
.....
Final question. Camino del Norte is an alternative. Would be interested in thoughts of anymore who has walked both.
Many thanks
Jenny
Jenny, have you read the book 'Sinning across Spain' by Ailsa Piper? It's an account of the VdlP - the author is an Australian woman who had previously walked the Camino Frances. I have only recently read it and found it quite interesting and descriptive.
Hi Jenny
Late March through April and May is generally a great time to walk the Via de la Plata. We should normally have sunny warm days from Selville to Salamanca and slightly cooler and even rainy days as you walk through Galicia to Santiago.
This said, this past Spring was unusual where Selville experienced 5 weeks of solid rain up to the week we left (first week of April), leaving some sections of the trail under water. However when we left Selville, the weather was generally good but experienced a freak snow storm at the end of April walking in Salamanca. So be prepared for any type of weather but you are correct the temperatures on the Via de la Plata are higher than on the Camino Frances and Notre routes.
Never came across any dogs that were a concern and others have suggested you are more likely to see more often on the Camino Frances.
The bigger challenges are the distances between towns and the lack of basic facilities including even open cafes and bars as compared to the camino Frances
Hi Jenny,
When I returned from the Francés in 2010 I knew that I wanted to walk another Camino in Spain but was unsure which one to tackle - the Vía de la Plata or the Norte. I posted here asking veterans their opinion and remember one answer in particular which swayed my decision. Laurie (surprised she hasn't jumped in here) mentioned that the Plata had more of a Camino "feel" to her as the Norte runs through many resort towns.
I never regreted the decision and hope to walk all or part of the VdlP again in the future. I just loved the dry, arid, open landscapes of Andalucía, Extremadura and Castilla y León up until past Zamora. I didn't want to meet up with the Francés and the large number of pilgrims in Astorga and so walked via Ourense which is the Sanabrés. I would definately recommend that route which is beautiful and soooo different from the first 600 km despite a few AVE eyesores (completed this portion in August).
Good luck deciding. The jury is still out regarding my next adventure but today the Levante seems to be calling me!
Cheers,
LT
Thank you so much LT, that is a very considerate reply and I think will help me in my thinking. I am interested to hear what you say about walking Camino Sanabres to Santiago and hear that it is both beautiful and different to the first 600 km. I also ike the idea that I could make that choice at the time and know that either way will be rewarding for different reasons.Hi Jenny,
When I returned from the Francés in 2010 I knew that I wanted to walk another Camino in Spain but was unsure which one to tackle - the Vía de la Plata or the Norte. I posted here asking veterans their opinion and remember one answer in particular which swayed my decision. Laurie (surprised she hasn't jumped in here) mentioned that the Plata had more of a Camino "feel" to her as the Norte runs through many resort towns.
I never regreted the decision and hope to walk all or part of the VdlP again in the future. I just loved the dry, arid, open landscapes of Andalucía, Extremadura and Castilla y León up until past Zamora. I didn't want to meet up with the Francés and the large number of pilgrims in Astorga and so walked via Ourense which is the Sanabrés. I would definately recommend that route which is beautiful and soooo different from the first 600 km despite a few AVE eyesores (completed this portion in August).
Good luck deciding. The jury is still out regarding my next adventure but today the Levante seems to be calling me!
Cheers,
LT
Thank you for that tip, I will definitely make a note of itIf you do decide to walk the Sanabres a visit to the Monestary of Osiera is a must ( check visiting times) and the walk from there to Castro Dozon is very very beautiful , specially the part starting at the monastery .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Santa_María_la_Real_of_Oseira
Buen Camino!
If my memory is right you have a tour at 10 am.Thank you for that tip, I will definitely make a note of it
Jenny: as you mention, you have 600+ km in which to decide which way to follow to SdC! Instead of walking through Granja de Moreruela (junction Sanabrés/VdlP) we took a detour after Riego del Camino to visit the ruines of the Monasterio de Santa María de Moreruela, the first Spanish Cisterian Convent if I recall correctly. It was closed for renovations but we jumped the fence and a caretaker was nice enough to let us visit.
I definately agree that the route via Oseira to stay at the monestary is a must. The pilgrim albergue is quite spartan but the surroundings are beautiful and the tour of the monestary is interesting. They also have a store with their own chocolate (yummy) and orujo. If you would like to stay longer, the monestary also maintains separate lodging facilities for retreats. The hospitalero showed us the rooms and they were quite nice with a private bath. You can also participate in vespers.
MendiWalker: the Norte is on my "one day" list of Caminos but not on top. Strange though as I love the coast and visited several towns such as Santander and San Sebastian in my pre-Camino life. It looks spectacular but I am allergic to rain (get enough of it here in The Netherlands) and so tend to stay away from areas where there is a greater chance of precipitation!
Thank you everyone for your reassurance re the dogs and other information. As a dog lover, I don't like to feel frightened of them - so more relaxed about that now.
Adrienne, I know what you mean about not being 'drawn' to the VdlP. Having walked Camino Frances in Sept/Oct 2011 and April 2013 (coincidentally both times taking 29 days), I want to go back though feel I 'should' try something different. Certainly Camino Frances was a lot busier this April than 18 months earlier. Walked with many more Americans (all of whom were delightful) and most of whom quoted The Way as their inspiration.
I would like to walk for longer than the 800 kms, so was thinking of (all or part of )Le Puy + Frances or Le Puy + Norte. That way I could decide once I arrived in SJPP. By then I would know which one felt 'right'. But then started to think it's a long time to be away from home, which led me to find out about VdlP. Perfect distance, and I LOVE Spain ... and I would probably go via Astorga and join the Frances from there. Seems the perfect fit but somehow I also am not 'drawn' to it .... at least not yet.
So reading about all of these and trusting one of the options will settle as 'right' for me.
Adrienne, I know what you mean about not being 'drawn' to the VdlP. Having walked Camino Frances in Sept/Oct 2011 and April 2013 (coincidentally both times taking 29 days), I want to go back though feel I 'should' try something different. ......
I would like to walk for longer than the 800 kms, so was thinking of (all or part of )Le Puy + Frances or Le Puy + Norte. That way I could decide once I arrived in SJPP. By then I would know which one felt 'right'. But then started to think it's a long time to be away from home, which led me to find out about VdlP. Perfect distance, and I LOVE Spain ... and I would probably go via Astorga and join the Frances from there. Seems the perfect fit but somehow I also am not 'drawn' to it .... at least not yet.
peregrina2000 said:There is also a lot more asphalt walking on the Norte, a lot more. But the Norte has a lot more elevation gain, so if you like climbing you may not be as enamored of the flat or undulating terrain that predominates on the Vdlp at least till past Zamora.
Hi JennyThank you Jirit. I see that you have walked many Caminos - what was your feeling about VdlP?
I am two-thirds of the way between Sevilla and Santiago, just turned NW onto the Sanabrés. There is absolutely NO problem about loose dogs - just be prudent if you meet livestock. North of Cáceres there is loose cattle - the black sort sort with big horns. Sometimes there is a bull with them. I met a peregrina who said one had stamped and put its head down as if to charge.
The VdlP is a fabulous wonderful Camino. You see the real Spain - not the mad Disneyland that the Francés has become.
One word to anyone currently on the VdlP/CS - a whole string of albergues from Zamora on are closed: bedbug epidemic.
Buen Camino
Hello again! I'm still undecided - April may be the more sensible option. Hope to see you again at a pilgrim meeting!Hi Norelle - it's Jenny from the pilgrim group catch up the other week (must add a photo to my profile - only joined today). I remember you mentioning that book. So I will read it .... perhaps that will help me to decide one way or the other.
How are your plans going for December / January?
Jenny
Hi, Jenny,
LTfit has given you my overriding opinion of the difference between the Norte and the Vdlp. I found a much greater camino "feeling" on the Vdlp. The Norte, as everyone has said, has a lot of stunning scenery, the coastal walks are really incredible, but if you walk it during tourist season, you will find that most of the towns on the coast are geared to tourists and not pilgrims. That's not a criticism, because of course tourists are a much more important source of revenue, but it does make the Camino feel different. There is also a lot more asphalt walking on the Norte, a lot more. But the Norte has a lot more elevation gain, so if you like climbing you may not be as enamored of the flat or undulating terrain that predominates on the Vdlp at least till past Zamora.
I walked the Norte in 2006, and the Vdlp in more recent years, though so things may have changed.
The Vdlp has a lot of variety of landscape, takes you through some very nice monumental cities (Sevilla, Merida, Caceres, Salamanca, Zamora, Ourense), and has very good pilgrim infrastructure. Springtime in Andalucia and Extremadura is beautiful. Tons of wildflowers, lots of scrub forests with oaks, huge boulders, babbling streams.
I have started in Sevilla twice, once in April and once in May. Both had very nice spring weather. There is a burst of pilgrims in Holy Week, many start in Sevilla then, and Holy Week is a big deal in some of the cities along the way so there will be crowds (but also processions and many religious rituals). For me, starting on May 1 in Sevilla was the perfect time because by the time we got north things had warmed up.
And I never saw a loose dog on the Vdlp.
I know some people have found the AVE construction to be very jarring on the Vdlp, particularly on the Sanabres north of Zamora, but if you do some searching on the forum, you'll see that some of us who walked it this past summer (me and LTfit in particular) did not think it detracted much from the overall wonderful experience.
Buen camino, Laurie
Thank you to everyone who has joined in this thread. I have had lots to read and consider over the past few days and appreciate all the insights and information. My latest thinking has taken me in a slightly different direction but it is sitting well with me at this stage. I had initially thought I would walk Camino Le Puy but wanted to spend some time in Spain (and end up in Santiago) but not Frances again, and not drawn to Northern route. But my current idea seems :
Camino Le Puy to SJPP
continue on Camino Frances from SJPP to Pamploma
Train from Pamploma to Astorga - then bus (?) to Granja Moreuela to start Sanabres
Camino Sanabres to Santiago (highly recommended on this thread!)
On to Finisterre if time permits.
So I will let that idea settle for a while. Thanks again everyone
Jenny
Hi Laurie - just read your post again, and some others. From one in particular, it seemed that there was construction work virtually every day on Sanabres, which seems unappealing ... I think I'd rather the crowds on the Frances.!! But then you say it did not detract too much from the overall wonderful experience. I wonder if you would encourage me to go, despite the construction works??
Jenny
Hi Jenny
Can I offer you another suggestion ?
While walking the via de la plata, I met a Aussie couple who had started in Madrid. They were walking with two younger girls, maybe their daughters but I was not sure.
They took the camino from Madrid to Sahagún where it joins the Frances route.
From there they continued west to Ponferrada.
At Ponferrada they joined the trail ( Camino de Invierno ) that goes south west to A Laxe west of Ourense to join the Via de la Plata.
From A Laxe they continued through Galicia to Santiago.
I am not sure of the actual distance but I suspect it would similar to walking the Via de la Plata from say Merida.
Madrid is an obvious gateway into Spain and it is equally easier to get back to from Santiago.
Update
Breakdown of the route:
Camino Madrid (Madrid to Sahagún) - 12-14 days
Camino Frances - (Sahagún to Ponferrada) - 6 days
Camino Invierno - (Ponferrada to A Laxe) - 7 days
Camino Sanabres - (A Laxe to Santiago) - 5 days
Total days 30-32 days
Here are links for the Madrid camino and Invierno
http://www.csj.org.uk/route-madrid.htm
http://www.mundicamino.com/ingles/rutas.cfm?id=66
Hi Laurie - just read your post again, and some others. From one in particular, it seemed that there was construction work virtually every day on Sanabres, which seems unappealing ... I think I'd rather the crowds on the Frances.!! But then you say it did not detract too much from the overall wonderful experience. I wonder if you would encourage me to go, despite the construction works??
Jenny
NOrth of Ourense, I believe, all the construction is done, so there is no more disruption.
I am two-thirds of the way between Sevilla and Santiago, just turned NW onto the Sanabrés. There is absolutely NO problem about loose dogs - just be prudent if you meet livestock. North of Cáceres there is loose cattle - the black sort sort with big horns. Sometimes there is a bull with them. I met a peregrina who said one had stamped and put its head down as if to charge.
The VdlP is a fabulous wonderful Camino. You see the real Spain - not the mad Disneyland that the Francés has become.
One word to anyone currently on the VdlP/CS - a whole string of albergues from Zamora on are closed: bedbug epidemic.
Buen Camino
After Cáceres the AVE construction caused a few detours before and after the Embalse de Encantara. After that, it seemed fine till post Zamora where there was quite a bit of motorway construction on and off till Lubián. Then again between A Gudiña and Laza (this latter was another railway). None of these detours was more than 2 or 3km, and were well signed. Melanie's VDLP app was really helpful, as were the hospitaleros in the albergues.John, how did you find the construction of the railroad. Were there many detours from Caceres on? Super long stages?
I'd like to do another section of the VDLP in April/May. I left it at Caceres last year.
None of this spoiled the enjoyment of this wonderful Camino, though there are scars on the beautiful country.
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