- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2023 Bayonne to Vasco Interior/Burgo to Santiago
I walked the Aragones/Frances and started about October 21st or so and finished about December 5 or 6. I had thought about posting during this camino but I changed my mind the first night.
I thought the Aragones was a wonderful Camino. It was very quiet and up until the last night before Puente La Reina I only saw two other pilgrims. They were a German couple. The nights they didn't sleep in the albergues I was all alone. ALL the albergues I stayed in were wonderful. Of course some more wonderful than others. I want to thank @J Willhaus for making sure there was a credential waiting for me in Canfranc. What a fantastic, new and welcoming albergue that is. The two hospitaleros were wonderful. One man from Ireland and the other from Spain. Great first night to sleep in after walking in the pouring rain the last few kilometers. Really nice and intimate communal dinner at the Arres and Ruesta albergues. Ruesta is the abandoned town that only has 3 people living there (They are all with the albergue). The people were so welcoming. There were friends that came and went all day and after dinner that night there were about 10 people drinking wine and chatting in the outdoor terrace. Really cool and different experience in Ruesta to say the least! There is a long hill (not difficult at all) leaving Ruesta. About half way up I saw some movement in the brush on the side of the camino about 50 or 60 yards ahead. Figured out quickly they were wild boars. There were at least 3 or 4. I stopped took out my little pocket knife and took the rubber tip off of my hiking poll and looked for some higher ground. I didn't move for about 4 or 5 minutes. Then I didn't see them anymore. I waited a few more minutes and slowly made my way up the hill. Thankfully they had moved on. I kept looking for higher ground as I walked and had the waist strap off my backpack and the shoulder straps loose ready to drop my pack if need be. Really nice view at the top of the hill. When I got to Undues de Lerda I talked to the bar owner (he had an amazing LP collection, especially if you are into Punk). He told me the woods leaving Ruesta are full of boars. (I also saw a few boars and lots of wild pigs, I think wild anyway, when I walked the VDLP last year.
All and all a great experience on the Aragones. I think you need to complete it before November 1. It seemed like many of the albergues would be closed after that date.
After I got on the CF of course there was a little pilgrim shock of basically being almost completely alone to seeing other pilgrims especially at night in the albergues. It was nice and fun meeting other pilgrims of course, but again so different then being on the Aragones. Many nights the albergues were crowded with pilgrims. Not because there were so many but because it looked to me that there were alot more albergues closed than I anticipated. I walked during the same time period (November-Dec) in 2019 when I walked from Pamplona and 2021 when I walked the VDLP and albergue owners were telling me to go to Astorga as they anticipated there would be very, very few albergues open on the Sanabria. It seemed the later in the month of November it got the more albergues were closed. Even albergues that APrinca had listed as open. Of course Gronze and Buen Camino listed open albergues that were closed. Which of course is not their fault. More and more owners were telling me that they were closing early because it was such a busy year and they were just exhausted. Can't blame them.
Never had a problem finding an open albergue. My only problem was that I wanted to really go slower the last 150k or so and stay off of the stages especially from Sarria but it was difficult because so many albergues were closed and I got to Santiago sooner than I had hoped.
Great weather early on. It got a little cold especially at night but it is so easy to warm up once you start walking and I even with a light sleeping bag I never was uncomfortable at night. There were days with lots of hard rain, sometimes even hurting my face when it hit me. But of course really nice pilgrims and friendships, lots of enjoyable evenings and a few memorable nights with Camino friends having a few goodbye dinners in Santiago. I stayed the first couple of nights in Albergue Blanco and loved it. The morning after I arrived in Santiago I got up late (about 8:30) and when I walked past the pilgrim office (it was really cold that morning) saw a friend and she convinced me to wait with her to get the free lunch at the Parador. I agreed (it was my third time haha) Went and got coffees for 4 of us and had alot of fun at lunch. Didn't like the food much but who cares it was free and as the saying goes Tourists demand, Pilgrims are thankful and I was thankful to share a table with wonderful pilgrims. The last couple of nights I stayed at San Martin Pinario and of course, well I don't have to tell you the value of that place!
Overall I was on the Camino and who can argue about being on the place I call home!
Already planning for next year.
Maybe do the Aragones again, then down to Madrid and up to Sahagun and on to Santiago. Maybe the Portuguese and the Variante. Or maybe the Vasco from Bayonne to Burgos and stay on the CF. I am learning that I think I like splitting up quiet less traveled caminos and then joining a more crowded one. Also walking when I do as I get later into the year I worry about finding albergues as the 30k or more days (unless absolutely necessary) I would like to leave behind me. Buen Camino
I thought the Aragones was a wonderful Camino. It was very quiet and up until the last night before Puente La Reina I only saw two other pilgrims. They were a German couple. The nights they didn't sleep in the albergues I was all alone. ALL the albergues I stayed in were wonderful. Of course some more wonderful than others. I want to thank @J Willhaus for making sure there was a credential waiting for me in Canfranc. What a fantastic, new and welcoming albergue that is. The two hospitaleros were wonderful. One man from Ireland and the other from Spain. Great first night to sleep in after walking in the pouring rain the last few kilometers. Really nice and intimate communal dinner at the Arres and Ruesta albergues. Ruesta is the abandoned town that only has 3 people living there (They are all with the albergue). The people were so welcoming. There were friends that came and went all day and after dinner that night there were about 10 people drinking wine and chatting in the outdoor terrace. Really cool and different experience in Ruesta to say the least! There is a long hill (not difficult at all) leaving Ruesta. About half way up I saw some movement in the brush on the side of the camino about 50 or 60 yards ahead. Figured out quickly they were wild boars. There were at least 3 or 4. I stopped took out my little pocket knife and took the rubber tip off of my hiking poll and looked for some higher ground. I didn't move for about 4 or 5 minutes. Then I didn't see them anymore. I waited a few more minutes and slowly made my way up the hill. Thankfully they had moved on. I kept looking for higher ground as I walked and had the waist strap off my backpack and the shoulder straps loose ready to drop my pack if need be. Really nice view at the top of the hill. When I got to Undues de Lerda I talked to the bar owner (he had an amazing LP collection, especially if you are into Punk). He told me the woods leaving Ruesta are full of boars. (I also saw a few boars and lots of wild pigs, I think wild anyway, when I walked the VDLP last year.
All and all a great experience on the Aragones. I think you need to complete it before November 1. It seemed like many of the albergues would be closed after that date.
After I got on the CF of course there was a little pilgrim shock of basically being almost completely alone to seeing other pilgrims especially at night in the albergues. It was nice and fun meeting other pilgrims of course, but again so different then being on the Aragones. Many nights the albergues were crowded with pilgrims. Not because there were so many but because it looked to me that there were alot more albergues closed than I anticipated. I walked during the same time period (November-Dec) in 2019 when I walked from Pamplona and 2021 when I walked the VDLP and albergue owners were telling me to go to Astorga as they anticipated there would be very, very few albergues open on the Sanabria. It seemed the later in the month of November it got the more albergues were closed. Even albergues that APrinca had listed as open. Of course Gronze and Buen Camino listed open albergues that were closed. Which of course is not their fault. More and more owners were telling me that they were closing early because it was such a busy year and they were just exhausted. Can't blame them.
Never had a problem finding an open albergue. My only problem was that I wanted to really go slower the last 150k or so and stay off of the stages especially from Sarria but it was difficult because so many albergues were closed and I got to Santiago sooner than I had hoped.
Great weather early on. It got a little cold especially at night but it is so easy to warm up once you start walking and I even with a light sleeping bag I never was uncomfortable at night. There were days with lots of hard rain, sometimes even hurting my face when it hit me. But of course really nice pilgrims and friendships, lots of enjoyable evenings and a few memorable nights with Camino friends having a few goodbye dinners in Santiago. I stayed the first couple of nights in Albergue Blanco and loved it. The morning after I arrived in Santiago I got up late (about 8:30) and when I walked past the pilgrim office (it was really cold that morning) saw a friend and she convinced me to wait with her to get the free lunch at the Parador. I agreed (it was my third time haha) Went and got coffees for 4 of us and had alot of fun at lunch. Didn't like the food much but who cares it was free and as the saying goes Tourists demand, Pilgrims are thankful and I was thankful to share a table with wonderful pilgrims. The last couple of nights I stayed at San Martin Pinario and of course, well I don't have to tell you the value of that place!
Overall I was on the Camino and who can argue about being on the place I call home!
Already planning for next year.
Maybe do the Aragones again, then down to Madrid and up to Sahagun and on to Santiago. Maybe the Portuguese and the Variante. Or maybe the Vasco from Bayonne to Burgos and stay on the CF. I am learning that I think I like splitting up quiet less traveled caminos and then joining a more crowded one. Also walking when I do as I get later into the year I worry about finding albergues as the 30k or more days (unless absolutely necessary) I would like to leave behind me. Buen Camino
