One reason for me choosing the VDLP is to avoid the constant stress of the bed race on the busier routes. Alas I haven’t escaped it. Literally every bed (that I’m able to contact) is full from where I am (Canaveral) for the next 45km or so. Everywhere I contacted last night and this morning are ‘completo’. The albergue at the next stop has 20 beds and they are all booked. I suspect/hope I'm just in a bubble. Seems to be about 30-40 walking the same stage as me, making it a bed race, ala the CF. I’ve looked at every option (under 100 euros) and there’s no way I can walk to a bed tonight. So I’m going to try taking a bus to Aldeanueva del Camino, about an hour away by bus. Hopefully that will get me out of this bubble. Racing for a bed every day on the VDLP is not what I signed up for. The stages are too long and accommodation to sparse for this nonsense.
Just an FYI for others about to embark.
This is the "pig in the python" dynamic. If a large group of pilgrims - whether actually a formal group or just a lot of pilgrims who start on a Sunday, they will cause a "clog" as they move on any Camino route.
Over several days, this clog elongates, so not all people follow the same route and move at the same speed. Even if the clog of people overtax accommodations at the beginning, by mid-week, options free up.
This is why I always advise people NOT to start their Camino on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday. I also encourage people to adjust their walking pace and destinations so they do NOT end at a major place with transportation nodes - like trains - on a Friday or Saturday night at a major place, especially if it is a place where other pilgrims will join the flow.
Sometimes, you will need to add a "rest day" to pause, so others can get in front of you. It is like surfing. The smart surf rider waits beyond the breaking waves, observing each approaching wave, waiting for just the right wave before committing. This paradigm is exactly the same. Watch what most others are doing, and do something else.
On the VDLP, examples pf these nodal places might include Sevilla, Zamora, Merida, or Caerces. On the Frances: SJPdP, Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon, Ponferrada and Sarria come to mind.
These transportation nodes exist on every Camino. But, they all have one thing in common. It is easy to get there using a train or intercity bus at the end of a workweek. Logically, if you are Spanish or Portuguese, and to some degree French, you would work, then ride to your starting place on Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday.
Don't forget to factor-in holidays. If a holiday falls on a Thursday, assume everyone will take the Friday as a "bridge" day.
This is only going to be more pronounced as the school year ends in late May and June.
Avoiding these clogs, pulses or bubbles in the flow and accommodations is not complicated. It DOES require some foresight and planning. In retrospect, the best way to avoid all this unpleasantness is to simply be where the other pilgrims are not.
As mentioned above, in the peak season - now -the best method is schedule-shifting. Seen from a higher level, the best preventative is to do your Camino in the hip seasons: March - end of April; or, October - end of November. We cannot all go to the same place at the same time, and expect readily available accommodations.
With a bit of planning, you can arrange to arrive at a transportation node city or town on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. This avoids the "pig in the python" phenomenon.
Hope this helps.
Tom