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Camino 2012

annie153

New Member
Hoping to walk the Camino this Summer. Would you advise the Northern or the French Route for a reasonably fit 45 year old solo traveller from Ireland?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hola - it is your choice! Both have their good features and their challenges. There are some tough sections on the Camino del Norte but more than compensated for by views and scenery. You will get a comparison between the two routes here although there are now more albergues and pilgrims on the Norte than noted on the site:

http://www.caminosantiagodecompostela.c ... del-norte/

Let us know what you decide.

Best wishes

John
 
Annie - I think every first-timer should walk the Camino Frances.
This is the World Heritage trail, the Jacobean route par excellence, the one everybody has written about since the 12th century; the one that has more legends and folk-lore than all of the others; more eccentric characters, more cathedrals, monuments, historic bridges, Roman roads etc etc etc - and, of course, more pilgrims!
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Annie - I think every first-timer should walk the Camino Frances.
The Camino Frances is the unifying camino experience. It will have some features that may send you to an alternative route for a second camino, but if you walk a different route first and do not go back a second time, you will have missed what most pilgrims talk about. That does not mean that you will not have loved what you did; only that you won't have the common experience.
 
Hola Annie and welcome.
Do you like crowds or solitude? Which calls most?
Whichever you walk you will meet other pilgrims and share experiences with them. For me the Francés is a non starter (sorry to those of you who love it) it just isn''t 'me'. When we finally reached the Francés I was just glad that it was fairly quiet. Even so sometimes, with more folk around, it was hard to find a good walking rythm.
The unifying experience for me is actually arriving finally in Santiago, by whichever route.

So - read the threads, ask yourself what you want to experience etc and have a great Camino
 
Tia Valeria said:
For me the Francés is a non starter (sorry to those of you who love it) it just isn''t 'me'.
Oh my! The Frances is great, especially for a first Camino! The friendship, discovery, landscapes, shared experience etc. It's great! :D
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
falcon269 said:
Annie - I think every first-timer should walk the Camino Frances.
The Camino Frances is the unifying camino experience. It will have some features that may send you to an alternative route for a second camino, but if you walk a different route first and do not go back a second time, you will have missed what most pilgrims talk about. That does not mean that you will not have loved what you did; only that you won't have the common experience.

I think falcon has put it just right. There are many things about the the Frances that may not work will for you but it is still the "Camino" to many people. Falcon puts it very well.
 
I also recommend the Camino Frances for first-timers. For me, it is THE Camino. The other routes, though historic, seem to lack the elusive "magic" of the Camino. Perhaps I only feel like that because it was my first pilgrimage but it is the route that "calls" me and, though I've already walked it twice, I know that I will return.

Yes, there are a lot of people but this can be comforting when you're setting out for the first time. If you wish to be alone (as most pilgrims do at some stage) you simply say so.
 
tyrrek said:
Tia Valeria said:
For me the Francés is a non starter (sorry to those of you who love it) it just isn''t 'me'.
Oh my! The Frances is great, especially for a first Camino! The friendship, discovery, landscapes, shared experience etc. It's great! :D
True for many, but for me it was the solitude, landscapes, some friendship and shared moments that were important. So the Camino Inglés (Ferrol route) 2011, as a first Camino, and the Primitivo in 2012 were just right for me. The virtually empty Cathedral when we arrived last year will always be a wonderful memory, as will the packed Pilgrims Mass this year. f I were to walk again I would still prefer the quieter routes, others would return to the Francés. Isn't it good that we are all so different.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
falcon269 said:
The Camino Frances is the unifying camino experience. It will have some features that may send you to an alternative route for a second camino, but if you walk a different route first and do not go back a second time, you will have missed what most pilgrims talk about. That does not mean that you will not have loved what you did; only that you won't have the common experience.

The phrase that is missing here is of course, "in my opinion"! :) The CSJ and some other Amigos and Confraternities have been advising new pilgrims for some years to consider routes other than the Camino Frances as a first camino. The reason is that some people may be put off the idea of pilgrimage completely by the near saturation of the Camino Frances. If you walk the Camino Portugese or the Via de la Plata for example you will miss nothing - there will be many other pilgrims to share fellowship with, much beautiful scenery to enjoy and history to explore. My own first camino was the Via de la Plata and as I continue to walk many different routes I also continue to meet pilgrims walking them for their first camino. The reason the vast majority of pilgrims walk the Camino Frances is the developed infrastructure with albergues at very frequent intervals. These days some other routes aren't far behind.

No matter which route is walked first the common experience we all share amongst other things is arrival at the tomb of St James.
 
JohnnieWalker said:
The CSJ and some other Amigos and Confraternities have been advising new pilgrims for some years to consider routes other than the Camino Frances as a first camino. The reason is that some people may be put off the idea of pilgrimage completely by the near saturation of the Camino Frances.
I'm sure you're right John, but I would suggest it's second-time pilgrims who should be encouraged onto the other routes. Buen Camino!
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Gosh, I really think which Camino you select for your first one is totally dependent on your personality. Before I walked my first Camino in 2009, I did see those messages from the CSJ and various Confraternities urging people to consider other routes. They said the Camino Frances was saturated, beds were often scarce and pilgrims were rising earlier and earlier to beat each other to the next town. That totally turned me off, despite its history, so I chose the VDLP and fell in love with it. When I finished, I was on a bus that ran alongside the Camino Frances to Sarria, and when I saw with my own eyes how clogged the route was -- there was hardly any open space! -- I knew I'd made the right decision for me.

I'm returning to the VDLP this fall, and while I hope to try other routes in the next few years, the Camino Frances is on the bottom of my list. I'm sure I'll enjoy it when I do it -- it's the Camino, after all -- but I can't imagine anything more suited to my personality than the VDLP.

Melanie
 
In 2006 there were 100,377 pilgrims. Five years later in 2011 there were 183,366. There is no doubt that crowding has become a factor.

The Camino Frances grew from 82,407 to 132,652. On the Camino del Norte the growth was from 5,378 to 11,729. On the Via de la Plata, 3,253 to 8,061.

There is a bed race on all the caminos, but the Camino Frances gets all the attention. Capacity was expanded for the holy year in 2010, but mostly on the Camino Frances.

Pilgrims prattle for years about the Pyrenees crossing, but you won't do that on the Camino del Norte or Via de la Plata!

Pick your poison, but don't expect solitude anywhere in the summer!
 
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TO ALBERQUE OR NOT??????????

There is a bed race on all the caminos, but the Camino Frances gets all the attention. Capacity was expanded for the holy year in 2010, but mostly on the Camino Frances.

Pilgrims prattle for years about the Pyrenees crossing, but you won't do that on the Camino del Norte or Via de la Plata!

Pick your poison, but don't expect solitude anywhere in the summer!


IF the camino frances will be overloaded with pilgrims this summer and all "racing" for beds in one of the many alberques, should those who can afford to stay in private accomodations forgo alberques so those with less financial means have priority for beds? isn't that what the beds where originally meant for--those who really needed them?? :?
 
isn't that what the beds where originally meant for--those who really needed them??
I don't think so. Originally they were to support a much smaller number of pilgrims, and were provided generally for pilgrims' convenience and comfort on a rural route that did not have a lot of hoteles and hostales. Even today the number of poverty-stricken pilgrims is not large. Over half the pilgrims are Spanish, and they are just taking a break from home for religious and relaxation purposes. I suspect few are needy as that term is normally used. Yes, more prosperous pilgrims can help the crowding by staying in the hoteles, pensions, and hostales. Of course, if a large number do that, then they will be overburdened as well, probably with little relief for the albergues. Since need is a subjective concept, and since associating with fellow pilgrims is an important part of the pilgrimage, maybe we should accept the albergue system at face value -- there for using whether by a pilgrim on a cheap vacation, or truly in need.
 
julie said:
I also recommend the Camino Frances for first-timers. For me, it is THE Camino. The other routes, though historic, seem to lack the elusive "magic" of the Camino. Perhaps I only feel like that because it was my first pilgrimage but it is the route that "calls" me and, though I've already walked it twice, I know that I will return.

Yes, there are a lot of people but this can be comforting when you're setting out for the first time. If you wish to be alone (as most pilgrims do at some stage) you simply say so.


Currently enjoying CF No.3 , I love the flexibilty this way offers, this tim I am walking the 'camino casual' , it is amazing what you miss out on when you are constrained by time, I am sure it will call me again in the near future
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
The race for beds and crowding is largely due to the fact that the majority of pilgrims leave at the same time and head for the same towns. While there may be a vast difference between the fastest walkers and the slowest, there is little difference in speed for the average walker.

It stands to reason that if the majority leave at a similar time, walk at a similar pace and stop in the same place for the night, there will be crowding along the route and pressure on beds. Leaving later and stopping in between the main staging posts, means that you can enjoy a measure of solitude should you so choose.

As a solo walker it is often easier to find a bed than if you are amongst a group.

That said, I have only walked the Camino Frances so I'm obviously unable to offer any insight to alternative routes. Just know that you can walk the Camino Frances in solitude if you so wish.
 
For a bed each night, get the most popular guide, walk your own pace, an most important IGNORE the stages! So many pilgrims treat the guide's stages as a manditiry way to walk the camino, it is only a guide!
 

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