Changes in last five years.

[Nauzanplage]

Hi, my wife and I last walked the Camino France's five years ago. Since then we have completed two other routes. We have decided to plan a return visit this May.
Our experiences from the first trip were all positive, apart from a few overcrowded albergues and a painful descent from O Cebreiro. We have decided to stay in double rooms this time.
I would be interested in anyone's comments on how the Camino has changed in that time. Have numbers increased significantly, has availability and quality of accomodation improved, have prices increased?
Is a second trip more rewarding or an anticlimax?
Many thanks. Richard

 

[mspath]

The CF is much busier now especially during the prime walking season than five years ago! 2016 will be very popular since it is a Holy Year. Prices are slightly higher than in the past but still reasonable. Many more accommodation choices are available but walking in late autumn/winter I always have stayed in simple pilgrim albergues which were and continue to be inexpensive.

Each subsequent camino during the past 10 years along the Frances was never the same as the earlier ones but all have been most special. Personally I shall never stop dreaming of yet another!

Do read and ponder what others have wriťten in these earlier Forum posts re expectation/disappointment and multiple caminos.

Carpe diem and Buen camino!

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

I walked the Frances from Roncesvalles to Pamplona and then Leon to Santiago in September 2011 and from St. Jean to Santiago from May - June 2015, and I was curious about what might have changed - aside from the seasons. In 2011, I met a total of 14 American pilgrims, 5 of whom were in the same family. In 2015, I did not count the numbers because by the time I reached Orisson I had already met close to 14! At first in 2015 most of the pilgrims seemed stuck to Brierley stages and I felt in a race to get the last bed. Once my friend and I got off the the Brierley stages, not only did the sense of a race disappear, but also the numbers of Americans lessened. That said, I noted new albergues and an increase in pilgrims of all nations to match the numbers of additional beds! Some nights many if not all albergues were completo, and we as well as other pilgrims ended up having to walk on at least once. More pilgrims, as a result, were calling ahead to reserve in private lodgings. Which brings me to technology. Definitely an increase in tech toting pilgrims, and an increase in wi-fi. Newer albergues had better arrangements for recharging than old. In some towns, the wifi was best in the bars and poorest, or non-existent, in the albegues. We also noticed an increase in police presence, which I never noticed in 2011. This might have been due to the disappearance of Denise, which was troubling, and the kind of incident that never crossed my mind in 2011.
Even with these changes, my second camino was an incredible experience, more enriching and satisfying than the first. Everyone's camino is unique, and every camino is as well. So enjoy, observe, and report back on the changes you encountered. Buen camino.

 

[scruffy1]

I've said this before but its worth repeating: Plan a bit more, get out those old Credencials and note where you stopped, try to remember anything that you especially enjoyed, as for the rest - try and stop in other towns or villages, stay at different albergues, visit churches, museums, restaurants and menu items, local attractions which you haven't seen or tried, flip through a guidebook and find an interesting detour. The Camino is a bountiful cornocopia of experiences, allow them to happen.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

You'll find a lot more places to stay than before and of improved quality too. Why not mix it up a little and stay in different towns this time?
Also more bars, cafes and small village shops have sprung up as the locals realise the Camino can bring a degree economic benefit.

On the other hand:
More pilrims as well as a lot of coach parties.
More crass commercialism (in Santo Domingo de la Calzada you can stick your head through a cut out and take a selfie of yourself in medieval garb! You can buy a facsimile of the old style compostela to save on the tiresome bother of going to Santiago at all!)

But, all in all, you still won't regret it!

 

[Satírico]

I walked the Frances from Roncesvalles to Pamplona and then Leon to Santiago in September 2011 and from St. Jean to Santiago from May - June 2015, and I was curious about what might have changed - aside from the seasons. In 2011, I met a total of 14 American pilgrims, 5 of whom were in the same family. In 2015, I did not count the numbers because by the time I reached Orisson I had already met close to 14! At first in 2015 most of the pilgrims seemed stuck to Brierley stages and I felt in a race to get the last bed. Once my friend and I got off the the Brierley stages, not only did the sense of a race disappear, but also the numbers of Americans lessened. That said, I noted new albergues and an increase in pilgrims of all nations to match the numbers of additional beds! Some nights many if not all albergues were completo, and we as well as other pilgrims ended up having to walk on at least once. More pilgrims, as a result, were calling ahead to reserve in private lodgings. Which brings me to technology. Definitely an increase in tech toting pilgrims, and an increase in wi-fi. Newer albergues had better arrangements for recharging than old. In some towns, the wifi was best in the bars and poorest, or non-existent, in the albegues. We also noticed an increase in police presence, which I never noticed in 2011. This might have been due to the disappearance of Denise, which was troubling, and the kind of incident that never crossed my mind in 2011.
Even with these changes, my second camino was an incredible experience, more enriching and satisfying than the first. Everyone's camino is unique, and every camino is as well. So enjoy, observe, and report back on the changes you encountered. Buen camino.

I note what you say about tech-toting walkers. I recall a young man who's eyes never left his little screen, presumably google earth or similar. I think testing the app was his motivation. I guess cameras are just as dislocating if you're not careful.

 

[Kanga]

I agree, the biggest change is technology. I find it sad to walk into a cafe and see all the pilgrims with eyes locked on screens, instead of talking to each other. I'm no luddite, and love my iPhone for its camera, ability to communicate easily with home, carry a 1000 book library, and book me accommodation if needed. But I do try to limit my time on it. Here's a striking paragraph I've just come across in a book I'm reading (The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George):

"When Forster's literary 'machine' breaks down one day, people who have so far only communicated via their screens die from the sudden silence, the pure sunlight and the intensity of their own, unfiltered sensations. They die from an overload of life."

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I would be interested in anyone's comments on how the Camino has changed in that time.

You probably experienced the massive increase in the number of albergues that were opened for the 2010 Holy Year. There was a bit of overbuilding so that some places were suffering a bit in the following years; too many albergues even though the crowds were up. Last year the number of pilgrims was at Holy Year levels, so I think the albergues are generally doing much better. This year looks to be bigger than last year.

And, yes, there is more wifi and fewer computers.