crazy september

[David Egglestone]

Hi
I am currently in Burgos on track according to Brierley. The camino is crazy atm with many people getting up as early as 3 in the morning to ensure they get a bed. The bus station is full of pilgrims hopping to Leon. I am cycling to Astorga starting today so I can experience the meseta but not over 10 days. My question is about the last stages from Astorga to Santiago. One of the group of 3 is not a great walker and the thought of brierley ' s 30 km stretch including crux de Hierro is daunting. Any other ways to break the last 11 days up? Oh and the list of favourite albergues should not be missed. By far they are the best but unfortunately it is a case of book or be quick getting there. Roncesvalles had over 500 pilgrims the night I was there!

 

[tyrrek]

Hi David.
Hopefully things will ease as you all get closer to the end. The first half of the Camino is in one of its busiest periods at the moment, but from Astorga (and especially Sarria) onwards it's nowhere near its summer peak so there should be more capacity.
Buen Camino!

 

[mspath]

... My question is about the last stages from Astorga to Santiago. One of the group of 3 is not a great walker and the thought of brierley ' s 30 km stretch including crux de Hierro is daunting. Any other ways to break the last 11 days up?...

Try stopping in Foncebadon just before the Cruz de Ferro or in El Acebo after the Cruz to break up that long stretch. Both offer a variety of accommodation. Perhaps the person who is not a great walker would feel more at ease walking on the parallel road LE 142 and not on the path with slippery shale after the Cruz.

 

[santiago_67]

Hi
I am currently in Burgos on track according to Brierley. The camino is crazy atm with many people getting up as early as 3 in the morning to ensure they get a bed. The bus station is full of pilgrims hopping to Leon. I am cycling to Astorga starting today so I can experience the meseta but not over 10 days. My question is about the last stages from Astorga to Santiago. One of the group of 3 is not a great walker and the thought of brierley ' s 30 km stretch including crux de Hierro is daunting. Any other ways to break the last 11 days up? Oh and the list of favourite albergues should not be missed. By far they are the best but unfortunately it is a case of book or be quick getting there. Roncesvalles had over 500 pilgrims the night I was there!

I found the descent to El Acebo difficult and stopped there to spend the night in a wonderful casa rural. I was so glad I had stopped in El Acebo because the next day the descent to Molinaseca was even worse!

 

[supersullivan]

David

That big wave you're in the middle of will dissipate, as in nature, some will bus ahead, some will walk 35+ km days, 30 km days and 20 km days and a more normal spread of peregrinos will emerge. After Leon, try Pablo and Belen's wonderful albergue in Villares de Orbigo rather than get caught up in the large numbers likely to end their day in Hospital de Orbigo 2.5 kms earlier, then you could have either a 19.4 km day to Murias de Rechivaldo or 21.4 km to Castrillo de Polvazares ( sorry, haven't over-nighted in either ) but with a leisurely lunch in Astorga to see some of the sights and then 21.9 or 19.9 kms on the following day to Foncebadon ( Monte Irago recommended for the great communal dinner ) which would see you see you reach La Cruz de Ferro in the cool of early morning and cover the slightly awkward descent into El Acebo on legs that were reasonably fresh. When going up the Valcarce valley after Villafranca del Bierzo, a very strong recommendation would be the albergue Pequeno Potala in Ruitelan.

Buen camino

Seamus

 

[Arn]

I have been in contact with several albergues (private) on the Sarria-SdC leg and they are saying that, although pilgrim traffic is steady, there is ample space to be had. I would also suggest booking ahead, when possible.
Buen Camino,
Arn

 

[Rebekah Scott]

There are two big waves traveling just now. One of them is passing through the high meseta right now, we have had a full house for the last two days, with every bed between Calzadilla de la Cueza and San Nicolas del REal Camino packed out. People are sleeping on the church porch and in tents at the playground, they seem to be having a pretty good party out there! I am told another big wave will pass in about 6 days.
It's about 2 weeks walking from here to Santiago.

Welcome to the Camino in September!

 

[Felipe]

Hi
I am currently in Burgos on track according to Brierley.

That´s part of the problem. Almost everybody is walking according a guide that usually proposes stops in the "main highlithgts" (I did it with Consumer Eroski...). Plan out of the box, stops at intermediate places and little "uninteresting" but usually quiet and friendly villages. For instance, stop at Arcahueja (before León), or Virgen del Camino (after). You can get easily a bus and be in downtown in 15 minutes to visit museums, streets and restaurants.
Buen camino!

 

[fraluchi]

[...] I am told another big wave will pass in about 6 days. It's about 2 weeks walking from here to Santiago. Welcome to the Camino in September!

I know that it's easier said than done, but I would sit out the rush with an extra day's stay in a nice albergue and let the hordes pass by. Call back a few albergues along the previous 25-30 km trail and find out about their occupancy situation.

 

[indyinmaine]

I found the descent to El Acebo difficult and stopped there to spend the night in a wonderful casa rural. I was so glad I had stopped in El Acebo because the next day the descent to Molinaseca was even worse!

I stayed on the road for both of them! It was probably an extra 4-5K but, from what I heard, it beat the "climb up" and "slip down"! It was actually worth it because I met a UNICYCLIST(!) on his way up to the Cruz from Molinaseca and again on his way down!

 

[jirit]

My experience is that September has become busier over the years maybe more so that other months.

It would be interesting to see the annual growth rates for September and see how these compare to other months like October and the spring months of April through to June.

For some strange set of reasons September attracts plenty of pilgrims.

This said volumes seem to fall off significantly once October starts and again significantly once the autumn rains start.

 

[tpmchugh]

Walked it last September and I am by no means a fast walker so I split up as follows. Rather than stop in Astorga I stopped in Hospital de Orbigo then on to Murias, Rabanal, El Acebo, Ponferrada, Trabadelo, La Faba, Alto de Poio, Triacastela, Sarria, Mercadoiro, Ligonde, Melide, Arzua, Arca, Monte del Gozo, Santiago. Thats maybe a few more days than you want. I unfortunately had twisted my ankle at Mazariffe so I was taking much shorter days at times when it was acting up. For instance, it was very sore in Ponferrada so I took a bus to Villafranca then walked to Trabadelo. The thing is, there are enough albergues in between Mr Brierleys days to allow you to split it up any way you want

 

[clearskiescamino]

Hey Dave..good to hear you and the guys got the bikes..I think we got the wrong end of the stick.
When I stayed back in Navarrette and let you guys walk on, the albergues were not full and far from "completo"
Just speaking to someone in Hornillos tonight and there is room there also..so it appears that day we both headed from Roncesvalles was a bad one!
Keep in touch

David

 

[fraluchi]

[...]For some set of strange reasons September attracts plenty of pilgrims.[...]

In the past, the number of arrivals in Santiago during September who had walked the Camino Francés were similar to the numbers of the month of June. If this year's trend continues during September, the average daily walkers during the second half of this month can be expected to reach between 750 and 800 pilgrims.

 

[Jochen_Schmidtke]

My experience is that September has become busier over the years maybe more so that other months.
It would be interesting to see the annual growth rates for September and see how these compare to other months like October and the spring months of April through to June.
For some set of strange reasons September attracts plenty of pilgrims.
This said volumes seem to fall off significantly once October starts and again significantly once the autumn rains start.

Hello Folks.
Yes indeed there is a wave of pilgrims whith ist peak in August.
See my statistic and click onto "monatliche Verteilung".
Buen Camino
Jochen

 

[ivar]

You can also see the September "peak" here in these numbers (from 2013):
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...e-the-busy-periods-on-the-camino-frances.114/

 

[fraluchi]

See my statistic and click onto "monatliche Verteilung".

Einwandfrei! Well done!

 

[OTH86]

Am in Los Arcos today, and at 11h00 got the last bed at Abuelos. Two groups had booked ahead. Last night in Monjardin, many were turned away by about 4 or 5 pm, and some were given thin mattresses on the floor, one had his own tent and felt fortunate!
Buen Camino to all!
Terry

 

[bryans]

Einwandfrei! Well done!

Ifyou want peace and quiet on the Camino break away from the Brierley stops.
Last September when the Camino was very busy we either walked on or stopped short of the Brierley stops and as a result met very few pilgrims---only 3 others one day.
If there are villages you wish to stay in then be prepared to put up with the numbers.

 

[jirit]

Ifyou want peace and quiet on the Camino break away from the Brierley stops.
Last September when the Camino was very busy we either walked on or stopped short of the Brierley stops and as a result met very few pilgrims---only 3 others one day.
If there are villages you wish to stay in then be prepared to put up with the numbers.

I agree.

My wife who walked September through to October did the same.

When she was stayed in the smaller towns in between the "Brierley Stops", not only were the plenty of beds, the experience was more to her liking.

 

[fraluchi]

Am in Los Arcos today, and at 11h00 got the last bed at Abuelos. ...]
Terry

If you read this before leaving the albergue, say Hi! to the owners from my part. And....Ultreya for the coming days' walking

 

[tyrrek]

My experience is that September has become busier over the years maybe more so that other months.

It would be interesting to see the annual growth rates for September and see how these compare to other months like October and the spring months of April through to June.

For some strange set of reasons September attracts plenty of pilgrims.

This said volumes seem to fall off significantly once October starts and again significantly once the autumn rains start.

I've had a quick look at this. It does seem that September-October Caminos have got a bit more popular over the last few years among 'long distance' pilgrims. Of those who started between SJPP and Pamplona (inclusive) in 2013, around 15% arrived in October, up from around 11% in 2009. Although a fairly modest increase, the overall number of these pilgrims went up by over 25% over that period even if their choice of season hadn't changed at all.

The increase seems to be at the expense of August (and to a lesser extent September) arrivals. Long distance arrivals in August fell from 20% of those who 'walked'* in 2009 to 15% in 2013.

*There's no way of separating out cyclists from walkers in the published figures if you also want to analyse by starting point.

 

[MileHighPair]

Very surprised by the high peak in the numbers leaving StJPdP in mid-September, and such a dramatic drop into early October. Glad we are not leaving there until Sept 27th, and taking two days to get to Roncesvalles, gives those crowds a bit more time to get ahead of us. Thanks for the info Ivar!

 

[OTH86]

If you read this before leaving the albergue, say Hi! to the owners from my part. And....Ultreya for the coming days' walking

Hi fraluchi, I passed on your greetings and they were concerned about you since the hadn't seen you yet this year. I wasn't much help since I hadn't looked you up before leaving this am~ but they DID get the message! Thanks for the ULTREYA - it was a long but beautiful walk to Viani!
Terry

 

[peregrina2000]

I found the descent to El Acebo difficult and stopped there to spend the night in a wonderful casa rural. I was so glad I had stopped in El Acebo because the next day the descent to Molinaseca was even worse!

One way to avoid the bad descent between El Acebo and Molinaseca is to take the Puentes de Malpaso trail from Riego de Ambros, which you can take either to Molinaseca or Ponferrada. It is absolutely gorgeous. If you are more ambitious, you can walk from El Acebo to Peñalba de Santiago one day, and then Peñalba to Ponferrada the next day. Also absolutely gorgeous. More details here. In addition to having no rocky descents, you will also have unparalleled mountain beauty and no crowds! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[santiago_67]

One way to avoid the bad descent between El Acebo and Molinaseca is to take the Puentes de Malpaso trail from Riego de Ambros, which you can take either to Molinaseca or Ponferrada. It is absolutely gorgeous. If you are more ambitious, you can walk from El Acebo to Peñalba de Santiago one day, and then Peñalba to Ponferrada the next day. Also absolutely gorgeous. More details here. In addition to having no rocky descents, you will also have unparalleled mountain beauty and no crowds! Buen camino, Laurie

Laurie, Thanks!

 

[Lisa Todd]

One way to avoid the bad descent between El Acebo and Molinaseca is to take the Puentes de Malpaso trail from Riego de Ambros, which you can take either to Molinaseca or Ponferrada. It is absolutely gorgeous. If you are more ambitious, you can walk from El Acebo to Peñalba de Santiago one day, and then Peñalba to Ponferrada the next day. Also absolutely gorgeous. More details here. In addition to having no rocky descents, you will also have unparalleled mountain beauty and no crowds! Buen camino, Laurie

Hi Peregrina2000,
Many thanks for sharing your experience. I have just completed a 5 day trek on unrestored sections of the Great Wall of China with
1000 m climbs on steep stairs and descents on 80 degree paths walking sideways to keep balance as well as trekking through rough jungle tracks to skirt around military installations which were rated 3/5 difficulty ( I would have rated it 4-4.5/5 if it was bush walking in Australia). Planning to walk the whole French Camino Way in Sept 2015 and was wondering if anyone has done both and can give a fair comparison of the difficulty between the two. I did long distance endurance training for the Wall and found it was inadequate to cope with the 1000's of stairs and steep jungle ascents day after day. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers Lisa

 

[cherylz]

Hi Peregrina2000,
Many thanks for sharing your experience. I have just completed a 5 day trek on unrestored sections of the Great Wall of China with
1000 m climbs on steep stairs and descents on 80 degree paths walking sideways to keep balance as well as trekking through rough jungle tracks to skirt around military installations which were rated 3/5 difficulty ( I would have rated it 4-4.5/5 if it was bush walking in Australia). Planning to walk the whole French Camino Way in Sept 2015 and was wondering if anyone has done both and can give a fair comparison of the difficulty between the two. I did long distance endurance training for the Wall and found it was inadequate to cope with the 1000's of stairs and steep jungle ascents day after day. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers Lisa

Lisa I have done both the Great Wall and the camino. If you can do the wall the camino should be no problem. You should be in reasonably good shape. Log some miles before you go. You would be amazed how many elderly people do the camino. My best piece of advice is to take good care of your feet. I was amazed how many people had blisters by pamplona. While it is nice to walk with others for awhile you must walk at your own pace or you will regret it. You will most likely meet up with your camino friends again at a bar or albuergue . When last remark. It is about the journey not the destination. Enjoy every moment during your journey.

 

[Thornley]

Hi
I am currently in Burgos on track according to Brierley. The camino is crazy atm with many people getting up as early as 3 in the morning to ensure they get a bed. The bus station is full of pilgrims hopping to Leon. I am cycling to Astorga starting today so I can experience the meseta but not over 10 days. My question is about the last stages from Astorga to Santiago. One of the group of 3 is not a great walker and the thought of brierley ' s 30 km stretch including crux de Hierro is daunting. Any other ways to break the last 11 days up? Oh and the list of favourite albergues should not be missed. By far they are the best but unfortunately it is a case of book or be quick getting there. Roncesvalles had over 500 pilgrims the night I was there!

Throw away Brierley and get the days ahead info from the local tourist offices.
They have up to date rooms/pensions etc .
Or
Get a look somehow at Miam Miam Do Do and see the properties that have only a certain number of beds....and especially in rooms of 4-6 pilgrims.
There are many stops from Astorga where you can walk only 18km - 22km.which is what everyone should do.
Enjoy the walk and good luck with ""Power"" this weekend.

 

[Cliff175]

Hi
I am currently in Burgos on track according to Brierley. The camino is crazy atm with many people getting up as early as 3 in the morning to ensure they get a bed. The bus station is full of pilgrims hopping to Leon. I am cycling to Astorga starting today so I can experience the meseta but not over 10 days. My question is about the last stages from Astorga to Santiago. One of the group of 3 is not a great walker and the thought of brierley ' s 30 km stretch including crux de Hierro is daunting. Any other ways to break the last 11 days up? Oh and the list of favourite albergues should not be missed. By far they are the best but unfortunately it is a case of book or be quick getting there. Roncesvalles had over 500 pilgrims the night I was there!

Hola David,

I'm planning on walking the French Camino in September 2015. Sounds like there were many pilgrims. Would you recommend I start the end of September into October ?

I would appreciate your thoughts,

Gracias
Cliff

 

[santiago_67]

Hola David,

I'm planning on walking the French Camino in September 2015. Sounds like there were many pilgrims. Would you recommend I start the end of September into October ?

I would appreciate your thoughts,

Gracias
Cliff

Hi Cliff,
I arrived in Navarrete on September 29, 2014 and there were lots of beds available at the municipal albergue, but the lady at the reception desk told me that the week before they had to send the overflow to the library where the pilgrims slept on the floor. I walked the Camino Frances last year and this year in late Sept/Oct and never had a problem finding a place to sleep.
Buen Camino, jim

 

[Cliff175]

Hi Cliff,
I arrived in Navarrete on September 29, 2014 and there were lots of beds available at the municipal albergue, but the lady at the reception desk told me that the week before they had to send the overflow to the library where the pilgrims slept on the floor. I walked the Camino Frances last year and this year in late Sept/Oct and never had a problem finding a place to sleep.
Buen Camino, jim

Jim, I appreciate your response. I'll plan on walking second week of September 14 or so ,sounds like the camino won't be overly crowded.
Thank You,
Cliff

 

[Siom]

Jim, I appreciate your response. I'll plan on walking second week of September 14 or so ,sounds like the camino won't be overly crowded.
Thank You,
Cliff

Hi Cliff, I'm also planning the walk around the same time next year as you (Sep 14) and read the post with some minor
trepidations. Hoping the crowd will thin off during that time or just have to accept the many like-minded pilgrims.
Simon

 

[Thornley]

Simon,
They come in waves mate , not only in Sept. but most warmer months.
Ride it out, drop off and have a look around or take off.
Now of to Bells.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

They come in waves

That they do. September has the second largest number of departures from SJPdP just behind May. Europeans start on the weekend, so there is a "hump" that heads down the route each weekend for the rest of the month. Walk between these humps by starting on Monday or Tuesday, and you may never see any crowding.