For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
gittiharre said:Good advice Rebekah, and it is possible to learn simple phrases in a couple of weeks for booking by phone a few days ahead in private accommodation, there are some basic spanish language programmes with discs and phrasebooks available at bookshops. Apart from that I can assure you that there will be plenty of other pilgrims who will help you with phoning ahead if need be, that is part of the culture of the way to help each other out. Also by the time you leave there may be fewer people as most poeple this year are trying to get to Santiago by 25 July, or am I wrong here? Cheers Gitti
gittiharre said:by the time you leave there may be fewer people as most poeple this year are trying to get to Santiago by 25 July, or am I wrong here? Cheers Gitti
sillydoll said:Pilgrims on the CF sent me a text message from Vilacha (outside Portomarin) to ask for names and numbers of places to stay in Arzua. They had tried three and all were booked up.
It might be worth booking a few places ahead before you leave for Spain.
Check my blog for a list of companies that will do that for you.
http://amawalker.blogspot.com/2009/12/2 ... amino.html
The last few days it has been between 500-600, then we hit 1029...and this morning the lines were long as well... I think "High season" is here...falcon269 said:Yesterday, 1,029 pilgrims arrived in Santiago. That is over 30,000 per month, a level reached last year only in August. It appears that the Jubilee surge has arrived!
falcon269 said:1,743 this Saturday! That implies about 1,100 on the Camino Frances. That is about twice the capacity of Monte do Gozo.
Piligrimin said:One strategy when you find the albergues full by mid-afternoon is to plan for a night walk.
Rebekah Scott said:...and if the pilgrims feel like meat in a sausage machine, just imagine how those volunteers behind the counter must feel after the 75th pilgrim of the day! Be sure to bring a measure of kindness with you when you climb those stairs.
dmmorris said:This may seem a silly question, but because of the expected crowds, I've already considered a 1 person tent as Rebekah mentioned (although I don't want the extra weight even if less than 2 lbs)... however, can I still pay the fee to an albuergue/refugio so that I may use all other facilities other than a bed? I recall somewhere reading that pilgrims sometimes slept in back yards or church steps and such. Otherwise, I would need to find camp grounds... I guess that would be a separate thread topic??
Grazie~ Denise
Wow... large numbers... but the feeling in Santiago is not of chaos... yes, many pilgrims...but so far so good... let's see how it will be around July 25th and when the pope comes... I have a feeling that around those dates, it will be.....very very busy...falcon269 said:In the month of June, 33,721 pilgrims were received at the pilgrim office. Only August of last year had more at 35,100. June of 2004, the last holy year, had 19,924 pilgrims.
I have just returned, on the 16th June from Santiago. Generally we found accommodation along the way. The private alburgues will take advance bookings. We found that the nearer we got to Santiago the busier it got and the more pressure there was on beds. Some people took to getting up at 4.30am to be able to get to the next destination early and be there when the alburgue opened. I found this really difficult as it spoiled the experience for me, so together with my friends we booked ahead the night before if we could towards the end. There are a number of newly opened private alburgues. I learnt basic phrases in Spanish, just enough to book something. The only problem we had was at Tricastela. Two of us arrived at 4.30pm to find everything 'completo'. We went to one of the alburgues and they phoned a 'casa rural', this is a house, barn, that has been converted to offer accommodation. The owner picked us up. It wasn't great though because there was no food on offer and she locked the kitchen!!. There are a lot of scare stories around but generally something turned up even if it was a pension or hostel. Just make sure you can afford the odd more expensive night.TheBoat said:Hey pilgrims,
I'm debating between doing the Norte or the Frances this July, which would be my first time on the camino, and a large factor is the amount of people on the trail.
Can any pilgrims who have been on the frances this year tell me if it's very crowded? I'm assuming that this year, and in the weeks leading up to july 25, the frances will have loads of people on it. I don't care about sleeping in albergues since most nights i'll probably camp out under the stars, but I think it might take away from the experience a bit if there are tons of people on the trail. Don't get me wrong, I like walking with other people (especially since I just hiked three weeks in the desert alone), but not too many people.
Anybody know?
falcon269 said:Record high number of pilgrims on a Friday for this year -- 1,647.
22 Jul 2010, 21:17
The busiest Thursday so far, 1,541.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?