Crowds along trail late May/June??? (in terms of walking, don't care about albergues)

[FPN]

Hi, Everyone --

I walked the last 100 km of the French Way in spring of 2013 with friends. Loved it SO much that I did the entire Portuguese Way by myself in the summer of 2014. (It was amazing and VERY uncrowded, especially between Lisbon and Porto, and then after Porto pleasantly populated. Highly recommend!)

I met an Irish couple along the Portuguese Way that just kept exclaiming during the last few days as we entered Santiago about how "free of people" it was. They kept saying things like, "If we were on the French Way, this would be a PARADE." They could not get over how crowded the French Way was. (But I've forgotten what month they said they hiked it.)

I need some real talk here -- how crowded is the trail itself if I start off in the last two weeks of May through the end of June? (I'm not worried about the albergues -- I know a lot of people consider this "cheating" or "not the authentic camino," but I like to arrange through a travel agency to stay in modest hotels. I hate hostels with a fiery passion, and now that I am in my early 30s, can afford cheaper hotels.)

So just in terms of walking -- how crowded was it, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest? *Was* it a parade? Did you feel like you could have some "alone time" during the day, or were there too many people? (I don't need total solitude or anything -- I just don't want to feel like I am in a cattle herd.)

Note: I would start earlier in the year, but I am an American teacher and simply cannot start earlier than late May due my school not letting out until then.

 

[FLEUR]

I can't tell you how busy this period would be. However we walked Sarria to Santiago at the end of September 2016, there were more pilgrims on that stretch than on previous sections we'd walked between 2012 -15. It never felt like a parade. There were sometimes bunches of pilgrims but not all the time. Santiago to Finisterre was refreshingly un busy and a great way to finish.

In June I walked alone in France on the Voie de Paris / Tours . I met only one pilgrim at the first refuge. I rarely met another soul whilst walking. Perhaps this route would suit you. For me it was a very beautiful and solitary route but I missed the camaraderie and company of others.

 

[SYates]

You already walked the last 100km of the CF - so nothing will be worse in terms of pilgrim numbers ;-) Also hotel pilgrim tend to start a bit later than the albergue crowd due to breakfast being served a bit later, so you will be, most likely, walk behind the main crowd of the day. Also, as you have reservations, you can take a rest or tow and walk in the afternoon. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Davie Blisters]

Due to the 'Bus Strike' this year, I decided to walk to the Airport, which as you know is on the Frances route in reverse. As I had time-to-kill it took me 5 hours (inc. 1st, 2nd breakfasts, elevenses and lunch).
I can honestly say that there were groups of pilgrims about every 50 meters. However, the atmosphere was electric with pilgrims anticipating their walk into Santiago. They also took delight in reminding the funny little Englishman that he was walking in the wrong direction!

 

[long trails]

I walked it all during May/June 2016 and I never thought to myself that the trail was too crowded.

The only exception was a couple of days in the last 100 km and only first thing in the morning.

 

[JillGat]

I walked May-June last year and was able to arrange it so that I mostly had the trail to myself a lot of the time. If there were a lot of people on the trail, I let them pass and waited a bit to walk. If it looked like a big bolus of pilgrims had stopped at a cafe, I kept walking. It wasn't a big deal to time it right so that I had a tranquil time walking.

 

[Kanga]

Until you reach Sarria, if you walk in the afternoons, when everyone has already settled into the albergues, you can be guaranteed to be completely alone for most of the time.

 

[Juspassinthru]

I walked the CF starting in SJPP on 5/19 and finished in Santiago on 6/22. The first 500 km were no problem because of the expanse. Once we entered the Meseta, there were fewer lodging options and they were often booked. From Sarria on, it was very crowded including many large groups of students with all that entails. We managed by calling ahead to book our accommodations. Still, we'd all do it again but we would maybe start in September. Buen Camino.

 

[pjacobi]

Some paths on the Camino Frances are over crowded because pilgrim sheep are simply following the herd! Use a guide book that shows well marked alternate paths of the Camino. The alternate paths are often overlooked because they may be a few kilometers longer than the main path. The extra distance is well worth getting away from the crowds and auto exhaust fumes.

-Paul

 

[Juspassinthru]

Except for the first day out of Sarria and the final day in to Santiago, there were no "parade" days and many where I was separated from anyone by a very nice distance. Your dates very closely match mine so I hope you have a similar experience, awesome.