Hi
You sound rather similar to me, I am also a bit of an introvert, prefer to avoid crowds and enjoy walking alone. I did my first Camino last year, walking the Sanabres, I then went on to Muxia, Finisterre and then back to Santiago. Having enjoyed it so much, I extended my stay and walked the Ingles.
The Sanabres was a lovely route and was very quiet when I walked in June. I found just the right balance for me in that I walked alone most of the time but met still people along the way, often crossing paths again later in the walk. There were normally just a few people at the albugues which was perfect as far as I was concerned. I think, because it is a quiet route, the people that choose to walk it are perhaps quiet in nature and those people I met, I really enjoyed meeting. I have autism, not to a particularly serious degree and most would never know, but it makes meeting people a little more stressful and much more so if it’s crowded, as a result I could easily remain entirely alone and be happy enough with that. But, I have to say that the people I met along the way, without exception, greatly enhanced my experience.
Regarding amenities, although a quiet route I had no problems with the stages, finding places to pick up supplies and finding places to stay. There will of course be a little more thought required than on other routes where there are villages every few kilometres but it was really not an issue, just remember to take cash out at the larger stops to last until the next one.
As far as footwear goes, I walk in lightweight trail shoes & barefoot sandals. My feeling on the subject of footwear is the lighter, the better unless one has a particular requirement or reason for going heavier. It’s my understanding, from research I’ve read over the years, that a pound on ones feet equates roughly to 5 pounds carried in a pack and in my experience that feels about right. I also think that unless there is good reason, waterproof shoes are best avoided. As one walks, one’s feet sweat, waterproof shoes do not breath well so one’s feet get hot and then, ironically, wet. Waterproof shoes also take an age to dry so feet stay wet. Much better, in my view, to have light shoes that are able to breath so one sweats less, keeping feet drier, and if it does rain the shoes will dry much, much faster when the rain stops. Light shoes or sandals are also a lot more comfortable and less likely to cause blisters (assuming, of course, that the fit correctly).
Hope that’s of some use. Best of luck and enjoy your Camino.
