hola from Castilblanco

[Cecilia]

Hola
.. Great day for the Camino pilgrims. Sunny and not too hot. Many pilgrims, mostly French and German, men. And some couples, too. Few women ;
4 of us women are walking together. Albergue is full. Buen Camino. Cecilia

 

[dawn.amanecer]

Cecilia,
You're doing the Via de la Plata? Please keep me updated on how busy this camino is with pilgrims. I might do it this summer. I had kind of ruled it out thinking that I'd be out there all alone and that it would be very solitary. Please keep me updated!
~Kelly

 

[bjorgts]

WdlP from Zamora to Ourense the last two weeks of April this year: You will not be alone in the albergues but can walk the whole day without seing other pilgrims. Here are som facts from this part of the route: 20.4 Montemarta: 7persons 20 beds. 21.4 Granja de Moreruela: 6p 10 beds. 22.4 Tabara: 13p 14 beds, but 2 found beds somewhere else. 23.4: Santa Croya 5p, but many more in Santa Marta. 24.4 Rionegro del Puente: 5p 24 beds (very nice albergue). 26.4 Puebla de Sanabria: 7p on the privat albergue, but many pilgrims staying elsewhere in town. 27.4 Lubian: 12p 16 beds. 28.4 A Gudiña: 22p(?) 24 beds. 28.4 Laza: Almost full 32(?) beds. 29.4 Vilar de Barrio: 8p 20 beds. 30.4/1.5 Ourense: We were told that the albergue was full both days.

We asked local people and everybody we asked told us that the number of people walking was increasing each year. We also asked several which months there were most walkers, and in this nothers part of the route they sayed May, June, September. So that means April, May in the southern part. In July and August it is too hot. When we asked how many walkers they would say were passing each day when we were there, they said 15-20 in average. Then there are the cyclists.

In other words: There are not "a lot of people" walking this northern part of VdlP campared with the french route, but there are not "hundreds" of places to stay, and they do not have "hundreds" of beds. Some albergues will be full and it can happen that you are alone. From Sevilla to Ourense we have always walked most of the days on our own. But we have had the possibility to walk together with others if we wanted to. You have a choice on this route now. But there are some years since most of the walkers in springtime were alone most of the nights on VdlP - I think. I walked from Sevilla to Caceres in April 2006, from Caceres to Zamora in April 2008 and zamora - Ourense this year. ... and I will come back once more!