How many?

[Roger Hogstrom]

I have walked Via de la Plata from Sevilla to Astorga in 3 different years always in june. This summer I walked from Sevilla to Fuenteroble de Salvatierra ( see under "Via de la Plata blogs) where I couldnt walk anymore, bad leg. So in 4 different years with not many pilgrims I plan for next year and want to meet other pilgrims but not to many The info on this website goes from not so many pilgrims to crowded in april and may. Is there a big difference between April and May? Is it crowded? This year from Sevilla we where 5-10 the first ten days, lovely and the next 10 days zero caminofriends.

 

[C clearly]

The info on this website goes from not so many pilgrims to crowded in april and may.

I walked from Sevilla to Astorga in 2017, starting on March 18. I would not use the word "crowded" to describe the route. It is true that some of the albergues did fill up, but if a key stopping point has an albergue with only 8 beds, then 10 people is too many. I would say there were 10-15 people on the path daily, but there could be more - some people stay only in private accommodation and you might not see them daily or at all.

If I were walking again, I would start in mid-to-late March. I would look at my expected location during Easter week and be prepared appropriately. Hospitaleros and fellow pilgrims have good knowledge of the problem points and there are always ways to manage them.

The biggest problem was in Caceres on a festival weekend. Pilgrims cannot expect to walk into a popular town late in the day on a fiesta weekend and find cheap lodging.

My guess is that May would have fewer people than April.

 

[Via2010]

Hi Roger,

I started in Seville on May 29th and walked to Zamora, where I arrived on June 20th.

I did not expect to meet other pilgrims at that time of the year, as almost everybody declared me mad to start from Seville at the end of May/beginning of June. But we were a chaniging group of 10-12 Pilgrims every night, in some places (Fuenterroble, Salamanca, Zamora) even more. For example I met 4 members of a Family from Laredo - whom I actually had already met on the Camino Primitivo last year -, a couple from Mombuey, an Irish Father and his daughter, 4 French, 1 Italian from Torino, 2 other Germans, a Danish , a Swedish, a Korean . Only once, when we stopped at the new albergue at Puerto de Béjar, my fellow pilgrim and me were the only guests. So for me there is no reason for not going in June again.

BC
Alexandra

 

[Roger Hogstrom]

Hi Roger,

I started in Seville on May 29th and walked to Zamora, where I arrived on June 20th.

I did not expect to meet other pilgrims at that time of the year, as almost everybody declared me mad to start from Seville at the end of May/beginning of June. But we were a chaniging group of 10-12 Pilgrims every night, in some places (Fuenterroble, Salamanca, Zamora) even more. For example I met 4 members of a Family from Laredo - whom I actually had already met on the Camino Primitivo last year -, a couple from Mombuey, an Irish Father and his daughter, 4 French, 1 Italian from Torino, 2 other Germans, a Danish , a Swedish, a Korean . Only once, when we stopped at the new albergue at Puerto de Béjar, my fellow pilgrim and me were the only guests. So for me there is no reason for not going in June again.

BC
Alexandra

I was really surprised this year to walk alone for 10 days and having the same question from hospitaleros : Did you meet other pilgrims yesteday who are on there way here today ?. For example I was alone in the albergue in Calzada de Bejar. Lovely people who made me dinner and breakfast before I left in the morning . Just me no one els. When I walked there 2017 we where 10 pilgrims. The hospitaleros speak about pilgrims beeing afraid of hot temperature. Maybe thats the case. This year the temperature was perfect between 25-30. In Fuenteroble 74 beds and just me Thanks for your info/All the best Roger from Sweden