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Any ideas as to why it's called the Invierno? Seriously.... is it a good route for the wintertime?
I don't know where you got the numbers but if they are Cathedral official numbers (Invierno pilgrims that claimed Compostela) I'm sure that's not the full number. Invierno and other less walked Caminos are mostly second or third or... Camino for veteran walkers after they already did CF, Portugues, Norte, Primitivo etc. and usually they don't claim second or third Compostela. I know this might be only the part of the reason why the numbers are lower and the 2017 isn't over yet.To my longtime Invierno friends. We have been saying for years that forum members should rush to the Invierno before it "takes off." We have been totally wrong.
Then last year the Xunta announced it as an "officially recognized " camino, so we repeated our advice to hurry up and go now before the mobs arrive.
Wrong again!
Invierno pilgrims August 2016 --68
Invierno pilgrims August 2017 -- 39
I give up --no more predictions for me.
I'm not much of a numbers person and I don't disagree with anything you say. But those imperfections in the pilgrim office tallies are constant over the years, so I think you get a sense of trends in growth with those numbers.I don't know where you got the numbers but if they are Cathedral official numbers (Invierno pilgrims that claimed Compostela) I'm sure that's not the full number. Invierno and other less walked Caminos are mostly second or third or... Camino for veteran walkers after they already did CF, Portugues, Norte, Primitivo etc. and usually they don't claim second or third Compostela. I know this might be only the part of the reason why the numbers are lower and the 2017 isn't over yet.
Was August 2017 hotter than in 2016?
Also if someone is walking Camino de Madrid (or any other Camino that runs into Frances before Ponferrada) first and then turn onto Invierno the PO wouldn't recorded Invierno as starting point. At least that was the case when I claimed vicare pro Compostela in 2014.
And that just doesn't make sense to me given its awesomeness (if that's a word).
Well, isn't that rather good?
hmmm, I agree that it's nice not to have the hoards, but with 39 pilgrims recorded in the peak month of August, we're not likely to see much pilgrim infrastructure being built. It seems a shame that so much beauty is kept for just the chosen few, doesn't it?
It's interesting that Invierno doesn't have bad or insufficient infrastructure at all. Bars/restaurants and even albergues (or not really expensive pensions) are enough to walk quite short stages. For example in A Rua you have two albergues! I also don't remember a single stage that doesn't have at least one fuente... and so on....If the infrastructure increases and draws in ever more pilgrims then will the Invierno loses its distinctive character and become in effect just a branch line of the CF? ...
I'm with you on that oneCould we delete this thread.....at least until i've walked it (egocentric, I admit
The problem is we all have very different ideas of what "quiet" meansCould we delete this thread.....at least until i've walked it (egocentric, I admit, but all the so-called quiet Caminos I've walked so far have been busy!!)
. I heard warnings in Ponferrada about the Invierno,
A hospitalera at San Nicolás de Flue.So Vira, who was warning you?
Not to mention coming down into Molinaseca. Maybe it's the cars people are thinking of? I don't know, really. It was not first-hand information I was getting but merely reputation; the person doing the warning had never walked the Invierno.The only possibly dangerous part would be descending to Rio Mino at Belesar but the equally "dangerous" is descend after Alto del Perdon for example.
I'm sure it's the solitude people are afraid of and put off such Caminos. Being with yourself the whole day long could be very demanding task. That's one of the many reasons I'm walking them
Yes, you're right. It can be compared with descend from Manjarin to El Acebo and to Molinaseca too but much shorter, so you get the picture....Not to mention coming down into Molinaseca. Maybe it's the cars people are thinking of? I don't know, really. It was not first-hand information I was getting but merely reputation; the person doing the warning had never walked the Invierno.
I hope this doesn't sound snarky because I really am just curious. I am puzzled by the seeming incongruity between not wanting to meet other pilgrims, and joining this forum.The problem is we all have very different ideas of what "quiet" meansOn my first Camino Frances I probably met fewer than 30 pilgrims over nearly 800km and I LOVED it! Last year I walked for 17 days in Sweden and Norway and met 3 others doing the same. And this spring over 10 days on the Sanabres I met a grand total of 2 other pilgrims. Those numbers are ideal for me so you can imagine the culture shock of walking the Camino Frances again last year in September and October
No offence takenI hope this doesn't sound snarky because I really am just curious. I am puzzled by the seeming incongruity between not wanting to meet other pilgrims, and joining this forum.
"I see," said the blind man. So you're a bit like me.I do usually enjoy my random meetings with other pilgrims (well, most of them) when I am walking but I am by nature a bit of a recluse and I am always uncomfortable in big crowds.
I thought it was 39 for the month of August.Well, I can proudly say I am 1 of the 39 accounted for Pilgrims on the Invierno this year. I "made" the person at the pilgrim's office write "invierno" down on my compostello.
That was Alto de Faro, and you're right, it wasn't all day along turbines, it just felt like it. There's a long climb up to the ridge with the turbines, and up to the "Stations of the Cross". I can't comment personally on the other Caminos as I haven't walked them. I actually didn't find the hills that tough on the Invierno as I'd been hiking for a month by then. And the scenery is so lovely that it takes your mind off the ascents.A whole day walking along wind turbines? Did they re-route the Way?
I wonder which Camino Invierno I was walking, then. I can remember a couple of hours along turbines...
I have not walked the whole Primitivo, but from what I have done I can say it IS tougher, IMHO, than the Invierno.
I love the Invierno, just the way it is. (or was?)
I spent almost a week in Galicia on both Camino and highway. Those rocky hills were the most difficult I have encountered anywhere, including about four hundred kilometers on Via de la Plata and the Frances in Navarra, La Rioja, and Burgos. (Details here.) I suspect there is worse in the Pyrenees. Other than that, anyone who's done that and knows of other parts that are worse?Plus, in all honesty, I found the first part of the Invierno a real challenge with the up/down mountainous terrain. I would say it was in the top 5- 10% of the terrain challenges I encountered on the caminos I have done.
I'm not much of a numbers person and I don't disagree with anything you say. But those imperfections in the pilgrim office tallies are constant over the years, so I think you get a sense of trends in growth with those numbers.
So even if the numbers are much lower than actual pilgrims walking, the fact that there were almost half as many reported in 2017 as 2016 seems to mean that fewer walked the Invierno this August than last August. And that just doesn't make sense to me given its awesomeness (if that's a word).
I hope this doesn't sound snarky because I really am just curious. I am puzzled by the seeming incongruity between not wanting to meet other pilgrims, and joining this forum.
AUCH!!! That would be a three months Camino for me. With all the beer and ciggies included...At near $3,450 USD for 6 days (sleeping in Hostals and 2 nights in albeques), not the Camino I felt in love with. This is just another tourist destination...
$575 per day? I don't see how that is possible anywhere in the world. I've been traveling for three years, on an average of $85 per day, which includes all my air, train, & bus fares, an occasional car rental and several expensive luxuries. My most expensive day on the Camino was about fifty dollars.I will not walk the CF again, until the "popularity" passes. At near $3,450 USD for 6 days (sleeping in Hostals and 2 nights in albeques), not the Camino I felt in love with. This is just another tourist destination.
@Texasguy - You said a mouthful with your statement. I couldn't agree with you more. I also echo your thoughts on the fact that much has changed through the years on the CF. Some don't mind a lot of people and a lot of noise, but I, for one, still enjoy the quiet, solitude and nature a Camino has to offer.My first Camino Frances in 2012, was AWESOME, very few people and just, if i might say ther right people. I have done 4 CFs from SJDP. I walked with some friends last year from O'cebreiro to Santiago. I did this in October, the amount of people with loud playing stereos, the albergues denying some people entrance after 12:00AM, the trails now paved in some areas, and the large group of REI people traveling with the lunch boxes and the cars delivering water at the end of a trail, wasn't really what I wanted.
I will not walk the CF again, until the "popularity" passes. At near $3,450 USD for 6 days (sleeping in Hostals and 2 nights in albeques), not the Camino I felt in love with. This is just another tourist destination
I am migrating to the Inverno, del Norte, Primitivo in which you can still find the beauty of the rain hitting your face, the hunting dogs carrying the birds, and the people having the time to join you in a cafe con leche o bocadillo. That is the Camino I love. Just remember, "This too shall pass..."
To all the "seasoned" peregrinos... and the new ones...
Buen Camino
Texasguy
I agree that infrastructure is more likely with numbers. However it is not for the "chosen few" so much as the "few who choose" !hmmm, I agree that it's nice not to have the hoards, but with 39 pilgrims recorded in the peak month of August, we're not likely to see much pilgrim infrastructure being built. It seems a shame that so much beauty is kept for just the chosen few, doesn't it?
At near $3,450 USD for 6 days (sleeping in Hostals and 2 nights in albeques), not the Camino I felt in love with. This is just another tourist destination
Texasguy
I was seriously thinking about the Camino del Salvador, but the Invierno has won me over again. I'll be setting off from Ponferrada this Sunday, but will only be able to get as far as Monforte de Lemos before heading back to sunny Salamanca.
I hope to see NOBODY!!!!!!!!! We're a selfish lot, us Invierno lovers! It's ours, so stay away! Only joking, I think!
I'll be back up there later, to continue from Monforte! I WILL check out the mirador, and I defintely WILL sample the new Lucus (spelt this way!).NOOOOOOOO!! Charrito if you do that section you will neither be able to walk to the mirador near Torre Vilariño nor will you be able to check out and report back on the new Lukas in Chantada. Where are your priorities, pal?
However, read this review of the new place (there are better ones). Sorry, I don't have time at the moment to translate it for others, but you will understand it:I'll be back up there later, to continue from Monforte! I WILL check out the mirador, and I defintely WILL sample the new Lucus (spelt this way!).
I'll be back up there later, to continue from Monforte! I WILL check out the mirador, and I defintely WILL sample the new Lucus (spelt this way!).
Surimi is a type of crab stick.Oops, I knew that Lucus wasn't "Lucas" but I changed the wrong letter.I should have checked before blurting it out. I will take a stab at translating the very disappointing review:
This new place has nothing in common with the old Lucus. First course, spaghetti with an unknown fish and some surimi (some fish product whose name I can't find in English) -- was no good. Second course, some kind of meat, undercooked, undercooked onions. In the old Lucus, this dish came with the meat well done and the onions carmelized. They used to serve it to you on a tray with much greater quantities, now they give you 8 little dwarf sized pieces of meat and a few French fries. The salad has two super thin slices of tomato, they used to dress it, now you pour on the oil and vinegar. Tomatoes without taste. The wine is similar to the wine they used to serve, it's drinkable. Coffee properly prepared -- happiness! Bored waitress. Higher price than the prior management.
Thanks Charrito.
Thanks Charrito, now I know how to say it in English but I don´t know what it is.Surimi is a type of crab stick.
Like sausage, you do not want to know what is in it...Surimi is a type of crab stick.
Oops, I knew that Lucus wasn't "Lucas" but I changed the wrong letter.I should have checked before blurting it out. I will take a stab at translating the very disappointing review:
This new place has nothing in common with the old Lucus. First course, spaghetti with an unknown fish and some surimi (some fish product whose name I can't find in English) -- was no good. Second course, some kind of meat, undercooked, undercooked onions. In the old Lucus, this dish came with the meat well done and the onions carmelized. They used to serve it to you on a tray with much greater quantities, now they give you 8 little dwarf sized pieces of meat and a few French fries. The salad has two super thin slices of tomato, they used to dress it, now you pour on the oil and vinegar. Tomatoes without taste. The wine is similar to the wine they used to serve, it's drinkable. Coffee properly prepared -- happiness! Bored waitress. Higher price than the prior management.
Thanks Charrito.
I take Tryp Advisor Reviews with a pich of salt! There is NO WAY that they can ruin this fantastic place!Where was that review?
We have still not managed to get to the restaurant, however, guests have said it was good value and good quality. Nothing like that.
Even on TA it was only the ultimate review that did not like the place. Maybe that one was written on a busy day by the way they describe having to thread their way past other diners.
Reviews
Where was that review?
We have still not managed to get to the restaurant, however, guests have said it was good value and good quality. Nothing like that.
Even on TA it was only the ultimate review that did not like the place. Maybe that one was written on a busy day by the way they describe having to thread their way past other diners.
Reviews
If you follow the Invierno’s FB page I think you would get the feeling there are many more people than that walking it. Regular photos of people stopping at Bar Mar, many others posting daily pictures of their walk, thanking hospies, what have you. And that’s not counting all the organised romerias and other events.I'm not much of a numbers person and I don't disagree with anything you say. But those imperfections in the pilgrim office tallies are constant over the years, so I think you get a sense of trends in growth with those numbers.
Anemone, I see there are several, which one do you like? I was also sad to see a post on one of them from last week saying that the albergue in A Rua is again closed because of illness. This happened earlier this season I believe. This makes me worry for Asun's mother Manuela, who is now well into her 90s.[
If you follow the Invierno’s FB page I think you would get the feeling there are many more people than that walking it. Regular photos of people stopping at Bar Mar, many others posting daily pictures of their walk, thanking hospies, what have you. And that’s not counting all the organised romerias and other events.
That is indeed worrying if Manuela has health problems at her age. I wish her all the best.Anemone, I see there are several, which one do you like? I was also sad to see a post on one of them from last week saying that the albergue in A Rua is again closed because of illness. This happened earlier this season I believe. This makes me worry for Asun's mother Manuela, who is now well into her 90s.
If anyone has updated information about the albergue and what is going on, let us know.
Hi Laurie,Anemone, I see there are several, which one do you like?
If anyone has updated information about the albergue and what is going on, let us know.
Could we delete this thread.....at least until i've walked it (egocentric, I admit, but all the so-called quiet Caminos I've walked so far have been busy!!)
Don't worry, Carole: the Invierno will eventually become more popular, but the lack of infrastucture at the moment means that the hordes will carry on walking the overcrowded Camino Francés from Ponferrada.Interesting thread. Thanks everyone.
For us, we've driven and travelled by train and explored bits of the Invierno and have had the intention for years to walk it ... some day soon.... but have continued to postpone because mostly we worry our 70 yr old legs/achilles may not cope with the 'ups and downs' challenges of the mountains and Rio Miño valley. That, I think, is the main reason...
However, plans are now being made and I AM going to walk the Invierno in June 18 with another Forum friend, Sue. Yay!
It would be lovely to meet up with other pilgrims, esp of an evening, and I hope we do, but if it becomes just another crowded off shoot of the crowded Frances then it won't be for me. No matter how beautiful it is. Interesting about the stats Laurie and I guess from all the input above, there are probably significantly more then the official numbers actually doing it.
I fear we are in a Catch 22 scenario re all the caminos. We want others to experience the wonderfulness, we encourage others, but then some of the routes become so busy at times, they become too busy and uncomfortable, with tour groups and 'bed races'. I am still constantly amazed by the number of people and even pilgrims who think the Frances is the only route. Sometimes Im selfishly?? glad the lesser known routes are still a 'secret'.
That said, I treasure the wonderful friends I've made on camino, esp the VdlP which seems to have the 'right' number of people for us. I know the Invierno will be harder in many ways, but I also know it will be beautiful and look forward to the challenges (I think).
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