Is the Camino too crowded now?

[Monsieur]

I want to walk the Camino either this year or next but don't want to walk surrounded by hordes of pilgrims and have no chance of getting a bed at night due to the huge number of pilgrims.

Is the Camino now far too 'popular' for it to be still a pilgrimage?

 

[frasert]

Perhaps look at the statistics and go in the off season.

 

[grayland]

March and April are much less crowded.
May, June , July, August and September have become very crowded.
October may be a good month as the weather is still decent.

It has changed a great deal since my first Camino in 2009. Each of the next two had much increased numbers.

 

[newfydog]

Is the Camino now far too 'popular' for it to be still a pilgrimage?

In the 13th century, the little town of Ostabat, just east of SJPP, saw 5000 pilgrims a day. There were over 40 facilities to deal with them all. Now there are fewer than 40 buildings in the entire town. Two or three of them are involved with feeding and lodging pilgrims. My guide shows two places to stay, with room for 38.

The route is just starting to resemble a true pilgrimage.

 

[mspath]

Finding a bunk in the busy season can be difficult. That's one reason I have always gone in autumn and winter. It may be cold but there are plenty of bunks in those albergues that stay open! October and November are wonderful months to walk with generally golden days and cold nights. However as in every season on the camino you must be PREPARED for varied weather.

Buen Camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Margaret has really said it all. If you prefer a quiet camino, walking on your own, don't choose the Frances in the peak months!!
I prefer a quiet walk: and so this year am walking the southern half of the Camino Portuguese - Lisbon to Porto - in May. In all probability I won't see another pilgrim at all!! I just hope I find adequate accommodation ....

Stephen
http://www.calig.co.uk/camino_de_santiago.htm

 

[RENSHAW]

The route is just starting to resemble a true pilgrimage.

This is the perfect answer Dog , :mrgreen:

I have a little less tact and be inclined to add .... a true pilgrimage , but without too many hardships?

However , Monsieur, your fears are real and I too really struggle with hordes. There are some people who have never had to share living space in their lives.

March is a great month although a little cool , there should no problem in getting a bed .....but for Easter where the Camino Frances explodes with humanity. From then on the Spanish folk like to walk with their families over the weekends so they start to get busy.

Your best bet will be from mid October to mid November which again will be cooler. On one occasion I was the ONLY pilgrim in the Albergue.

Probably the most important advice is for you to stop in the afternoon each day . Your chances of getting a bed at 14h00 are far greater than 18h00. This way you are able to adapt easier , more time to attend to your daily needs and prepare for the next day.

There is of course the other routes which are nowhere near as busy.
Enjoy!Buen Camino!!

 

[Tia Valeria]

You could also consider the other Camino routes; Camino del Norte. Camino Primitivo etc which are much quieter. Spring (April/May/June) and autumn are still the best months as they too will have extra numbers in July and August with less infrastructure. However there are an increasing number of both municipal and private albergues and also hostales/hotels etc along these routes.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

don't want to walk surrounded by hordes of pilgrims

The pilgrimage is a people place. If the solitude of walking alone is not sufficient, other places of solitude may be more to your liking. Certainly it is hard to get away from people on the Camino Frances for most of the year.

 

[Mmc_56]

We walked late Aug./early Sept. and never had trouble getting a bed....but we usually were to our destination by about 2pm, sometimes earlier. Yes, there were a lot of people walking, but they pass you, you pass them, you won't be walking in a great big group unless you want to. For sure there will be Pilgrims in the bars and restaurants when you stop...if you visit with them or not is totally up to you.

Meeting people on The Way is one of the reasons I loved walking Camino Frances There are people from all walks of life, all over the globe...some annoying but most wonderful ! I brought home many great memories of those I met.

 

[hecate105]

Try the Camino Portuguese or the Camino Litoral, they are much less crowded. I never found a full albergue.

 

[fortview]

We walked Sept/Oct. at times it was possible to be alone walking. It didn't feel crowded until after Sarria, although the albergues were mostly full.

 

[robertt]

Monsieur, Margaret has had great experience (with more to come?) of cold caminos. Take her suggestions about weather. The other ideas come from people who've had real experience. That's the great thing about this forum.

I've done the Le Puy route in early spring and the Frances in winter. It's a different experience, but a great one. Prudence with weather is advised, but some of the worst cold I encountered was in May on the Le Puy route. The next year I resumed from Pamplona in late January and people crossing the Pyrenees who were overtaking me told me there were no probs with weather up there. So it's important to consider conditions as well as season.

I love people but don't like mobs, so I understand your position. Luckily, there's a camino for everybody!

Rob

 

[Tincatinker]

Haven't seen anyone, anywhere, suggesting that the Haj or the Kumb Mela are no longer pilgrimages because of their popularity or the difficulty in securing accommodation but I guess I might be browsing the wrong fora.

If you are asking whether the Camino Frances is a suitable route for someone who wants wide open spaces, tranquil views and a guaranteed bed for the night...

Others, perhaps more kindly than me, have responded in this thread that it all depends on time of year of travel which marries with my own experience, early spring on the Frances offers space or company and the opportunity to choose your journey.

Buen Camino

 

[Monsieur]

Don't get me wrong, I still think the Camino is a truly wonderful part of life. My point was, if not worded succinctly, was that the Camino was becoming rather too 'popular' and hence would lose a bit of its significance and meaning.

I may also be totally wrong (I invariably am)

 

[reg2450]

It's why I'm leaving in March. I'm not that anti-social, I just don't want to follow too many footprints. But whatever it turns out to be, I'll know it was always meant to be that way. If I'm walking with God, things are going to happen quite serendipitously and have nothing to do with my control issues (or everything to prove God's point)!!