June Invierno stats from the Pilgrim's Office

[VNwalking]

I was just trolling through last month's statistics to see how the numbers on the Invierno have panned out, and it looks like this:

There were a total of 87 pilgrims counted by the P.O.
Starting points for Invierno pilgrms in June were:
Ponferrada: 41
Quiroga: 17
Monforte: 16
Puente Domingo Florez: 5
Chantada: 2
A Rua and O Barco: 1 each (2 total)
(There's a discrepancy in the totals, with the tally by starting point missing some.)

By way of comparison, last year (2018) in June there were 45 pilgrims total counted for the Invierno, from only 4 starting points (Ponferrada, As Medulas, A Rua, and Monforte) - so this year's June numbers were not only almost double, but they also show double the number of starting points.
In 2017, there were only 10 Invierno pilgrims in June, from 2 places.

You see the trend - and statistcal massage isn't even needed - the surge is happening, it seems. That's only the numbers from one month out of 12, so time will tell. But if this is any indicator, the 2019 numbers will be way up.
And that's not counting the folks who didn't get a piece of paper at the end.

So if you want to walk the Invierno before the flood...the clock is clearly ticking. On top of the pre-existing upward trend, the Xunta will be promoting this route in 2020, and guidebooks are coming out. That said, the numbers are still quite low as compared with other caminos, so there will be relative peace and quiet.
But time only goes in one direction. Walk it while you can.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

I was just trolling through last month's statistics to see how the numbers on the Invierno have panned out, and it looks like this:

There were a total of 87 pilgrims counted by the P.O.
Starting points for Invierno pilgrms in June were:
Ponferrada: 41
Quiroga: 17
Monforte: 16
Puente Domingo Florez: 5
Chantada: 2
A Rua and O Barco: 1 each (2 total)
(There's a discrepancy in the totals, with the tally by starting point missing some.)

By way of comparison, last year (2018) in June there were 45 pilgrims total counted for the Invierno, from only 4 starting points (Ponferrada, As Medulas, A Rua, and Monforte) - so this year's June numbers were not only almost double, but they also show double the number of starting points.
In 2017, there were only 10 Invierno pilgrims in June, from 2 places.

You see the trend - and statistcal massage isn't even needed - the surge is happening, it seems. That's only the numbers from one month out of 12, so time will tell. But if this is any indicator, the 2019 numbers will be way up.
And that's not counting the folks who didn't get a piece of paper at the end.

So if you want to walk the Invierno before the flood...the clock is clearly ticking. On top of the pre-existing upward trend, the Xunta will be promoting this route in 2020, and guidebooks are coming out. That said, the numbers are still quite low as compared with other caminos, so there will be relative peace and quiet.
But time only goes in one direction. Walk it while you can.

So true. I walked in the same month, almost same dates, last year and this year. There wasn't a massive increase from the same period last year, still I noticed I saw more people now. You run into people now and then on the way, and you certainly see them at the end at the albergues or hostales.

When I walked in 2015, I met NO ONE on the way or at the end of the stages, for nine days.

A lot of them must find the Invierno hard. Just like last year, there was a pile of backpacks waiting to be transported in the receptions, for example in Pensión Miño and in Hostal Carpinteria. I read in another thread here that people were debating whether it was possible to have taxi services to transfer your backpack on the Invierno... Believe me, there is NO shortage of this service, after what I have seen... Those backpacks aren't flying there by themselves...

Still it's 100 times less busy than the Camino Francés. Go before it's too late!

Oh and I wonder how the holy year of 2021 will hit the Invierno. That will be interesting...!

BP

 

[VNwalking]

Interesting to get your perspective over several years, BP.

Those backpacks aren't flying there by themselves...

Haha, I noticed that too. Three speedy (but sweet) athletic guys from Barcelona didn't even have packs - they had suitcases. And while there were no advertised transfer services, somehow those suitcases were jumping ahead of their owners every day.

 

[Charrito]

Interesting to get your perspective over several years, BP.


Haha, I noticed that too. Three speedy (but sweet) athletic guys from Barcelona didn't even have packs - they had suitcases. And while there were no advertised transfer services, somehow those suitcases were jumping ahead of their owners every day.

I think that, apart from cases of real need, the transport of suitcases (!!) and backpacks should be banned! This is what has happened on Caminos like the Francés, where you are likely to be in the minority if you walk with a backpack!

 

[VNwalking]

apart from cases of real need, the transport of suitcases (!!) and backpacks should be banned!

Good luck with that, @Charrito .

 

[Charrito]

Good luck with that, @Charrito .

Yes, I know what you mean, but it does annoy me when I see perfectly fit youngsters strolling along with just a bottle of water in their hand. It sort of defeats the whole ide of walking the camino, but I accept that not everyone will agree with me.

I remember my first (and only) experience on the Francés. In those days it was nowhere near as crowded as it is today, but when I walked out of Sarría around 7 o'clock in the morning and saw hundreds in front of me, very few carrying anything, it didn't seem right.