Re: Anyone interested in walking from Valencia?
Hi, Jay,
This route is apparently not "less trodden" -- it is "untrodden." I have walked several similar caminos, the Salvador, Vadiniense, Invierno, Madrid, and met a total of two pilgrims over all of those many hundreds of kilometers. It gets rough, but if you speak good Spanish and are willing to hang out in the plaza or in a cafe you will find plenty of company. What will be lacking is companionship. I am a solo walker, I much prefer to walk by myself most of the time, but when I arrive at my destination, I love the chance to be with others. For meals, conversations, advice, etc.
Last year I walked for about 3 weeks with no company, and then in Oviedo finished my camino on the Primitivo, which had a small but perfect number of peregrinos. I vowed then that I wouldn't walk another solitary camino, but after reading the posts of several forum friends, I decided that I am really attracted to the long open spaces, the trail through towns that are not in anyone's guidebook, the opportunity to get away from it all.
So I'm headed to the Levante this year, knowing that when I hit Zamora, I will join the VDLP, which means that I will end my walk in my own little camino bubble with whomever else happens to fall in. I have heard from someone on a Spanish forum, who lives in a town along the Levante, that he sees pilgrims no more than once a month. So I guess the odds are low that I'll find others, but I will be walking in what should be one of the best times of year weatherwise, so maybe I'll be lucky.
I'm not saying you shouldn't do this camino, but I'm sure you want to have a realistic idea of what lies ahead. Buen camino, Laurie