Monthly statistics for Via de la Plata

[C clearly]

I asked the question on another thread about how many fellow pilgrims would be on the Via de la Plata in October-November. From this link (thanks SY) http://peregrinossantiago.es/esp/oficina-del-peregrino/estadisticas/ I did some crude number-crunching on the 2014 numbers and thought you might be interested.

My conclusion based on 2014 arrival data was that I'd probably encounter only 2-3 pilgrims/day on average if I left Seville in mid-October. (Fewer at the southern end, and picking up as one goes north)

There would be 2 or 3 times as many leaving Seville in April, May or June. The high-season numbers would be comparable to the Camino Frances pilgrims arriving in Santiago in late November-December.

I'd be interested in any comments and corrections.

 

[jirit]

Early spring and late Fall are probably the most popular times to walk the VdlP. The summer months of July and August are the "slow season" for the VdlP.

Certainly from all the comments, postings, etc more walk in the early spring as compared to the late fall, so you estimations seem pretty fair, though I think the average daily numbers are light. A rough guess is that approx 9,000 people will walk the VdlP this year and probably 2/3 of this number will walk it before June, an average of 1,000 plus per month or 30-40 people per day which agrees to my experience two years ago.

I might also suggest as you go north towards Santiago into late October and November the numbers might increase only slightly, if at all.

This is simply due to fact the weather turns decidly colder and wetter by then and numbers of people willing to start their walk from say Salamanca in November for example falls off.

 

[peregrina2000]

I have no brain for numbers or statistics, but I know that the times I left from Sevilla in mid April and once in early May, there were more than 9 pilgrims a day on the road. I would say the average daily crowd was closer to 15 or 20, with waxing and waning and shifting and changing, but it wasn´t a lonely time at all.

 

[tyrrek]

These figures look about right to me too, possibly even a little on the high side. November saw around five a day arrive off the VDLP on average. October's figure was around four times higher, which suggests that November arrivals may be biased towards the first half of the month (unsurprisingly). When numbers get so small the day of the week you start walking may be as significant as anything else!

I've just updated my spreadsheets estimating pilgrim movements on the Camino Frances. There are so many subtleties in the data that I don't even attempt to produce 'numbers' of pilgrims; only proportions. You can't separate out cyclists, for example, and unlike the VDLP the CF is further complicated by people starting in France etc, who may or may not have taken that route once in Spain. I also have to leave out pilgrims starting in unspecific places like 'The Rest of Navarra/Castilla y Leon etc', so I only end up with around 90% of CF arrivals in my calculations.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...e-the-busy-periods-on-the-camino-frances.114/

p.s. I've not posted the 2014 spreadsheets yet for anyone who's interested. In short, 2014 looks very like 2013, so I also compared with 2009 for 5-year comparison. There are some interesting patterns butit all needs checked and tidied up when I have a spare hour or two.

 

[C clearly]

Thanks to all. The numbers gave me enough information to conclude that an autumn walk on VdlP might be a bit too lonely for me. Maybe spring 2016 will be possible.

It is quite interesting to examine the numbers and try to understand the organism that is the Camino.

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks to all. The numbers gave me enough information to conclude that an autumn walk on VdlP might be a bit too lonely for me. Maybe spring 2016 will be possible.

It is quite interesting to examine the numbers and try to understand the organism that is the Camino.

Hi, C Clearly,
The other real advantage of walking in spring is the scenery and the landscape. Andalucía and Extremadura are green and bombarded with wildflowers, something you won´t see at all in the autumn. It´s really the perfect time to walk, IMO.

 

[alansykes]

I'm a great fan of autumn on the Via de la Plata, as the colours in some places are almost as spectacular as in New England. It is true that it is best for people who relish solitude. When I left Seville in mid November I met no other pilgrims until Fuenterroble and then none until Ourense. It was a little busier leaving in late October - other pilgrims in 6 albergues over the 1000km. And last December I had 1-2 others in all but two albergues after Puebla de Sanabria, so perhaps numbers are increasing. The plus side is that you are still rare enough to be an object of curiousity, so people in the bars and restaurants are likely to want to chat to you.

 

[C clearly]

The plus side is that you are still rare enough to be an object of curiousity, so people in the bars and restaurants are likely to want to chat to you.

I speak Spanish fairly well (but far from perfectly) so that is one of the big attractions of walking in Spain on a route that is not overwhelmed by other foreigners like me. It is tempting to go in both autumn and spring!

 

[alansykes]

I speak Spanish fairly well (but far from perfectly) so that is one of the big attractions of walking in Spain on a route that is not overwhelmed by other foreigners like me. It is tempting to go in both autumn and spring!

I think you're right. My Spanish has improved enormously (well, got a lot less bad) by taking autumn caminos on less frequented routes where the choice is simple: either speak Spanish or remain silent. The other foreign pilgrims I've met have also almost exclusively been non-anglophone: several French, a few Italians, an Estonian & a couple of Germans who spoke no English, and a Dutch couple (who did, but were happy to practice their Spanish with me).

One year I plan to try the Plata in spring, ideally leaving Seville when the almonds are in blossom, as I've heard that spring moves northwards at walking pace: so in theory I could have a whole month of the first day of spring. For the moment I have sheep who obstinately insist on lambing around about now, so I will carry on being an autumn pilgrim.

 

[SYates]

Very, very inconsiderate of those sheep! SY

 

[C clearly]

Very, very inconsiderate of those sheep!

If those sheep were of the invisible age, you could bring them with you.

 

[Pilgy]

Thanks to all. The numbers gave me enough information to conclude that an autumn walk on VdlP might be a bit too lonely for me. Maybe spring 2016 will be possible.

It is quite interesting to examine the numbers and try to understand the organism that is the Camino.

Hello C Clearly.
Did you actually get to walk this spring? If so, exactly when? How many pilgrims did you meet daily? Thinking of walking March 2017.

 

[ShellsG]

I have such a dilemma, I want to walk a Camino in Sept/Oct. I did the CF from late August - mid October in 2015. I am tossing around the idea of the VldP in the fall of 2017, similar dates of Sept-Oct. I wish I could go in the spring but I can't. Should I wait until the spring of 2018 or do it in 2017 ..... help.

 

[peregrina2000]

I have such a dilemma, I want to walk a Camino in Sept/Oct. I did the CF from late August - mid October in 2015. I am tossing around the idea of the VldP in the fall of 2017, similar dates of Sept-Oct. I wish I could go in the spring but I can't. Should I wait until the spring of 2018 or do it in 2017 ..... help.

Hi, ShellsG,
I always walk in spring or summer, so I'm not going to be able to offer comparisons. But if my choice were to walk sooner or later, I'd always choose sooner! I think the main differences will be --
Fall -- fewer people on the Vdlp, less rain, browner countryside (but since you are talking about early fall, you are likely to still have a little gaggle of pilgrims, not the solitude you'd find in November)
Spring -- more people, more rain, green and flowers

Fall seems to have become a great season for walking, weatherwise. Lots of people walking in those months have reported great temps and little rain. But of course you never know. Buen camino, Laurie