Plans for 2014

[Helen Mannersjö]

Next year my wife and I are going to walk the Camino de Santiago. Our initial plan was to go the French way but after thinking a lot, we will probably choose the Via de la plata instead. The reason is that the weather seems to be better with less rain. We have planned to start in late March. There also seems to be a little less people along the camino. I would love to meet other pilgrims but I would like vary it with loneliness. I gratefully accept the thoughts and ideas about why we should choose one or the other Camino. No matter what route we ultimately choose, the plan is to go the whole distance in between 5-7 weeks.

Thanks for any help

Helen in Sweden

 

[amancio]

Congratulations on your choice!

indeed the weather should be better, at least as far as Salamanca, once you come to Salamanca, it gets colder indeed. I would, however, suggest you check the dates for Easter next year and avoid walking during Easter, because it will be quite crowded at parts.

Otherwise, it is the best time of the year, spring will be booming in the first 400 km, then you will feel you are back to winter... Beautiful, beautiful route, but beware you need strong legs and a strong determined head, distances between towns can be quite long at times, you do not easily find places to eat or get water along the way, you do not have so many albergues available, but the landscape is just amazing.

Buen camino!

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Thank you very much.

We are relatively experienced hikers so I think and hope, that the distance should not be a problem. We are prepared to sleep on from the hotel to the albergues. That should increase the chances of finding accommodation or what do you think?

Buen camino!

 

[amancio]

It is not so much a difference between albergues and hotels, the problem, for the first 400 km, is the fact that towns are far apart, once you are in town, surely something will come up, but you can be on a stage with up to 38 km between one town and the next and not a lot of references in between, so you cannot really calculate how far you are gone, or how far you still have to go...

once you understand and assume that, the route is a true blessing!

 

[hailows]

Helen,
I too plan on walking the VdlP in March of next year, likely around 23-25th starting dates. I hope to see you both on the route I did the Camino Frances in 2013 and my soul wants to do another.
Stephen