pro and con walking the Frances from Sarria, or the Portugese from Valencia?

[grandpa.zohar]

What are the diffrences between these 2 caminoes? On which one the terrain is easier? more croweded? nice landscapes? more/less inhabitants? .
I'm 77 planing for April 15. which one will you suggest, and why?
Thanks, Zohar

 

[MichaelSG]

My thoughts are: That last section of the Portuguese route is definitely flatter and has a lot fewer pilgrims. There are, however, enough to walk with some if you decide you want to but also (at least in September when I walked it) few enough that if you want to walk alone, you may only pass (or be passed by) a handful of pilgrims. Comparing the two routes, I preferred the mountains, trails and scenery of the French route but I preferred the smaller crowds and historical sites of the Portuguese route. Finally, the "normal" stage stops in the Portuguese routes are a bit bigger towns with more history outside of the Camino.

 

[amancio]

Portuguese is lovely, and Valencia is definitely worth a visit, I would go Portuguese, I would avoid massive crowds in Francés

 

[grandpa.zohar]

My thoughts are: That last section of the Portuguese route is definitely flatter and has a lot fewer pilgrims. There are, however, enough to walk with some if you decide you want to but also (at least in September when I walked it) few enough that if you want to walk alone, you may only pass (or be passed by) a handful of pilgrims. Comparing the two routes, I preferred the mountains, trails and scenery of the French route but I preferred the smaller crowds and historical sites of the Portuguese route. Finally, the "normal" stage stops in the Portuguese routes are a bit bigger towns with more history outside of the Camino.

My thoughts are: That last section of the Portuguese route is definitely flatter and has a lot fewer pilgrims. There are, however, enough to walk with some if you decide you want to but also (at least in September when I walked it) few enough that if you want to walk alone, you may only pass (or be passed by) a handful of pilgrims. Comparing the two routes, I preferred the mountains, trails and scenery of the French route but I preferred the smaller crowds and historical sites of the Portuguese route. Finally, the "normal" stage stops in the Portuguese routes are a bit bigger towns with more history outside of the Camino.

=
Thanks!
Zohar

 

[grandpa.zohar]

Portuguese is lovely, and Valencia is definitely worth a visit, I would go Portuguese, I would avoid massive crowds in Francés

=
Thanks,
Zohar

 

[musicman]

I would certainly go Portuguese.
Would not touch Sarria to S de C, even in a Sedan!

 

[Mark Lee]

Portuguese is lovely, and Valencia is definitely worth a visit, I would go Portuguese, I would avoid massive crowds in Francés

Meeting so many different people on the Camino is half the fun of doing it.

 

[Arn]

We all have our opinions and rest assured they are tempered by our own wants and expectations. Some look for solitude. Some hope to socialize. Others...are just open to the experience that is the Camino.
The final decision is yours. The outcome: the Camino's.
Whether Buen or Bom it's still Camino and Caminho.
Arn

 

[grandpa.zohar]

We all have our opinions and rest assured they are tempered by our own wants and expectations. Some look for solitude. Some hope to socialize. Others...are just open to the experience that is the Camino.
The final decision is yours. The outcome: the Camino's.
Whether Buen or Bom it's still Camino and Caminho.
Arn

=

We all have our opinions and rest assured they are tempered by our own wants and expectations. Some look for solitude. Some hope to socialize. Others...are just open to the experience that is the Camino.
The final decision is yours. The outcome: the Camino's.
Whether Buen or Bom it's still Camino and Caminho.
Arn

=
Thanks, it looks that the Portugese is flatter, that mean easier for my old body. More than that, I think of walking half stages, not more than 10 km a day. Shall I find places to sleep in such intervals, no matter which kind? Zohar

 

[Arn]

=

=
Thanks, it looks that the Portugese is flatter, that mean easier for my old body. More than that, I think of walking half stages, not more than 10 km a day. Shall I find places to sleep in such intervals, no matter which kind? Zohar

Zohar,
Here is the link to some of the best info on all the Camino...specifically the Caminho Portuguese.
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los-caminos-de-santiago/portugues/
Take a look at it in stages. The list includes: albergue municipal and private.
Bom Caminho,
Arn

 

[MichaelSG]

10km days may mean that some days you will need to taxi to a place to sleep and then taxi back the next morning to start again where you stopped walking the day before. That would be easy to do and easier to do on the Portuguese route, I think but the French route would probably have more places to stay in between the "normal" stage endings.

 

[DurhamParish]

Actually, it's Valença, not Valencia.

 

[waveprof]

My opinion is this: Sarria to Santiago can be (not always) a living hell, or at very least, a major let down compared to the previous sections of the Camino. I've half seriously suggested that the next time we do the Frances we might stop in Sarria. This is not necessarily an attack on the 5-day pilgrims (I respect all pilgrims), but, to me, it is without a doubt that, at very least, the massive rush of people in those last five stages greatly alters the experience in a negative way for both the 100km pilgrims and the longer distance pilgrims.

There are reasons why some people can't or don't want to do more than five days. If that is the case for you, I'd personally recommend the Portuguese. I think you will get a much better Camino experience on that stretch. Just my .02. I'm sure others will disagree vehemenantly

 

[MichaelSG]

I'm sure others will disagree vehemenantly

Some others may disagree with your recommendation but I doubt they would vehemently disagree with your opinion since you did not mention religion, politics, bullfighting, Shirley MacLaine or your disdain for any other pilgrim's sense of morality.

 

[Whalleyranger]

There are more frequent options for accommodation and refreshments on the Frances, and you will meet more people there. But starting from Valença gives you the chance to walk an international Camino, and the towns en-route are lovely. Book yourself into the hot spring hotel at Caldas de Reis and soak your bones.

 

[Olivares]

I love the Camino Frances, but I am with waveprof on this one-- while it is likely that I will walk the Frances again, there is zero to no chance that I would voluntarily walk again Sarria-SdC. Don't get me wrong; I did not hated it and the crowds did not bother me at all. It is just that this section does not "feel" the same as prior to; the locals, sights, food, albergues, trail, it all goes downhill from there. Of course there are highlights; the stone bridge before Arzua, the Roman bridge in Furelos, Ribadiso....still, nope.

 

[peregrina2000]

Well, I'm a big fan of the Portugués, but I walked Ponferrada to SdC last year after nearly a decade away from that part of the Camino Francés. I had forgotten how beautiful so many of the parts are. Even though I walked in July, I never experienced the sense of onslaught that others describe, at least not till Arca, but then I walked on and stayed outside Lavacolla in a LOVELY place, the Casa de Amancio, that was quiet and almost empty. Staying at the off-stage places (for starters, don´t stay in Sarria) really helps to reduce the numbers of people you will see while walking, because they will be in big bunches ahead of you or behind you. So, though I do lean towards less travelled and sometimes solitary Caminos, I think that the Camino from Sarria has a lot going for it. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[DurhamParish]

Remember one thing, when you cross the bridge from Valença, Portugal into Tui, Spain, you have to move your watch back by one hour. Portugal and Spain are on different time zones.

 

[MichaelSG]

Remember on thing, when you cross the bridge from Valença, Portugal into Tui, Spain, you have to move your watch back by one hour. Portugal and Spain are on different time zones.

That's the easy thing to remember! I'm the genius that knew that, fixed my watch but didn't even consider that it meant that the sunrise will be one hour later than in Portugal. After stepping out the door to start walking about 30 minutes before sunrise for 3 weeks, I mistakenly got up at the same time as always in Tui and for a about 30 minutes wondered where the dawn was and why were there so many stars in the sky. I'm glad that my wife and I can both laugh at my mistakes. My blog entry for that day was "Dumb and Dumber do the Caminho".

 

[DurhamParish]

I walked through Valença and stayed at the Albergue behind the Cathedral in Tui. When the lady checked me in, the first thing she did was grab my wrist and twist it around where she could see my watch . . . . to see if I had changed the time. I guess she was very tired of people who hadn't changed their watch banging on the door at 11:00 PM.

I met up and started drinking wine with some friends that I hadn't seen since Porto. Before I knew it, it was 9:45 and I had to run to get back to the Albergue before the doors were locked. It had barely started to get dark. Had to go to bed without dinner.

 

[Albertinho]

Remember one thing, when you cross the bridge from Valença, Portugal into Tui, Spain, you have to move your watch back by one hour. Portugal and Spain are on different time zones.

The time in Spain is one hour later than in Portugal
Portugal has Greenwich Mean Time GMT. Spain has GMT + 1 so move your watch forward one hour. !

 

[DurhamParish]

The time in Spain is one hour later than in Portugal
Portugal has Greenwich Mean Time GMT. Spain has GMT + 1 so move your watch forward one hour. !

Thanks. I knew I'd mess things up. Luckily, I got it right when it counted.

 

[Albertinho]

Thanks. I knew I'd mess things up. Luckily, I got it right when it counted.

Thanks. I knew I'd mess things up. Luckily, I got it right when it counted.

Happens to everybody once in a lifetime.
My wife and I were camping at an Icelandic campingsite, just arrived by ferryboat from Denmark. GMT+ 2
In the morning at 8 o'clock I found a message on my caravandoor to come to the camping reception.So I went and rang the doorbell An annoyed man appeared and pointed at his watch and explained me in his best english that it was 6 o'clock
in the cool Icelandic morning.

 

[Arn]

That lady in Tui at the Albergue alongside the cathedral...em, if there was ever a burro crat...she it it.
Then again, I'll bet taxi pilgrims can't get past her.
Bom Caminho
Arn

 

[amorfati1]

That lady in Tui at the Albergue alongside the cathedral...em, if there was ever a burro crat...she it it.
Then again, I'll bet taxi pilgrims can't get past her.
Bom Caminho
Arn

i'd second that. - uhh - having been reminded of the woman host of that albergue .... my skin crawls. the most 'antipatico' encounter of the entire caminho.
god bless her and i truly hope she'll encounter happier and more serene days in her life and won't die in that 'state'.
on another note: spent a warm, peaceful and cozy night at a pensione near by, enjoyed a yummy pizza and fine wine in Tui and found candles to light in the catedrale. life was / is good!

 

[Arn]

i'd second that. - uhh - having been reminded of the woman host of that albergue .... my skin crawls. the most 'antipatico' encounter of the entire caminho.
god bless her and i truly hope she'll encounter happier and more serene days in her life and won't die in that 'state'.
on another note: spent a warm, peaceful and cozy night at a pensione near by, enjoyed a yummy pizza and fine wine in Tui and found candles to light in the catedrale. life was / is good!

I also stayed just up the street from the Cathedral. Great food, clean facility. Sometimes, it's the little disappointments that lead to the greater outcomes.