perhaps there are caminos within caminos. i only stayed in a handful of albergues during the 50 days i took to walk the route. this included several days layover in places such as merida, caceres, salamanca, zamora, etc.
call me antisocial but my youth was sufficiently institutionalised by boarding school and armies to the extent that i will go a long way to avoid bedding down in a large room full of often smelly old and young, men, women, boys and girls snoring, farting, arriving in the middle of the night or else getting up in the middle of the night for an early start. all crowding for toilet/s and shower/s and the limited if non-existent hot water. no thanks. i like to use the bathroom when i want to. put on or put out the lights want i want to. the hotels/bars/hostals etc were nearly all good and very cheap.
my routine was up at 5, walk from 6 to around 2. find a room. shower. nice long lunch of menu del dia with a bottle of ice cold tinto. crash semi naked onto my cot until 7 without worrying i'm offending someone. go shopping for water, peanuts etc. have a cold beer and tapas in a bar then bed by 9. preferably with the aircon going full blast. (although aircon got rarer the further north in the price bracket places i stayed in). i'm saying all this because there might be other weirdos like me who are put off the trip by the thought of albergues. though they are fine for kids. because with a little thought and a spanish guide michelin i think they can be totally avoided, even if it means straying from the camino for a few miles, as i sometimes did, to one of the many clean truck stops on one of the many, many roads that dog the route, where one can get an ensuite room for about 20-25 euros. same price if 2 or 3 of you. i had 2 of my kids with me for the first month. this is obviously why i met less pilgrims. but doing it this way, staying in control of my environment, made it an easy walk, even at the height of summer.