Hi, Freewalker,
Welcome to the Lana rabbit hole, there is a lot of info here, especially the good planning thread done in covid confinement. It’s in two parts, started and managed by @VN, hope you’ve seen it.
The Cuenca amigos association is a good go-to place, they have a guide that works with QR codes-
http://www.decuencaasantiago.es/Nuestras-Fotograf-as/
I would recommend using wikiloc tracks, there are a bunch of places where we wouldn’t have known which way to go, but some people resist the tracks and have made it out alive.
Just depends on personal preferences.
I walked in May and the weather was great. The drought was particularly apparent in southern Spain, so who knows what the fall will be. In terms of road walking, there is of course some, but I wouldn’t say it has a high road percentage at all. Lots of ag tracks, lots of trails. I think @filly‘s live reports are the most recent, he was through earlier this year.
You are unlikely to meet any others, but it is IMHO a beautiful camino. Lots of great little detours, too - to Roman ruins (particularly Clunia), restored monasteries (San Pedro de Arlanza), visigothic church in Quintanillas de las Viñas..
From Santo Domingo de Silos, consider taking the San Olav “backwards” to Burgos, it’s a very nice route.
Buen camino, Laurie