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Thoughts on the Via (with a Sanabres finish)

Tom Conklin

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances (2016)
Porto (Fall 2017)
Via (2022)
Via de la Plata (with a Sanabres finish) - March 4 - April 12 2022

You have to let the path shape you – there are some stretches you are going to have to do that you do not want to and there are some places you are going to have to stay that you may not like. This means you are going to have longer, +30k days and sometimes some shorter 10k days. It also means that you may have to pay more for nicer accommodation or stay in an albergue you hadn’t planned on.

The Via is flat, but it's not. There are many up and downhill stretches, but there are far more flats. The Sanabres is definitely not flat. Both have significant road walks but for the most part they have very little traffic. The farm road stretches are many and spectacular.

There is not a lot of traffic on the Via. I befriended 30 or 40 people, but that was pretty much everyone I encountered. I went on my own but travelled with a new Camino friend for three weeks at the beginning and another friend for 9 days at the end. I was in and out of various groups over the 40 days and I often checked up on people who I had travelled with for short periods of time. When I arrived in Santiago I met only one or two of all of these people in the two days I was there. I did however, receive end of Camino celebratory texts from many people before and after my arrival.

There are a lot of late middle aged men on the Via. It sort of makes sense because it is the Camino for more experienced pilgrims who have time on their hands. There are younger folk but they are often stuck listening to chat about pensions and arthritis.

Way marking arrows are generally really good throughout the Via. Central Seville is very poorly marked and there are some spots where you really need something to guide you other than the arrows.

Accommodation on the Via is not expensive. Municipal and Xunta (Galicia) albergues are often less than 10€. Private albergues are between 10 and 15€. The Galician albergues are absolutely spectacular with the notable exception that their kitchens usually have very little in the way of pots and cutlery etc. During March and April of 2022 I was on the top bunk twice and someone was on my top bunk twice. This was partly because of the time of year and the remnants of Covid rules.

Casa Rurals, especially if you are with someone else, are a great alternative to albergues – they are relatively cheap and are a huge step up from albergues (attached bathroom, towels, sheets, soap). They usually cost around 40€ for two people.

Although Casa Rurals are a nice alternative to albergues, they are best used as a treat. You will find your community at the albergues where you will easily meet people. It is difficult to do this when you stay in a room by yourself or with a Camigo. On the Via, at least in the slower times, you will get to know everyone unless you prefer being more solitary.

Lunch is a complicated thing on the Via, or its not. Because services are not as abundant you often have to plan ahead more carefully. The easiest thing to do is buy and carry food (bread, meat, cheese, hummus, fruit, yoghurt…) to eat on the trail.

Dinners are less complicated than lunch as you usually plan to be somewhere with a restaurant, bar or good grocery store. There are menus del dia in most places and many albergues have really good kitchen facilities.

Weekends are always tricky but are even more so on the Via because you have less flexibility. You will often have to plan two days ahead of time because services often close after 2 on Saturday and are fully closed on Sunday.

Good route and location apps (Buen Camino, Mapy.cz) are great ways to make sure that you are definitely on the right path. Be aware though that at times these apps follow their own Via. They are almost always very accurate, but they sometimes leave out optional routes.

Gronze is a fantastic website for general information and maps of stages, it is particularly good for accommodations and it is, for the most part, up to date. Take a look at what other apps and sites (Wise Pilgrim, Gerald Kelly’s CaminoGuide…) have to offer and choose one that you feel comfortable with.

Internet and cell service is generally good most places. European pilgrims will have no problems with their home service. Canadians will fall in love with the price, coverage and service available for very, very little compared to home. I bought 28 days of service through Vodafone for 15€ that included 50G of data and 800 minutes of long distance. With that I didn’t really have to use the free Wi-Fi in bars and albergues.
 
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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Thanks for your information. It will be a great help to other pilgrims.

What dates did you walk?
I've walked the VDLP twice and looking at starting again next week.
 
Thanks for your information. It will be a great help to other pilgrims.

What dates did you walk?
I've walked the VDLP twice and looking at starting again next week.
I walked from March 4 to April 12 with one day off in Zamora.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Thank you 🙏 I start in a few days
 
Via de la Plata (with a Sanabres finish) - March 4 - April 12 2022

You have to let the path shape you – there are some stretches you are going to have to do that you do not want to and there are some places you are going to have to stay that you may not like. This means you are going to have longer, +30k days and sometimes some shorter 10k days. It also means that you may have to pay more for nicer accommodation or stay in an albergue you hadn’t planned on.

The Via is flat, but it's not. There are many up and downhill stretches, but there are far more flats. The Sanabres is definitely not flat. Both have significant road walks but for the most part they have very little traffic. The farm road stretches are many and spectacular.

There is not a lot of traffic on the Via. I befriended 30 or 40 people, but that was pretty much everyone I encountered. I went on my own but travelled with a new Camino friend for three weeks at the beginning and another friend for 9 days at the end. I was in and out of various groups over the 40 days and I often checked up on people who I had travelled with for short periods of time. When I arrived in Santiago I met only one or two of all of these people in the two days I was there. I did however, receive end of Camino celebratory texts from many people before and after my arrival.

There are a lot of late middle aged men on the Via. It sort of makes sense because it is the Camino for more experienced pilgrims who have time on their hands. There are younger folk but they are often stuck listening to chat about pensions and arthritis.

Way marking arrows are generally really good throughout the Via. Central Seville is very poorly marked and there are some spots where you really need something to guide you other than the arrows.

Accommodation on the Via is not expensive. Municipal and Xunta (Galicia) albergues are often less than 10€. Private albergues are between 10 and 15€. The Galician albergues are absolutely spectacular with the notable exception that their kitchens usually have very little in the way of pots and cutlery etc. During March and April of 2022 I was on the top bunk twice and someone was on my top bunk twice. This was partly because of the time of year and the remnants of Covid rules.

Casa Rurals, especially if you are with someone else, are a great alternative to albergues – they are relatively cheap and are a huge step up from albergues (attached bathroom, towels, sheets, soap). They usually cost around 40€ for two people.

Although Casa Rurals are a nice alternative to albergues, they are best used as a treat. You will find your community at the albergues where you will easily meet people. It is difficult to do this when you stay in a room by yourself or with a Camigo. On the Via, at least in the slower times, you will get to know everyone unless you prefer being more solitary.

Lunch is a complicated thing on the Via, or its not. Because services are not as abundant you often have to plan ahead more carefully. The easiest thing to do is buy and carry food (bread, meat, cheese, hummus, fruit, yoghurt…) to eat on the trail.

Dinners are less complicated than lunch as you usually plan to be somewhere with a restaurant, bar or good grocery store. There are menus del dia in most places and many albergues have really good kitchen facilities.

Weekends are always tricky but are even more so on the Via because you have less flexibility. You will often have to plan two days ahead of time because services often close after 2 on Saturday and are fully closed on Sunday.

Good route and location apps (Buen Camino, Mapy.cz) are great ways to make sure that you are definitely on the right path. Be aware though that at times these apps follow their own Via. They are almost always very accurate, but they sometimes leave out optional routes.

Gronze is a fantastic website for general information and maps of stages, it is particularly good for accommodations and it is, for the most part, up to date. Take a look at what other apps and sites (Wise Pilgrim, Gerald Kelly’s CaminoGuide…) have to offer and choose one that you feel comfortable with.

Internet and cell service is generally good most places. European pilgrims will have no problems with their home service. Canadians will fall in love with the price, coverage and service available for very, very little compared to home. I bought 28 days of service through Vodafone for 15€ that included 50G of data and 800 minutes of long distance. With that I didn’t really have to use the free Wi-Fi in bars and albergues.
Great article and information Tom. I can endorse all you have covered as I was on the VDLP the same time as you of course. Great meeting you and good ‘Craic’ over the dinners.
 
Good to hear about how things were on the VDLP. I walked starting in late October of 2021. Amazing how COVID and just the time of year can so change your experience. I had far fewer out burgers albergues public and private that were open. Almost all the kitchens were closed. I think I could prepare dinner three times. There were many nights I had to wait till nine or 930 to have dinner and one of the bars and the little towns we stay in. I often have to stay in private pension‘s that work much more expensive than the municipal or private albergues. I spent way more money on this Camino than any other. Yes there was more planning involved that’s for sure. I don’t think I’ve met more than 10 people on the Via de la plata. I ended up walking up to Astorga to get to Santiago because I was told by different albergue owners The availability of places to stay in late November would be even more difficult on the Sanabria. One final interesting though it was I am 68 years old and barely met anyone my age most of the pilgrims were under 30 or 35. Funny how that all works. Glad you had a great Camino

[Moderator edit: Corrected auto-spell of "out burgers" to "albergues":D ]
 
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€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I walked the VDLP in late November/early December 2019. Historically the worst weather ever! It took me 7 weeks and rained at least 80% of the time. I met around a dozen fellow pilgrims on the way and will never forget the experience. In a way the awful weather made it better? You dig deeper when the elements are against you. The arrival in SDC was something else; all the shops were decked out for Xmas - it was magical. Wonderful memories ❤️
 
I walked the VDLP in late November/early December 2019. Historically the worst weather ever! It took me 7 weeks and rained at least 80% of the time. I met around a dozen fellow pilgrims on the way and will never forget the experience. In a way the awful weather made it better? You dig deeper when the elements are against you. The arrival in SDC was something else; all the shops were decked out for Xmas - it was magical. Wonderful memories ❤️
By the way, I took the Sanabres route from the VDLP to SDC. I highly recommend it. Alongside the Salvador, the Sanabres is one of my favourites.
 
Very accurate description of the Via and what makes it different from other Caminos.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Great article and information Tom. I can endorse all you have covered as I was on the VDLP the same time as you of course. Great meeting you and good ‘Craic’ over the dinners.
Hey Gordon, I would love to hear about the differences with what I say and what you experienced. Even though we intersected for a couple of weeks we definitely did things differently. You travelled with Dan every day, you were a bit slower, you stayed in different kinds of lodging and you stopped for coffee and lunch more regularly. I am aware that they way I travelled is very different from what others do so I think people would benefit from hearing about your experience. And, of course, everyone wants to hear about the Chocolate Fairy!
 

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