Vdlp in Peak Winter 2016/2017

[vlebe]

Hey there fellow pilgrims!

I have some wondering questions to the experienced pilgrims in the house.

I, myself, have walked the camino many times: 3 times the Camino Frances (one of them starting in Le Pui all the way to Finisterra), the other two starting in SJPP and Pamplone. I have also walked the primitivo and the Portuguese Camino.

I`m starting to feel the Camino Fever one more time (people I know will call me crazy all over again) and I was thinking to walk the Vdlp as it is one camino that I have never been to.

I`ll be walking with my girl ( her first Camino), and we are planning to walk it in a more "athletic way", meaning I plan to walk average 35+ kms a day. That said, we are very fit young Big Wall climbers and we are very used to walk crazy distances carrying 25+ kgs on our backs before strating Big Wall Climbings.

As I have never walk the Vdlp, I really would like to know from you all that have walked both the French and Vdlp camino to give your inputs and help figuring out if I should try the Vdlp or do the Frances again. At first I`m thinking on starting around mid november or beginning of december 2016.

I know its going to be lonely an cold, but I know what I`m getting into. I have been in the camino during Summer time and I do not plan to do it again ever!

Anyways, any inputs from you guys, from temperature ranges to availability of open hostels will be very welcome.

Thank you all in advance.

Ultreya!

 

[murraydv]

Hey there fellow pilgrims!

I have some wondering questions to the experienced pilgrims in the house.

I, myself, have walked the camino many times: 3 times the Camino Frances (one of them starting in Le Pui all the way to Finisterra), the other two starting in SJPP and Pamplone. I have also walked the primitivo and the Portuguese Camino.

I`m starting to feel the Camino Fever one more time (people I know will call me crazy all over again) and I was thinking to walk the Vdlp as it is one camino that I have never been to.

I`ll be walking with my girl ( her first Camino), and we are planning to walk it in a more "athletic way", meaning I plan to walk average 35+ kms a day. That said, we are very fit young Big Wall climbers and we are very used to walk crazy distances carrying 25+ kgs on our backs before strating Big Wall Climbings.

As I have never walk the Vdlp, I really would like to know from you all that have walked both the French and Vdlp camino to give your inputs and help figuring out if I should try the Vdlp or do the Frances again. At first I`m thinking on starting around mid november or beginning of december 2016.

I know its going to be lonely an cold, but I know what I`m getting into. I have been in the camino during Summer time and I do not plan to do it again ever!

Anyways, any inputs from you guys, from temperature ranges to availability of open hostels will be very welcome.

Thank you all in advance.

Ultreya!

Hey there fellow pilgrims!

I have some wondering questions to the experienced pilgrims in the house.

I, myself, have walked the camino many times: 3 times the Camino Frances (one of them starting in Le Pui all the way to Finisterra), the other two starting in SJPP and Pamplone. I have also walked the primitivo and the Portuguese Camino.

I`m starting to feel the Camino Fever one more time (people I know will call me crazy all over again) and I was thinking to walk the Vdlp as it is one camino that I have never been to.

I`ll be walking with my girl ( her first Camino), and we are planning to walk it in a more "athletic way", meaning I plan to walk average 35+ kms a day. That said, we are very fit young Big Wall climbers and we are very used to walk crazy distances carrying 25+ kgs on our backs before strating Big Wall Climbings.

As I have never walk the Vdlp, I really would like to know from you all that have walked both the French and Vdlp camino to give your inputs and help figuring out if I should try the Vdlp or do the Frances again. At first I`m thinking on starting around mid november or beginning of december 2016.

I know its going to be lonely an cold, but I know what I`m getting into. I have been in the camino during Summer time and I do not plan to do it again ever!

Anyways, any inputs from you guys, from temperature ranges to availability of open hostels will be very welcome.

Thank you all in advance.

Ultreya!

Ultreya
You are an experienced traveller and a fit one. I walk the Vdlp in May, about 9 days each year. November / December sounds tough to me. A few things to consider.
Weather is obviously one, cold nights (Low terperature in La Caldaza de Bejar was - 7c on December 1st last)
Rain, you could have flooding in some sections. It happened to me in May.
Will you have enough daylight hours to cover the distances? In Zamora in December, it is just over 9 hours+ of daylight per day.
It is a quiet Camino, even quieter in November / December. There will be parts where you will see almost nobody all day.
Some Albergues will likely not be open at that time of year, but I am not an expert.
Because it is a quiet Camino, not extensively travelled, you will need to keep a close eye on your markers along the route, not easy at the best of times, but more challenging on dark / late evenings.
Hopefully, supplies won't be a problem in some of the quieter and smaller towns.
Look for a post in this site on Camino statistics. One pilgrim wrote that she would only expect to see two or perhaps three pilgrims per day when leaving Seville in October.

Buen Camino
Dave

 

[LTfit]

Hi @vlebe

I am a Vía de la Plata lover and have walked parts 4x: Sevilla-Zamora in July, Zamora-Muxía in July, Sevilla-Salamanca in February and Salamanca-SdC in October/November. In February several albergues were closed but there was always accommodation. I suggest that you look in the Resources Section for details as I updated a list of accommodations including dates of closure etc in January: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ata-sanabrés-walking-accommodation-guide.408/

Weather is crazy all over Europe so it is hard to know what the weather conditions will be. I am just back from Portugal and I had 20 c temps in the afternoon north of Porto. I also had wonderful weather end of October, beginning of November from Salamanca to SdC.

Should you have any specific questions, let me know.

Cheers
LT

 

[alhartman]

I soloed VdlP from Oct 26-Nov 21 2010 after Walking Vezeley (train from Pamplona to Seville for start). It was the least enjoyable of my camino walks. Plenty of horizontal rain, some flooding. I met only 6 pilgrims between Seville and Sanabres. I was using an outdated Alison Raju guidebook. I speak minimal Spanish. There was almost no infrastructure--bars and restaurants closed, little inventory in tienda (I lost 8 kg mostly muscle mass). Access to albergues required finding a key (including one time in horizontal rain knocking door by door around the locked Albergue (which had no kitchen facilities in a town with no restaurants--yet another GORP dinner). Waymarking was okay--just 2 wrong turns quickly corrected (1km or less). Stages tend to be long (no problem for me after Vezelay but my pace was closer to 3km/hr vs usual CF of 4) I bused most of Merida to Salamanca so cannot speak to that section (great Roman artifacts, museums, etc). Zamora to SdC via Ourense was spectacular. I would do the Camino Sanabres again in a heartbeat!! I would do VdlP again, but not so late in the season--and preferable with someone with the Spanish language skills to find food and shelter. And a more up to date albergue guide and a plan for much more self catering/picnics.
FWIW as this is a 5+ year old experience and the Camino changes.

 

[LTfit]

Caminos are as everything in flux. One year to the next or even one season to the next can make all the difference. The VdlP is definately not the Francés by any way, shape or form except that you also walk. There are more albergues popping up here and there with a warm hospitaler@ welcome (Castilblanco de los Arroyos, Zafra, Fuenterroble, Salamanca, Zamora, Tábara) but not as frequent as along the Francés.

It so depends on what you are looking for. My daughter had a week off in January and decided to walk from Sevilla. It was her first Camino and she didn't meet a soul but still enjoyed it and said that she would definately return. She speaks a bit of Spanish and had fun talking to the locals. She also found that everyone was so helpful and kind.

Language and communication are important - at least for me. Maybe that is why I so enjoy walking in Spain (amongst other things). When I am alone I take the time to stop and chat with the locals working in the fields or in a café. During my Mozárabe Camino I would have gone mad if I hadn't since I walked for 16 days without seeing one pilgrim.

Re guide books: the last several years I have stopped buying books and just print out the essential information from a site such as Eroski, Gronze or Mundicamino. Of course everyone has their own preference.

Look luck in deciding!

 

[peregrina2000]

And don't forget our dear @JohnnieWalker 's very first Camino was from Sevilla in January, I believe. http://johnniewalker-santiago.blogspot.com/search/label/Via de la Plata

 

[nalod]

Hello Viebe. I wont repeat some of the excellent advice already give. I have walked the Via de al Plata about 3 times and the Mozarabe once, in February March. You said you can walk fairly long days this will help overcome any slight accom problems. I done it one year to Santiago via Sanabres in 32 days, never had problems re: accom or food. Rivers streams can swell a bit in winter but are usually still crossable.

I have just came back from doing it and will give you a few links that should be helpful. first updates of this years trip https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/live-updates-february-2016.38216/

Also I have some photographic blog both from this year and other years this will give you a feel for what is in store http://dermotdolan.blogspot.ie/2016/03/via-de-la-plata-february-1-to-february.html http://dermotdolan.blogspot.ie/2014/04/via-de-la-plata-2014-photographs-work.html and my website http://www.caminogallery.com/gallery/?id=7&area=9

Hope that will give you a "picture" you can always pm me for any other help.

Regards Dermot (Nalod)

 

[vlebe]

Hi Everyone!
I dont even knw how to thank you all for the kind inputs! They were all really really nice!

Dermot, your pictures are just lovely! Makes me feel like packing and going as soon as possible!

I`m still very divided between some of the options I have.

As it`ll be my wife`s first camino, I feel it would be too lonely for us. I I reckon she also needs to "feel" how it is to meet and know many other pilgrims along the route and have the sense of the brotherhood of the camino.

Now I`m torn between doing the Vila de PLata (fisrt for both of us) or taking her for the Frances, but this time I`d start somewhere behind in the Aragones route, then joining the Frances in Puente la reina and heading towards finisterra.

The secound option would also be a novelty for myself ( considering the aragones route) and we wouldnt be too lonely. Not that this is a problem.

Im thinking that we will be mainly walking in december... And even the Frances will be lonely itself.

Anyway, I still have a couple of weeks to decide before buying the flight tickets

I might fly into Madrid for any of the options, so that means I might change my mind on which route to go many times as 2016 goes by.

It`s amazing how even after so many thousand kilometers already walked in the Caminos toward Santiago, I still feel very excited about thinking of being there again....

THanks all once again for being so Kind. I`ll try to keep you posted on my decisions and might have more questions along the way!

Buen Camino to you all!


Ultreya!

 

[LTfit]

I would think twice about doing the Aragonés in December! It is truely lovely but expect snow...the region around Canfranc is known for its skiing.

 

[vlebe]

I would think twice about doing the Aragonés in December! It is truely lovely but expect snow...the region around Canfranc is known for its skiing.

Thanks a lot for the input LT! I`m pretty used to climb with snow up to my waist and at first it wouldnt be a problem.

Although I`ll have to make an assessment previously on how much snow it might be up there at the end of november (planning to start around november 26th), how covered will be the way marks (maybe a GPS will be necessary) and depending on conditions I can either start form a lower sea level location (after Somport in Canfranc or Jaca) or take some snow gear with me if necessary. If emergency strikes on the last time, I can move to the Carretera ( dangerous and boring but... We can live with that).

Do you think starting from Jaca ( if there is too much snow) is still all right in terms of beautiful scenery and landscapes, challenge, etc?

All the above, only if I take this as an alternative plan from the Vdlp, of course! :-D

Thanks very much!