VDP crowded or not crowded ?

[Gilles du Gers]

Hola ! Sorry I'm french and don't speak english, just do my best...
Can anybody walking these days on Via de la Plata tell us about the number of pilgrims this year ? Is it more crowded in 2010 ?
I start in Sevilla next sunday to reach Santiago. Do we have to be aware of full albergues ?
Thanks for your informations.
Gilles du Gers (living at L'Isle Jourdain, on Via Tolosana)

 

[eze]

Hi Gilles,

We achieved the first part of our walk about 10 days ago.
We started on March 9th 2010 from Sevilla. Saw no pilgrim at all till Almaden de la Plata. We went to the Albergue for the sello and learnt that there where two pilgrims sleeping there. We actually met them at the Bar Concha where they were having diner and where we were lodging.
Two german pilgrims in El Real de Jara when crossing the arroyo de la Vibora. One exhausted spaniard when arriving in Galisteo where two german pilgrims (male and female) had a room and diner in Bar los Emigrantes where we stayed. Carcaboso, two ladies (belgian and german met in Elena's bar). In Jarilla, (hostal Asturias) one french from Sète. When in Salamanca for a day rest, we saw one pilgrim arriving crossing the roman bridge. Not much people though.

I know that you already walked quite a number of caminos. You will see a large difference with the other ones. This one, at the time we walked it, was quite empty. I do not remember to have met anyone during walking time.

I hope that you will have less "humidity" than what we had. Not that we had a lot of rain, but that we had to suffer the result of winter rains that were quite heavy. It means that ground is full of water and any of the downhill parts of the camino is covered with small white flowers showing that water is still present in the fields.

Buen Camino

Francis

 

[lovingkindness]

Hola, Gilles. From December, 2009 to the end of March at the albergue in Fuenterroble de Salvatierre (on the Via de la Plata, two stages before Salamanca) I noticed the following: in December one or two peregrinos arrived each fortnight; in January one peregrino appeared each week; in February 1-3 peregrinos turned up per week; then in March 1-6 peregrinos arrived per day escalating by the end of the month to 15 or 16 daily. However, yesterday and today (6 - 7 April) at the Salamanca albergue de peregrinos, where I happen to be stopping overnight, the numbers arriving from San Pedro, (one day after Fuenterroble) are again minimal. Hope this helps.

Cheers, Lovingkindness.

 

[drewbird15]

Greetings Gilles,
I began the camino in Sevilla on April 5 and am currently in Villafranca, a couple of days from Merida. So far the albergues seem to be running just under full capacity. The albergue in Guillena only had 10 beds, so several pilgrims did have to seek out a hotel for the night. I have brought a lightweight sleeping pad with me, but so far I have been lucky and haven´t had to use it. Buena suerte and buen camino!

 

[larrycu]

Gilles & Drewbird
I also appreciate your information. I am leaving from Seville on the 22 on VDLP, so am hoping it is not too crowded yet.
Larry

 

[walkingnomads]

Thanks for all the comments. We leave Brisabne for VDLP soon (start walking 9th May) so all comments are very useful. Cathy and Chris

 

[peregrina2000]

Just got a tidbit while talking with someone in Galisteo (north of Caceres) -- she said there are a lot fewer people on the Vdlp this year than last. I was kind of surprised to hear that, wonder why.

Laurie

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I am in Bandiero right now. It´s not a bit crowded. I saw maybe four other pilgrims today, not including the great wave of matching bikers that passed through...

Rebekah

 

[Gilles du Gers]

Hello.
I started at Cadix in the middle of april. I found this camino very crowdy, especialy most of them germans. Albergues full. I prefer to walk peacefully and stopped at Merida. Last year I walked the Camino del Norte in april and loved it. Maybe that's the reason why ? If i had walked the camino Frances...
Never mind, I'll carry on from Merida to Santiago in oktober !!
Gilles du Gers

 

[hel&scott]

Good to see this route is still the solitary trail that makes it special... I suggest we all stop blogging about how great it is so it stays that way.

Sadly September is the busiest time on the camino, when we did it in 2008 there was a group of 8-10 or so slogging along from Seville, while you didn't see them during the day but we all staggered in at the end of the day and as the alburges are far and few between you end up with the same group for most of the way. Many of the albergue only have a dozen beds so it gave us the impression of being "busy".

One problem we did run into was a large group of locals, about 20 who had a driver carrying their packs along and taking over the albergue before the rest of us got there... worse they did the same at the tiny local shops and bars! Luckily they were only doing a week long stretch. However I shouldn't be surprised if you ran into these kinds of groups on a Holy year.

 

[hel&scott]

I found this camino very crowdy, especialy most of them germans.

Almost forgot about this, yes you will run into a lot of Germans on this route... often doing sections via bus or playing locals to carry them... I know this is a terrible sterotype but sadly true. While the locals are not so strict as they are on the French route, it was somewhat pleasing that many times the locals refused to feed or house them as they weren't proper pilgrims.

Smug of us we know - even more since we are pagans and hardly qualify as pilgrims, but the locals really appreciate people coming from all over the world to walk their road.

 

[walkingnomads]

Hi to all, We leave from Seville tomorrow morning so will post updates along the way. WE are looking forward to our journey. Chris and Cathy. PS We have been in Sevilla for 3 days and have only seen a couple of people who look like possible pilgrims.

 

[Gilles du Gers]

Hi walkingnomads ,
I will be very interested by your informations. I will start egain fom Merida in august. Ok, I've already been warned about the heat, but if you also get informations about how crowded it is in august I will be very glad to read them.
Buen camino !
Gilles du Gers

 

[peregrina2000]

I am on the Vdlp now, in Villafranca de los Barros. I have walked now for 8 days and have never seen another person on the trail. But I know that there are 35-40 people one day ahead of me. So, my recommendation would be that if you find yourself in a huge group. just hang back a day and you will probably be in a smaller group with no rush for beds.
Buen camino, Laurie

 

[brendan1]

We have just walked from Zamora to Puerta Sanabria. Some albergues were full others not so. We also ran into the problem of locals (a group of five from Barcelona) with one of them driving between albergues, having their bags carried and booking beds long before genuine walkers arrive. In one Albergue I was informed that the driver had arrived by 10.30. There was also a group of cyclists who arrived at the Albergue in Rio Negro with their team vehicle which carried all their baggage. The VDLP will have to start to enforce the rules already in force on the Camino Frances that is preference to genuine walkers and only allowing beds to cyclists late in the day. If peoole can afford to drive or cyclists afford a team vehicle they could equally afford to stay in private accommodation and leave the Albergues for the walkers.