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Via de la Plata around Christmas

rosefield

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Have done a few bits of the Camino Frances - and a bit of Camino del Norte. ( Roughly a week every year since 2009)
I am thinking of heading off from Seville on 26th or 27th of December along the route for about a week or so . I don't want to book accomodation in advance as I like to make things up as I go along. Has anyone walked it around this time? Was it easy enough to find a cheap enough bed along the way? Thank you in advance.
 
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I am thinking of heading off from Seville on 26th or 27th of December along the route for about a week or so . I don't want to book accomodation in advance as I like to make things up as I go along. Has anyone walked it around this time? Was it easy enough to find a cheap enough bed along the way? Thank you in advance.

Hello rosefield,

Alansykes walked the vdlp this past november and arrived at sdc on christmas day. You should be able to find his blogs in this forum. I believe he is a travel writer for the guardian in uk.

Be aware that many of the municipal albergues will be closed for the winter. My experience from my winter walk this past february is that out of sevilla, i stayed in private albergues in the first 2 stages and also other stages. The parrochial albergue in monasterio is opened.

Good luck and buen camino.
 
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Thank you for your replies. I don't mind the private hostels - they are usually cheap enough. I hope that generally speaking they are open just after Christmas. I keep reading about having to wade through streams...What am I letting myself in for I ask myself...
 
I think that time of the years via de la plata would be very emty, no many people around even in the villages.
If you like the feeling of being alone you would be ok.Many albergues closed and remember is not as travelled as Camino Frances.
My parents live in that area and that's my knowledge about VdlP.
Best time for walking over there is Spring time or Fall, because of best weather.
Buen Camino anyway.
 
Yes rossfield, there are quite a few streams to cross. And when it rains, there will be more streams to cross. The big problem with the arroyos (streams) is that there are very few or no concrete blocks to use as a crossing. Some of the streams have big granite stones that are very slippery. So be very careful when crossing.

I would recommend that you pick up some walking sticks in the wood for support. And take off your hiking boots when crossing the streams. Also be very careful because the water in the stream is very fast running and the bottom of the stream with small pebbles are also very slippery. The water is also icy cold. The water in some of the stream is as high as 3-4 feet high. Of course all this is based on my experience during my vdlp winter walk in february.

I fell on the north side of caparra while crossing a deep stream. It was my stupid mistake of trying to cross the stream hopping from one big stone to another and i slipped and bumped my forehead. Fortunately no serious damage was done except my vanity.

Maybe more recent peregrinos can make more contribution to the stream crossings.

Buen camino.
 
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Thank you again. I like hiking alone so that won't bother me. Like to meet a few people at night though - but that won't be the end of the world -as I will only be walking for a short time. And thanks for the advice on the streams. A bit of a problem for me as I have a dodgy leg - so my balance is not the best. I'm hoping if anything is too difficult I can detour to a bridge which is not too far away......
My friend says I always bring the sunshine - so I'm optimistic about the weather!
 
I see my query got a lot of views - so I'll be sure and come back here and write about my experience(s) after my trip. In the meantime - if anyone else out there has been on that leg at this specific time - I'd love to hear how you got on.
 
The VdlP in winter is ideal for people who relish solitary walking. A week should get you through the Sierra Morena and as far as Zafra, which is a delightful town. There's usually somebody in the bar to have a chat to in the evening.

Johnnie Walker left Seville on Jan 2 one year, and had no problems finding accommodation until a day short of Salamanca. He has some useful observations on clothing etc. His blog is here: http://www.johnniewalker-santiago.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/winter-camino.html

The weather might be kinder to you than it was to people earlier this year - last year I had about 3 hours of light drizzle between Seville and Zamora, although Galicia did its best to make up for it.
 
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Ah thanks - I should add that I am Irish - so I've done a fair bit of walking here in unkind weather.....
No such thing as bad weather - Only bad clothes - or so they say....
 
I started on the VDLP last May and was talking to man who had walked from Sevilla to Merida. He advised that in April (and I think March) this year the Spring rains meant that much of the first stage was impassable - you had to walk on the roads (be careful of cars/buses/lorries etc) and that on some stretches it was advisable to take a but around the worst of the wash-aways. Your Irish optimism is commendable. Buen Camino :cool:
 
Well so much for my optimism - I fell down the stairs and did some serious damage - I'll still be on crutches at Christmas. I am going to Seville anyway....but I'll be doing a bit of busing around instead of hiking......
 
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Sorry to hear of your misfortune rosefield! Go that it won't keep you from Sevilla. I was hoping to hear about your travels along the VdlP around Christmas. Maybe I will just have to take your place;)!
Get well soon!
 
Ah no good 'rosefield' but time will slip by quickly and you will be on your way again. I am off in April on the Plata starting in Sevilla and hopefully going all the way through to Santiago de Compostela. Perhaps better to slip down the stairs than on ice but not a pleasant experience I would think.
 
Hello rosefield,

I am sorry to hear about your accident. I hope you will recover soon and be able to do what you wanted to do- that is doing the vdlp. Be on the side of optimism as you are irish. My thoughts are with you.

Good luck. Buen camino and god bless.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Enjoy Sevilla. So far in my travels around Spain it is my favorite city. If you get a chance (and can make the trip) cross the river to Trianna the old gypsy quarter. There is a hostel there called.... I think Trianna backpackers hostel. I stayed for about a week last year after I completed the Frances late in the fall.
 

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