via de la plata

[Walkerbabe]

I am planning my first camino for next spring. Via de la plata came highly recommended as a camino with little ashphalt, beauty and fewer pilgrims.
Any other qualities or disadvantages of this camino would be appreciated.
we will be starting just west of madrid

 

[SYates]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I am a bit confused - the Via de la Plata starts in Sevilla and goes up north, not anyway near the Madrid route. Also, the Via does have some asphalt/tarmac walking plus the occasional 30+km stage with nothing much in between. Also speaking some Spanish on this route is a good idea.

Buen Camino, SY

 

[Anniesantiago]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I am a bit confused - the Via de la Plata starts in Sevilla and goes up north, not anyway near the Madrid route. Also, the Via does have some asphalt/tarmac walking plus the occasional 30+km stage with nothing much in between. Also speaking some Spanish on this route is a good idea.

Buen Camino, SY

Confused here as well.

 

[notion900]

Please anyone correct me here - I am comparing with Frances, Norte and Primitivo but have only done as far as Villafranca de los Barros on the Plata so far:

Advantages: quiet, feels quite adventurous, not touristy or full of noisy guided groups. Towns are very unspoilt and people very welcoming. Some navigational challenges and lack of crowds mean you don't just walk like a sheep on the path and follow others - you have to make an effort.

Disadvantages: more or less fixed stages means an almost total lack of flexibility. Some stages are long. Weather can be massively hot in summer (look up the stats), but in Spring and Autumn can also be very hot but it doesn't get light early enough to make really early starts to avoid the heat possible - so you can end up struggling to do the distance in the heat of the day. (Navigating in the dark is HARD on the Plata - I tried it.) Nobody outside major towns speaks English. Like really nobody. The fixed stages mean if you take a rest day you lose your buddies and may not see them again. More loose dogs and livestock than on the Frances. Possible unbridged creeks when it has been raining mean you may need to wade or take a long detour.

So I would say make your choice based on your previous walking experience. If you have not really hiked in remote areas I would not do the Plata as a first camino.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I am heading off to VdlP in a few weeks and have been able to tweak my etapas to keep them in the low twenty range, or less, 90% of the time. I will taxi two days to chew off some 10 km from 30km days, bit that's only necessary twice between Sevilla and Salamanca.

I expect quiet days walking in my on with other pilgrims walking into albergues at the end of the day and shared meals then. I am going earlish in the year so I am hoping for high 20sC on the warmest days. I expect not having many second breakfasts, and having to pack snacks for the first time ever in 7 Caminos. I will be nervous about water as I am no camel and drink a lot of water even back home sitting behind a desk at work.

I expect not to have to motivate myself to walk 20 mote steps "to that rock" to then huff and puff catching my breath as I go up hills as on the Primitivo. I expect to see pigs! And blooming plants as I move North. I expect few church visits, lots of Arabic-based town names and Roman ruins.

 

[notion900]

Sure - take salty almonds and a second water bottle just in case yours leaks. There are very few fountains but if you need water urgently ask at any house or even flag down a car. People in this region know how dangerous it can be to run out.

You will see many pigs, goats, dogs, white towns, tons of cork oaks, and you will talk about ham a lot. I had conversations of more than 1 hour about ham. There is a very serious municipal museum of ham and be sure to read all the displays diligently so you can have more in depth ham conversations. You cannot know too much about ham. Be sure to read up the difference between Iberico and Serrano before you go, or you may make a social gaffe.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Ham!!! Yum!!! And a great go-to when on WW! Did you know there's a ham museum in Madrid near the Prado as well?

Serrano=generic. Iberico=better and $. Pata Negra = gone to heavenand flr a second mortgage. Yes?

Thank you for the water tip. Will bring my bladder as back up on top of my Smartube.

 

[notion900]

The ham museum of Madrid is a tasting restaurant, but this one is an actual serious institution:
http://www.museodeljamondemonesterio.com/index/index.html

As for Serrano and Iberico it's a lot to do with what the pigs eat, how they are kept and whatnot. And the breed of pig comes into it. It's a big subject. Take it seriously!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

The ham museum of Madrid is a tasting restaurant, but this one is an actual serious institution:
http://www.museodeljamondemonesterio.com/index/index.html

As for Serrano and Iberico it's a lot to do with what the pigs eat, how they are kept and whatnot. And the breed of pig comes into it. It's a big subject. Take it seriously!

Will go do my research!

 

[notion900]

You will reap the reward in ham.

 

[Ell]

The Via De La Plata is great as there are very little pilgrims as previously mentioned. You can also always be sure of finding accommodation. There is quite a bit of tar and distances are quite long. We cycled from Caceres to Zamora in September 2017. You can read my blog on http://www.campsbayapartments.com/camino/viadelaplata if you are interested.