What next after the Variante Espiritual?

[MaxHelado]

The last 100k of the Portugués via the Variante Espiritual was our first Camino and we loved it. Now we want to go back and walk some more. Any thoughts on where we might walk next would be very gratefully received. What we particularly liked about the Variante was.....

- it was quiet
- it was stunningly beautiful
- we passed through villages and towns where we were able to interact with local people
- there was little road walking and a lot of woodland trails
- walking into Santiago was a very special experience

I'd welcome views from all but particularly from anyone who has walked the Variante and can make comparisons with other routes.
Also like to hear from those who have walked parts of Caminos but without finishing in Santiago. How important is it to complete the journey with that walk to the Cathedral?

 

[Albertinho]

Well Max depending on how much you like to walk

i did the Caminho Inglès once. 100 kms moreless from Ferrol in the north of Galicia
very nice camino.
If you do not bother getting a second Compostela you could walk from Porto to Valença on the central route or from Porto to Baiona on the coastal

or the CF from Sarria or the via de la Plata from Ourense. Many options

 

[LavanyaLea]

The route you did is on my list of camino to do, for all the same reasons

Other competitors for my next camino are the San Salvador (there is a dedicated thread in this forum), it's one of the lesser known camino and ends in Oviedo, is meant to be breathtakingly beautiful and remote. And plus/minus continuing the San Salvador with the Primitivo. It would join the Frances in Melide, but I now have a strategy to avoid the crowds and still enjoy a quiet last stages of the Frances. Also, I arrived in Arzua on Sunday and O Pedrouzo on Monday and the 2 restaurants I was quite looking forward to try were closed on those days, so maybe I should reallly go back jajaja...

 

[MaxHelado]

Thank you, Albertinho,
Getting a Compostela is not of enormous importance but I do wonder how I would feel stopping before Santiago. Would I feel incomplete?

 

[MaxHelado]

The route you did is on my list of camino to do, for all the same reasons

Other competitors for my next camino are the San Salvador (there is a dedicated thread in this forum), it's one of the lesser known camino and ends in Oviedo, is meant to be breathtakingly beautiful and remote. And plus/minus continuing the San Salvador with the Primitivo. It would join the Frances in Melide, but I now have a strategy to avoid the crowds and still enjoy a quiet last stages of the Frances. Also, I arrived in Arzua on Sunday and O Pedrouzo on Monday and the 2 restaurants I was quite looking forward to try were closed on those days, so maybe I should reallly go back jajaja...

Thank you, LavanyaLea, the San Salvador sounds like something I must look at!
Are you willing to share your crowd avoidance technique for the CF?

 

[LavanyaLea]

Are you willing to share your crowd avoidance technique for the CF?

Avoid arriving in Sarria at the weekends, as this seems to be when most of the large groups start their camino, with the aim to get to Santiago on Fri/Sat. So aim to arrive in Santiago midweek and count backwards.

Don't leave at 7.30-8am, so either leave early (6AM latest) or after 10-11 if you have your next destination booked already. If you can, start and finish off stages, so that when you start the next day you are already ahead of the crowd. For Palas de Rei, continue about an hour after Palas de Rei, there are some villages further down from there like Campaña.

On the penultimate day, I walked further to Lavacolla, it felt quite exhausting, but felt really good that Santiago was only 10K ahead. We arrived in Santiago at 9.30AM after a detour at Monte de Gozo, it was on Tuesday, and I spent about 20 minutes queueing for my compostela!

I only started this strategy from Palas de Rei onwards, and wow! There was no crowd. I had videos and videos of empty trails and I could hear birds singing. It was lovely.

 

[MaxHelado]

Avoid arriving in Sarria at the weekends, as this seems to be when most of the large groups start their camino, with the aim to get to Santiago on Fri/Sat. So aim to arrive in Santiago midweek and count backwards.

Don't leave at 7.30-8am, so either leave early (6AM latest) or after 10-11 if you have your next destination booked already. If you can, start and finish off stages, so that when you start the next day you are already ahead of the crowd. For Palas de Rei, continue about an hour after Palas de Rei, there are some villages further down from there like Campaña.

On the penultimate day, I walked further to Lavacolla, it felt quite exhausting, but felt really good that Santiago was only 10K ahead. We arrived in Santiago at 9.30AM after a detour at Monte de Gozo, it was on Tuesday, and I spent about 20 minutes queueing for my compostela!

I only started this strategy from Palas de Rei onwards, and wow! There was no crowd. I had videos and videos of empty trails and I could hear birds singing. It was lovely.

All good advice.
Many thanks.

 

[Albertinho]

Thank you, Albertinho,
Getting a Compostela is not of enormous importance but I do wonder how I would feel stopping before Santiago. Would I feel incomplete?

I did once. Split a caminho in 2 parts one year and next year. For me it was o.k.

 

[MickMac]

The last 100k of the Portugués via the Variante Espiritual was our first Camino and we loved it. Now we want to go back and walk some more. Any thoughts on where we might walk next would be very gratefully received. What we particularly liked about the Variante was.....

- it was quiet
- it was stunningly beautiful
- we passed through villages and towns where we were able to interact with local people
- there was little road walking and a lot of woodland trails
- walking into Santiago was a very special experience

I'd welcome views from all but particularly from anyone who has walked the Variante and can make comparisons with other routes.
Also like to hear from those who have walked parts of Caminos but without finishing in Santiago. How important is it to complete the journey with that walk to the Cathedral?

Just watched Efren González walk the Variante video on YouTube looks brilliant.

 

[MaxHelado]

Just watched Efren González walk the Variante video on YouTube looks brilliant.

It is.
Which is why I am worrying about our next steps.
I would rather repeat our journey than walk crowded asphalt roads.
I can thoroughly recommend the Variante. Amazing.

 

[FLEUR]

For a non Santiago arrival try the Camino del Baztan. Stunningly peaceful and beautiful. Very few people, locals or pilgrims.
Bayonne to Pamplona.
You could always continue on the Camino Frances from Pamplona.

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

No doubt in my heart... I would walk Camino San Salvador from León to the cathedral in Oviedo! Extremely beautiful and peaceful. It takes 5-8 days and you can continue along another very magic Camino - Camino Primitivo which starts in Oviedo and ends in Santiago (11-116 days)

 

[BobY333]

San Salvador - yes, yes, yes! Stunning beauty. I just walked it (and then the Primitivo). In total I met 10 other pilgrims, and it would have been just six except that I did some extra km’s one day and caught up to four others.

It is mountainous, but totally doable. I did it in five days, others walk it in four or six (or more).

And, it is its own Camino with its own history. It has its own compostela (the Salvadorana) when you arrive in Oviedo. I was just as moved when I got to the cathedral there as when I have arrived in Santiago.

If you want more detail, I posted my journey on the “Live from the Camino” section of the forum, including Relive videos.

I can’t wait to do it again, this time with my wife. It’s that good.

Buen Camino!

 

[Brian K]

The last 100k of the Portugués via the Variante Espiritual was our first Camino and we loved it. Now we want to go back and walk some more. Any thoughts on where we might walk next would be very gratefully received. What we particularly liked about the Variante was.....

- it was quiet
- it was stunningly beautiful
- we passed through villages and towns where we were able to interact with local people
- there was little road walking and a lot of woodland trails
- walking into Santiago was a very special experience

I'd welcome views from all but particularly from anyone who has walked the Variante and can make comparisons with other routes.
Also like to hear from those who have walked parts of Caminos but without finishing in Santiago. How important is it to complete the journey with that walk to the Cathedral?

Hi Max,
Did you have any problem in getting your Compostela? I’ve heard different things regarding walking the variant as part of the last 100K into Santiago. We recently walked from Vigo and didn’t really like the amount of road walking. Would prefer walking the wooded paths you spoke about in your post.
Regards
Brian

 

[Albertinho]

Hi Max,
Did you have any problem in getting your Compostela? I’ve heard different things regarding walking the variant as part of the last 100K into Santiago. We recently walked from Vigo and didn’t really like the amount of road walking. Would prefer walking the wooded paths you spoke about in your post.
Regards
Brian

Hi Max,
Did you have any problem in getting your Compostela? I’ve heard different things regarding walking the variant as part of the last 100K into Santiago. We recently walked from Vigo and didn’t really like the amount of road walking. Would prefer walking the wooded paths you spoke about in your post.
Regards
Brian

Read this thread please https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...tual-del-camino-português.75388/#post-1039936

 

[Moniq]

The last 100k of the Portugués via the Variante Espiritual was our first Camino and we loved it. Now we want to go back and walk some more. Any thoughts on where we might walk next would be very gratefully received. What we particularly liked about the Variante was.....

- it was quiet
- it was stunningly beautiful
- we passed through villages and towns where we were able to interact with local people
- there was little road walking and a lot of woodland trails
- walking into Santiago was a very special experience

I'd welcome views from all but particularly from anyone who has walked the Variante and can make comparisons with other routes.
Also like to hear from those who have walked parts of Caminos but without finishing in Santiago. How important is it to complete the journey with that walk to the Cathedral?

If you don’t want to be that far of Santiago I can thoroughly recommend the Camino dos Faros. More a hike than a walk. I just did bits of it after my Camino. Beautiful. I walked the Variante Espiritual and loved it. I loved the Camino dos Faros even more. All along the coast, real trails and so many many flowers in all sorts and shapes. I just finished the walking a few days ago.I definitely will come back to walk to whole trip from Malpica to Finisterre. I also walked SdC - Finisterre - Muxia - SdC and liked that al lot too. Quiter, more trails. Good luck with choosing.

 

[MaxHelado]

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate these replies. I can’t wait to start my research!!
Thank you so much for your contributions. So excited!
Keep them coming!

 

[MaxHelado]

Hi Max,
Did you have any problem in getting your Compostela? I’ve heard different things regarding walking the variant as part of the last 100K into Santiago. We recently walked from Vigo and didn’t really like the amount of road walking. Would prefer walking the wooded paths you spoke about in your post.
Regards
Brian

Albertinho is the expert so do listen to him.
Based on my personal experience and what I have learnt you will have no problem.
Start in Vigo, get 2 stamps a day and you will love it!!

 

[jungleboy]

Interesting question and some great responses.

I have walked into Santiago five times (Francés, Primitivo, CP/VE, Geira and Sanabrés). Increasingly, I feel as though the last 100km are not as interesting as earlier sections in 4/5 cases, with the CP/VE being the big exception. This is just my view, of course, but if you want to walk a short camino (100km-ish) AND finish in Santiago, I don’t think you can find anything comparable to the CP/VE.

Outside of these parameters, the Salvador makes sense as others have said. I’m starting it tomorrow! If you are up for 300+ km / two weeks, then the Primitivo or the Madrid are good options, or the CP central from Porto without the VE which won’t have much crossover with what you’ve already done.

 

[MaxHelado]

Interesting question and some great responses.

I have walked into Santiago five times (Francés, Primitivo, CP/VE, Geira and Sanabrés). Increasingly, I feel as though the last 100km are not as interesting as earlier sections in 4/5 cases, with the CP/VE being the big exception. This is just my view, of course, but if you want to walk a short camino (100km-ish) AND finish in Santiago, I don’t think you can find anything comparable to the CP/VE.

Outside of these parameters, the Salvador makes sense as others have said. I’m starting it tomorrow! If you are up for 300+ km / two weeks, then the Primitivo or the Madrid are good options, or the CP central from Porto without the VE which won’t have much crossover with what you’ve already done.

Thanks, Jungle Boy.
I really do appreciate the time you (and others) are taking to respond to this thread. It is so helpful.

Your comments about the quality of the last 100k are very interesting. We found that the walk from Padrón to Santiago although interesting was not AS interesting or as beautiful as the walk from Vigo to Padrón (via the Variante.

But tell me, have you walked a Camino and NOT ended in Santiago? If so, what was it like to reach a "not-Santiago ending"? Was something missing for you?

 

[MaxHelado]

A general comment about me which may help you help me even more!

I walked into Santiago last week on my 68th birthday.
I am not unfit but confess I could do with being a little liighter in my boots (boy, that would help those knees).
My wife and I walked an average of 15km a day. One day we stretched it to 20km and I felt that I was at my limit (those 30k-a-day pilgrims are made of strong stuff!)
Uphill did not present a great challenge for me - just take it easy and keep plodding on. The steep downhills were tough on the knees.

Does the Salvador still sound like a good choice?
Another option might be to start the Portugués Coastal in Porto and finish in Vigo (where we began last time). Or drift across on to the Central.

We certainly did love the VE. I would walk it again tomorrow! Now there's a thought..........

 

[jungleboy]

But tell me, have you walked a Camino and NOT ended in Santiago? If so, what was it like to reach a "not-Santiago ending"? Was something missing for you?

Yes, the Madrid. It was a bit strange ending in Sahagún but I still really enjoyed the camino. Maybe just wanting to be on camino longer rather than specifically ending in Santiago was what I would have preferred. Wendy has talked about how arriving in Santiago is often underwhelming for her although by now we know some people there and have our favourite restaurants etc so it’s more like visiting an old friend rather than a monumental end point.

 

[MaxHelado]

Yes, the Madrid. It was a bit strange ending in Sahagún but I still really enjoyed the camino. Maybe just wanting to be on camino longer rather than specifically ending in Santiago was what I would have preferred. Wendy has talked about how arriving in Santiago is often underwhelming for her although by now we know some people there and have our favourite restaurants etc so it’s more like visiting an old friend rather than a monumental end point.

We love Santiago and had the thought that we could always walk our walk, finish where we finish and then jump on a train or bus into Santiago for a night (or two). We'd still be pilgrims, right!

 

[LavanyaLea]

We love Santiago and had the thought that we could always walk our walk, finish where we finish and then jump on a train or bus into Santiago for a night (or two). We'd still be pilgrims, right!

I have 2 friends who just finished their Camino Frances in Melide yesterday and taking the bus into Santiago today. They have done CF once before, and this time they felt quite fed up by the number of pilgrims on foot and bikes from Sarria. I tried to persuade them to carry on and told them how I managed to avoid the crowds, but they have made up their mind. To them it really was not a big deal and they have had a great camino experience so far.

We might come back in September (!!!) so I'd be following @jungleboy's San Salvador experience closely. So far we are like hungry pilgrims staring at a camino menu, and want to do everything all at once (CF Pamplona-Burgos/?Leon, San Salvador Leon-Oviedo +/- Primitivo) but I think come nearer the time we will rationalise it.

 

[MaxHelado]

I have 2 friends who just finished their Camino Frances in Melide yesterday and taking the bus into Santiago today. They have done CF once before, and this time they felt quite fed up by the number of pilgrims on foot and bikes from Sarria. I tried to persuade them to carry on and told them how I managed to avoid the crowds, but they have made up their mind. To them it really was not a big deal and they have had a great camino experience so far.

We might come back in September (!!!) so I'd be following @jungleboy's San Salvador experience closely. So far we are like hungry pilgrims staring at a camino menu, and want to do everything all at once (CF Pamplona-Burgos/?Leon, San Salvador Leon-Oviedo +/- Primitivo) but I think come nearer the time we will rationalise it.

Interesting.
Please update me on your deliberations, that would be so helpful.
I too have a friend (aren’t we lucky!) who just finished the CF from SJPP and got really bent out of shape on the last 100k. She was enraged by the crowds, the cyclists and the noise. But she chose to walk on and was glad she did.
Maybe we could establish a “100k for nice pilgrims only”?

 

[jungleboy]

So far we are like hungry pilgrims staring at a camino menu, and want to do everything all at once

🤣 Aren’t we all?

 

[BobY333]

A general comment about me which may help you help me even more!

I walked into Santiago last week on my 68th birthday.
I am not unfit but confess I could do with being a little liighter in my boots (boy, that would help those knees).
My wife and I walked an average of 15km a day. One day we stretched it to 20km and I felt that I was at my limit (those 30k-a-day pilgrims are made of strong stuff!)
Uphill did not present a great challenge for me - just take it easy and keep plodding on. The steep downhills were tough on the knees.

Does the Salvador still sound like a good choice?
Another option might be to start the Portugués Coastal in Porto and finish in Vigo (where we began last time). Or drift across on to the Central.

We certainly did love the VE. I would walk it again tomorrow! Now there's a thought..........

Hmmm - the San Salvador has lots of elevation, including some downhills that people have described as “rompepiernas” - leg breakers. I was fortunate in that my body handled it well. I have seen others who were concerned say that they took the downhills slowly and took breaks and they were fine. Others had a rough go of it. Also, check out the Ender guide (google will help you find it) - he has lots of options, including walking it in as many as 9 days if my memory is right. So, you can break it up! The scenery is simply beyond what you can imagine!

Best of luck,
Bob

 

[MaxHelado]

Hmmm - the San Salvador has lots of elevation, including some downhills that people have described as “rompepiernas” - leg breakers. I was fortunate in that my body handled it well. I have seen others who were concerned say that they took the downhills slowly and took breaks and they were fine. Others had a rough go of it. Also, check out the Ender guide (google will help you find it) - he has lots of options, including walking it in as many as 9 days if my memory is right. So, you can break it up! The scenery is simply beyond what you can imagine!

Best of luck,
Bob

Well, that's a double-edged sword!
At least I can admire the scenery while waiting for the ambulance
Seriously though.....the idea of a beautiful route is very, very appealing and, as you say, we can take our time. I'll take a look at the Ender guide (which I've never heard of)
When we finished the VE, and despite the fact that we took it easier, we said that next time we'd like to take even longer. More time to explore Vigo, Pontevedra, Padrón and, of course, Santiago.

 

[MaxHelado]

Just found a pdf of the Ender guide.
How amazing that someone (or more than one) have given time to create such a document.
Awesome.

 

[LavanyaLea]

Well, that's a double-edged sword!
At least I can admire the scenery while waiting for the ambulance
Seriously though.....the idea of a beautiful route is very, very appealing and, as you say, we can take our time. I'll take a look at the Ender guide (which I've never heard of)
When we finished the VE, and despite the fact that we took it easier, we said that next time we'd like to take even longer. More time to explore Vigo, Pontevedra, Padrón and, of course, Santiago.

Max, just saw that you live in London. Have you heard of the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way? It’s about 130 miles long, can be done in 12-14 stages, you can do a few days at a time (weekend pilgrims) then come back to it later. It’s along the North Wales, starting from Holywell in Flintshire, also known as “Lourdes of the Wales” and heading west to Bangor, then down the Llyn Peninsula into Aberdaron.

I would say the first 1/3 of it is historical/spiritual as you follow the path of St Winefride and St Beuno, 2 important Welsh saints from the Middle Ages, the middle 1/3 is physical (Aber Falls, Snowdonia/Llanberis path), and the last 1/3 is just breathtaking, magnificent coastal path (some of the route is shared with Wales Coastal Path). As you’re nearing the end, the footpath crosses a golf course (I had to dodge golf balls lol) and there’s a beach pub named the 3rd best beach pub in the WORLD. You finish walking in Aberdaron and then take a catamaran boat to Bardsey Island (the island of 20,000 saints).

Sublime.

The Pope said 2 pilgrimages to Bardsey is equal to 1 to Rome so there you go!

 

[MaxHelado]

Max, just saw that you live in London. Have you heard of the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way? It’s about 130 miles long, can be done in 12-14 stages, you can do a few days at a time (weekend pilgrims) then come back to it later. It’s along the North Wales, starting from Holywell in Flintshire, also known as “Lourdes of the Wales” and heading west to Bangor, then down the Llyn Peninsula into Aberdaron.

I would say the first 1/3 of it is historical/spiritual as you follow the path of St Winefride and St Beuno, 2 important Welsh saints from the Middle Ages, the middle 1/3 is physical (Aber Falls, Snowdonia/Llanberis path), and the last 1/3 is just breathtaking, magnificent coastal path (some of the route is shared with Wales Coastal Path). As you’re nearing the end, the footpath crosses a golf course (I had to dodge golf balls lol) and there’s a beach pub named the 3rd best beach pub in the WORLD. You finish walking in Aberdaron and then take a catamaran boat to Bardsey Island (the island of 20,000 saints).

Sublime.

The Pope said 2 pilgrimages to Bardsey is equal to 1 to Rome so there you go!
View attachment 127589

Never heard of this! Thank you. It’s going on my list immediately!

 

[Suzanne H]

Hi Max, I have not walked the VE. But, I have walked from Porto to Santiago and will respond to help your decision making…
I walked the Coastal/Sendo Litoral, so many of the first days out of Porto we walked a wooden boardwalk or concrete path along the beaches, or often sidewalks in/out of towns. There were a few days along the Coastal that offered woodland walks. I walked in September 2019, and it was quiet and beautiful. You frequent villages and some touristy towns along the way. The people in those villages and towns were great, and the walk was gorgeous. The focus, for me, was the sound and view of the expansive ocean and the tranquility the winds and quiet bring to the soul.
But, walking into Vigo as an ending point may possibly be a let down…. it's not the most "camino" of cities.
Walking into Santiago is a very special experience. I walked from Le Puy to SJPdP. Walking into St Jean was very special to me, but I found I wanted to continue walking to Santiago. Perhaps that was because several young women I met in France were continuing on, and I was jealous that their path continued and mine was returning home.
Is it important to complete the journey by walking to the Cathedral? I think that is a very personal question that only you can answer. Since my life will always have another camino planned, I can reason with myself that a walk that does not finish at the Cathedral this year, will finish there next year.
I’ve walked the Baztan – not overly difficult on the joints and the walk is just several days long into Pamplona. Book your hotels in advance and carry snacks. The people you meet will be kind, but there will not be many! And the mountains are beautiful.
An alternate for your list: SdC to Finisterre and Muxia, then back to SdC. Depart (and return to!) Santiago.
Buen camino! ~Suzanne