Wondering how busy the trail is

[oceide]

Hola, caminoers. We are hoping to finish the walk this year from O Cebreiro and are wondering how busy the trail is , as due to some minor health issues , we need a private room at each stop.
Ger.

 

[jcat]

Hola, caminoers. We are hoping to finish the walk this year from O Cebreiro and are wondering how busy the trail is , as due to some minor health issues , we need a private room at each stop.
Ger.

When do you plan on walking? I'll be on the Camino next month and there are plenty of private rooms available on Booking dot com.

 

[oceide]

When do you plan on walking? I'll be on the Camino next month and there are plenty of private rooms available on Booking dot com.

later in sept/early oct. Thanks for prompt reply. Any idea what numbers of walkers are on the Way?

 

[Lady Remnants]

Hola, caminoers. We are hoping to finish the walk this year from O Cebreiro and are wondering how busy the trail is , as due to some minor health issues , we need a private room at each stop.
Ger.

I’m here now (close to Burgos) and most people are booking ahead a few days because of limited capacity and growing numbers. For me it’s perfect. Enough people to make it interesting but not crowded. If you have special needs you will want to book ahead. Many places are open.

 

[Machelle]

Hola, caminoers. We are hoping to finish the walk this year from O Cebreiro and are wondering how busy the trail is , as due to some minor health issues , we need a private room at each stop.
Ger.

I am in Moratinos now and there are very few people. The people I have walked with have had no trouble finding beds. I have prebooked private rooms for the whole Camino but can tell you, thus far, I didn’t need to. That may change after Sarria. I will try to keep you updated, if you want, as I make my way to Santiago.

 

[thistleamy]

I am starting from Burgos on Sept. 29 - so thank you all for the updates - very helpful. I haven't booked anything yet just because everything is still so fluid - but as I get closer I will probably book the first few nights and see how it goes. I hope to see some of you who are walking in October!

 

[lt56ny]

later in sept/early oct. Thanks for prompt reply. Any idea what numbers of walkers are on the Way?

Two suggestions.
First check apps like Buen Camino, Wise Pilgrim (both free) and gronze.com as well as booking.com for places to stay. Then do not use booking.com. These pension/hotel/albergue/hostel owners have been hurting. Using Booking takes 15% away from the owners who need revenue now more than ever. Often you will get lower prices then online and there may be perigrino discounts. Maybe, it never hurts to ask.
Second. We never know who or how many will walk in the future but to get an idea go to this website:

Oficina del Peregrino | Catedral de Santiago de Compostela

oficinadelperegrino.com

It is the Pilgrim website in Santiago and they are the keepers of all things Camino.
Scroll over at the top that says Pilgrim Office and you will see a dropdown box. Click on statistics and you will have more information than you ever thought was available about who has walked, from where on the camino, from which country and on and on for each month or every year for many years.
1354 Pilgrims arrived yesterday in Santiago.

 

[alexwalker]

Hola, caminoers. We are hoping to finish the walk this year from O Cebreiro and are wondering how busy the trail is , as due to some minor health issues , we need a private room at each stop.
Ger.

Yesterday (Sept.7) 883 pilgrims were in the Pilgrim Office. That is roughly 1/2 - 1/3 of a normal year/day.

 

[sandoval17]

We are leaving on 9/25 from Seattle, starting in Leon. Very excited and nervous for this journey. We look forward to meeting any other pilgrims on our way.

 

[David with new Kit!]

I'm in Navarrete and had no problems booking do far.

 

[deniseketcham]

We are leaving on 9/25 from Seattle, starting in Leon. Very excited and nervous for this journey. We look forward to meeting any other pilgrims on our way.

Same for me. We have 4 pilgrims from Austin, Texas arriving on Sunday 9/26. We will spend Monday exploring León and the start to Villar de Mazarife. Second Camino for me.

 

[oceide]

I am in Moratinos now and there are very few people. The people I have walked with have had no trouble finding beds. I have prebooked private rooms for the whole Camino but can tell you, thus far, I didn’t need to. That may change after Sarria. I will try to keep you updated, if you want, as I make my way to Santiago.

Thank you, Machelle. Our plans have changed and will hope to walk in 2022.
Buen camino
Ger.

 

[gertrong415]

We started in Sarria yesterday. One would, I believe, expect this to be the busiest section of the Camino at a time that would likely be more busy than when you plan to travel. We did book ahead well in advance and are traveling very slowly, but have been surprised that it has been much less busy than expected. There are enough pilgrims that there is usually someone 50 yards behind or ahead of us, but honestly no crowds at all so far. We are in Portomarin tonight ( going slow) and we did have to book a few blocks off the Camino but there was a local festival today. I cannot imagine that you would have any trouble finding a bed a few weeks from now unless you are walking late enough that some places have closed for the season. We have been pleasantly surprised so far.

 

[C clearly]

July and August are the busiest months from Sarria, when many Spaniards are on holiday and walking. Once the students go back to school, the numbers decline dramatically. On the other hand, May and September are the busiest times from SJPP, when retired foreigners arrive to start a longer walk. The bottlenecks are more likely to be between SJPP and Pamplona right now, and they will even themselves out as they approach Santiago. There will still be an influx at Sarria, but well within the capacity of the infrastructure.

 

[oceide]

July and August are the busiest months from Sarria, when many Spaniards are on holiday and walking. Once the students go back to school, the numbers decline dramatically. On the other hand, May and September are the busiest times from SJPP, when retired foreigners arrive to start a longer walk. The bottlenecks are more likely to be between SJPP and Pamplona right now, and they will even themselves out as they approach Santiago. There will still be an influx at Sarria, but well within the capacity of the infrastructure.

Many thanks for your considered replies. We are looking forward to completing the Way next spring.
Buen Camino, all.
Ger.

 

[alexwalker]

Today sept.9, 1143 pilgrims have gotten their Compostelas: https://oficinadelperegrino.com/

Their counter is live, that is, it is in real time, so the number increases during the day, until the PO closes at 20.00 PM.