The Camino Santiago

[Beanstalk]

Hi there....

I have walked assorted Caminos several times. Unfortunately, in these our 21st century times, the Camino has acquired a different character than it once had. It is supposed to be something sensitive, reflective, something that puts you in touch with the deeper springs of your life, etc. However, in recent years there are so many people walking it, it is not really like that during the summer months. In the summer, it is very crowded, and some areas simply don't have the infrastructure to deal with such hordes very well....It is now often an unfriendly race to get into a hostel before it fills up..I have also seen a good deal of very un-pilgrimlike, selfish, mean spirited behavior recently...I would suggest that you try to walk the Camino in some other time than the summer. April and May, October and November would be far more pleasant. Also, you can walk the Via de la Platta that starts in Seville: this path has way less people on it than the others.....hope this helps...

Bon Camino
Beanstalk

[bigcranky]

Beanstalk, thanks for the info. We're planning to walk the Camino when we retire, and I was wondering about the best months to go.

[firesign]

Don't rule out the Via de la Plata route to Santiago from Seville. Lot less crowded but with similar facilities.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%ADa_de_la_Plata.


Best of Luck.

[Grinder]

From this and other sources, I have learned that the Camino Santiago is actually a network of trails, Not a single path. My question regards the "rush for a bed". If you don't rush and the "shelters" are full, is there a problem with camping??? I am a Hammock hiker, and it wouldn't upset me to hang often. Are there wooded areas with free camping, or paid campgrounds or??? Would I be forced into relatively high priced hostels and inns?

Thanks for your thoughts

[Starchild]

From this and other sources, I have learned that the Camino Santiago is actually a network of trails, Not a single path. My question regards the "rush for a bed". If you don't rush and the "shelters" are full, is there a problem with camping??? I am a Hammock hiker, and it wouldn't upset me to hang often. Are there wooded areas with free camping, or paid campgrounds or??? Would I be forced into relatively high priced hostels and inns?

Thanks for your thoughts

I've heard that camping in the countryside is legal, but generally not in towns.

[Hikingjim]

Grinder - I did a little research on this when I was considering the trail, and people's opinions are all over the place. You aren't supposed to camp near urban areas, near official camp sites (not that many of them, but there are some), but some people have camped elsewhere without issue. There aren't that many trees in a lot of areas, so I would think hammock might be more of a pain than tent. I would be very interested to hear if there is someone here who has actually camped a lot on these trails?

Ultimately I decided against this trail for now because of the increased rates they are paving the trail, the crowds, the "rush to the auberge", and the millions of other good hike options

I like to take a lot of breaks, enjoy, and walk a lot, but knowing there's somewhere to stay if I get in at 8 pm. Maybe I'll try a fringe season when I have time!

[-Rush-]

This trail is on my list along with a few others. I've seen The Way, which was a good movie, and I'd do it mainly for the following reasons:

1. Meet and hang out with interesting people.
2. Pass through old historical places.
3. Enjoy the wine and food!
4. Photography/Video

I've read somewhere that you pass through a town every four miles, so there's no need to carry food with you at all. The thing I dislike is road walking, which I heard is 99% of the path, but I'm sure I could get used to it. I'd prefer to stay out of the giant hostels as depicted in the film. I'd love to stay at places like the old church with the sconces as depicted in the film. I anticipate a lot of research on routes and whatnot before I could put together a solid plan for this trip.

ps - Trailjournals.com is a great place to read about experiences on this trail.

[KnightErrant]

^It's a lot less than 99% road walking! I would estimate 20- 30% and it's concentrated in certain provinces. Even when it's on a road, it's with very little vehicle traffic (except perhaps tractors). And the longest stretches without a town are 10-12 miles, so on those days you want to pack a meal with you, but yeah, usually just snacks are sufficient.

As for having to "race" to get a bed, I went in peak season and only had this experience a couple times in the last 100km. Most towns have several different housing options, including...
-a municipal albergue (cheap, large, sometimes utilitarian but other times still very charming)
-religious albergues (also cheap, sometimes donation only, vary widely in size, often include community-cooked meals and an optional pilgrim mass)
-private albergues/hostels (usually more expensive, usually small, sometimes include private room options)

So even if you can't find space in one, there are other options. In general, camping is not legal in most parts of Spain, but I met a few people who would "stealth camp" when they were out in the middle of nowhere and never suffered any consequences. Most pilgrims start very early in the morning (5-7am) to beat the heat so I imagine if you camp, you are gone before anyone would happen upon you in the morning. But I never carried any shelter or sleeping pad, so that was not really an option I considered. Again, finding a bed was never a problem, only sometimes not finding your first choice of a bed.

[-Rush-]

^It's a lot less than 99% road walking! I would estimate 20- 30% and it's concentrated in certain provinces. Even when it's on a road, it's with very little vehicle traffic (except perhaps tractors). And the longest stretches without a town are 10-12 miles, so on those days you want to pack a meal with you, but yeah, usually just snacks are sufficient.

As for having to "race" to get a bed, I went in peak season and only had this experience a couple times in the last 100km. Most towns have several different housing options, including...
-a municipal albergue (cheap, large, sometimes utilitarian but other times still very charming)
-religious albergues (also cheap, sometimes donation only, vary widely in size, often include community-cooked meals and an optional pilgrim mass)
-private albergues/hostels (usually more expensive, usually small, sometimes include private room options)

So even if you can't find space in one, there are other options. In general, camping is not legal in most parts of Spain, but I met a few people who would "stealth camp" when they were out in the middle of nowhere and never suffered any consequences. Most pilgrims start very early in the morning (5-7am) to beat the heat so I imagine if you camp, you are gone before anyone would happen upon you in the morning. But I never carried any shelter or sleeping pad, so that was not really an option I considered. Again, finding a bed was never a problem, only sometimes not finding your first choice of a bed.

Thanks for the info. This thread inspired me to pick up Bill "SkyWalker" Walker's book "The Best Way" about his trip on the Camino. I've read his AT and PCT books and they were pretty cool.