What's the Camino like right now?

[sarahbtravel]

Hi peregrinos! I am a UK travel writer and keen walker. I am writing a piece about the Camino for a national UK newspaper and I am keen to know what it's like out there on the trail right now?

I've heard it's pretty crowded, and that some pilgrims are behaving disrespectfully, treating it more like a party than a walk. Is that the experience on the ground? Have you seen bad behaviour? Do the locals seen resentful? Or is it still an amazing experience?

I hope it's OK to post this here. I would love to hear your thoughts – which I would use to inform my article, if that's OK.

Thanks!

 

[Anhalter]

My experience is from May this year, a month that is quite busy, but not the busiest month for the most problematic section. Here's my thoughts:

- The Xunte de Galicia has been promoting the final stretch of the camino heavily for years, especially so the last 100km.
- The last 100km, especially from Sarria are very popular for all kind of different groups
- A very large portion of those groups are spanish citizens
- Not all walk that stretch for religious or spiritual reasons. While i was told, that the rumor about people wanting a compostela for their CV is indeed a rumor, theres lots of school classes or assosciations that walk the 100km and i am bold and say: not every participant is doing so voluntarily.
- Having travelled to spain for around 35 of my 42 years, i would be so bold to say that in a very general term the Spanish are not the quietest of folks out there, specially the younglings. There also seems to be some difference between what the law says and how it is interpreted in daily use.

So now, those yearly reports of "pilgrims" behaving "badly" and "large groups" walking into SdC making "a lot of noise"... they somehow always emerge in, or following, the months of July and August. Somehow its also almost always reports from Places within 100km of Santiago. Has there been a similar repoprt from Pamplona? Burgos? Leon? Not that pilgrims would not go out drinking in those places and celebrate. Done so myself more than once. And for sure theres one behaving badly there once in a while as well.
But the major problem, the one those people keep writing about every summer, is (imho) a homemade one and has very little to do with pilgrims from abroad. In germany we have this saying to "sweep in front of your own house" before critisizing someone, not sure if that translates well into english.

 

[dick bird]

Hi peregrinos! I am a UK travel writer and keen walker. I am writing a piece about the Camino for a national UK newspaper and I am keen to know what it's like out there on the trail right now?

I've heard it's pretty crowded, and that some pilgrims are behaving disrespectfully, treating it more like a party than a walk. Is that the experience on the ground? Have you seen bad behaviour? Do the locals seen resentful? Or is it still an amazing experience?

I hope it's OK to post this here. I would love to hear your thoughts – which I would use to inform my article, if that's OK.

Thanks!

If you really want to know, there is only one way to find out - go and see for yourself.

 

[Marbe2]

Hi peregrinos! I am a UK travel writer and keen walker. I am writing a piece about the Camino for a national UK newspaper and I am keen to know what it's like out there on the trail right now?

I've heard it's pretty crowded, and that some pilgrims are behaving disrespectfully, treating it more like a party than a walk. Is that the experience on the ground? Have you seen bad behaviour? Do the locals seen resentful? Or is it still an amazing experience?

I hope it's OK to post this here. I would love to hear your thoughts – which I would use to inform my article, if that's OK.

Thanks!

Better to go and walk yourself, even if only for a few day.

 

[sarahbtravel]

If you really want to know, there is only one way to find out . go and see for yourself.

Wish I could get out there in the next week, but alas no! Short deadlines are a pain! I have done stretches of Camino in the past, but several years ago. Really interested to see how things have/haven't changed

 

[ivar]

There are a lot of Spanish pilgrims in Santiago these days... more than the international pilgrims. They will come in September... but from what I hear, it is busy.. but nothing dramatic. Had one in the office yesterday that just finished the Ingles and he said it was lonely... so I guess the answer is, it depends...

 

[sarahbtravel]

There are a lot of Spanish pilgrims in Santiago these days... more than the international pilgrims. They will come in September... but from what I hear, it is busy.. but nothing dramatic. Had one in the office yesterday that just finished the Ingles and he said it was lonely... so I guess the answer is, it depends...

So it seems that it's Spanish tourists that have massively increased in number, certainly in high summer? Is that the case? Perhaps they're the only ones suited to walk in those temperatures?! Us Northern Europeans have to wait until autumn! Do you get many pilgrims in winter months?

 

[ivar]

No, this is normal... August is the month the spaniards walk... it has always been their "top" month. Have a look here for some stats:

Daily Pilgrim Arrivals

 

[Bradypus]

Us Northern Europeans have to wait until autumn! Do you get many pilgrims in winter months?

If you want to break down the arrival figures by month, route, nationality or a few other ways then the pilgrim office statistics page has a lot of filters you can use.

Estadísticas | Oficina del Peregrino. Santiago de Compostela

oficinadelperegrino.com

 

[sarahbtravel]

No, this is normal... August is the month the spaniards walk... it has always been their "top" month. Have a look here for some stats:

Daily Pilgrim Arrivals

What great stats. Fascinating. You must have seen it change a lot over the years, though?

 

[ivar]

Santiago today. The line to get into the cathedral around 12.30
View attachment IMG_5335.jpeg

 

[Bradypus]

What great stats. Fascinating. You must have seen it change a lot over the years, though?

My first Camino was in 1990 and the cathedral recorded just under 5,000 Compostelas issued that year. Looks set to be half a million this year. So yes - it has changed a bit.

 

[patriciafross]

Hi peregrinos! I am a UK travel writer and keen walker. I am writing a piece about the Camino for a national UK newspaper and I am keen to know what it's like out there on the trail right now?

I've heard it's pretty crowded, and that some pilgrims are behaving disrespectfully, treating it more like a party than a walk. Is that the experience on the ground? Have you seen bad behaviour? Do the locals seen resentful? Or is it still an amazing experience?

I hope it's OK to post this here. I would love to hear your thoughts – which I would use to inform my article, if that's OK.

Thanks!

My experience is right now. I am walking from Pamplona to Santiago ( having done Le Puy to Pamplona the past 2 years. I have found it to be friendly and hospitable and yes, amazing! It’s also quite quiet right now as the Albergues I have been staying in which are quite nice, have a number of empty beds. Tonight in Navarette, I am the only one in a 12 bed dorm. The people along the way have been multinational and lovely, Irish, Chinese, American, Australian, South African, and the list goes on. The days are hot, the nights are cool, the people are friendly, and the beers are cold! Buen Camino!

 

[sarahbtravel]

"The days are hot, the nights are cool, the people are friendly, and the beers are cold!"

LOVE this! Is there anything better?

 

[patriciafross]

"The days are hot, the nights are cool, the people are friendly, and the beers are cold!"

LOVE this! Is there anything better?

Nope!

 

[HBS60]

I’m in the Camino Francés right now. I wouldn’t say it’s crowded, but that how many people you see at any given time varies on several factors. I started at SJPDP and I’m currently at Santo Domingo de La Calzada. At first (SJPDP, Roncesvalles. etc), I saw lots of pilgrims, but after Pamplona it had thinned out. Typically I see more pilgrims in the morning. Since I’m slow, many pass me by, and by the afternoon it can be quite lonely as I could go long time without seeing anybody. I also met lots of people that were only planning to do a segment of the Camino, say all the way to Logroño, then go back home due to work reasons or whatever, so they drop off after that. I can’t speak for the later stages, much less about Sarria onwards.
I was advised to make reservations everywhere all through Santiago, because “everybody in Europe goes on vacation in August”. I thought was unnecessary, so I just reserved all the way to Zubiri, and I never saw hordes of vacationing tourists cramming up albergues.
Since my walking has gotten better, this morning I saw a pleasant flow of pilgrims, I could see them in the distance, spaced apart, not crowded.
Some pilgrims may want to start in places like. Burgos, Astorga, etc so it might be different, but I imagine some pilgrims quit or go back home at those places.
So, for me, it hadn’t been crowded, except possibly the first few days.

 

[1BreathAtATime]

Yesterday I walked from La Virgen del Camino to Villar de Mazarife and saw zero pilgrims. Albeit I started late (11:30) due to phone troubles that I wanted fixed first. In Leon at my albergue, the people I heard where young Spanish fellow's. Several quiet seniors, so quiet I don't know what language they were most fluent in.

 

[Bedspring]

Hi peregrinos! I am a UK travel writer and keen walker. I am writing a piece about the Camino for a national UK newspaper and I am keen to know what it's like out there on the trail right now?

I've heard it's pretty crowded, and that some pilgrims are behaving disrespectfully, treating it more like a party than a walk. Is that the experience on the ground? Have you seen bad behaviour? Do the locals seen resentful? Or is it still an amazing experience?

I hope it's OK to post this here. I would love to hear your thoughts – which I would use to inform my article, if that's OK.

Thanks!

Could you share some of your previous articles, so people can judge the quality of your journalism

 

[Wandalina]

I honestly don't mean to be negative or rude .... really.. but how can you write an article about current situation if you are not reporting yourself from the Camino? And if you ask the question 'How is it right now' .. leave it as that.

Perhaps in an attempt not to preempt responses. Sorry i just find it so frustrating how a lot of journalism takes a grain of a story and sensationalises it.

This whole community of people on this forum.. strangers online helping and supporting each other for years in a lot of cases... with patience and humour and hard earned knowledge ... that's how the Camino is right now.

This kindness and unity is representative of the Camino right now it would be lovely to focus on this

 

[Tali]

So it seems that it's Spanish tourists that have massively increased in number, certainly in high summer? Is that the case? Perhaps they're the only ones suited to walk in those temperatures?! Us Northern Europeans have to wait until autumn! Do you get many pilgrims in winter months?

I’m inclined to agree with Wandalina. Please do not take a handful of observations covering 800 km (or 1000 or 100 or …) to be representative of how the Camino is at this time. If you follow conversations or this forum you will recognize that there is no one answer to your question. The Camino is fluid and fluctuating depending on where on the trail you are, which Camino you are walking, what day - and hour- you started, how you are feeling, what you ate, the weather, who you walk or don’t walk with, your mood, school breaks, holidays - one can go on and on. Please don’t write an article that describes what the Camino is like right now. It will be as wrong as it is right.

 

[C clearly]

Wish I could get out there in the next week, but alas no! Short deadlines are a pain!

Yes, and they often result in misleading or inaccurate articles in the news media.

Coming onto this forum may seem like a short cut to an easy article.

 

[mattythedog]

My experience is from May this year, a month that is quite busy, but not the busiest month for the most problematic section. Here's my thoughts:

- The Xunte de Galicia has been promoting the final stretch of the camino heavily for years, especially so the last 100km.
- The last 100km, especially from Sarria are very popular for all kind of different groups
- A very large portion of those groups are spanish citizens
- Not all walk that stretch for religious or spiritual reasons. While i was told, that the rumor about people wanting a compostela for their CV is indeed a rumor, theres lots of school classes or assosciations that walk the 100km and i am bold and say: not every participant is doing so voluntarily.
- Having travelled to spain for around 35 of my 42 years, i would be so bold to say that in a very general term the Spanish are not the quietest of folks out there, specially the younglings. There also seems to be some difference between what the law says and how it is interpreted in daily use.

So now, those yearly reports of "pilgrims" behaving "badly" and "large groups" walking into SdC making "a lot of noise"... they somehow always emerge in, or following, the months of July and August. Somehow its also almost always reports from Places within 100km of Santiago. Has there been a similar repoprt from Pamplona? Burgos? Leon? Not that pilgrims would not go out drinking in those places and celebrate. Done so myself more than once. And for sure theres one behaving badly there once in a while as well.
But the major problem, the one those people keep writing about every summer, is (imho) a homemade one and has very little to do with pilgrims from abroad. In germany we have this saying to "sweep in front of your own house" before critisizing someone, not sure if that translates well into english.

Amen Anhalter!! I also walked CF in April/May this year, and every year since 2016 (except 2020) and my pilgraged varied through 3 seasons. Additionally I walked the del Norte, Portuguese and Ingles. News reports tend to be embellished and exaggerated. A reporter's job is to enhance stories to increase readership, and not necessarily tell the truth.

Sarahb, walk it yourself, an do not rely on other journalists' hearsay reports or snapshot views on this blog.

 

[dick bird]

So it seems that it's Spanish tourists that have massively increased in number, certainly in high summer? Is that the case? Perhaps they're the only ones suited to walk in those temperatures?! Us Northern Europeans have to wait until autumn! Do you get many pilgrims in winter months?

August is holiday time in Europe for both workers and students. It is the one month when a lot of people have a lot of time off, the Spanish included. For Spanish people also there is a certain overlap between the romería and the pilgrimage (a fact a lot of disgruntled contributors to this forum have noticed). Therefore August is a time of year where there is likely to be a lot of exuberant groups of Spanish people walking into Santiago, not necessarily from much further than 100km away.

This could be total nonsense, of course, so one should be very wary of including it in a professional article.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I live on the camino a oversee three municipal albergues. Midsummer sees a spike in group travel, but most of those are hitting only the final stretches of the Way. Out in Castilla y Leon, La Rioja, and Aragon, numbers DROP in mid-summer down from the springtime peak. Pilgrims in summer are well-behaved, well-fed and rested, some are lucky enough to enjoy a small-town fiesta or two. Things will start getting crazy again in September and into October, when the North Americans come flooding back.

 

[Marbe2]

I live on the camino an oversee three municipal albergues. Midsummer sees a spike in group travel, but most of those are hitting only the final stretches of the Way. Out in Castilla y Leon, La Rioja, and Aragon, numbers DROP in mid-summer down from the springtime peak. Pilgrims in summer are well-behaved, well-fed and rested, some are lucky enough to enjoy a small-town fiesta or two. Things will start getting crazy again in September and into October, when the North Americans come flooding back.

Yep!

 

[eils]

Yesterday I walked from La Virgen del Camino to Villar de Mazarife and saw zero pilgrims. Albeit I started late (11:30) due to phone troubles that I wanted fixed first. In Leon at my albergue, the people I heard where young Spanish fellow's. Several quiet seniors, so quiet I don't know what language they were most fluent in.

Yep, I have found in August (including this year) that if you start later than 7.30am you see few pilgrims. Most are getting up between 5am and 6.30am (some even at 4.30am!!) in order to "get half of the kilometres done" before the sun starts getting hot: which can be around 10am or even at about 9am or 9.30am.

 

[eils]

I live on the camino a oversee three municipal albergues. Midsummer sees a spike in group travel, but most of those are hitting only the final stretches of the Way. Out in Castilla y Leon, La Rioja, and Aragon, numbers DROP in mid-summer down from the springtime peak. Pilgrims in summer are well-behaved, well-fed and rested, some are lucky enough to enjoy a small-town fiesta or two. Things will start getting crazy again in September and into October, when the North Americans come flooding back.

By "crazy", do you mean busy? I assume you aren't referring to behaviour because every North American I have met on the Camino in 18 years has been polite and friendly. Maybe just one exception...

 

[Bedspring]

I suspect Sarah b, has got what she wants, and may never return.

 

[Bradypus]

3,643 Compostelas issued today by the pilgrim office. So probably pretty busy - at least in the final 100km stretches.

 

[eils]

Hi peregrinos! I am a UK travel writer and keen walker. I am writing a piece about the Camino for a national UK newspaper and I am keen to know what it's like out there on the trail right now?

I've heard it's pretty crowded, and that some pilgrims are behaving disrespectfully, treating it more like a party than a walk. Is that the experience on the ground? Have you seen bad behaviour? Do the locals seen resentful? Or is it still an amazing experience?

I hope it's OK to post this here. I would love to hear your thoughts – which I would use to inform my article, if that's OK.

Thanks!

Hi, I apologize for the replies that are snooty and discourteous. I was a journalist for a short time in the past and it's not easy, especially with the prejudice around. And everyone without exception in this world merits respect and basic courtesy.
I am on the Camino Francés right now and have been for two weeks.
The "Camino Francés" in Spain (from Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago) is regarded as "the most popular" one.

As other people have commented, while the last 100km may be busy as usual, at the moment (I've walked from Burgos to León so far i.e "the meseta") it's not crowded AT ALL.
The albergue I stayed in last night had 7 people in a dorm with beds for 16 as well as two additional dorms which of course lay empty.
EVERY "hospitalero/hospitalera" says that May and September are the busiest months.
All the pilgrims I've met are very respectful, tidying up after themselves, getting to know the "hospitaleros", greeting locals on the street with "Hola" or "buenos días"...
The locals are not resentful. Quite the opposite.
Obviously speaking some basic Spanish helps but a few years ago, a local woman in a village before Pamplona walked me to the supermarket to show me the way so she could practice her English (she said). She was lovely, as most Spanish people are.
Today in León, I was asked by a local if I needed help with directions and she was so patient and helpful.
The vast majority enjoy helping pilgrims. And that has been my experience and observation since my first Camino in 2006. Nothing has changed.
And honestly in all these years, having done 2 full Caminos (one month in 2006 and 5 weeks in 2013) as well as several part Caminos (2 or 3 weeks long) I have only met ONE group that could be described as "partying" i.e out late most nights and returning late (most albergues still have 10pm curfews so returning late can only be done by staying in Airbnbs or hotels/"hostales").
And a couple of the people in that group (of mixed nationalities who had met early on in their Camino) had issues.

One thing I have noticed since 2006 is that there are fewer "traditional" albergues i.e ones in churches. There are also fewer "donativo" albergues (where pilgrims leave a donation if they can) whose purpose was to help genuine pilgrims with modest means get to Santiago.
[Although there are still about 23 of them on the "Camino Francés"].
There are many more modern and well-equipped albergues now, although they still at a decent "Camino" price of between about 7 and 15 euros for a dormitory bed.

Now, the "Camino del Norte" on the Northern Spanish coast is different. I did it several years ago: there are fewer "albergues" and they can almost all be booked in advance.
Unlike most of the "albergues" on the "Camino Francés", albergues can also be booked by NON pilgrims i.e people with no "credencial"/"pilgrim passport".
Spanish holidaymakers - including families - therefore book them and many people say that this route is getting more crowded every year, especially because more Spanish are choosing Northern beach resorts now instead of the unbearably hot South.
Several days ago, I met a Belgian and Italian who had switched to the Camino Francés from the Camino del Norte because of the problem and "stress" of finding a bed at the end of the day on the "Norte" route. Apparently there were many pilgrims sleeping on beaches and wherever else they could [that isn't "hearsay" because I spoke to them and they were telling the truth].

Finally, the word "pilgrim". Although definitely the minority (as usual) seem to be practicing Roman Catholic, yes, I do think the term "pilgrim" is still valid because almost everyone I speak to is "seeking" a deeper meaning to their lives and thus on a spiritual "journey". A few others are Christian (even Christian missionaries as I met last week).

All the best with your article and feel free to reply with any more questions or specific enquiries and I will do my best.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

By "crazy", do you mean busy? I assume you aren't referring to behaviour because every North American I have met on the Camino in 18 years has been polite and friendly. Maybe just one exception...

"Crazy" does not refer to nationality, it refers to the sheer volume of people that floods the Way. It is the feeling I get behind the registration desk at a municipal albergue when the doors open at 2 pm and there are 40 pilgs lined up to pour in and grab a bed. 90 percent are orderly and patient. The other 10 percent charge the atmosphere with their Fear Of Missing Out. Tthey want to wander into the dorm before they are signed in, they shout questions from the back of the room, laugh at your language skills, put their backpacks on the furniture, insist they MUST have THIS kind of bunk, and then they want change for a 50-euro bill. Crazy.
Most of them return to humanness after a shower and rest, thank God.
The vast majority of pilgrims are decent and thoughtful people. When you scale-up the numbers and put them all into a small space...

 

[Dan]

Hi peregrinos! I am a UK travel writer and keen walker. I am writing a piece about the Camino for a national UK newspaper and I am keen to know what it's like out there on the trail right now?

I've heard it's pretty crowded, and that some pilgrims are behaving disrespectfully, treating it more like a party than a walk. Is that the experience on the ground? Have you seen bad behaviour? Do the locals seen resentful? Or is it still an amazing experience?

I hope it's OK to post this here. I would love to hear your thoughts – which I would use to inform my article, if that's OK.

Thanks!

I’m familiar with Sarah’s travel writing and it’s excellent. Unfortunately I’m not presently on any of the Caminos (Sarah seems to be asking particularly about the Frances). If you are on your way to Santiago, I don’t think you can go wrong by opening up and giving your insights.

It’s beyond argument that the best way to discover the answer to her question is for Sarah to do the hard yards herself. But her opportunity to do that is limited for the reasons she gives. Her experience and background should leave no doubt that she would if she could.

 

[RPereira]

I’m in the Camino Francés right now. I wouldn’t say it’s crowded, but that how many people you see at any given time varies on several factors. I started at SJPDP and I’m currently at Santo Domingo de La Calzada. At first (SJPDP, Roncesvalles. etc), I saw lots of pilgrims, but after Pamplona it had thinned out. Typically I see more pilgrims in the morning. Since I’m slow, many pass me by, and by the afternoon it can be quite lonely as I could go long time without seeing anybody. I also met lots of people that were only planning to do a segment of the Camino, say all the way to Logroño, then go back home due to work reasons or whatever, so they drop off after that. I can’t speak for the later stages, much less about Sarria onwards.
I was advised to make reservations everywhere all through Santiago, because “everybody in Europe goes on vacation in August”. I thought was unnecessary, so I just reserved all the way to Zubiri, and I never saw hordes of vacationing tourists cramming up albergues.
Since my walking has gotten better, this morning I saw a pleasant flow of pilgrims, I could see them in the distance, spaced apart, not crowded.
Some pilgrims may want to start in places like. Burgos, Astorga, etc so it might be different, but I imagine some pilgrims quit or go back home at those places.
So, for me, it hadn’t been crowded, except possibly the first few days.

Hello! Thank you for that post. I start walking the CF in about 10 days (my first). What's the weather like? Any rain? I did not want to book too much in advance but so many places were booked and I got cold feet and booked all through!

 

[Barbara]

Hi peregrinos! I am a UK travel writer and keen walker. I am writing a piece about the Camino for a national UK newspaper and I am keen to know what it's like out there on the trail right now?

I've heard it's pretty crowded, and that some pilgrims are behaving disrespectfully, treating it more like a party than a walk. Is that the experience on the ground? Have you seen bad behaviour? Do the locals seen resentful? Or is it still an amazing experience?

I hope it's OK to post this here. I would love to hear your thoughts – which I would use to inform my article, if that's OK.

Thanks!

It's not far. Why don't you go take a look?

 

[Bradypus]

An article just published in El Correo Gallego reports that overnight stays in albergues in Galicia in July are 25% down on the same month last year. But Compostela numbers for the same month are up on the previous year. An odd mismatch. Are more people now choosing private rooms and actually creating less pressure on albergue beds than in previous years despite increasing pilgrim numbers overall?

Los albergues gallegos registran sus peores cifras: un 25% menos de ocupación que en julio del año pasado

Las pernoctaciones en viviendas turísticas en la comunidad crecieron un 4% en el mismo periodo, según el INE

www.elcorreogallego.es

 

[dick bird]

I think that is a very likely explanation.

 

[geraldkelly]

I slept in Sahagun last night. It's pretty quiet and there's no problem getting a bed.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I was in Logroño four days ago and it was not crowded.

 

[Bradypus]

I have just returned from walking from Logroño to Burgos with a friend. Most of the time was surprisingly quiet though there were a few busy points - breakfast time in Navarrette, the last few km into Najera and our night in Grañon were pretty crowded by my standards. Though nothing like the numbers I saw on the final stages of the Portugues earlier this year.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Albergue Municipal de Najera has been at capacity (50 beds) every night for the past week.