5 days on the Invierno

[jennysa]

I am walking the Camino Madrid with a friend. We finish at Leon and had planned to take a bus to Ferrol to walk the Camino Ingles and we have allocated 6 days for this (5 days walking and 1 day travelling to get there.

I am, however, getting cold feet about the Ingles when I read up about the numbers walking it. I read today that it is the 4th most popular Camino, surpassing the Primitivo. If we switched to Invierno, would it be feasible to walk the last 5 days and how would we get there from Leon. The other alternative is to walk the last 5 days of the VLP. Unfortunately our flights out and accommodation has already been booked at Santiago so we have to finish up in Santiago. I would not consider the Portuguese either because of the crowds. Does anyone have any suggestions, please

 

[ranthr]

Take the train to Ponferrada, O’Barco,Quiroga/ San Caudio, or Monforte de Lemos and walk some days on the Invierno.

 

[VNwalking]

You'll really enjoy this camino, Jenny! You want a train that goes from Leon to Monforte de Lemos; it's very easy - there's no need to change trains in Ponferrada . If you hop on the train that goes from Leon to Santiago, it will stop there. It's a magnificent ride, showing you part of the Invierno that you'll miss.

If you want a couple of more days on the Invierno, you could always take the train from Sahagun, and get off earlier, say at A Rua.

 

[NiniSum]

I walked the Camino Inglés last June/July, and we only met 6-8 people while walking. We did it in 6 days, but 5 is certainly do-able. We split the Ferrol to Pontedeume into 2 days.

 

[Tincatinker]

@jennysa, not sure where you got your stats from but here are the PO's numbers http://oficinadelperegrino.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/peregrinaciones2019.pdf

Around page 10 you'll see the numbers for the Primitivo & Ingles; 15,715 on the former, 15,780 on the latter. All in all I don't think you'll notice much difference in the swarming hordes

 

[jennysa]

I walked the Camino Inglés last June/July, and we only met 6-8 people while walking. We did it in 6 days, but 5 is certainly do-able. We split the Ferrol to Pontedeume into 2 days.

Thank you for that information - I have been hearing reports of full albergues etc. At this stage I no longer have any desire to be part of the crowd, so it is interesting that you did not encounter many along the way.

 

[jennysa]

@jennysa, not sure where you got your stats from but here are the PO's numbers http://oficinadelperegrino.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/peregrinaciones2019.pdf

Around page 10 you'll see the numbers for the Primitivo & Ingles; 15,715 on the former, 15,780 on the latter. All in all I don't think you'll notice much difference in the swarming hordes

Thanks for that. I have been following posts on the Camino Ingles and a recent one nearly gave me a heart attack when he talked about the numbers and full albergues.

 

[jennysa]

You'll really enjoy this camino, Jenny! You want a train that goes from Leon to Monforte de Lemos; it's very easy - there's no need to change trains in Ponferrada . If you hop on the train that goes from Leon to Santiago, it will stop there. It's a magnificent ride, showing you part of the Invierno that you'll miss.

thanks. That sounds wonderful.

 

[VNwalking]

I edited that post with another idea that popped up after I posted it. However you go, buen camino, Jenny!

 

[jennysa]

You'll really enjoy this camino, Jenny! You want a train that goes from Leon to Monforte de Lemos; it's very easy - there's no need to change trains in Ponferrada . If you hop on the train that goes from Leon to Santiago, it will stop there. It's a magnificent ride, showing you part of the Invierno that you'll miss.

If you want a couple of more days on the Invierno, you could always take the train from Sahagun, and get off earlier, say at A Rua.

Great Idea.

 

[Stivandrer]

I took quite a fancy last year when finishing VDLP of the comparetively short trip from Ourense to SdC, well done in 5 days.
Plenty of space, no crowds, going down through oak groves and splendid views.
Leon to Ourense is a mere 3h 40m away on a train...

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[VNwalking]

Yes, that's your other option.
The last 100k of either the Invierno or the Sanabres.
I can't speak to how nice the part of the Sanabres is before A Laxe (where it merges with the Invierno), but the Ribeiria Sacra on the Invierno before that is soooo amazing. Someone who's walked both would be better placed to give advice about which is 'better.' (Whatever 'better' means. )