84 pilgrims in July on the Invierno

[peregrina2000]

This may sound like a trivial number, but it is the first year it's been recognized. It will be interesting to see how it goes, and who knows, maybe it will spur the opening of a bunch of albergues!

 

[crackmrmac]

Thanks for official numbers Laurie. Lovely tough route with friendly locals. Not as remote as Salvador.

Buen Camino.

 

[Davey Boyd]

I hope to get there soon!

Davey

 

[KinkyOne]

I hope to get there soon!

Davey

You better hurry

 

[Davey Boyd]

You better hurry

I intend to! But not hurry when I get there of course!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

This may sound like a trivial number, but it is the first year it's been recognized. It will be interesting to see how it goes, and who knows, maybe it will spur the opening of a bunch of albergues!

Oh... Do we know how many came by foot or on bike?

/BP

 

[peregrina2000]

Oh... Do we know how many came by foot or on bike?

/BP

I would be surprised to see many on bike. Codos de Belesar is just one beautiful part I can think of where a bike would be a real challenge!

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Thanks Laurie - you are such a wealth of info for us all. After the CPI I thought my ‘next’ camino would be one with a few more pilgrims to interact with. After reading the posts on the Invierno it sounds perfect as a hybrid with VdlP (to Astorga). The only issue for me will be managing those few days on the CF with ‘so many’ pilgrims
I was thinking of another spring departure from Sevilla, 2017

 

[Pilar]

Going in September. Thanks for the guide!

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks Laurie - you are such a wealth of info for us all. After the CPI I thought my ‘next’ camino would be one with a few more pilgrims to interact with. After reading the posts on the Invierno it sounds perfect as a hybrid with VdlP (to Astorga). The only issue for me will be managing those few days on the CF with ‘so many’ pilgrims
I was thinking of another spring departure from Sevilla, 2017

Hi gracethepilgrim, I am not sure the Invierno will give you a "few more pilgrims" to interact with, at least not yet. With the numbers that low still, I don't think you are likely to find others on the trail, because there are always a few groups who bump up the numbers but travel together on the same day, so the numbers aren't spread out.

P.s. I am going to pick your brain on the CPI someday! But next year it's looking like I will also be heading south for a longer camino. I'm thinking around May 10 from Granada -- would be lovely to walk with someone....

 

[peregrina2000]

Going in September. Thanks for the guide!

Hi, Pilar, you are as of now one of the few people walking the Invierno who plans to use the guide, at least that I know of. It'd be a great help if you could note corrections, additions, updates, etc. I'll be doing another version in late 2016, so your timing is perfect! Thanks, Buen camino, Laurie

 

[peregrina2000]

Barco de Valdeorras will be building an in-town albergue. Not sure what that means for the future of Xagoaza, but that's one good bit of news. True, it would be much more welcome at other places, but maybe the snowball is starting. Their beautiful Xagoaza albergue gets about 20 pilgrims a year -- not surprising since it's a few km out of town, off the Camino, and Barco is SUCH a nice place to spend an afternoon!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Almost three pilgrims a day. I hope they can deal with the flood of cash. The Ponferrada tourist office needs to promote it a bit more...

 

[peregrina2000]

Almost three pilgrims a day. I hope they can deal with the flood of cash. The Ponferrada tourist office needs to promote it a bit more...

Couldn't agree more. The first time I walked it, the tourist office gave me a little brochure and than regaled me with warnings about how dangerous it was. Total malarkey! Not only the tourist office, but the hospitaleros in the albergue were also quite ominous in their warnings. Crazy, I surely hope that is changing.

 

[KinkyOne]

Barco de Valdeorras will be building an in-town albergue. Not sure what that means for the future of Xagoaza, but that's one good bit of news. True, it would be much more welcome at other places, but maybe the snowball is starting. Their beautiful Xagoaza albergue gets about 20 pilgrims a year -- not surprising since it's a few km out of town, off the Camino, and Barco is SUCH a nice place to spend an afternoon!

Nice to hear that. Xagoaza albergue is really very nice place but the incline to there is a killer

 

[Sheffield James]

I walked the Invierno at the beginning of June 2016. I met a Spanish guy at the end of day2 and we kept each other company for the rest of the Camino. We saw no other pilgrims along the route (until we joined the Sanabrés) + I would have walked the entire route (to A Laxa) solo had he not injured his foot and taken an extra day to get to my day2 end-stage (A Rua). Travelling as a pair helped manage my accommodation costs in the middle stages and his ability to speak with the locals greatly enriched my overall appreciation of the route. The natural beauty of the river sil valley needed no translation, however, with at least 2 or 3 days likely to feature in a list of my most impressive camino landscapes.

Another statistic: when we met a greeter at the church of St James on the outskirts of Sidella, he told us there had been just 16 pilgrims walking the Invierno in the previous month (compared with 21,600 recorded for the Francés during the same period).

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Sheffield James,
Your post reminded me that we are now in September and August statistics should be available. And in fact they are -- somewhat surprising (to me at least) is the fact that in August there were only 68 Invierno pilgrims registering in Santiago! What's going on?!

 

[VNwalking]

What's going on?!

I don't have an image of sheep to post, Laurie, but it's probably same herd mentality.

Why is a good question, but it may boil down to guts and language. Some of us are less courageous than others. And those of us without decent Spanish are more likely to be cautious about remoter Caminos (I know I am). And who knows? Maybe most people actually want the company of larger numbers of other pilgrims??

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Two a day, so Sheffield James' experience in June was "average."

 

[Fr. Stuart Crevcoure]

A friend of mine and I are most likely going to do the Invierno in the middle two weeks of June, 2017. I read somewhere (I think one of the Galician Jacobean Association websites) that there are plans to develop pilgrim infrastructure along the Invierno between 2017-19 and the Xunta plans to make 2020 the Year of the Invierno. All of which should increase traffic on what sounds like a marvelous route, but I'm rather glad to be planning a camino before it starts attracting too much notice!

I can't thank enough the dedicated folks like peregrina2000 and her myriad of helpers who keep the annual guide updated. A treasure beyond rubies, and I'll try to do my part next year to take notes and add to the file.

 

[AJ]

Hi, Sheffield James,
... in August there were only 68 Invierno pilgrims registering in Santiago!

I was one of them. I met one group of 5 Spaniards who were only going as far as Monforte de Lemos, a solo Spaniard and a solo Italian who I only saw once.

Lots of barking dogs, but only one which started to chase after me, but quickly gave up.

 

[peregrina2000]

So, @AJ,
What did you think of the Invierno? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Laurie

 

[KinkyOne]

So, @AJ,
What did you think of the Invierno? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Laurie

What of a question is that Laurie???

 

[peregrina2000]

What of a question is that Laurie???

Well, OK it's a leading question -- I assume I know the answer. But I think the Camino de Invierno could use a little cheerleading with so few people taking that glorious turnoff at Ponferrada!

 

[AJ]

So, @AJ,
What did you think of the Invierno? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Laurie

Thumbs up. Beautiful scenery, adequate infrastructure, well waymarked mostly and uncrowded.