CF Backwards? West to east.

[Mg. McKay]

Hello sojourners.
I want to walk CF to Santiago in September 2023. With all the pilgrim congestion and uncertainty about albergues/boarding originating in SJPdP, does it make sense to start CF in Santiago de Compostela and walk east on the CF. This is not a religious Way of St. James pilgrimage for me, so I'm looking for practical information about logistics and actual trekking. Thank you!

 

[henrythedog]

Hello sojourners.
I want to walk CF to Santiago in September 2023. With all the pilgrim congestion and uncertainty about albergues/boarding originating in SJPdP, does it make sense to start CF in Santiago de Compostela and walk east on the CF. This is not a religious Way of St. James pilgrimage for me, so I'm looking for practical information about logistics and actual trekking. Thank you!

When in September will you be starting? IIRC the peak is in the first half of September - very much concentrated on the last 100k into Santiago. Allowing 27 days, or so, for the route you’re still going to encounter the congestion at some point.

Have you considered one of the many less popular routes?

 

[C clearly]

Well, s

does it make sense to start CF in Santiago de Compostela and walk east on the CF. This is not a religious Way of St. James pilgrimage for me, so I'm looking for practical information about logistics and actual trekking.

Honestly, for actual trekking, you should pick another route entirely. Sure, you can enjoy the same views and cultural sites, but...

For pilgrim congestion, it might be the same even if you are going backwards - the beds will be occupied anyway, depending on the timing of the bubble from SJPP and your trip. You will be constantly explaining that you are going backwards. You won't enjoy the camaraderie of walking/eating with new friends. You will regularly get confused, trying to follow arrows by looking backwards. You won't even have the satisfaction of returning from a pilgrimage.

So, no, it doesn't make sense to me, at least for the reasons you gave. However, if you want to know about variations of the route TO Santiago, that will alleviate the crowding problem, just ask!

 

[Mg. McKay]

Well, s

Honestly, for actual trekking, you should pick another route entirely. Sure, you can enjoy the same views and cultural sites, but...

For pilgrim congestion, it might be the same even if you are going backwards - the beds will be occupied anyway, depending on the timing of the bubble from SJPP and your trip. You will be constantly explaining that you are going backwards. You won't enjoy the camaraderie of walking/eating with new friends. You will regularly get confused, trying to follow arrows by looking backwards. You won't even have the satisfaction of returning from a pilgrimage.

So, no, it doesn't make sense to me, at least for the reasons you gave. However, if you want to know about variations of the route TO Santiago, that will alleviate the crowding problem, just ask!

great explanation, thank you.

 

[Mg. McKay]

great explanation, thank you.

When in September will you be starting? IIRC the peak is in the first half of September - very much concentrated on the last 100k into Santiago. Allowing 27 days, or so, for the route you’re still going to encounter the congestion at some point.

Have you considered one of the many less popular routes?

hi henrythedog, Is there a route you might suggest?

 

[Mg. McKay]

great explanation, thank you.

Well, s

Honestly, for actual trekking, you should pick another route entirely. Sure, you can enjoy the same views and cultural sites, but...

For pilgrim congestion, it might be the same even if you are going backwards - the beds will be occupied anyway, depending on the timing of the bubble from SJPP and your trip. You will be constantly explaining that you are going backwards. You won't enjoy the camaraderie of walking/eating with new friends. You will regularly get confused, trying to follow arrows by looking backwards. You won't even have the satisfaction of returning from a pilgrimage.

So, no, it doesn't make sense to me, at least for the reasons you gave. However, if you want to know about variations of the route TO Santiago, that will alleviate the crowding problem, just ask!

What variations would you suggest? Thank you.

 

[trecile]

When in September will you be starting? IIRC the peak is in the first half of September - very much concentrated on the last 100k into Santiago

I think that the peak that you are talking about is from SJPdP. The peak for arrivals to Santiago would be in July or August.

This graph of pilgrims leaving from SJPdP is from 2017, but I don't think that the pattern has changed

The highest bar is the first week of September.

 

[C clearly]

You need to give us something to work with!

What has attracted you to the Camino, and what do you want from the journey? (The trekking alone wouldn't bring you to the camino.) Do you have preferences for starting point, end point, type of accommodation, daily distances, company, type of terrain, cultural interests, etc? Do you speak Spanish?

 

[Mg. McKay]

You need to give us something to work with!

What has attracted you to the Camino, and what do you want from the journey? (The trekking alone wouldn't bring you to the camino.) Do you have preferences for starting point, end point, type of accommodation, daily distances, company, type of terrain, cultural interests, etc? Do you speak Spanish?

Thank you for your reply. Trekking is my reason for CF.

 

[dougfitz]

This is not a religious Way of St. James pilgrimage for me, so I'm looking for practical information about logistics and actual trekking.

Trekking is my reason for CF.

My concern might seem philosophical, but its impact is logistical. You are clearly not walking as a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago, so I presume you don't intend to use albergue accommodation reserved solely for pilgrims, or carry a credencial for that matter.

This isn't to suggest that you shouldn't walk along the alignment of the CF or any other recognized Camino de Santiago route. But I can only wonder why, if your concern is about pilgrim congestion and any associated difficulty finding accommodation, you would choose to walk any of the pilgrim routes at all.

 

[C clearly]

Trekking is my reason for CF

If "trekking" means walking in the wilderness, then the CF is not a good choice. Maybe look into hiking routes in the Picos de Europa, if you want mountains, or other GR routes if you are interested in the very different types of terrain that can be found in Spain.

 

[dougfitz]

If "trekking" means walking in the wilderness, then the CF is not a good choice. Maybe look into hiking routes in the Picos de Europa, if you want mountains, or other GR routes if you are interested in the very different types of terrain that can be found in Spain.

Certainly there are other routes, but I do recall seeing the GR markings at various stages along the CF, and in Spain, the E3 European long distance path follows the alignment of the CF. Pilgrims have no monopoly over these paths, and sharing them with others is part of the pilgrim experience. That might vary from a few local cyclists out for a weekend ride, recreational walkers to someone walking from Cabo de Sao Vincente or Cadiz through to Istanbul on the E3.

More, I don't see trekking as necessarily involving walking in the wilderness, although it might. But if that is the experience the OP is seeking, it certainly won't be found on the CF. I still don't know that I completely understand @Mg. McKay's motivations and intentions here in any case, but given her own statements on the matter so far, walking a busy camino route seems to be an odd choice.

 

[henrythedog]

hi henrythedog, Is there a route you might suggest?

The Portuguese has pretty good infrastructure, and a couple of variants. Much quieter than the Frances.

There are experts on here who will advise on pretty much any route you ask about.

Set out what you’re looking for in a route in a separate thread and send out for popcorn

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Hello sojourners.
I want to walk CF to Santiago in September 2023. With all the pilgrim congestion and uncertainty about albergues/boarding originating in SJPdP, does it make sense to start CF in Santiago de Compostela and walk east on the CF. This is not a religious Way of St. James pilgrimage for me, so I'm looking for practical information about logistics and actual trekking. Thank you!

I personally find the idea of a Camino backwards very exciting. And next year I actually might do the Inglés backwards.

However, keep in mind that

• If you meet interesting people, you will never meet them again as they are going the opposite way. A part of the Camino experience is that you meet people more than once and you for a kind of loose bond. I myself never experienced a real Camino family (people at the same pace as you) as I am a rather fast walker. But it is fun still to meet people again after you took a day off. Or I remember that old Scotsman, who did between 35 and 45 k every day. Met him often and it was sometimes like a race with him which we both enjoyed.
• Also you will miss the walk-and-talk ... walking together with someone for 5 minutes, 20 minutes or even hours and adjusting to their speed while having a conversation, sometimes concluded with lunch or dinner together.
• When you walk the same direction as everyone else, you can, by choice of when you walk each day, decide to walk mainly on the crest of the wave, with many people around you, or in the trough, in between two waves, where you can enjoy at least some solitude even during the busiest times of the year. If you walk it backwards in contrary, you will cut through all those waves and you will see many more people. In fact you will walk past everyone who does the Camino the same time you do it – not just those that started around when you did it.
• Not to forget, signs and markings are mainly placed that you see them easily when you walk with the flow, not against it.

So I would not enjoy all that for a very long time I suppose ...

 

[Anthony Rocco]

When in September will you be starting? IIRC the peak is in the first half of September - very much concentrated on the last 100k into Santiago. Allowing 27 days, or so, for the route you’re still going to encounter the congestion at some point.

Have you considered one of the many less popular routes?

I haven't walked the Camino Frances backwards, but I did walk the Camino del Ebro backwards, starting in Logrono and ending in Barcelona. There are arrows to help you since this is actually part of the long Camino Ignaziano, which starts in Loyola and ends in Manresa. The arrows are red.

People kept shouting at us that we were walking the wrong way, but one thing we enjoyed was time in the albergues consulting with pilgrims walking "the right way" about our day ahead. And we shared with them what they would encounter their next day.

We absolutely loved it. You get a long stretch in Rioja, which you don't get on the Frances. In September, the vineyards and orchards are full of ripe fruit and the farmers will toss them to you. One farmer even pleaded us with spend the day picking grapes since he was short of help. At one point, farmers called us over to help them pick almonds and showed us how to open them easily for a taste treat. Fascinating towns along the way, including Alfaro, Tudela and Zaragoza, which for more than 200 years, actually attracted more peregrinos than the Frances.

Montserrat is the high point, and you can stay as a pilgrim in the monastery for only 6 euros and get a voucher for a pilgrim's meal at the mega expensive hotel next door.

You will need a credencial if you decide to walk this road. Check with caminoignaziano.org.

 

[MesaWalker]

I personally find the idea of a Camino backwards very exciting. And next year I actually might do the Inglés backwards.

However, keep in mind that

• If you meet interesting people, you will never meet them again as they are going the opposite way. A part of the Camino experience is that you meet people more than once and you for a kind of loose bond. I myself never experienced a real Camino family (people at the same pace as you) as I am a rather fast walker. But it is fun still to meet people again after you took a day off. Or I remember that old Scotsman, who did between 35 and 45 k every day. Met him often and it was sometimes like a race with him which we both enjoyed.
• Also you will miss the walk-and-talk ... walking together with someone for 5 minutes, 20 minutes or even hours and adjusting to their speed while having a conversation, sometimes concluded with lunch or dinner together.
• When you walk the same direction as everyone else, you can, by choice of when you walk each day, decide to walk mainly on the crest of the wave, with many people around you, or in the through, in between two waves, where you can enjoy at least some solitude even during the busiest times of the year. If you walk it backwards in contrary, you will cut through all those waves and you will see many more people. In fact you will walk past everyone who does the Camino the same time you do it – not just those that started around when you did it.
• Not to forget, signs and markings are mainly placed that you see them easily when you walk with the flow, not against it.

So I would not enjoy all that for a very long time I suppose ...

We plan to walk the Camino Inglés backwards to A Coruña this fall as part of a pilgrimage starting in Gibraltar and walking the Camino Serrana, and Via de la Plata/Camino Sanabrés to SdC. We're thinking of the last portion as an alternative to walking the Camino Finisterre to the coast, which we did on our last pilgrimage and greatly enjoyed. We'll be happy to post our experiences and the pros and cons.

I agree on the concept of seeing every single pilgrim walking the opposite direction, and hence having a much "busier" experience on the trail, which is a bit worrisome. We'll be walking the Camino Inglés the second week of November, so pilgrim numbers should be down substantially. And we'll be walking with a friend we're meeting in SdC, so we'll have some company on that part of the journey. I anticipate it to be a very wet walk in November.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

We plan to walk the Camino Inglés backwards to A Coruña this fall as part of a pilgrimage starting in Gibraltar and walking the Camino Serrana, and Via de la Plata/Camino Sanabrés to SdC. We're thinking of the last portion as an alternative to walking the Camino Finisterre to the coast, which we did on our last pilgrimage and greatly enjoyed. We'll be happy to post our experiences and the pros and cons.

I agree on the concept of seeing every single pilgrim walking the opposite direction, and hence having a much "busier" experience on the trail, which is a bit worrisome. We'll be walking the Camino Inglés the second week of November, so pilgrim numbers should be down substantially. And we'll be walking with a friend we're meeting in SdC, so we'll have some company on that part of the journey. I anticipate it to be a very wet walk in November.

This is exactly my plan for early 2024
Please share your experience!

 

[MesaWalker]

This is exactly my plan for early 2024
Please share your experience!

I like your plan better than ours! We initially intended to be walking it now, with cooler temperatures in the south and gradually warming heading north. Life just got in the way this Spring, so we'll do a fall trip. It will be warm in September in Andalucia!

 

[henrythedog]

Montserrat is the high point, and you can stay as a pilgrim in the monastery for only 6 euros and get a voucher for a pilgrim's meal at the mega expensive hotel next door.

Great place to stay.

Only downside: the bar doesn’t open until after vespers!

 

[Anthony Rocco]

Great place to stay.

Only downside: the bar doesn’t open until after vespers!

After a long day's uphill walk that started even before Igualada, we simply HAD to have a beer. Fortunately, they were for sale at the Quickie Mart or whatever it is called there.

 

[Scott Sweeney]

Hello sojourners.
I want to walk CF to Santiago in September 2023. With all the pilgrim congestion and uncertainty about albergues/boarding originating in SJPdP, does it make sense to start CF in Santiago de Compostela and walk east on the CF. This is not a religious Way of St. James pilgrimage for me, so I'm looking for practical information about logistics and actual trekking. Thank you!

Yes, enjoyed it immensely in 2017, it was like walking the Camino I'd never seen before.

 

[Pilgrim9]

I too have thought about doing an eastbound CF walk, partly to see all the great views that I missed when westbound.

Facing the continuous flood of westbound pilgrims with their puzzled looks is something that had not occurred to me. It might be off-putting. Perhaps there is a mild-temperature season that would avoid that.

I wonder if providers of luggage transfer services accept eastbound transfers. One might assume "yes" because the vehicles must get back to their easterly starting points anyways, but their daily eastbound trips might not occur at pilgrim-convenient times of day. Also, they might baulk at making numerous stops in the eastbound direction, especially for just one or two items of luggage per stop. Hmmm.

... Hoping that east-bounders will describe their experiences on this forum.

 

[scope6751]

Would also be interested to hear eastbound experiences; but if travelling solo it is good to meet up with others on a regular basis and share stories. It is good to meet up with someone a few days later and is fascinating to hear their experiences.

 

[Bradypus]

Something I've posted before from a writer who started in Santiago and walked east to Istanbul. Nicholas Crane in "Clear Waters Rising".

 

[Mg. McKay]

Would also be interested to hear eastbound experiences; but if travelling solo it is good to meet up with others on a regular basis and share stories. It is good to meet up with someone a few days later and is fascinating to hear their experiences.

I would enjoy all the pilgrims and travelers whether I go east or west.

 

[isawtman]

The name of the route going from Basque Country to Monserat and beyond to
Manresa is the Camino Ignaciano. There is no z in it. This is pretty much the
exact route St Ignatius (he wasn't a saint then) took in 1522 on his way from his home
in Basque Country to Rome. However, there was a plague in Barcelona at the time
so he couldn't go there to hop on a ship to Rome. Instead he settled in a little town
called Manresa where he wrote his famous text "The Spiritual Exercises." Ignatius
eventually formed the Society of Jesus also known as Jesuits. They now have the
largest education system on earth which includes Universities like Creighton,
Marquette, Boston College and more. Plus they has several High Schools.
The Camino Ignaciano's website is here: https://caminoignaciano.org/en/
It is a 27 day route where the second day is the hardest because it is going
over the Basque Mountains. One Pilgrim I met said the second day on
the Ignaciano is harder than the first day on the Frances, but the the second
day on the Ignaciano is shorter. I think it's shorter but steeper. They do have
a guidebook for the route.

 

[Mg. McKay]

Thank you very much for this information about Camino Ignaciano.

 

[Jon and Tonya]

This past August my wife and I walked west to east on the Camino del Norte. We started in Bilbao and ended in Hendaye. This was an unplanned adventure in the last week of our summer holiday. The experience was amazing. We had no issues with lodging or logistics. Navigation on the other had was a daily chore. On a few occasions we found ourselves perplexed by the lack of signage in the direction we were headed. We would stand a a cross road and turn 360 degrees to locate the east to west Camino markings. On other occasions we would just look off into the distance to locate other pilgrims who were headed towards us. Perhaps the funniest moment was the morning we were past by a local runner. As he past we both shared a greeting. Suddenly he stopped. Turned around. Walk back to us looking very concerned. He spoke to us Basque. Pointing and waving in the direction we had come. Trying to overcome the language barrier we tried to explain we were walking “backwards.” That lead to more confusion. Finally we realized we needed to communicate that we were “walking east” and were not lost! He nodded in understanding and resumed his morning run and we resumed our journey towards France. Our current plan is to return next summer to walk the Norte in the traditional direction.

 

[WGroleau]

start CF in Santiago de Compostela and walk east on the CF. This is not a religious Way of St. James pilgrimage for me, so I'm looking for practical information about logistics and actual trekking. Thank you!

If you do that, you will come to intersections where an arrow tells you where you came from but doesn't tell you which of the other roads/trails is the Camino. If you don't have a map, you may have to stand there a little while until you see where the "regular" pilgrims are coming from. Fortunately on a day when there wasn't much traffic, I came along in time to direct a Korean peregrina who was biking eastward.

 

[trecile]

If you do that, you will come to intersections where an arrow tells you where you came from but doesn't tell you which of the other roads/trails is the Camino. If you don't have a map, you may have to stand there a little while until you see where the "regular" pilgrims are coming from

With a gps app that shows the Camino route this shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Barbara]

Not really, the route is somewhat uni directional and you wouldn't qualify for the pilgrim accommodation if you hadn't walked to Santiago in the first place. Why not walk on one of the many other routes available, and enjoy a secular experience on a GR. The coast to coast GR10 might be a good one for you.

Hello sojourners.
I want to walk CF to Santiago in September 2023. With all the pilgrim congestion and uncertainty about albergues/boarding originating in SJPdP, does it make sense to start CF in Santiago de Compostela and walk east on the CF. This is not a religious Way of St. James pilgrimage for me, so I'm looking for practical information about logistics and actual trekking. Thank you!

 

[Mg. McKay]

Not really, the route is somewhat uni directional and you wouldn't qualify for the pilgrim accommodation if you hadn't walked to Santiago in the first place. Why not walk on one of the many other routes available, and enjoy a secular experience on a GR. The coast to coast GR10 might be a good one for you.

I see. Thank you.