Declining numbers recorded on the Via de la Plata

[C clearly]

Going without food when arriving at the wrong time in the small villages.

Ah, yes. Fond memories! I am old and like some comfort too, but don't mind if the universe laughs at them occasionally. My Easter Sunday dinner in Alija del Infantado (on the way to Astorga) was memorable. Even the gas station had run low on supplies. I started with house wine (awful) with some kind of crispy snack. As I recall, it was followed by honey-barbeque-flavoured peanuts (even worse) and a Magnum ice cream bar (it is hard to spoil a Magnum bar).

Do you recall where Easter fell whilst you were walking that year,

Walking into Salamanca on a sunny Palm Sunday was fabulous - arriving at the cathedral just in time to join the procession arriving there. At least at that time (2017), the albergue didn't take reservations so it was possible for those who arrived early enough.

 

[J.Patrick]

Thank you all for your thoughts. I’ve never been more inclined to do the VDLP than I am now after hearing of your experiences. Grateful here.

 

[Rita Flower]

Many news articles recently commenting on the record number of Compostelas issued in 2024. By contrast an article from a Zamora website today notes that while pilgrim numbers on other routes have grown significantly in recent years numbers walking the Via de la Plata in particular have declined over the past decade. Some comment from a local Amigos group about a lack of investment and promotion from local authorities. I found myself in two minds while reading the piece. Better infrastructure could make the Via de la Plata an easier and more comfortable route to walk. But would that change its special character?

El Camino de Santiago de la Vía de la Plata cae un 10% en una década y la mayor parte de los peregrinos no pasa por Zamora

Los datos de 2024 son inferiores a los de 2015 en un contexto de gran crecimiento en la llegada de peregrinos a la ciudad santa

enfoquezamora.com

It seems to me that there is a myth that the VDLP is a very hard Camino - so many people said this to me when I was walking the Francés this year. I used to call it ‘the old people’s Camino’ because it is relatively flat so much of the time. Compared to Le Puy to Conques and even the Francés I found VDLP relatively easy.
However it is quite a solitary Camino and perhaps not to everyone’s taste. I also notice that the Norte (a physically hard Camino) and Portugese Coastal have become very popular - I think people from non-coastal locations love the idea of a long walk along the coast.
Perhaps in these days of instant gratification the Via seems less attractive.

 

[Moniq]

I'll be walking the VDLP, starting in Sevilla, at the end of March. This will be my third Camino (2nd route). I'm a bit anxious at the challenges of the lack of infrastructure support and the solitary nature of the Camino. Unlike so many here (on the forums in general), I don't view the significant lack of pilgrims as a great benefit of this route. I recently watched the youtube vlogs of an older gentleman who walked the VDLP and he commented on how he and others would purposely slow down or speed up to avoid catching up to each other; presumably because catching up and saying hello to each other was a situation to be avoided at all costs? I found that sad. While I don't like or want a conga line of pilgrims, 5 pilgrims purposely avoiding each other on 27 kilometer stages isn't the environment I hope to find either. In any case, I chose this route as a physical and spiritual challenge foremost, yet hope to meet interesting friendly folks along the way. But, I'll adapt to whatever I find.

I saw that video as well and had the same thoughts. I will also start somewhere between half and end of coming March. If I see you I will definitely say hi

 

[PaulMCP]

Now I want to walk the Via de la Plata again...
Sevilla - Cáceres seems like a nice 2 weeks walk

I’m doing Seville-Caceres in late Sept - can’t wait!

 

[TravellingMan22]

Never done that but please describe it if you do.

Will do for sure?

 

[TravellingMan22]

Hi, walked April 22 from Cadiz to Astorga and then Sanabres to SdC and on to finisterre/muxia. I really enjoyed it. In hindsight I would have gone Astorga to Leon then San Salvador/ primitivo. Have a blog on track my tour if of help. No other pilgrims. Jerez de la Frontera was a highlight for me. I'd read some very negative reports before I went but found it a very enjoyable 6 days and a great precursor to the vdp.

This sounds great . Thank you. Yes any blog of references will be fab!

 

[Damien Reynolds]

There really is no issue with food or water you just might carry a few more snacks on some days.

Ok, wait. Water is important. On the Frances, Norte, Portuguese, etc. I usually carry 1 liter of water as there are often opportunities for that nice chlorinated tap water available. On the VDLP I carry more water. Not insane amounts, like 2 -3 liters (depending on the stage of course).

 

[Lindsay53]

Ah, yes. Fond memories! I am old and like some comfort too, but don't mind if the universe laughs at them occasionally. My Easter Sunday dinner in Alija del Infantado (on the way to Astorga) was memorable. Even the gas station had run low on supplies. I started with house wine (awful) with some kind of crispy snack. As I recall, it was followed by honey-barbeque-flavoured peanuts (even worse) and a Magnum ice cream bar (it is hard to spoil a Magnum bar).
View attachment 183705 View attachment 183706

I remember the walk through the pouring rain from the albergue to that petrol station in Alija de Infantado to get supplies for my dinner - microvave hamburgers. The Camino provides, but in strange ways sometimes.

 

[Texas Walker]

It could be that the numbers are dropping because of albergues having closed on important stages. Like the alberge at the embalse de Alcántara. I walked the VdlP in 2013/2014 and loved it. I have looked into it again recently, but I got very reluctant when I saw how long some stages have gotten (combined with being more than 10 years older now, that is).

I remember the longest stages back then were 'only' 27/28 kms. Seems like there are quite a bit more challenges now. So I am afraid the problem won't be that it will ever get (too) popular, but more the other way around. Lack of pilgrims could lead to more albergue closures. A lot of the villages and towns on the VdlP are very similar to the Francés: isolated, losing population and facilities. And the number of pilgrims on the VdlP is not high enough to keep businesses up.

It is true that some guidebooks set stages. And some people think that those stages are necessary to "do it right." It is also true that working carefully with the maps and guidebooks and Gronze can make most of the hideously long stages turn into shorter stage, but more days. I had the same thought about the Norte, though, where the guidebooks also have some very long stages listed. And sometimes it is necessary to accept a shorter stage before the long one in order that the long one be less long--it all depends on how the reorganization of the plan works out.
YMMV

 

[bakedbeans]

I'll be walking the VDLP, starting in Sevilla, at the end of March. This will be my third Camino (2nd route). I'm a bit anxious at the challenges of the lack of infrastructure support and the solitary nature of the Camino. Unlike so many here (on the forums in general), I don't view the significant lack of pilgrims as a great benefit of this route. I recently watched the youtube vlogs of an older gentleman who walked the VDLP and he commented on how he and others would purposely slow down or speed up to avoid catching up to each other; presumably because catching up and saying hello to each other was a situation to be avoided at all costs? I found that sad. While I don't like or want a conga line of pilgrims, 5 pilgrims purposely avoiding each other on 27 kilometer stages isn't the environment I hope to find either. In any case, I chose this route as a physical and spiritual challenge foremost, yet hope to meet interesting friendly folks along the way. But, I'll adapt to whatever I find.

Maybe the VDLP isn't the best option for you then and there's nothing wrong with that. It is different to the Frances and tends to attract those that want what it provides. The people on it might not be the most sociable.

I did it September of 2020 when Covid was still a thing. From Seville to Santiago I met 8 other pilgrims in total. 2 of whom could speak English (which is all I speak). One of those English speakers I met once, the other I think a couple of times.

 

[Texas Walker]

That’s also easy to work around. Walk from Tábara to Santa Croya (22), and the next day to Villar de Farfón or Rionegro de Puente.

But maybe you are trying to plan non-albergue stages?

We hit Santa Croya de Tera on a Sunday. The tienda was not open. No restaurants were open. One bar was open, but the only food it had was chips. On the good side, the church tour was great. Just So You Know.

 

[walkabouts]

I suspect some pilgrims hesitate on walking this route because a good few think stages are too long... with poor support. I would maintain that, with good pre-planning, it is quite easy to break the VdlP into very manageable stages (only one day put us above a walk of 30 km). This is a very 'doable' Spring/Autumn pilgrimage, with so much to offer those that are looking for a 'road less travelled'. Buen Camino.

Agree completely, it can be done with similar walking days as CF apart from the 34 km stage. You need to be a bit flexible and even stray off the "line" so that you break the days up. Dont be tied to having to walk the "stages", it is not necessary at all. We planned for an average 18-22 km per day and took short days, sometimes only 10 km. You need to allow time to experience this camino. It is not a race to get there in a certain number of days. Enjoy the history, the vastness of Extremadura, the solitude and all that it brings. If you are on a tight time frame, choose another camino, otherwise you might be disappointed.

We sidestepped to Almendralejo so as not to have a 30 km day. Great town and we really enjoyed the hospitality and spontaneous interaction with the locals in a bar while we waited for the laundromat to finish. Grimaldo and Riolobos were memorable places to stop as well, somewhere different that many people bypass. The other long day going from Carcoboso through the ruins at Caparra can be shortened by walking to the Repsol hostel El Avion and then follow the via Verde, the old train track, and even head directly to Hervas. The camino track is not an absolute and if you are prepared to look at other options to make it work for you, then the services and places to stay are there for you.