Yes Liz. I’ll add my praise to C clearly’s thanks. It is very compact and informative.
Annie.
Love your guide and thanks so much. I am planning to walk later this year. I see you have the stage maps and elevations from Gronze.com. Are the albergues and hostels you have listed all found in Gronze.com or do you have more/different than what Gronze lists? I intend to use Gronze and Buen Camino as my guides for figuring out distances, where to stop and albergues. I do not like to plan ahead and just walk as far as my body tells me. But as we who walk less traveled caminos know we have to have a little planning for what awaits us in the subsequent few days of walking.
What an amazing resource - thank you! I am considering a solo hike in late April/early May 2023. Did you find there were other pilgrims and a sense of community on the route? I’m thinking of doing the Frances instead, which I have done before, primarily for the culture and pilgrim community. Any insights appreciated!
Hi IT56ny, I haven't been on the forum in a long time and am catching up. I think that what I have in my guide is all on Gronze except things that have opened more recently....
Hi Coquille, sorry to take so long to respond -- I haven't been on the forum much. The Vasco was very quiet in terms of other pilgrims, last May. We met one other couple from Valencia and walked with them for a couple of days. There were probably about 5 other pilgrims who we saw once and who passed us up. Having said this, we found the welcome from the Basque people all along the route to be overwhelming and kind. Every where we went people wanted to talk to us to find out where we were from and what caused us to walk the Basque route. They wanted to help us. We loved this route because we got to interact with so many local Basque people. Liz
This is amazing, I'm considering doing this route in July. Was there plenty of accommodation available along the Vasco?
If you're looking for camaraderie, this is probably not the camino to choose - it is very quiet. We met 3 other prople on the first day, two of whom (bicigrinos with a tandem bike) we never saw again; the third we never saw after the 3rd day. We met a fourth pilgrim a few days in and enjoyed his company off and on until he headed to Haro on the Vasco branch, and we to Burgos on the Via de Bayona branch. So, yeah - not a pilgrim superhighway, to say the least.
)It was no problem in May, with the exception of the albergue in Monasterio de Rodilla, which was not available on Tuesdays, the day we happened to be there.
Hi Katie, there were a couple of spots with not a lot of accomodation but we did not have issues. I booked nights in Pensions and hotels. The only two I booked in advance were the first night and our night in Zarraton. If you plan to stay in Zarraton ( which is not a typical stop. We were shortening a longer stage), you need to book. It's a small inn with only 5-6 rooms. There are a couple bars in town and one sells basic supplies, but no other lodging.
The albergue was available but the wife of the mayor who opens the albergue told us that the only bar and the only restaurant are closed on the same day : Tuesday. And there is no tienda left either in the village.
I would like to have it please. Thanks in advance...
