Holy Year 2010 - will it affect the Northern Route?

[joellen77]

Hello,

Whoops! I posted this at first with the wrong Camino in the title! Anyway, I walked the Camino Frances in 2003 and 2007 and now want to try a different route in May 2010. Am thinking either Northern or Via de La Plata. . .but then I realized 2010 is a Holy Year. I know the Camino Frances is expecting record numbers of people. . .do you think it will affect the other trails?

Any insight would be great. Thank you so much.

Quick side note: after walking the Camino frances for the first time in 2003, I went to San Sebastian to relax and "recover"for a week before heading home. One day while out wandering around I saw a yellow arrow!! I followed it without even thinking, and several hours later found myself outside the city on top of a hill. It was so beautiful. Ever since then I have thought about walking the northern trail. . .

Cheers,
JoEllen

 

[sillydoll]

If it isn't important for you to actually reach Santiago, you could walk one of the routes in France which probably won't be as busy as the routes in Spain. I walked from Paris in the 2004 Holy Year and we only saw three other pilgrims - cyclists - until we reached Ostabat in the south.

 

[giorgio]

Hallo Joellen, Holy year will definitely affect ALL caminos. If you don't like crowds then the Holy Year is possibly not a good idea. We walked the norte in may 2008 and there was a reasonable flow of pilgrims, not too much, but enough to fill up refugios most of the times ( refugios are not abundant like on Camino Frances and typically with 10/20 beds each)
Same thingh apply to VDP that we walked a few years ago. To avoid peak crowds you should probably consider an early start , would say mid april for norte and end of march for VDP or, as you've read on previous post, consider other options
-Chemin de vezelay in France, certainly the less crowded of them all, that we walked last may
-Camino de Levante, just beginning to attract a few pilgrims...
Anything else you need, just ask
Giorgio

 

[joellen77]

Thank you both for your advice and replies. I briefly thought about walking in France, and I know it is very very beautiful, but honestly the only thing holding me back is my lack of French. I speak Spanish pretty well and I enjoy talking to the people I meet along the way. I am afraid my lack of French would isolate me

I have perhaps a dumb question, but on the Holy Years is it crowded the whole year or just in the summer months?

Thank you again -- I have a lot to think about and consider.

Buen Camino,
JoEllen

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The increase in recent years on the Caminos del Norte, Portugues, and Via de la Plata has been about 20-25% compared to an increase of about 10% on the Camino Frances. Like guessing the weather, guesses about 2010 are just guesses...

 

[nathanael]

Greetings to everyone well getting bored and so would like to plan another Camino for next year but not decide which one..any suggestion to where best volunteer I know Rabunal is all booked..let me know.
n.