Just how quiet are the Olvidado and Invierno - May or July?

[Aglass]

Hello
I've seen a lot of posts here saying that pilgrims met basically nobody else on the Olvidado. Has anyone actually met others on this route (and the Invierno)? I'm talking about 2-5 people a day or something like that.
Having done the Frances 2 decades ago and the Primitivo a decade ago, I definitely want to avoid the large groups of those routes but I am a little hesitant about not meeting anyone at all for 4 weeks. That said, I see there are more interactions with local people on these routes.
I've had this combo in mind for 6 years but this is the first year I have a block of time to do it. Thanks in advance for any comments. Andrew

 

[MikeJS]

I walked the Inviernao in 2017 and did not see another walker, but it is a little busier now. Similarly, I walked the Olvidado in 2019 and did not meet another walker.

 

[jungleboy]

The Invierno is more popular than the Olvidado. In May or July I'm sure you could expect to see a handful of pilgrims a day on the Invierno — at least that was my experience last June.

 

[AchimBerlin]

Hello
I've seen a lot of posts here saying that pilgrims met basically nobody else on the Olvidado. Has anyone actually met others on this route (and the Invierno)? I'm talking about 2-5 people a day or something like that.
Having done the Frances 2 decades ago and the Primitivo a decade ago, I definitely want to avoid the large groups of those routes but I am a little hesitant about not meeting anyone at all for 4 weeks. That said, I see there are more interactions with local people on these routes.
I've had this combo in mind for 6 years but this is the first year I have a block of time to do it. Thanks in advance for any comments. Andrew

Hi,
I walked the Invierno last May, we only rarely met other pilgrims, sometimes 2 oder 4 per day, on one occasion a larger group of Spanish bicycle-pilgrims (bicygrinos) passing by. But that was about it. You bump into some more when reaching your albergue but this route definitely feels like it must have been on the CF in the 70s. Lot's of space and solitude to walk and ponder on your own.

 

[BombayBill]

I walked the Invierno September 2024. Some days I saw no one on the trail, others 2-4 people. HOWEVER at night there were always 2-8 people to share a glass with. I don't know where they were hiding during the day. I never felt like I was entirely alone on the trail. Occasionally you'd see someone way ahead or pass them.

As I tend to start early I think I was usually ahead of whoever was walking.

 

[peregrina2000]

Totally agree with the opinions - wow, we are unanimous! In addition to the differences in numbers, I think there is also a big difference in terms of the feeling. The Olvidado (particularly the mountain sections after Aguilar de Campóo) has a lot of sections that I think can be described as remote. Many kms from anywhere with nothing but the natural world enveloping you. GPS is essential, even though the marking is generally very good. The Invierno, though untraveled, is not in any way remote - almost always close to roads, towns, churches. The Invierno is probably the most over-marked camino you will encounter, and the Xunta continues to dump many euros into more marking!

 

[Glenshiro]

I walked the Invierno to A Rua in June 2022, gave up with Covid and 40° heat. Met one other (Spanish) pilgrim. Returned in June 2023, met no-one until past Chantada, very few walkers. Loved it, though. As @peregrina2000 says, it's not remote and the small Galician towns (and their inhabitants) are charming. Still pondering doing it again this year - or the Aragonés.

 

[FrJimKingcsc]

Hi,
I walked the Invierno last May, we only rarely met other pilgrims, sometimes 2 oder 4 per day, on one occasion a larger group of Spanish bicycle-pilgrims (bicygrinos) passing by. But that was about it. You bump into some more when reaching your albergue but this route definitely feels like it must have been on the CF in the 70s. Lot's of space and solitude to walk and ponder on your own.

Totally agree with the opinions - wow, we are unanimous! In addition to the differences in numbers, I think there is also a big difference in terms of the feeling. The Olvidado (particularly the mountain sections after Aguilar de Campóo) has a lot of sections that I think can be described as remote. Many kms from anywhere with nothing but the natural world enveloping you. GPS is essential, even though the marking is generally very good. The Invierno, though untraveled, is not in any way remote - almost always close to roads, towns, churches. The Invierno is probably the most over-marked camino you will encounter, and the Xunta continues to dump many euros into more marking!

Will probably be a little more crowded this year but did it in late May/early June last year and my experience was similar to above comments except maybe more hit and miss. Three nights albergues had 10-12 people in them but once I was alone in a nice 24 bed albergue in a good-sized town. I had three stops with no more than 1-3 other beds occupied and only ran into English speaking pilgrims about half the nights -- though I did stay in several pensions in larger towns which might have been a factor. Twice I stopped in places where I expected to find some kind of bar/restaurant option but nothing was open and was glad to have packed food supplies. It’s similar in length to the Primitivo but hills are mostly long and gradual rather than steep with a few exceptions.

 

[Takahiwai]

My experience of the Invierno - a month before your May date - was to have encountered 4 people on Day 1 at Villavieja, and 2 completely different pilgrims at Puente de Domingo Flores. Apart from those two days, I didn't come across anyone walking the Invierno. Mind you, I wasn't exactly speeding.

 

[domigee]

I walked the Invierno to A Rua in June 2022, gave up with Covid and 40° heat. Met one other (Spanish) pilgrim. Returned in June 2023, met no-one until past Chantada, very few walkers. Loved it, though. As @peregrina2000 says, it's not remote and the small Galician towns (and their inhabitants) are charming. Still pondering doing it again this year - or the Aragonès.

oh, the Aragonés is lovely too!

 

[mla1]

April/May 2023 -- One week on the Olvidado from La Robla to Ponferrada to start the Invierno. That first week on the Olvidado I did not see any other pilgrims on the path nor in the albergues. The odd time I did see people just out walking. But it was an incredible time to be there. May 1st -- walking from Fasgar to Igueña was one of the best days of walking I have had anywhere. Spectacular. On the Invierno I started seeing people on the first day. Just a couple of people at first, but eventually there was a group of 5 or 6 of us who would cross paths every day and hang out a bit in the evenings. Perfect.

 

[jmwlester]

Hello
I've seen a lot of posts here saying that pilgrims met basically nobody else on the Olvidado. Has anyone actually met others on this route (and the Invierno)? I'm talking about 2-5 people a day or something like that.
Having done the Frances 2 decades ago and the Primitivo a decade ago, I definitely want to avoid the large groups of those routes but I am a little hesitant about not meeting anyone at all for 4 weeks. That said, I see there are more interactions with local people on these routes.
I've had this combo in mind for 6 years but this is the first year I have a block of time to do it. Thanks in advance for any comments. Andrew

Thanks for your inquiry. I also have these questions, and appreciated reading responses.
My plan is to depart Bilbao on April 24, arrive in Ponferrada on May 18 to walk the Invierno. Maybe our paths will cross.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I walked the Invierno in late September '24. There were seven other pilgrims in the albergue in Villavievga, but we never saw any of them again. We mostly stayed in private lodgings, but on the trail never encountered more than two persons a day and they were always different.