Other Routes like the VdlP or Invierno?

[Robo]

I'm doing some long term planning for my next 2-3 Caminos
It keeps me sane during breaks at work

So some ideas would be gratefully received.

My hope is, that Pat enjoys our next Camino which will include the Madrid and the last stages of the Sanabres.
She has only walked the Frances before. So it will be a bit different for her.
(We are also throwing in Muxia, Fisterra, SDC for a nice change of scene)

Certainly my own venture onto the less popular paths last year, the VdlP (to Astorga not the Sanabres) and the Invierno got me hooked.

Whilst the landscapes were very different I really enjoyed both. The 'Meseta like' vastness of much of the VdlP and the stunning hills and river valleys of the Invierno.

What I liked most, was the solitude. A few other Pilgrims now and again for connection and shared meals, but otherwise the trail and landscape largely to yourself.

Fingers crossed (and touching wood) Pat may also find she enjoys the road less travelled on our next Camino together.

With that in mind, I'm starting to look at future routes that we might enjoy together.
Or me alone again if not

Like our next Camino, they may end up being a bit 'Hybrid'.
Pat's maximum on one route without other diversions / breaks is probably now about 20 days.

Two reasons.
She's not quite the Camino 'tragic' that I am, and
She struggles a bit physically on a long route, non stop.

So I'm looking at shorter routes, or parts of routes, that we might stitch together.
Or if it goes well..........stay on a longer route. We'll be flexible.

To give you an idea, I'm looking at routes like.

Via Augusta (Cadiz-Sevilla)
Mozarabe. (Almeria-Granada or Granada-Cordoba) doubt she would cope with the whole route.
Levante. (A part that would include Toledo)
Lana (maybe starting in Valencia)

I'll keep a long/full route for when I next walk alone.

So the goal is really to try some routes that don't have many Pilgrims on them.
No need to end in Santiago. If we feel the need, we can do the last part of the Invierno or Sanabres.
In Spain. (just not drawn to Portugal, sorry)

Any thoughts or ideas most appreciated.

 

[Paul-CH]

Hi Robo, if you like to have something else then Spain, look at the Via Gebennesis. From Geneva to Le Puy-En-Velay approximately 400km 21 days distance max 20km/day. It's a bit hilly with ups and downs, then along the Rhône river and then back into the countryside with beautiful landscapes and lovely villages.
This page is in german, but the translation with the browser makes a good job.
You don't need to have a agent for this camino. But if you wish luggage transport and already reserved accommodations it may be an option.

I did it all by myself in 16 days at spring 2017, where I was able to use the rest of my french knowledge from the school. You find information and pictures on my blog elcaminohike

 

[Blister Bill]

Hi mate, you could do something different. Just completed the Camino Levante to Caravaca de la Cruz (5/6days). No other pilgrims, comfortable distances, easy walking varied scenery some nice towns. The Camino Ucles from Madrid or vice versa. Again 4-6 days easy walking. There's also the Camino a Guadalupe which you could start in Madrid or Toledo. (On the list) just as suggestions. Ive done the Augusta (6 days) but some of the days maybe a wee bit long and a bit of travel time. Have fun filling in your work day !

 

[CTLawGal]

I'm doing some long term planning for my next 2-3 Caminos
It keeps me sane during breaks at work

YES! Exactly this! (Don't we all! And I'm not really working much, semi-retired - hahaha!

 

[CTLawGal]

Certainly my own venture onto the less popular paths last year, the VdlP (to Astorga not the Sanabres) and the Invierno got me hooked.

I've got both of these on my list for 2026 - don't want to derail your thread, but would be interested to learn why Astorga and not Sanabres?

 

[pelerine]

Try the Camino de Torres:

Camino Torres — Camino Torres - Web Oficial

www.caminotorres.com

 

[Blister Bill]

I've got both of these on my list for 2026 - don't want to derail your thread, but would be interested to learn why Astorga and not Sanabres?

Possibly to do the complete Vdlp which goes from Seville to Astorga. You then have a few options to get to SdC. CF, Invierno from Ponferrada, Manzanal & Via Künig or backtrack and do the Sanabres. What I didn't think about (until committed) was going the other way to Leon and doing the San Salvador then one more day North. I started in Cadiz and I could then have walked South to North and finished on the Primitivo. So many options

 

[Trish K]

I’m currently on the Mozarabe from Almeria and so far it’s very quiet with only 2 other pilgrims (and one of them has taken an extra day in Grenada so only 2 now). The scenery has been beautiful and it’s much warmer (so far) than I was expecting for this time of year. I’ve had no issues in sorting out accommodation - a mix of albergues and small private hostels. The Asociatión Jacobea de Almería-Granada are brilliant at giving assistance and guidance.

 

[lt56ny]

I have done the Madrid, the Vasco and the Aragones. Aragones is super quiet but I saw a few pilgrims here and there. Vasco I spent a few nights with some French pilgrims but never saw them on the trail. They were nice, but never asked me to join them for dinner or engage me at all. Just did the Madrid. Really quiet, really beautiful and the infrastructure was the most basic of any camino I ever walked. But always a place to sleep, but some planning necessary.
I would walk any one of these caminos again.

 

[David Tallan]

Try the Camino de Torres:

Camino Torres — Camino Torres - Web Oficial

www.caminotorres.com

Which can lead nicely into the Camino da Geira e dos Arrieiros.

You can see my account of my recent Camino Torres (as far as Braga, just before it joins the Portugues Central in Ponte de Lima) in the Torres forum I haven't finished the CGA yet.

Maybe it is the time of year, but these have been much more solitary than the VDLP or the Madrid. I have seen a total of one other pilgrim and that was because he was walking 60 km/day and passed me, and he just so happened to stop that day in the same town I did and we stayed in the same place.

The CGA seems to have a few more pilgrims than the Torres, so we are only separated by a few days rather than a week or more.

 

[Robo]

I've got both of these on my list for 2026 - don't want to derail your thread, but would be interested to learn why Astorga and not Sanabres?

A few reasons.

The VdlP actually goes to Astorga.
I wanted to try that section from Granja to Astorga.
My plan was to walk the Invierno, rather than the Sanabres.
I wanted to visit the Pilgrim memorial grove again.
Likewise the Cruz de Ferro.
I thought I might keep the Sanabres for future.

It all worked out really well.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@Robo, why no interest in Portugal?
I love that country, having walked the Camino from Porto, the Fisherman's Trail on the southwest coast, and many other additional cities/villages and areas I've visited by vehicle with my family before going back home.

 

[Robo]

@Robo, why no interest in Portugal?
I love that country, having walked the Camino from Porto, the Fisherman's Trail on the southwest coast, and many other additional cities/villages and areas I've visited by vehicle with my family before going back home.

I’d prefer not to share the reasons, sorry.

 

[el-pe]

If you walk the Madrid to Leon, you should consider contiunuing on the San Salvatore from Leon to Oviedo 120 something km, but very hilly and beautiful.

 

[pelerine]

What I didn't think about (until committed) was going the other way to Leon and doing the San Salvador then one more day North.

That is what I did - VdlP to Astorga, then counterflow to Leon and the San Salvador to Oviedo. If I had had the time I would then have continued to Santiago on the Primitivo.

 

[lt56ny]

Which can lead nicely into the Camino da Geira e dos Arrieiros.

You can see my account of my recent Camino Torres (as far as Braga, just before it joins the Portugues Central in Ponte de Lima) in the Torres forum I haven't finished the CGA yet.

Maybe it is the time of year, but these have been much more solitary than the VDLP or the Madrid. I have seen a total of one other pilgrim and that was because he was walking 60 km/day and passed me, and he just so happened to stop that day in the same town I did and we stayed in the same place.

The CGA seems to have a few more pilgrims than the Torres, so we are only separated by a few days rather than a week or more.

Just wondering what month you were on the Madrid this year. I was with one pilgrim at Ray and Rosa but I never saw him again as he was going to walk up a mountain or something and then take a bus to a point further up the Madrid. I also met 2 Polish pilgrims at that albergue that was next to the soccer stadium and the indoor sports park in Nava de Asuncion. They arrived by taxi just as I was going to sleep. I left before they did and never saw them again either.

 

[dick bird]

How about the Catalan via Huesca, or the Vasco Interior. Both relatively short, both very quiet, well-waymarked and good infrastructure, not to mention the friendliness of the locals, excellent food and wine and some spectacular scenery.

 

[David Tallan]

Just wondering what month you were on the Madrid this year. I was with one pilgrim at Ray and Rosa but I never saw him again as he was going to walk up a mountain or something and then take a bus to a point further up the Madrid. I also met 2 Polish pilgrims at that albergue that was next to the soccer stadium and the indoor sports park in Nava de Asuncion. They arrived by taxi just as I was going to sleep. I left before they did and never saw them again either.

I was on the Madrid June 2023. I was alone in the alvergues 2/3 of the time, and only saw two pilgrims more than once (one I saw each evening for several days, the other I walked with for several days). It is certainly a solitary route. But these routes this year are much more solitary.

 

[BrettP]

@Robo I walked a complex route for 50 days (1200km) in autumn (Sep-Oct) last year which included several quieter Caminos, starting at the mouth of the Ebro on the Meditteranean, all the way to the Atlantic at Gijon, and then along the Norte to Santiago.

- Camino del Ebro (Deltebre to Logrono) was very quiet, with less than half a dozen pilgrims encountered the whole way. The route is mostly marked, although it's wise to use a mapping app to route find, since parts of this route don't look to have been maintained (or indeed used) for some years. A beautiful walk, nonetheless, most of it along the Ebro Valley, not always with pilgrim accommodation available, and often little to no English spoken, so it helps to have a basic command of Spanish and slightly deeper pockets.
- Camino Frances (Logrono to Burgos) was extremely busy, nice to chat to pilgrims, of course, but too much of a bed race for me, so at Burgos I took a bus and switched to the ...
- Camino Olvidado (Aguilar de Campoo to La Robla), again very quiet, with only the occasional cyclists, and accommodation intermittent, but I never had to resort to sleeping in a ditch. Once again beautiful country paths, often far from the main roads (perhaps too far for some), but I was never lost (due to using the excellent mapy.cz app). At La Robla I turned north onto the ...
- Camino San Salvador (La Robla to Oviedo): I've wanted to do this one for some years, and it didn't disappoint, although I had a rather heavy pack (why, oh why do I always do that?) and the hills climbs were therefore pretty tough. A couple of times I got the last bed in the albergue, so obviously it can get busy. From Oviedo I left several friends who pressed on to the Primitivo (since I did that in 2015) and walked to Gijon, the Atlantic, and then had my first rest day. That is a another spectacular walk, albeit quite long for a day.
- Camino del Norte (Gijon to Santiago). I had walked the first part of the Norte (Irun-Gijon) in 2016 and wanted to complete the Norte. It was considerably busier, but accommodation was plentiful, and the weather played nicely.

I was enthralled with the quieter routes, and hope to return to do more soon. Not for me the busier sections any more - besides, I've done them, and look forward to exploring new routes, new places, and meeting new faces. Hoping that you find some routes that suit you both. Like you, I'm always dreaming of the next one, poring over maps and schedules, and figuring out when I can fit another Camino into my work schedule.

Regards,

Brett
New Zealand

 

[Sue127]

I’m currently on the Mozarabe from Almeria and so far it’s very quiet with only 2 other pilgrims (and one of them has taken an extra day in Grenada so only 2 now). The scenery has been beautiful and it’s much warmer (so far) than I was expecting for this time of year. I’ve had no issues in sorting out accommodation - a mix of albergues and small private hostels. The Asociatión Jacobea de Almería-Granada are brilliant at giving assistance and guidance.

Loved this camino. I only got as far as Cordoba, due to time restrictions, but will complete one day. Not next year though as I have just booked my travel to the start of the Primitivo, to be followed by Muxia and Finesterra next spring. Better start on some hill training!

 

[domigee]

@Robo I loved the aragonés.

 

[Blister Bill]

That is what I did - VdlP to Astorga, then counterflow to Leon and the San Salvador to Oviedo. If I had had the time I would then have continued to Santiago on the Primitivo.

Very jealous- it just never occurred to me till too late and I'd committed to going back and doing the Sanabres.

 

[VNwalking]

Any thoughts or ideas most appreciated.

The Vasco - or better, the Via de Bayona ending in Burgos. Fabulous walk, and seriously good food in the first stages (in the shadow of San Sebastian).