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Quieter Routes to SDC: Departing from the CF

MARSKA

CF 2023, 2024, 2025?
Donating Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Sept/Oct 2023
I want to develop a plan to divert from the CF to the Sanabres or Invierno before Sarria to have a quieter walk to SDC. I want time for contemplation and prayer before arriving in SDC. Where would be the most logical place to depart the CF? I know the Winter Way connects with the CF in Ponferrada and is one option. Are there other options to access the Sanabres (VDP) from the CF between Ponferrada and Sarria? I realize this may require bus or train transport, which I'm not keen about, but will consider as an alternative to arriving SDC via Sarria. Gracias!
 
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It's not after Ponferrada, but you can follow the Via de la Plata backwards from Astorga to the start of the Sanabres. No bus required.

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La Vía de la Plata (o Camino de la Plata) es el más importante Camino de Santiago desde el sur peninsular. Hoy en día se considera Sevilla como la ciudad de inicio, y el itinerario tiene su origen en distintas calzadas romanas que en el medievo aprovecharon los peregrinos. Se caracteriza por las...
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The Invierno, or...
Via Kunig from O Cebreiro to Lugo, Via Verde from there to Lavacolla/Santiago:

The Exciting Way of the Künig Way - Viajes Camino de Santiago

"I, Hemann Künig von Vach, want, with God's help, to make a little book to be called The Way of St. James[...]".
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How much time do you think you'll have? The alternatives to the Camino Frances are a little longer - at least a couple of days.

I'm not sure that you need to depart from the Camino Frances in order to have contemplation and prayer time at the end of October and first week of November. The "crowds" probably won't be such that you can't have quiet time if you choose. Even by setting out an hour later that the typical departure time will mean that you don't see many people at all.

However, I expect that you want to have a plan in your back pocket in case you decide that you want it. The Invierno is the obvious choice, provided you have the couple of extra days available. If not, you could take a bus or train between some of the towns to catch up with your schedule. Of course, in late October-early November, some of the usual stopping places might not be open, and days are shorter. Are you prepared to deal with those issues? In Spanish? I think those logistical issues and jumping ahead would interfere with your peaceful approach to Santiago more than the extra people on the Camino Frances would.

My thought is that you might be complicating and interrupting your Camino more than making it contemplative at the end. Following the Frances is simple and lovely. However, if you get to Ponferrada and have the time and the inclination, by all means, turn left instead of right!
 
Not arguing against your current plan, but to offer an alternative solution based on my recent experience.

If you choose to stop in towns "between stages" after Sarria you can have a quieter walk into Santiago. When I joined the Frances in Melide (53 or 54 km from Santiago, well within the "crowded" zone) I did so in July, considered one of the busiest months of the year for this section. Yet I had plenty of solitude on the Frances, and lots on my final day into Santiago, until I was right in the city. No bus or train transport required.

How did I do this? I stopped at Salceda and Lavacolla instead of O Pedrouzo.

Just something to consider before breaking the continuity of your Camino.
 
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EXCELLENT hack to avoid the 50% of all pilgrims who only walk from Sarria - at least during the regular season. Out of season, this might not be necessary. But it is an ingenious idea.

Thank you for sharing.

Tom
 
I'm with @David Tallan
I walked pretty much off stages from Astorga on and this was end of June, not October and these "crowds" never bothered me the way lots of folks think they will.
Walked right pass by Sarria, Palace del Rey, Portomarin...
Yes here and there there were those school trips but far and few in between....
No problems of solo walk resplendent with solitude and peaceful contemplations.
Just don't forget to still watch out for yellow arrows
 
I don’t know how hard/long you might consider as a diversion but I will just add my favourite route as a possibility. From Leon, take the Salvador to Oviedo and then the Primitivo from Oviedo to Santiago. Recognised as the hardest combination, it is also quieter and very beautiful
 
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Alister - your suggestion is a little more strenuous than I want. but thanks!!!!!
Wonderful suggestions from all!!!!!!!!!!! I will look into a few of these and get back to you.
Gracias, Kati
 
Granted great options but you still drop back onto Frances either at Melide, Arzua or Lavacolla
IMHO just stay on Feances and don't worry
 
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Only the last 100kms (i.e. from Lugo) count. And I'm no clear that the Camino Verde is still not recognized - I thought I had read here that it's now recognized but could not find that when I searched. Anyway, coming from farther away than 100kms, it's possible to 'discuss' once you're at the P.O.:


@MARSKA , @Peterexpatkiwi just walked it and was posting, so you might PM him:
Post in thread 'Mid July on the Primitivo' https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/mid-july-on-the-primitivo.81898/post-1164004

The Kūnig/Verde option would be a very secluded one. I'd you want quiet but more possibly to see fellow pilgrims, the Invierno is a better choice. But less of an adventure.
 
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Rebekah Scott said:
there's a daily train between Sarria and Monforte de Lemos -- the 100 km. marker on the Invierno. Once you hit Sarria, just get the train south and continue on from Monforte.
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Thank you everyone for the great ideas and your thoughts /advice about staying on the CF. Just the type of options I was looking for to continue my research.

I'm getting back into shape, losing a few pounds, and refreshing my Spanish. Feel like a new woman. I haven't even started walking yet and the Camino is already working it's magic. I believe I am feeling a bit adventurous!

Rebekah - I will look for information about the Sarria / Monforte de Lemos train and the camino route from Monforte de Lemos to SDC. "Hearts" to all!!!!!!
 
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MARSKA said:
Rebekah - I will look for information about the Sarria / Monforte de Lemos train and the camino route from Monforte de Lemos to SDC. "Hearts" to all!!!!!!
Click to expand...
If you want to go that way, @MARSKA , I'd really encourage you to simply turn left at Ponferrada onto the Invierno!

The early stages are gorgeous, really special. And you won't be dealing with the weird disconnect that happens when you break the foot journey to go someplace else on the train.

No fuss, no muss - Simple, continuous, and quiet.
 
Hi Marska - a slightly different perspective on this from me...
The majority of commentators here so far are camino 'repeat offenders' and I doubt many/any of them would have traded the final section of the CF for a different route on their first camino.

FWIW last year I arrived in Sarria on the 5 November. It was bit busier from there, but it wasn't crowded. Actually it was quite fun having a fresh influx of newbies, sharing their sense of anticipation (and responding to their many newbie questions ..). But there were also many hours where you could still manage to walk alone if you wanted to.
Also, there's a great infrastructure for pilgrims' blessings on the CF, usually at the church closest to the municipal or main albergue, combined with the evening mass. These can be wonderful, where the local parish and priest show so much care and good wishes for the pilgrims passing through every day. These blessings will set you up nicely for your next day's contemplations.

It's impossible for you to know now how you'll feel when you reach your final week on the camino and what your situation will be. I'd say, you're approaching the point of over-thinking it. Take a little practical planning advice from this forum, for sure. But once you've done that, just step away! Trust in the route that has served so many others for hundreds of years and go with the flow. El Camino will do the rest.
 
Totally agree with @peregrino_tom. I walked the last part of my Camino in May/June last year. After Sarria the numbers went up, and yeah in some moments there were a lot of people on the way. But it almost always just lasted for a little while. I either got in front of them, or behind them. I stayed in smaller places that where not the "end towns" and loved it.
 
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I walked the Via Verde (after Camino de Madrid, San Salvador and as part of the Primitivo) - it was not questioned when I asked for a Compostela. Some of my family had joined me in Leon for the San Salvador and Primitivo and they all received compostelas as well. This was in 2018.
I would do that Green Way again in a heartbeat https://wordpress.com/view/thereandbacktoseehowfaritisblog.wordpress.com

and then you have the monastery at Sobrado to delight in
 
peregrino_tom said:
The majority of commentators here so far are camino 'repeat offenders' and I doubt many/any of them would have traded the final section of the CF for a different route on their first camino.
Click to expand...
I completely agree. My first two Caminos were from SJPdP to Fisterra on the Camino Francés.
On my second Camino I had tentatively planned to divert to the Salvador/Primitivo, but I was so enjoying spending time in places that I had simply walked through the first time that I decided to continue all the way on the Francés. I had also met some pilgrims that I really enjoyed walking with.

By all means, be aware of the alternatives, but don't assume that the last couple of hundred kms of the Francés are not worthwhile because of the possibility of more pilgrims. There are lots of amazing places to see.
 
CWBuff said:
Granted great options but you still drop back onto Frances either at Melide, Arzua or Lavacolla
IMHO just stay on Feances and don't worry
Click to expand...
You can take the camino Verde in Lugo and go all the way to santiago.
 
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This is not directed specifically to Marska, but rather everyone who decries "crowds". I walked late May to July 1 this year, but the experience was pretty much the same as my August and September walks. Most of the time I could see people ahead and behind me but the distance was such that I couldn't hear them. Is the goal about quite time on the Camino not even seeing other people?
 
Bob Howard said:
Is the goal about quite time on the Camino not even seeing other people?
Click to expand...
For me that is a definite plus. On my first Camino Frances I sometimes went two or three days without seeing another walker and spent much of my time in refugios solo. In more recent times I have walked the VdlP in winter and seen maybe 20 other pilgrims in nearly 1000km. That is my own ideal and the reason why I now choose to walk less-travelled routes or the more popular ones in mid-winter.
 
To be honest, I'm not sure that I really know how I'll feel about walking the Camino with / near /in site of others vs solitary. That's why I want to have a "plan B" in case I'm feeling claustrophobic.
I do know that when otherwise walking it drives me nuts to have a person directly in front of me or behind me. A crowd is intolerable. Even worse if I can hear them talking or the music they are listening to.

Here at home I prefer quite a bit of breathing space, unless I have specifically planned to walk with one or two or three good friends.
 
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MARSKA said:
I do know that when otherwise walking it drives me nuts to have a person directly in front of me or behind me. A crowd is intolerable. Even worse if I can hear them talking or the music they are listening to.
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I think you are boxing at shadows. Even in the last 100 km on the busy routes like the CF and CP, where there are often people in sight, it is very rare for anyone to walk that close in the same way one might get on a busy city street. You might pass other pilgrims slowly, and they you, earlier than that, but I found that I was always in control of the distance that I kept from others.

If you are that concerned, I would recommend considering the Invierno/Sanabres. There were far fewer pilgrims on that when I walked this in May than the CF and CP. The only other route that I have walked that was as quiet was the CI.
 
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Yep.
 
@Mariska. Precisely, when are you starting in Sept. and when do you plan to arrive in Oct?
 
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I think this is a perfectly valid question to consider for a lot of reasons. I've walked the CF twice and about to start my third in a few weeks. The section from Saria actually I didn't really enjoy. Both times I've walked 30-40 km days to get through. I'm not sure I'm going to walk that again. When I walked the vdlp last 100km it was great (as discussed above).
Despite all of this, you don't really get to choose, sorry. Most folks on here will have assembled a walking bunch of friends before saria. Just about all of them will be committed to walking the traditional CF. When you have a choice between continuing on the CF with your friends or walking alone on a better quieter longer path, you are going to be probably pick to walk with friends. That makes sense. No ?
 
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Nomad - What friends? I'm too crabby for most LOL ....
 
No, it doesn't make sense to me. You DO get to choose, sorry. Most folks assemble a walking bunch of acquaintances, not necessarily friends. I agree that having friends or acquaintances to walk with would likely be an influence on the decision, but not a foregone conclusion.

I think it likely that @MARSKA would decide to stay on the Frances, because I don't think she's going to find it unbearably crowded at all, and she might be happy to continue with the collection of people she has crossed paths with. However, it is good to be familiar with the options.
 
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I just finished the CF a week ago. I’m a slow walker. After Sarria I was being passed very frequently and I can’t say I liked it. But OP might have more options to avoid crowds on the CF. Many, myself included, started early to avoid the afternoon sun, which even in Galicia can be very hot in July. In fall, particularly if you book ahead, you can vary your start times. Also staying in the smaller towns could help. I’m glad my first camino was the CF, though in retrospect I should have planned it a bit better. However, no matter what you choose, Buen Camino!
 
Yes you are right. I indulged in a bit of hyperbole.

I guess it's a mix of happenstance, you, and your point of view whether you walk with mere acquaintances or new friends. If you have walked 10 caminos probably you do have to think of each new years bunch as acquaintances. If you have only walked a few like me and have been very lucky with who you walk with you may think differently. Two of the people in my last group are now married, despite coming from different hemispheres. Lots of them are still in touch and have walked together since. I'm going to be walking in 2 weeks with one of them.

IMHO most folks who are walking from sjpdp will be reluctant to separate from their walking group. I know it took me a few days and good advice from a friend, to accept falling behind on my first camino to take care of my tendonitis. I wish the original poster well
 
NomadBoomer said:
IMHO most folks who are walking from sjpdp will be reluctant to separate from their walking group.
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I agree with you that your walking cohort may be a strong factor in this decision, and that is absolutely fine with me. And I like a bit of hyberbole now and then. However, as other threads indicate, not everyone finds themselves in a close group, or even wants to. In fact they are intimidated by the whole concept of Camino families. I wanted to reassure them that they should not let peer pressure or insecurities dictate their route.
 
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