recommending the Camino de invierno!

Excellent Sulu!

I am so glad to see that others are beginning to enjoy this route. I walked it solo, and only encountered two other pilgrims between Ponferrada and A Laxe. While I did enjoy walking it alone, getting lost finding Monforte might have been more adventurous with a partner.

I personally feel it is to be recommended either way, and really hope that more people take to it. It could use the infrastructure that pilgrim euros bring... and is a loooong way off of being anywhere near as busy as any other seldom taken roads.

I actually had the thought yesterday that it would be interesting to see a ferry service that ran between Portomarin and somewhere near Chantada, giving pilgrims an opportunity to start the Invierno late or end it early and to see the Miño which was one of my favorite parts (I did the boat tour in Belasar and had the pleasure of showering waterfall style).

I definitely reccomend it! it's a beautiful route, some stages are long, true, and it can be solitary, but that can also be its appeal.
I had the opportunity to walk it with the members of one of the associations that manage it - they walk it every year, usually in september, to see if the waymarks, accommodation and eating facilities all still funcioning as before.

the waymarking is usually very good, but there were about 10-12 points where it was missing and, without a good description, you might be in some trouble. and that infamous section between Chantada and Penasillas where the original arrows have been removed and an alternative waymarked more or less along the main road.

there is some info about Camino Invierno on a board in albergue in Ponferrada, mainly for El Bierzo, the first, section, which is excellently waymarked. I have heard that the pressure of private albergues from Ponferrada up to O Cebreiro is very unfriendly towards Camino Invierno.

pilgrim-friendly accommodation is still somewhat lacking, especially in the second part. the status at the moment is more or less like this:

0km Ponferrada - albergue parroquial, donativo (180bb, kitchen)
32km Las Medulas - hospedaje Soccoro, pilgrim BB 20E (8b in 4 double rooms, that is 'hay camas' opposite church; warm dinner is hard to come by out of season)
(at 15,5km Puente Domingo Florez - hostal La Torre, 29E/40E for single/double room)
(at 19km Sobradelo - albergue with 4b will open in the friendly bar Mar, upon entering town)
(at 27,5km O Barco de Valdeorras - various pensiones for about 15E-20E per person)
31,5km Xagoaza - albergue de peregrinos, 6E (20bb, kitchen but buy food in O Barco, it's 1.5km off route and up the valley road)
8,5km Villamartin de Valdeorras - albergue in polideportivo, 5E (30b)
5km Fontei - albergue Casa de Solaina, 11E (6b, dinner 8E, breakfast 2E)
(in A Rua 200m away various pensiones for about 20E per person)
28,5km Quiroga - albergue municipal, 9E (150b in double/triple rooms)
21,5km A Pobra de Brollon - hostal As Vinas, HP 28E for pilgrims
12km Monforte de Lemos - hostal Puente Romano, 30E/40E for double/triple room for pilgrims (a bit worn down but right next to the romanesque bridge, very good and cheap dinner in O Xugo in front of monasterio de escolapios)
31km Chantada - hotel Mogay, BB 45E for double room for pilgrims (breakfast in a bar 50m further on route, you get a voucher)
25,5km Rodeiro - hospedaxe O Guerra, 40E for double room for pilgrims (also very good dinner for 10E)
(at 22km Lalin - various pensiones and hostales for about 30E per person)
29km A Laxe - albergue Xunta, 5E (28bb, kitchen with very few utensils, buy food in Lalin)
9,5km Silleda - albergue santa Olaia, 5-10E (65b), also albergue turistico for 10E
29km Outeiro - albergue Xunta, 5E (32bb, kitchen, buy food in Ponte Ulla)
18km Santiago - albergues

there are also polideportivos in all towns that have them, ask in ayuntamientos.

I have been studiously correcting my description while walking and will be posting the corrected version, in english, on the net (and the link here) sometime by the end of the year. with the permission of the author of the spanish guide!