Sharp decline in pilgrims, Camino Aragonés

[peregrina2000]

When I walked the Aragonés a few years ago, we heard repeatedly that the number of pilgrims was declining. This article Javier posted confirms that;

http://www.heraldo.es/noticias/aragon/2017/10/26/camino-peligro-1204010-300.html

I know the pilgrims' office numbers are hardly scientific, but they are quite accurate in showing the trends since they consistently measure the same thing. They report only 49 people have started from Somport in 2017, compared to more than a thousand in 2010.

The article also points out that there will be disruption due to highway construction, not likely to boost the traffic.

I have never met anyone who didn't love the Aragonés. Starting in Somport or further back in France, it is beautiful. The albergues are great, too. And a chance to visit San Juan de la Peña, well that is the icing on the cake.

 

[nycwalking]

But, you never hear about it. Even on this forum, route rarely pops up in discussion.

 

[amancio]

I agree, Aragonés is stunning, the Pyrinees, Jaca, Arrés, Ruesta, Sangüesa are stunning places, but I guess people associate Roncesvalles more to the Camino. I did it two years ago and it was not very crowded in september, just about the right number of pilgrims until you come to Puente la Reina and then everything changes (for worse)

 

[Seabird]

So interesting. This is the route I wanted to do next time. At least I really hope there will be a next time!

 

[Sailor]

Camino maintenance could be part of the problem [possible lack of resources?], from the article, the data is devastating and account of institutional neglect of the recent years: inadequate signage, torn posters, deterioration of steps, weed invasion. Good luck, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[oursonpolaire]

I'm not sure why it is underpopulated. It provides a nice bridge from the French routes over the Pyrenees to Jaca. It is not the most comfortable of routes with cafes on every corner, and the Aragonese pilgrim has to watch their water and food and stages have to be planned, but it's very scenic-- perhaps a good one for the wildernessey trek kind of pilgrim. It gives you a flavour of a wild west Spain, and you can see how figures such as Francis Xavier came out of it. Whether the pilgrim is an aficionado of the romanesque visiting San Juan de la Pena, or of the sybaritic, at the hot springs at Tiermas, there's plenty there.

 

[frida1]

We walked the Arles/Aragones to Puente la Reina in May. I agree that it is a stunningly beautiful camino. It would be a shame if it continues to decline.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

It is a long, long way from Santiago. It´s not an easy Way. And it´s been plagued with political fights over the expansion of the Yesa dam project, which flooded a large part of the original Camino Aragonese and threatens to flood even more in the future. I think most contemporary pilgrims aren´t willing to invest the additional time and energy, especially when everybody else starts at St. Jean.

 

[backpack45]

This is an wonderful route; I loved coming over the Pyrenees at Somport Pass. Not having as many people as are on the St Jean route would seem to be a major benefit to many people. We did this route starting in Arles, FR. over a three-year period finishing in Puente la Reina (where it joins the Frances) in 2010. Very different experience than LePuy (which is also an awesome route). We had no particular problem finding accommodations. Sad to hear that any large-scale construction threatens the unique landscape of this route.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

Time for Martin Sheen to make another movie, eh?

 

[Bala]

Time for Martin Sheen to make another movie, eh?

I think you hit the nail on the head!

 

[annakappa]

We loved the Aragonés. It's everything and more seeped in history, if compared to the Francés as far as Puente de la Reina. The museum in Jaca with all the murals taken from abandoned churches in the area. The town of Jaca itself and....as Laurie says, the visit to San Juan de la Peña is indeed the icing on the cake. Plus the villages along the way are charming and all albergues where we stayed were excellent.
So, you're going to miss Pamplona if you choose the Aragonés, but then, we stayed over one extra day there before we started ( and what a rewarding day that proved to be - but that's another story)!

 

[intrepidtraveler]

This is an wonderful route; I loved coming over the Pyrenees at Somport Pass. Not having as many people as are on the St Jean route would seem to be a major benefit to many people. We did this route starting in Arles, FR. over a three-year period finishing in Puente la Reina (where it joins the Frances) in 2010. Very different experience than LePuy (which is also an awesome route). We had no particular problem finding accommodations. Sad to hear that any large-scale construction threatens the unique landscape of this route.
View attachment 37026

How is it different from the Le Puy route?Did you prefer one over the other? I am asking because the LePuy route as well as the Aragones-Frances -Salvador -Primitivo are among those I'm considering for 2018. Thank you in advance for replying.

 

[intrepidtraveler]

When I walked the Aragonés a few years ago, we heard repeatedly that the number of pilgrims was declining. This article Javier posted confirms that;

http://www.heraldo.es/noticias/aragon/2017/10/26/camino-peligro-1204010-300.html

I know the pilgrims' office numbers are hardly scientific, but they are quite accurate in showing the trands since they consistently measure the same thing. They report only 49 people have started from Somport in 2017, compared to more than a thousand in 2010.

The article also points out that there will be disruption due to highway construction, not likely to boost the traffic.

I have never met anyone who didn't love the Aragonés. Starting in Somport or further back in France, it is beautiful. The albergues are great, too. And a chance to visit San Juan de la Peña, well that is the icing on the cake.

What is "disruption due to highway construction" likely to look like? Route detours, lack of places to stay due to being used by construction workers,or ??? I was thinking that walking the Aragones-Frances-San Salvador -Primitivo might be an interesting route but now I'm starting to wonder. Thanks in advance for any insights you are able to share.

 

[caminobrit]

This is a worrying trend. Having done this in 2011, it will always be one of my favourite Caminos. Its so beautiful. The river walk from Oloron St Marie, Climb up Samport, monastery at Pena, alburgues in Arres and Ruesta special. Foz de Lumbier is also a bit special. The problem I see as well as the disruption is that its not appealing to newbies much. Case in point on my Camino this year i met someone starting from Lourdes. (There was a few doing this aswell) and rather than crossing the pyrenees at Somport people are walking to St Jean instead. I scratched my head at the time wondering why this is the thing to do now from Lourdes.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

I'm walking the Aragones next May with an Amawalkers group, from Lourdes to Puente/Pamplona.

Why? Because I've already done the Frances, and more than once. I suspect that most of the folks I meet will be other Frances veterans looking for a new Camino thrill, not Camino 'newbies', all of whom are now fixated, for better or worse, on SJPdeP. As I once was.

(I look forward to walking 'backwards' over the Alto de Perdon, and into my favorite place on earth - Pamplona. )

 

[PilgrimPillar]

Thx for all info given...

Could someone write up some basic info with map ref for inspiration and pre planning??

...."Camino Aragones for dummies"?

Much obliged

 

[peregrina2000]

Thx for all info given...

Could someone write up some basic info with map ref for inspiration and pre planning??

...."Camino Aragones for dummies"?

Much obliged

Hi, Plutselig, here is a link to some descriptions I wrote a few years ago.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/our-camino-aragonés-june-2015.36782/

ANd here is a link to gronze's stages. https://www.gronze.com/camino-aragones

The one thing I would add to this is that LT and I did not make a detour to San Juan de la Peña because we intersected the Aragonés from the Camino Catalán, which goes through San Juan. This is an amazing site, and if you like ancient monasteries and churches you absolutely should not miss it. You can either take a day trip from Jaca or walk there with some detour planning. There are lots of people on the forum who have done both of these alternatives and can help if you want to include it in your Aragonés. It is well worth it. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[intrepidtraveler]

Thx for all info given...

Could someone write up some basic info with map ref for inspiration and pre planning??

...."Camino Aragones for dummies"?

Much obliged

This link appeared in the APOC Facebook page. It seems pretty straightforward and comprehensive.
http://santiago.forwalk.org/en/m/1s/route/NjUyTw/the-aragones-way/stage-list/#stages

 

[Deleted member 3000]

How is it different from the Le Puy route?Did you prefer one over the other? I am asking because the LePuy route as well as the Aragones-Frances -Salvador -Primitivo are among those I'm considering for 2018. Thank you in advance for replying.

It is in Spain, so it is more similar to the Camino Frances/Via de la Plata. It is far quieter than the Chemin de St. Jacques. I like the Le Puy route better having walked each one twice.

What is "disruption due to highway construction" likely to look like? Route detours, lack of places to stay due to being used by construction workers,or ??? I was thinking that walking the Aragones-Frances-San Salvador -Primitivo might be an interesting route but now I'm starting to wonder. Thanks in advance for any insights you are able to share.

An autopista, A-10 I think, is being built along the N-240, so a couple of years ago there were bridges to nowhere and lots of interchanges being built. There is a lot of local opposition to the reservoir, but the water seemed quite far away from the route. It should not be too hard to move the route up the hill a short distance, so changes may not be large. I am walking it this winter, and will report back on its condition! Stages are fairly distinct because infrastructure has not been expanded. In the winter, there will be quite a few closings. Towns and cities are very interesting. The abandoned train station at Canfranc was the largest in Europe when it was finished.

 

[LTfit]

The one thing I would add to this is that LT and I did not make a detour to San Juan de la Peña because we intersected the Aragonés from the Camino Catalán, which goes through San Juan. This is an amazing site, and if you like ancient monasteries and churches you absolutely should not miss it. You can either take a day trip from Jaca or walk there with some detour planning. There are lots of people on the forum who have done both of these alternatives and can help if you want to include it in your Aragonés. It is well worth it. Buen camino, Laurie

As Laurie mentioned, we came up to San Juan de la Peña from the Camí Catalán side which is in fact easier. The downhill though was tough on the knees.

One other jewel is Eunate which you pass on the Aragonés. It was unfortunately closed when we walked by but I am so pleased that I got to visit when I was in that neck of the woods last October.

I would definitely fo the Aragonés again and be sure to stay in the Albergue in Arres run by volunteer hospitaler@s.

 

[mspath]

The old royal monastery of San Juan de la Peña, cloister, and pantheon are truly extraordinary and very beautiful. Cut into the rocky hillside, the site is unforgettable.
I have not walked there, but the mountain road driving up is steep; be prepared!

It has been my professional privilege and personal pleasure as an architectural historian to visit many special places, but San Juan de la Peña belongs in that unique category of sublime timeless perfection.

Don't miss it!

 

[backpack45scb]

How is it different from the Le Puy route?Did you prefer one over the other? I am asking because the LePuy route as well as the Aragones-Frances -Salvador -Primitivo are among those I'm considering for 2018. Thank you in advance for replying.

If you are just considering Starting at Somport or Le Puy, I prefer the Le Puy route, as you pass through many beautiful French villages. If you are considering Arles vs Le Puy, the Arles is definitely my favorite because it has such a huge variety of scenery, from wilderness, to big city, to San Juan de la Peña, to Eunate.

 

[rappahannock_rev]

Suggested "deep background" reading for the Aragones:

*** King, Georgiana Goddard. The Way of St James (New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons, 1920), vol. 1.
*** Starkie, Walter. The Road to Santiago: Pilgrims of St. James (London: John Murray, 1957)

More detail about the art and monuments of Jaca, SJ de la Pena, Leyre, Sanguesa, Eunate, than most of you will need or want, I'm sure. (Much more than Gitlitz and Davidson, but also much harder to find than Gitlitz and Davidson.) And they include travel descriptions antedating the building of the Yesa Dam!

 

[mspath]

Suggested "deep background" reading for the Aragones:

*** King, Georgiana Goddard. The Way of St James (New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons, 1920), vol. 1.
*** Starkie, Walter. The Road to Santiago: Pilgrims of St. James (London: John Murray, 1957)

More detail about the art and monuments of Jaca, SJ de la Pena, Leyre, Sanguesa, Eunate, than most of you will need or want, I'm sure. (Much more than Gitlitz and Davidson, but also much harder to find than Gitlitz and Davidson.) And they include travel descriptions antedating the building of the Yesa Dam!

For easy research the famous early volumes by Georgiana Goddard King are available on line. See more info in this earlier forum thread.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...f-saint-james-by-georgiana-goddard-king.3588/

With a Google search you can find and download Walter Starkie's The Road to Santiago as a pdf file.

Happy reading!

 

[martin1ws]

... not Camino 'newbies', all of whom are now fixated, for better or worse, on SJPdeP....

Not all of the Camino 'newbies' are fixated on SJPdeP

 

[sharon w]

We are walking this route next year, starting in Le Puy and walking most of the way to Arles on the Robert Louis Stevenson route. From Arles we plan to walk to Santiago. We don't want to have to book ahead with accommodation from Arles on so don't want the Arles and Aragones routes to become too popular. However, it would be a shame to see albergues closing because there are too few pilgrims.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Stop; Stop; Stop! Enough of the Camino Aragones! I am barely back from my 770km trek of the Frances and now you keep throwing more Caminos for me to walk. I have the Porto to Santiago via Muxia in the program for 2019 (my 70th) and there is that alternative from Ponferrada to avoid Saria and now you are all raving about the Aragones. Please I can't live permanently in Spain or France (maybe Italy) and have Morocco and Jordan in the program for April 2018.
So cheers for now I will just have to be content to read of the adventures of others. M

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Time for Martin Sheen to make another movie, eh?

Bite your tongue!

 

[intrepidtraveler]

If you are just considering Starting at Somport or Le Puy, I prefer the Le Puy route, as you pass through many beautiful French villages. If you are considering Arles vs Le Puy, the Arles is definitely my favorite because it has such a huge variety of scenery, from wilderness, to big city, to San Juan de la Peña, to Eunate.

Thank you.

 

[intrepidtraveler]

It is in Spain, so it is more similar to the Camino Frances/Via de la Plata. It is far quieter than the Chemin de St. Jacques. I like the Le Puy route better having walked each one twice.



An autopista, A-10 I think, is being built along the N-240, so a couple of years ago there were bridges to nowhere and lots of interchanges being built. There is a lot of local opposition to the reservoir, but the water seemed quite far away from the route. It should not be too hard to move the route up the hill a short distance, so changes may not be large. I am walking it this winter, and will report back on its condition! Stages are fairly distinct because infrastructure has not been expanded. In the winter, there will be quite a few closings. Towns and cities are very interesting. The abandoned train station at Canfranc was the largest in Europe when it was finished.

Please do report back - that would be very helpful. Would also be interested in hearing about the weather in winter.

 

[lunna]

I just recently walked the Chemin du Puy to Navarrenx, and it was fantastic. Very social, in a french way, the great majority of walkers being, well, french. I reluctantly, after talking about it for several weeks while on the Le Puy trail (plus the Vallee de Cele variant), struck off on my own and veered off the Le Puy trail over to Oloron-Ste.-Marie and then to Jaca via the Col du Somport (when I ran out of time and had to be back at work). As much as I loved the Le Puy walk, I was very pleasantly surprised and happy to have had a week and a half or so of relative solitude - something I realized I missed on the Le Puy. In fact, I would recommend this to anyone who has already walked from St. Jean Pied de Port - the mix of social (in a non-Camino Frances sort of party-hearty way) and solitary walking was just perfect. While I was sad to have to end my stroll in Jaca, overall this rates up there with some of my other favorite walks, in particular, the Via de la Plata and (but for all the asphalt), the Norte.

I think the Camino Aragones beyond Jaca would have been icing on the cake, and maybe a bit like parts of the Via de la Plata - but it is something I can easily find the time to do the next go-around or two, inshallah!

 

[caminka]

I walked camino aragonés twice and still think it is one of the more beautiful caminos I've walked.

I tested both descents from somport, the GR route along the left side of the valley and the 'new' (I suspect for 2010 jubilee year) route along the right side of the valley to canfranc. I prefered the GR as it was more on paths, although the 'new' route may be more on the original route as it followed some old roads. but from what I read a couple of year ago, flooding destroyed the original first part of the descent?

I walked both varians from villanúa, with the left 'alternative' being more beautiful and less on tarmac.

I visited san juan de la pena (by hitch-hiking a spanish guy with a bosnian (if I remember correctly) pal who didn't intend to go to the monastery but ended doing so anyway ), definitely a must. once I would like to walk there.

I walked to leyre, another pilgrim-important monastery which is now stranded on the north bank of the yesa reservoir and which few pilgrims bother to visit. it was a bit tricky because of the new motorway being built, but absolutely worth it. I even got to stay in the tiny monastery's 'guest' room with a bunk bed, two mattresses and pint-sized chairs and a table.

I detoured via foz de lumbier, a magnificent canyon.

I even did a detour to sos del rey católico from undués de lerda via abandoned salt pans, just because I wanted to see this lovely town where king fernando was born (husband of isabella la católica, the ones who founded the pilgrim hospital and now parador in santiago).

on the french side, I couldn't bypass the amazing chemin de la mature cut through a 200m cliff wall. and if the spectacular scenery of somport is not enough, there is a marked camino that traverses the neighbouring valley of ossau, and you can sleep in the mountain refuge of ayous overlooking a lake in which the emblematic pic du midi d'ossau is reflecting its jaws, and the pyrenees don't get more spectacular then that.

so, there is plenty to walk and explore for the repeated offenders too!

it would be a real shame if this beautiful camino would deteriorate because everyone (most of pilgrims) are so determined (or ignorant) to start in sjpp.

 

[Gillean]

If memory serves me correctly there are alternate routes and options from the Le Puy route - in the last week or so before St. Jean Pied de Port - that would allow you to go south to the Somport Pass and enter Spain that way.

 

[amancio]

I just recently walked the Chemin du Puy to Navarrenx, and it was fantastic. Very social, in a french way, the great majority of walkers being, well, french. I reluctantly, after talking about it for several weeks while on the Le Puy trail (plus the Vallee de Cele variant), struck off on my own and veered off the Le Puy trail over to Oloron-Ste.-Marie and then to Jaca via the Col du Somport (when I ran out of time and had to be back at work). As much as I loved the Le Puy walk, I was very pleasantly surprised and happy to have had a week and a half or so of relative solitude - something I realized I missed on the Le Puy. In fact, I would recommend this to anyone who has already walked from St. Jean Pied de Port - the mix of social (in a non-Camino Frances sort of party-hearty way) and solitary walking was just perfect. While I was sad to have to end my stroll in Jaca, overall this rates up there with some of my other favorite walks, in particular, the Via de la Plata and (but for all the asphalt), the Norte.

Now that you mention it, Aragonés does remind me a bit of La Plata. When you say "I would recommend this...", which part of the route are you talking about? From Le Puy, then turning to Somport?

To me, La Plata is the most spiritual of all Caminos I have done, in springtime. It is life. Nature. Solitude. Wildlife. Landscape. All in the right measure. And Aragonés is pretty much the same. I was there 3 years ago, the Yesa reservoir rise is not having a major impact on the camino, in any case, and the motorway between the middle of nowhere and and the end of nowhere, god knows why they are building this motorway!!

Aragonés, yes, yes, yes!!!

 

[lunna]

Going off the GR 65 at Navarrenx and continuing on to Oloron-Ste. Marie and the GR 653, and on to Col du Somport into Spain, to Jaca (and beyond, if you have the time!). But I loved the main Le Puy trail too!

Now that you mention it, Aragonés does remind me a bit of La Plata. When you say "I would recommend this...", which part of the route are you talking about? From Le Puy, then turning to Somport?

To me, La Plata is the most spiritual of all Caminos I have done, in springtime. It is life. Nature. Solitude. Wildlife. Landscape. All in the right measure. And Aragonés is pretty much the same. I was there 3 years ago, the Yesa reservoir rise is not having a major impact on the camino, in any case, and the motorway between the middle of nowhere and and the end of nowhere, god knows why they are building this motorway!!

Aragonés, yes, yes, yes!!!

 

[docpam]

Suggested "deep background" reading for the Aragones:

*** King, Georgiana Goddard. The Way of St James (New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons, 1920), vol. 1.
*** Starkie, Walter. The Road to Santiago: Pilgrims of St. James (London: John Murray, 1957)

More detail about the art and monuments of Jaca, SJ de la Pena, Leyre, Sanguesa, Eunate, than most of you will need or want, I'm sure. (Much more than Gitlitz and Davidson, but also much harder to find than Gitlitz and Davidson.) And they include travel descriptions antedating the building of the Yesa Dam!

Amazon has the Starkie book but it too expensive for me! Maybe you will be a guide on the trip!

 

[PilgrimPillar]

This link appeared in the APOC Facebook page. It seems pretty straightforward and comprehensive.
http://santiago.forwalk.org/en/m/1s/route/NjUyTw/the-aragones-way/stage-list/#stages

Thx caminosister

 

[peregrina2000]

As Laurie mentioned, we came up to San Juan de la Peña from the Camí Catalán side which is in fact easier. The downhill though was tough on the knees.

"Tough on the knees" doesn't even begin to describe how my body reacted to that descent. LT is more of a mountain goat than I am. I was plagued by knee pain all the way into Santiago. It was a BRUTAL descent, and I would never take a step on it either in the rain or without hiking poles.

BUT.... there is no doubt that the visits to San Juan de la Peña (and also Eunate as Lee reminds us) are simply not be be missed and add up to strong reasons to walk this route.

 

[Rionajmc]

I'm not sure why it is underpopulated. It provides a nice bridge from the French routes over the Pyrenees to Jaca. It is not the most comfortable of routes with cafes on every corner, and the Aragonese pilgrim has to watch their water and food and stages have to be planned, but it's very scenic-- perhaps a good one for the wildernessey trek kind of pilgrim. It gives you a flavour of a wild west Spain, and you can see how figures such as Francis Xavier came out of it. Whether the pilgrim is an aficionado of the romanesque visiting San Juan de la Pena, or of the sybaritic, at the hot springs at Tiermas, there's plenty there.

Agreed on all these points! I don't know why there aren't more pilgrims on this route - it's simply beautiful, and some very unusual, special places you won't find elsewhere.

 

[Pong]

I'm glad to hear about this route. In 2016 I walked from Pamplona to Burgos, then from Ponferrada to Santiago. This year I would like to go back to do the parts of the Frances that I missed. I originally thought (of course) of starting in SJPP, walking to Pamplona, then Burgos to Ponferrada. But I try to avoid crowds if at all possible. Thus, I though of the Aragonès and was led to this thread. I will be researching for sure. It sounds wonderful and just the type of walk that I like best. Thanks.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Time for Martin Sheen to make another movie, eh?

Please don't let him .
Wish you well , Peter .

 

[peregrina2000]

I'm glad to hear about this route. In 2016 I walked from Pamplona to Burgos, then from Ponferrada to Santiago. This year I would like to go back to do the parts of the Frances that I missed. I originally thought (of course) of starting in SJPP, walking to Pamplona, then Burgos to Ponferrada. But I try to avoid crowds if at all possible. Thus, I though of the Aragonès and was led to this thread. I will be researching for sure. It sounds wonderful and just the type of walk that I like best. Thanks.

So, Pong, this post came up to the top. Wondering if you are still planning to walk the Aragonés?

 

[Vacajoe]

On the Aragonés right now! Still a great Camino and not having done it before, I barely noticed how the recent Yesa rise may have affected it. Still lots of odd empty roadways, but there were no cars so no noise. Detoured to Yesa through Javier (from Undués) so I could continue on to Lumbier - stunningly beautiful the entire way.

Sad to see it lightly traveled (7 pilgrims at one time was the amax, but usually we were alone) but it’s nice to have giant alburgue rooms to ourselves!

 

[docpam]

I am doing this route with the tour company Amawalkers and Syl Nilsen in May. I think there are 10 in the group. Am looking forward to it.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

I am walking it this winter, and will report back on its condition!

@falcon269, did you walk the Aragonés as planned? Any news?

 

[pelerine]

Have just discovered this thread! Voilà, another camino on my planning list. Have to think about which one to give priority to.

 

[Albertagirl]

only 49 people have started from Somport in 2017, compared to more than a thousand in 2010.

I walked the Aragones in the fall of 2016, beginning in Oloron Ste Marie on the Camino d'Arles. The numbers seemed moderate to me, and certainly not decreasing towards disappearance. But almost all the pilgrims whom I met on the route had started in France, many having already walked all or part of the Camino d'Arles, would not be counted in with those who started at the Somport Pass, of whom I met very few. Most of the French pilgrims who had started on the Camino d'Arles were planning to finish the Aragones at Puenta la Reina and not one planned on going on to Santiago. Later, as I proceeded on to Santiago via the Frances, I met one woman on my last night at Monte de Gozo, who had begun in Arles and was continuing to Santiago. Those who walked the Camino Aragones only and those who walked all or part of the Camino d'Arles but did not continue to Santiago would not be included in the Santiago numbers. Perhaps a change in the preferences of French walkers was a cause of the apparent drastic decrease in numbers on the Aragones, while the numbers in the albergues when I walked did not point to such a decrease.

 

[Vacajoe]

Agreed! 4 of the 6 pilgrims we met were not newbies and 3 of them did not plan to get a Compostela so would not be counted. Having started in Jaca, we also would not show as having started in Somport.

That stat seems more geared to stoke a political debate over the negative impacts of the Yesa reservoir than a true reflection of pilgrim traffic. However, the route IS empty this week!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

we also would not show as having started in Somport.

That is a tough place to start from!! Oloron Ste. Marie, Canfranc, and Jaca are much more logical places to start. In the summer the albergues can be full, partly because they are pretty small. I suspect that the path relocation because of rising waters will be minimal. For the most part it is already up the hillside. Autopista construction has caused as much relocation as the water will!

 

[marjude]

I walked this route from Somport the beginning of April 2016 and only saw two other pilgrims of a night in the albergues. It was a very scenic route but I did find it a bit challenging and at times I did feel like a mountain goat. I found that last climb into the village at the end of the days walk hard. I was walking up the last climb into Jaca and got halfway up and thought I just have to stop and rest so I took my pack off and sat down beside it to rest and along came a local girl and she asked could she carry it up the hill for me and she was definitely my Camino angel. All the albergues I stayed in were very good but it did seem strange being by myself in them. I was a bit worried in the albergue in Sant Cilla because I couldn't lock the outside door which made me a bit nervous. I missed going up to San Juan de la Pena, I was told the bus went up on a Sunday and if it did I missed it, so maybe I have to go back.

 

[JabbaPapa]

That is a tough place to start from!! Oloron Ste. Marie, Canfranc, and Jaca are much more logical places to start.

There's very little difference between starting at the Somport or Canfranc, and the commercial hotel/albergue at the top of the pass is refreshingly unhypocritical in the commercial nature of the services provided, and these are of excellent quality, including as far as I could tell (I was not hungry at all that evening) especially their food.

And the walk down from the top of the pass into Canfranc is rather pleasant, and takes little time.

Having done both routes, from Oloron I'd certainly suggest via SJPP than Somport ; starting from Jaca is certainly a very reasonable alternative though (Canfranc to Jaca tends to be crowded with sunday walkers, and there are too few options refugio-wise).

 

[peregrina2000]

Agreed! 4 of the 6 pilgrims we met were not newbies and 3 of them did not plan to get a Compostela so would not be counted. Having started in Jaca, we also would not show as having started in Somport.

That stat seems more geared to stoke a political debate over the negative impacts of the Yesa reservoir than a true reflection of pilgrim traffic. However, the route IS empty this week!

This is all undoubtedly true but I think it was also true in 2010 when 1700 people started from Somport. So I think that as a comparison it is a valid indicator of a sharp decline. I remember conversations with people who had taken the municipal concessions to run the albergues. In both Artieda and Undues (?) we heard that they were struggling to make it and that traffic had dropped significantly over the years.

Hoping that things pick up in 2018. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[rappahannock_rev]

I am doing this route with the tour company Amawalkers and Syl Nilsen in May. I think there are 10 in the group. Am looking forward to it.

I'm walking with that same group!

And I'm feeling truely blessed right now, to be able to walk the Way once more. It's where my heart lives.

 

[David C.]

I walked from Canfranc to Puente la Reina in August in 2018. There were very few people on the trail which was nice for walkers but not so good for the Albergues along the way.
By way of contrast, after reaching Puente la Reina, I transferred to the Camino del Norte which was packed. SO much so that I couldn't get into an Albergue on my first day on the Norte.

 

[lunna]

Walked the Aragonés to Puente la Reina (started in Arles) last year. Other than a Canadian pair, who pretty much did their own thing, all I met were Spanish walkers — about 8 folks who knew each other from earlier walks and who kept the albergues lively and fun. An extremely beautiful walk!

 

[David C.]

Sadly, it seems that the wonderful albergue in Estacion Canfranc, Albergue Pepito Grillo, has closed its doors for the last time.

 

[Isobeljc]

Sadly, it seems that the wonderful albergue in Estacion Canfranc, Albergue Pepito Grillo, has closed its doors for the last time.

OH NO. This time last year exactly to the day we stayed there. A beautiful place with great service. We were the only pilgrims but there were a few hikers.
This view was from our window.

 

[Karl Oz]

OH NO. This time last year exactly to the day we stayed there. A beautiful place with great service. We were the only pilgrims but there were a few hikers.
This view was from our window.

View attachment 64802

Was this the first albergue on the left as you walked into town?
Funny thing about this camino is that having said I would never return, I now would like to walk it again, maybe with a better guide book and not in summer, when the sometimes longish gaps between water resupply can be troublesome, and scarcity of fellow travellers discouraging. I would also plan my assault on that monastery better, like starting earlier! Thank goodness for that albergue in Santa Celia: I slept that night for 11 hours!

 

[jsalt]

Was this the first albergue on the left as you walked into town?

Yes, I tried to stay there in March this year. There was someone living in the house, and there was a car parked in the carport, but nobody would answer the knock on the door, nor answer the phone, so I gave up and stayed at Albergue Rio Aragon, which was really nice.

 

[Isobeljc]

Was this the first albergue on the left as you walked into town?
Funny thing about this camino is that having said I would never return, I now would like to walk it again, maybe with a better guide book and not in summer, when the sometimes longish gaps between water resupply can be troublesome, and scarcity of fellow travellers discouraging. I would also plan my assault on that monastery better, like starting earlier! Thank goodness for that albergue in Santa Celia: I slept that night for 11 hours!

We found it hot also. It was either long or short days. Nothing in between. Not many pilgrims during the day but met up at the albergues. Mainly French and Germans.

The monastery was something else !!!!!!
We wimped our and took a taxi up there from Jaca who waited for us. Worth every cent.

 

[Isobeljc]

Yes, I tried to stay there in March this year. There was someone living in the house, and there was a car parked in the carport, but nobody would answer the knock on the door, nor answer the phone, so I gave up and stayed at Albergue Rio Aragon, which was really nice.

This is what I found in their website. There is definitely a story behind that.
Thanks to Google Translate.....they even do pictures now, Woohooo

2:01 alberguepepitogrillo.com ADIOS CANFRANC It's over. After more than twenty years open, twelve with us in front The Pepito Grillo Hostel has closed its doors in Canfranc. Surely we have made many mistakes and if you add to that the state of the house and the attitude of the City of Canfranc we have no choice but to close. The problem has never been with the mayor to whom we will always be grateful that he had the door of his office open and always listened to us and attended, but some decisions of the town hall make the viability of our hostel impossible. We only hope that from now on everyone who brings their business and especially their work, their effort, their enthusiasm to Canfranc ... will be treated with a little more "love". The displays of encouragement and support that are reaching us these days excite us. We know that in addition to the name of the hostel, its tables, chairs, beds ... we take care of many friends and customers. We hope to leave more than an empty building in Canfranc. We moved to Benasque. In the street Director Ferraz we open "La Cerveceria del Grillo" where we hope to see you soon. We say goodbye by thanking you for these twelve years. Greetings Santi and Sole Av Fernando the Catholic. 2 22880 Canfranc 21

 

[Karl Oz]

We found it hot also. It was either long or short days. Nothing in between. Not many pilgrims during the day but met up at the albergues. Mainly French and Germans.

The monastery was something else !!!!!!
We wimped our and took a taxi up there from Jaca who waited for us. Worth every cent.

I was so creased and it was so late when I got to the monastery that I didn't go in. I admired it from without and then went downhill using the road (there was no way I was going to descend using the path, having slogged my way up the mountain on its rugged terrain - I could imagine a misstep and injury with no help likely to come along. Half-way down the road there was a village, and I had my first meal of the day - at 4:30pm...)
There is apparently also a gorge somewhere that I completely missed, so I really have to go back one day.

 

[Ferdinand the Bull]

Camino maintenance could be part of the problem [possible lack of resources?], from the article, the data is devastating and account of institutional neglect of the recent years: inadequate signage, torn posters, deterioration of steps, weed invasion. Good luck, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

I think the reason is probably lacking infrastructure resulting in long stages with little or no possibility of buying food for bringing along, very few water taps along the route and thus also long distances between accommodation. That requires planning and preparations because it's not a running buffet like the Camino Francés.
Yes it is a breathtakingly beautiful Camino in most places but also a physically hard one, often with little or no shade and rough terrain going up and down for long stretches. You can find shade but often it's on the steep paths on the mountains. I took the detour from Jaca up to the monasteries at San Juan de la Peña so my impression and experience might be coloured from that very beautiful but also very hard ascent and descent. It was worth it, but it was not easy. If you don't take that detour it is of course a less strenuous Camino. But still not easy.
In other words and and in my opinion it's certainly not a beginners Camino. I met very few pilgrims this year and all but one were experienced, mature pilgrims and hikers. All were in their late thirties or older. Often on their third or fourth Camino. Some had walked even more than that. The sole inexperienced one was a fit middle aged woman and she was in company with a veteran hiker. So she was in good hands. The pilgrims were from Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Italy. All of them were very nice company and we all ended up in the same Places at night, due to the few available albergues. So we got to know each other quite well.
So if you are fit and know how to cope without shopping possibilities for food, know how to carry and preserve water etc. I'll recommend it any day. You will find beautiful landscapes, wildlife (I saw vultures, eagles, wild boars, snakes, beautiful butterflies etc.). It's quiet when away from the highway, few but very nice pilgrims.
The albergues are good in my opinion so all in all its worth it for the experienced Pilgrim who seek a beautiful and quiet route away from the trodden main ones like Francés.

 

[David C.]

Isobeljc,

I stayed at Albergue Pepito Grillo last August. The people who ran it were very pleasant and helpful. It was also well kept. It's really a shame to see it go.

 

[Former member 35551]

If we're sharing pics, here's mine from this year.

Beautiful camino. I'd put it as my third favorite after Le Puy and Primitivo. Like others have said, services are scarce. The last two days there was nothing on the way. The few restaurants and stores listed on my guide (Miam Miam Dodo) were closed, some permanently, some hard to tell. This was not that big a deal for me but there were a couple of pilgrims who were really upset.

As far as how tough - that's so subjective. IMO, San Salvador is the hardest, then Primitivo and then Aragones. I thought Norte was easier than Aragones.

The standout albergue was the one in Arres. The picture, below, is near ‎⁨Biurrun-Olcoz⁩ on June 10, 2019.

 

[Ferdinand the Bull]

Beautiful picture. It brings back good memories.
I'll say that the toughness of the Aragones is not so much the layout of the trail itself (maybe except from the alternative route up to the San Juan de la Peña monasteries). What really got me was the lacking ability after Jaca to buy proper food to bring along on the walks. That combined with the heat and long distances drained the energy. The food would begin to decompose in the blistering heat so buying food to last for several days was really not an option. Besides there was nothing to buy...
But I would nonetheless love to walk it again in the spring or autumn.

 

[David C.]

Great photo!
I thought the albergue in Arres was fantastic, too. The hospitaleros were wonderful and the albergue was spotless. This is a picture of the trail a few hours out of Arres.

 

[Ferdinand the Bull]

I agree on the albergue in Arres being the best by far, definitely due to the two hospitalleros who were both very good hosts, cocks, advisors and everything else the hard working and always unselfish hospitalleros are. They even took the pilgrims who wanted to on a guided tour round the village including the small church and the fortress. They and that place are among some of my best memories from the Camino.
I've inserted a picture of Arres as it looks when you arrive from the East.

 

[David C.]

Nice picture!
There were eight of us walkers at the Arres albergue.
The hospitaleras cooked us a delicious dinner and then we went to the bar for a digestif.
Here's a picture from just outside the bar.

 

[Isobeljc]

Must be great picture time from Arres
We had a full house with three people sleeping on mattresses in the dining area.
A fantastic place. One of our more memorable places to stay.

 

[howardd5]

When I walked the Aragonés a few years ago, we heard repeatedly that the number of pilgrims was declining. This article Javier posted confirms that;

http://www.heraldo.es/noticias/aragon/2017/10/26/camino-peligro-1204010-300.html

I know the pilgrims' office numbers are hardly scientific, but they are quite accurate in showing the trends since they consistently measure the same thing. They report only 49 people have started from Somport in 2017, compared to more than a thousand in 2010.

The article also points out that there will be disruption due to highway construction, not likely to boost the traffic.

I have never met anyone who didn't love the Aragonés. Starting in Somport or further back in France, it is beautiful. The albergues are great, too. And a chance to visit San Juan de la Peña, well that is the icing on the cake.

I walked the Camino Aragonnoise 7 years ago and met very few pilgrims ,got lost regularly, and when asked for direction,very little help . I walked again 2 years back and exactly the same ,still not well marked and unknown by many locals .But that being said it was a good adventure for the Camino beginng.

 

[Mournes]

I walked the Camino Aragonnoise 7 years ago and met very few pilgrims ,got lost regularly, and when asked for direction,very little help . I walked again 2 years back and exactly the same ,still not well marked and unknown by many locals .But that being said it was a good adventure for the Camino beginng.

With regards to the way marking I have to disagree with you.I have also walked it twice .I have just arrived in Santiago after walking the Aragones and the Frances.I had absolutely no problem ,both times,with the way marking,and I prefer to walk alone.I met other pilgrims on the Aragones .We were small in number but a close group.