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Which Camino next?

Ross Sheeran

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
November 2015
Hi all. I recently walked the Camino de Santiago finishing at the end of November 2015. Now I am planning another one in September this year but can't decide between Camino Portuguese from Lisbon to Santiago via the coastal route or Camino Le Puy. If there are people on this forum who have completed both Caminos I would appreciate their opinions on which one they preferred. Thanks for any advice.
 
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I'll be insterested in the replies. I'm walking again in September and I have 6-7 weeks. I was going to walk the CF again but I'm really being pulled in other directions... maybe the Portuguese? The Norte? I've been looking at The Historic way and seeing what others have said about linking this to Lisbon? I also love the idea of the Norte but I wonder if October maybe a bit too late for some of the accommodation options? So many choices!
 
Im thinking about the Norte until Oviedo to continue on the primitivo, starting early september. I can't imagine this being too late for albergues.

Curious about the replies.
 
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Now you guys have me rethinking my plan to walk another CF... I did my first in April/May 2013. Now, to celebrate the end of my doctoral program, I'm taking August off to walk again. However, with all the craziness that is the Frances in August, I find myself very much contemplating the Camino del Norte.

Anyways, to answer your question, Ross. I haven't walked either of the 2 routes you suggest, but going off of what I've read over the years here are a couple thoughts. As with any Camino, start by thinking a bit about the experience you're looking for. For example, I've heard Le Puy can be much more expensive than many of the other Caminos because there isn't as much infrastructure and many times you'll end up staying in small hotels/B&Bs rather than Albergues. This may have changed in the last 2 years, but if money is a factor for you it's something to be aware of. Le Puy would also have far fewer people, as the Portugese is one of the busier Caminos (respectively). Do a bit of research into the differences of the trails, as I'd imagine (i.e. blindly guess) that the Portugese offers considerably more city walking, depending on whether or not you take the costal route...

Like you, I'd love to hear from the experiences of others as I'm unsure myself which road I'll be taking to Santiago this year...
 
I've walked a few, including the Camino Francés, the Le Puy and the Norte. I prefer a long walk, something about the same distance as the CF, which has always been my reason to chose a route other than the Portuguese.

If you want to stay in Spain, then I'd unhesitatingly recommend the Norte. If you'd like to try something completely different, then the Le Puy. Both are equally beautiful. The Norte has a bit more road walking, but it ends in Santiago, which makes it more suitable as a "pilgrimage'". It is also cheaper than the Le Puy.

What a lovely choice to have! Aren't we blessed?
 
Hi, I done the Porto to Santiago last June 2015. It's different, but well worth the walk. I did meet 'some people' who started in Lisbon, one general view that they all seem to hold was, the Lisbon to Porto section was not the greatest. It was more to do with accommodation and costs. Porto to Santiago can easily be covered in 10 to 12 days, we took our time, and if you had a few extra days there is always the three days up and back to Finistere. Pat
 
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On the Lisbon to Porto leg there is no problem with finding accommodation nor the costs.
There is a great infrastructure if you prepare your caminho on beforehand.
I walked it in 2013 and we had to be a bit inventive but coped in a positive and great way. In the meantime the infrastructure improved significantly grace to the Vialusitana organisation and cooperation of owners of hostals .
Peregrina2000 aka Laurie Reynolds wrote an excellent guide about this part of the caminho with all information about accommodation and other facts.

Portugal is a cheap country for living. There is great food for economical prices.
 
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I think the more I read the more confused I become @Kanga - we are indeed blessed to have these choices!

Because I live in France I feel that the Spanish/ Portuguese camino's are a little more exotic... but one day I would love to walk from my home, along the Vezeley to SJpdP and then on to Santiago... but I would like to walk this in the spring as I just love the flowers and blossom.

I would also love the walk the VdlP but I think I need some company for this and again I just feel I'd like to walk this route in the spring... for the flowers.

Walking the Norte is certainly much easier for me as it's only a few hours drive to Irun... so may be this is the front runner... today! And my husband has shown some interest in maybe walking The Portuguese next year and maybe trying to start in the south and walk The Historic Way to Lisbon and then on to Santiago? The problem is too many camino's... too much choice!
 

Hi Ross. We had the same problem after walking the CF in 2014. So to fix the problem we walked the Le Puy in 2015 and this April we are walking from Porto to SDC and then on to Finisterre. Problem solved.
 
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Dutch said:
Im thinking about the Norte until Oviedo to continue on the primitivo, starting early september. I can't imagine this being too late for albergues.

Curious about the replies.
Click to expand...
I would also be interested in hearing about the availability of albergues along the Del Norte in September and October. I am just starting to research this possibility and it hadn't occurred to me that albergue room might be a problem! What else haven't considered?!
 
People from my area in Quebec (Canada) will do the Camino Frances first and because of our Cultural Heritage will do the Le Puy route on their second Camino.
 
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September can still be a really hot month in the south, so I would save the Vdlp, Mozarabe, and/or Levante for another day. I think Kanga's idea about the Norte is a great one. The one real drawback to the Norte is that it goes through beautiful seaside towns with gorgeous scenery. Now, that doesn't sound like a drawback, but what it means is that in summer months, the towns are jammed with tourists, non-albergue accommodations cater to tourists, restaurants cater to tourists, etc. etc. Prices are higher, too. But after August, the swells of Spanish vacationers decreases radically but the weather should still be very nice. I walked the Norte about ten years ago, and my biggest complaint was the huge percentage of asphalt. It was hard on the feet. I think that in September you will find most of the albergues still open.

The Portugues from Lisbon is another option, with different coastal alternatives thrown in. I have walked from Lisbon and enjoyed it tremendously. The infrastructure is improving all the time, the marking is great, and the off-road options are increasing. I was surprised to read that some thought the cost of accommodations was high, because even when I walked in 2008, though there were no albergues (and now there are many), the costs were always quite low in private places. The scenery is not as stunning as the northern coast of Spain, but it is pleasant rural terrain. The people are so kind and helpful. The towns of Tomar and Coimbra are both do-not-miss places south of Porto. Lisbon itself is a fabulous place to walk around for a few days. I know that there is some bad buzz surrounding the Lisbon-Porto segment, but I know many people who have walked it and enjoyed it a lot. The Resources section of the forum has a couple of free guides put together by forum members on both Lisbon-Porto and Porto-Santiago. Lisbon to Santiago is about 610 (give or take) so it is shorter than the Frances. But south of Lisbon options are being developed as we speak, so you will soon be able to get a good 1000 km walk in Portugal if you want to. In fact, one forum member Conques walked from the southern tip of Portugal using the Rota Vicentina path. He had a few bumps when connecting to Lisbon and the Caminho but all worked out in the end.

The LePuy is beautiful, no doubt about it. Asphalt is not a problem (in fact some would say the French go to ridiculous lengths to keep you off asphalt, adding kms and many meters of elevation gain when a few kms on asphalt would get you to the same place, but I LOVE that approach). As Kanga says, it's more expensive, and it is likely to have many more non-Santiago-bound walkers. It definitely has a different "feel" than the caminos. I would love to walk it again, but my preference would be to start in LePuy and continue on to Santiago. I need to retire and get my family to sign off on a two month absence first, though!

Good luck with the decision. Buen camino, Laurie
 
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I've been reading Conques post of this walk and found the website and it looks fabulous... what a walk it would be from Cabo St Vincent to Santiago to Fisterra! My husband is quite taken with the idea of walking this with me now... he's really drawn to Portugal. He was thinking that perhaps he could walk 3 weeks with me and then book an apartment in a town for a week... so he can work... then he can catch me up and walk a few more weeks. It will be a few years before he can take 6 weeks off but he's working on this idea for 2017.... and so I am really thinking that the Norte will be my 2016 camino.
 
Such a great read for this morning. Will be starting from Lisbon mid-June and on to Muxia/Fisterra once again. Thank you all for the questions and input. I always learn something new.

Keep a smile,
Simeon
 

Our own dear LTfit will be walking the Rota Vicentina (perhaps both legs of it since she is a speed demon) in just a few weeks. Can't wait to hear how it goes.
 
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Hi @tylerpsych,
I celebrated completing my doctoral program in 2004 by buying myself a Tilley hat for travel. It has had much wear in the years since. I wore my second Tilley (free replacement when the first wears out) on my Camino Frances last fall. Enjoy your next camino, wherever it takes you. I am currently considering walking through the Somport Pass from the Arles route to join the Camino Aragones, then on to Puente la Reina and the rest of the Frances. This could definitely be addictive.
 
marbuck said:
Hi Ross. We had the same problem after walking the CF in 2014. So to fix the problem we walked the Le Puy in 2015 and this April we are walking from Porto to SDC and then on to Finisterre. Problem solved.
Click to expand...
We leave Porto on the 15th April 2016. Say hello if we see each other.
 
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John Briscoe said:
We leave Porto on the 15th April 2016. Say hello if we see each other.
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Best Wishes for a Good Camino John.....and also to Ross Sheeran.......whichever route you eventually choose.
 
peregrina2000 said:
Our own dear LTfit will be walking the Rota Vicentina (perhaps both legs of it since she is a speed demon) in just a few weeks. Can't wait to hear how it goes.
Click to expand...

Only reading this now. Speed demon haha ??

Will report back. I'll be traveling north to south starting in Santiago do Cacém, indeed hoping to do both depending on affordable accommodation.
 
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You have not made your mind up already, you try Porto route, well worth it.
 
marbuck said:
Hi Ross. We had the same problem after walking the CF in 2014. So to fix the problem we walked the Le Puy in 2015 and this April we are walking from Porto to SDC and then on to Finisterre. Problem solved.
Click to expand...
I think I'll probably walk from Porto to Santiago. I would really like to walk from Le Puy but I am concerned about the lack of budget accommodation similar to the albergues on the Camino de Santiago.
 
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