Camino Frances or Via de la Plata?

[mmmdumplings]

Hi all,

I'm planning to do my first Camino in September, and I have tons of questions. But I'll just ask one at a time to keep it simple :-).

So, I've been doing a lot of research online, and I'm having trouble deciding between doing the Camino Frances or the Via de la Plata. A few things about myself and what I would like to take away from my journey to help you out:

- Time is not an issue, and neither is distance.
- The Via appeals to me because I've heard the Camino Frances gets pretty crowded. And while I would appreciate some solitude, I also think meeting other pilgrims is an essential part of any pilgrimage. However, I don't want to feel like a cow on a cattle drive or worry about competing with people for a bed.
- I've studied Spanish but never used it, so my ability to speak/comprehend is pretty elementary. Reading is a little better though.

So, what would you do if you were me? Or what are some of pros and/or cons of the two routes? I realize that either one I choose will be worth and I won't be disappointed because they both have their own merits, but I do have to make a decision in the end.

Thanks,
Katie

(Also posted in the Via de la Plata forum)

[geraldkelly]

Hi Katie

I'm replying although I don't want to make a recommendation between the Camino Frances and the Via de la Plata simply because they're two completely different experiences.

On the Via you can walk all day and see nobody. However, you may also be alone in the evenings.

On the Frances that's impossible - even in the depths of winter. However, in September it won't be that crowded so solitude is there if you want it (at least up until the last 100km). And you can always walk 2 minutes off the Camino if you really want time by yourself.

I think the Frances is good for first-timers because you have a supportive community and an infrastructure around you.

On the other hand If time isn't an issue you could just walk both!

Buen Camino!
Gerald

[mmmdumplings]

Thanks, that's exactly the kind of advice I was looking for, and it will give me something to think about.

Walking both would be wonderful, but while time might not be an issue, money sure is ;-).

[Covey]

Gerald's comment that you can just plug in to the Camino Frances is very apt and good advice.

The Camino Frances can resemble a giant conga dance on occasions, especially from Sarria to Santiago in July - Sept.

2010 will be worse as it is a designated Holy Year, and the statistics show that the numbers walking the various Camino's in a Holy Year is DOUBLE the year before. The Spanish authorities are predicting 250,000 pilgrims walking the Camino in 2010.

The nice thing about the Camino Frances is that it has a well developed chain of albergues, both official and private, and the number of private albergues is growing each year. Every day you pass through a village or town where you can buy food and water and there is often a pharmacy.

Unlike going on a package tour with its fixed dates, you can start your Camino any day of the week and from anywhere along the trail, without having to book in advance for accommodation, or make any other arrangements other than to get yourself to wherever you want to start.

If you miss your plane or train going on a package tour, that is your holiday gone, if you turn up along the Camino a few days later than planned, then you just start walking with a different bunch of pilgrims than you would have met a few days before.

If you want to take a few days off along the trail that is fine. Nobody is checking you in and out, and when you are ready, you join the trail again and walk with a new group of pilgrims on the trail to Santiago.

It is your Camino, and you walk it your way.

Enjoy

[mmmdumplings]

Covey - thanks for the advice. Previously I was really stuck on the Via de la Plata, but the accessibility of the Camino Frances is really appealing to me as a first-timer. And Gerald made a good point about the possibility of not seeing anyone mornings OR evenings. I want some solitude, but there's no reason to feel lonely on a pilgrimage. Other pilgrims are (at least) half of it. But if I start in September, and maybe from le Puy or something, hopefully this "conga line" will lessen a bit?


...Actually, that makes me think of a good question. In all of these Camino forums on the internet, there's always posts about people looking for solitude. What is the connection between pilgrimages and solitude, or even just physical solitude? The largest pilgrimage I can think of is the Muslim Hajj to Mecca, and the millions of pilgrims that participate in that don't seem to be concerned with solitude.

[Covey]

Solitude is relative on the Camino, as you normally spend your evenings in an albergue in very very close proximity to 50+ up to 120 fellow travellers, and after a few days of that, spending a few hours alone with your thoughts is a great relief!!

The nice part is you decide if you want to walk the day on your own, or amble along with some other like minded soul. You walk at the speed you want to, and with whom you want to, and there is nobody who is going to tell you otherwise.

The Camino Frances is a bit like speed dating. When you start out from St Jean or where ever, you will tend to gravitate to people who look as they might know where they are going and who walk at a pace which you are comfortable with, and whose language you speak. You will quickly work out who to avoid. When you see experienced pilgrims looking around the room on arrival at the albergue, they are not looking for their friends, they are looking to see if the known snorers are already unpacking their kit in the room.

So by the time you have filtered out those who walk too fast, don't speak your language, snore or have hallitosis, you might be lucky to have found someone to walk the day with, or its another day with your thoughts for company.

A lot of pilgrims look upon the Camino as an opportunity to get away from the normal pressures of their life, and just think through their problems, Alsa, the Camino itself does not usually offer a solution, but gives you space, and quiet to think clearly.

[geraldkelly]

That’s an interesting point about solitude. Traditional pilgrimages are generally undertaken in groups (Hajj, Croagh Patrick, Canterbury) and if you wanted solitude you went off to the desert or an off-shore island or London. The most striking thing about the Camino is the sense of togetherness and common purpose it generates. I met several people who said they came looking for space and time to think about life but they’d been far too busy enjoying themselves to get down to any serious contemplating, but also that they were having positive experiences of a type that they didn’t expect, friendships, deep conversations, learning about other people’s lives in a way that put our own in a new perspective. If you go to Tosantos and attend the ceremony in the evening you get a glimpse into people’s motivations for being there which can be quite startling.


Covey – I like your speed-dating analogy. Thankfully the Camino’s a lot less stressful than speed-dating, otherwise a month of it would just do your head in!


Gerald

[Covey]

I would worry about someone ringing the bell before I had actually sat down!!