Camino Via de la Plata – the Nuts and Bolts

This has to be my favourite Camino so far. The Via de la Plata makes the most of Spain’s wide open spaces as you walk through large expanses of farm land, wheat fields, grape vines and forests. All that space is sprinkled with magical cities like Merida and Salamanca, and each day you walk in the footsteps of Romans, Moors and generations of Spaniards.

Yes, it was also probably the most difficult of the three caminos I have completed, but it was the most rewarding. The difficulty relates to the large distances that must be covered some days, just to get from village to town.

The Via de la Plata is definitely more remote than other caminos and that was what I enjoyed. It simply meant that I had to plan ahead, load up with snacks and carry plenty of water.

It is interesting how your perspective changes from camino to camino. On the Francés, 25km was considered a tough day, but on the Via that was ‘normal’ and 35km-days fell into the ‘tough’ category. Of course, there was always the option to catch a bus or taxi to minimise the long stretches but I simply kept putting one foot in front of the other.

So here are the basic logistics of this camino:

Start Day: Thursday 4 September 2014, from Seville, Spain

Finish Day: Tuesday 14 October 2014, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Route:

• Via de la Plata: Seville (due north) to Granja de Moreruela (approx. 700km)
• Sanabrés: Granja de Moreruela (north westerly) to Santiago de Compostela (approx. 300km)

Distances:

• Total: 1000km – give or take a few kilometres
• Daily Average: 26.3km
• Longest Day: 42km (by bad luck and poor management! A comedy of errors except I wasn’t laughing anymore!)
• Shortest Day: 15.7km

Days:

• Walking: 38
• Rest: 3 (Merida, Salamanca, Ourense)

Times: Southern Spain can be hot! Even in Autumn, I did my best to avoid the heat of the day by starting early, often in the pre-dawn dark.

Terrain: Very mixed. This camino matches the Camino Frances for variety. There is everything from quaint villages and towns, to Roman roads, farm tracks and a bit of scary roadside walking. There were days and days of walking through the wide open countryside, but also a number of tough days slogging uphill for the best part of the day. It felt good to reach the top!

Weather: Glorious most days. Cool crisp mornings to start out (I did wear a beanie and gloves some mornings) but it would heat up from about 10a.m. onwards. Some days are very hot, so make sure you stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. A good hat is compulsory.

Maps & Guides: This was a real challenge.

• I used Gerald Kelly’s – Walking Guide to the Via de la Plata and the Camino Sanabrés (Feb 2014). It was OK but I wouldn’t recommend it unless it has been comprehensively updated. Much of the content was out of date and many of the maps were seriously inaccurate – at times whole villages/towns were missing! (I have just checked and he has released a 2nd edition dated May 2016).
• I used that book in conjunction with the website godesalco.com. This site is very handy as you can customise your route before leaving home, according to the distance you would prefer to walk each day. It will also let you know the types of accommodation available in each town and show the elevation of each leg of the walk.
• Some walking companions had a copy of the guidebook printed by the Seville-based, Amigos del Camino de Santiago Via de la Plata. It was also not 100% accurate but, using our combined guides and maps, we seemed to muddle through OK. I would recommend using a couple of maps and/or guides just so you can cross-reference one with another.
• Another useful website is the Spanish site – Gronze.com/via-plata. It is all in Spanish but the maps are useful, as are the accommodation lists.

Way-marking: varied from being fantastic to non-existent.

• There were some serious road works going on when I walked and at times the path led me to the edge of a massive excavation/cutaway. One minute path, next minute nothing! That’s where logic and a good sense of direction were required as I navigated around and/or across these works to connect to the camino again.
• Beware: leaving Zamora. We walked out in the early morning dark and mistakenly followed the arrows that took us north-west on the Camino de Santiago Portugués Via de la Plata! After about 5km of cross country walking we were back on track and heading due north again.

Accommodation: the locals on this camino really understand the economic potential of providing services and facilities for pilgrims.

• Albergues are plentiful and mostly of excellent quality – both private and municipal.
• There was some chatter about bed bugs along the route but luckily, I had no problems. If you are susceptible to these critters, I would go prepared.
• Albergue costs varied from donativo (free) to €12, which included bedding, towels and breakfast.
• Small, private hotels started at €20 (single).

Food: typical Spanish fare with lashings of ham, ham, and more ham.

• Pilgrim’s menus or menu del dia were readily available.
• If you are a caffeine addict then you need to plan carefully or bring your own makings as, on some days, there are NO cafes from sun-up to sun down. Yes, a true crisis I know!

This is not an easy camino but I would recommend it highly.

If I were to repeat a camino one day in the future, it would be this one. My mind and spirit opened up to match the wide open spaces and gave me the feeling that I was truly walking the world!

Buen camino.

Sept/Oct 2014

Read About It: For background information and guidebooks on the Via de la Plata, have a look at Book Depository