Reflections from the Way: Via de la Plata & Camino Sanabrés

 “Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled.”
Muhammed, The Koran

Lessons from the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés  

The Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés together form Spain’s longest pilgrimage route, stretching from Seville to Santiago de Compostela along ancient Roman roads. 

In total, the Via de la Plata took us 25 stages to complete, plus three rest days in the cities of Merida, Salamanca, and Zamora.  Beyond which the Camino Sanabres took us 14 stages to trek from Granja de Moreruela to Santiago de Compostela.  Meaning that over the course of these trails, we had hiked for 38 days from Seville to Santiago. This, of course, does not include the 9 days we walked on the Via Augusta beforehand.

Our walk along these trails was more than a logistical challenge and physical crossing of Spain – it entailed a slow unfolding of landscapes, encounters, and lessons that remain long after the journey’s end.

From Andalusia’s olive hills to Extremadura’s cork forests, from Castilla’s wide plains to Galicia’s misty green valleys, each region brought its own rhythm and beauty. Compared to the Camino Frances or Camino Portuguese, these paths are quieter and less commercialized. For those who seek solitude, history, and the transformative rhythm of slow travel, the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés are a wonderful, though challenging.

History More than Spirituality 

For us, rather than being focused on spirituality, the Via de la Plata is steeped in Roman history. From ancient bridges to millarios and ruined amphitheatres, the sense of walking in the footsteps of centuries was never far away. Mérida in particular left a deep impression, with its remarkably preserved Roman theatre and aqueducts.

Yet history on the Via de la Plata isn’t just Roman. The trail wound past medieval hermitages, Mozarabic churches, and stone villages that seemed barely changed with time. Much as we experienced on the GR65/ Via Podiensis in France, the walk became a journey through layers of European history, stitched together by the steady rhythm of our footsteps.

Long Stages and Demanding Logistics

The Via de la Plata is the longest Camino route in Spain, requiring both stamina and patience. Stages frequently stretched well beyond 30 km, the route is exposed, and support services were far more limited than on northern Caminos. Unlike the Camino Frances, where every village offers an albergue or café, on the Via de la Plata, you might walk for many hours without a single place to rest or resupply. This reality made flexibility essential. Shops and bars listed as open were often closed, and even towns with amenities sometimes offered little more than a convenience store or gas station.

This meant we had to carry more food, water, and supplies than on other Caminos. Our go-to staples that we relied on were trail mix, chocolate bars, and dehydrated camping meals carried from the start. These logistical challenges shaped each stage as much as the walking itself.

Guidebooks, Google, and Spanish Time

One of the things most pilgrims hear before setting out on the Via de la Plata or the Camino Sanabrés is that there are limited services and amenities along the way. What many don’t realize, however, is the true extent of this reality…or the unpredictable ways it plays out.

People often plan their stages using Guidebooks, Google Maps, Wise Pilgrim or Gronze, which at first glance seem helpful. Yet neither reflects the day-to-day uncertainty of rural Spain. Shops and bars may be listed, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be open when you arrive. Time and again, we reached towns expecting to find a café or small grocery, only to discover that the doors were locked, the owners hadn’t opened that day, or the business had long since closed.

Layered on top of this are closures for national, local, and religious holidays, as well as the customary rhythm of Spanish life - shops closing on Sundays, Mondays, or every afternoon after 2 PM. In some regions, we even encountered towns where everything was shut on Tuesdays, or others where Wednesdays were the weekly day of rest. Each area seemed to follow its own rules, which meant that even the best planning couldn’t guarantee food or water along the way.

On the Via de la Plata, especially, this constant uncertainty shapes the experience. Rather than depending on guidebooks or digital maps, pilgrims must accept that many places have what could best be called “fluid hours,” “unreliable opening times,” or, in some cases, no longer exist at all.

To walk here is to embrace flexibility. More than on other routes, the VDLP demands a degree of self-sufficiency and an openness to change. Each day becomes as much about navigating the shifting logistics of the trail as it is about covering the kilometres. Little is predictable, but perhaps that unpredictability is part of what makes the journey what it is.

Unexpected Wonders, Conditions, and Landscapes

Before setting out, we had read countless descriptions of the Via de la Plata as flat, featureless, and monotonous. Guidebooks often repeat this refrain, and we braced ourselves for long, empty stretches across the Spanish interior. Yet the reality proved to be nothing like we expected.

Yes, the landscapes were often exposed, but they were far from dull. The rolling agricultural meseta of Castilla y León gave way to the oak-dotted dehesa woodlands of Extremadura, alive with birdsong and the sound of livestock bells. Further north, Galicia greeted us with its misty eucalyptus and pine forests, where stone villages seemed to emerge out of the fog. At every turn, the diversity of scenery kept surprising us, and with it came a richness of history, culture, and wildlife that gave the trail far more depth than we had been led to believe.

Our experience of the route was also deeply shaped by the season and weather. Walking in spring meant fields awash in wildflowers, but also paths flooded and waterlogged, forcing us to pick our way across muddy tracks or detour around swollen streams. The lushness was breathtaking, yet it was easy to imagine how, in the extremes of summer, these same stretches would become dry, exposed, and nearly impassable in the heat. The Via de la Plata and the Sanabrés are pilgrimages best undertaken in spring or autumn, when the conditions are more forgiving and the landscape reveals its full vitality.

Pilgrims and Perspectives

The Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés draw a different kind of pilgrim. Many we met had walked 10, 20, or even 30 Caminos before. Their approach was pragmatic: “If I can,” rather than “Of course I will reach Santiago.” There was less judgment, less competitiveness, and more quiet resilience. Unlike the social web of the Camino Frances, where pilgrims often form Camino “families,” here the solitude shapes a different journey. Most of the time, we walked alone, occasionally recognizing a handful of fellow pilgrims by sight and from time to time being able to share a meal with them.

We also noticed how common taxis and buses were on these routes. Many pilgrims skipped long or unsupported sections, ventured past long roadway stretches, or caught rides to the last 10–15 km of each stage. Albergues often filled early with those who had used transport, leaving walkers who covered the full distance scrambling for beds. Stickers for taxi companies were plastered across waymarkers, reminding us that this logistical reality is how many undertake these Camino routes.

As a result, while you might see lots of pilgrims in the albergues, you likely won’t see many hiking.  

The Camino Sanabrés 

Reaching Granja de Moreruela, pilgrims face a choice: continue north toward Astorga to join the Camino Francés, or turn west along the Camino Sanabrés toward Santiago.

Branching northwest from Granja de Moreruela, the Camino Sanabrés brought us through quieter villages, eucalyptus forests, and flowing rivers. Galicia has invested heavily in restoring trails, churches, and waymarks, and the sense of both pilgrimage and heritage here was strong. Ancient wayside crosses, carved plaques, and stone pillars marked our way.

Though shorter than the Via de la Plata, the Sanabrés was no less challenging. The climb out of Ourense, for example, is a steep initiation for those beginning the last 100 km. Still, we found this to be the most peaceful final approach to Santiago that we have experienced across multiple Caminos. Unlike the crowded road from Sarria, here we met only a modest increase in pilgrims in the last 50 km, many walking as part of short guided tours.

Popularity is on the Rise

Before beginning, we were often told that the Via de la Plata was one of the least-travelled Caminos. It carried a reputation for solitude, long stretches without meeting many pilgrims, and near-empty albergues at the end of the day. Yet what we encountered was quite different.

Stage by stage, we saw more and more pilgrims on the path. Far from being empty, albergues were frequently full, with hospitaleros gently telling late arrivals that they would have to continue walking or look elsewhere for a bed. On some days, we estimated there were 30–50 people moving along the same stage as us - a number that far exceeded what the infrastructure in many small towns could handle.

The statistics people cite about the VDLP and Sanabrés don’t always reflect the on-the-ground reality. While it may be true that “only” about 4% of pilgrims walk these routes, that percentage is drawn from an ever-rising total. Four percent of a growing tide is no longer a trickle. And even those figures underestimate the true numbers, since the official statistics only account for people who claim a Compostela in Santiago. Many of the pilgrims we met on the Via de la Plata had already walked 10, 20, or even 30 Caminos. They weren’t interested in another certificate - they were walking for their own reasons.

Simply put, this is not a quiet route anymore. The sense of increasing popularity was echoed by albergue volunteers and local hosts, who told us time and again that the crowds now exceed what each stage can comfortably support. The VDLP and Sanabrés may still be less crowded than the Camino Francés, but the days of solitude here seem to be slipping into the past.

Range of Accommodations 

Over the course of both the Via de la Plata and the Camino Sanabrés, we quickly learned that pilgrims need to be both prepared and willing to use a wide range of accommodations. Unlike some other routes where municipal or public albergues are plentiful, here it was often necessary to stay in private hostels, pensiones, or small hotels. This made the Camino noticeably more expensive than we had anticipated. That said, the higher accommodation costs were partly balanced out by the fact that, more often than not, we were buying groceries and preparing simple meals rather than eating in bars or restaurants.

Our expenses were also shaped by timing and location. Beginning our journey along the Via Augusta during Semana Santa meant navigating one of Spain’s busiest holiday seasons, which is a period that stretches well beyond Holy Week. In addition, several towns along the Via de la Plata, such as Seville, Merida, and Ourense, are popular tourist centres where prices reflect more of a visitor economy than a pilgrim one. All of this combined to make the VDLP and Sanabrés costlier than other Caminos we had walked, but the trade-offs in flexibility and experience ultimately felt worthwhile.

Rising Costs and Pilgrim Realities

One of the clearest changes we noticed along the Via de la Plata and the Camino Sanabrés was the steady rise in costs. The pilgrim menus that once cost 7–10 Euros now often run closer to double that. Municipal albergues, which traditionally kept pilgrim budgets manageable, were frequently full, leaving us to seek out private hostels or small hotels at significantly higher prices. In some towns, it seemed openly acknowledged that pilgrim tourism was first and foremost a business. While this is understandable in communities that depend on the Camino for income, it sometimes creates an atmosphere that feels more economic than spiritual.

This reality seems especially true on the VDLP and Sanabrés. Because infrastructure is thinner, and because some places charge pilgrims more simply because they can, the overall cost of walking these routes is higher than on the more popular Caminos.

Even in Santiago itself, affordable pilgrim lodging has become rare. Beds that were once 20 Euros can now exceed 100 Euros in peak season. Many pilgrims we met spoke of staying outside the city or even taking a bus back to more affordable accommodations after reaching the cathedral. For many, the rising expenses have become as much a part of the Camino as the walking itself.

Lessons Along the Way

Despite the hardships, these Caminos offered profound lessons. Long distances turned every arrival into a victory. The lack of certainty of food, of lodging, of rest taught us resilience and adaptability. Locals who offered fruit, water, or advice reminded us that kindness is never absent, even when infrastructure is.

These routes are not just about reaching Santiago. They are about endurance, patience, and the gift of time in nature. They are about walking through Spain’s deep layers of history, Roman milestones, Moorish arches, medieval churches, and recognizing that pilgrimage is as much about discovery as destination.

Final Reflections on the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés 

Having walked the 28,000 km-long Trans Canada Trail from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic, as well as routes across Portugal, France, England, and Scotland, we can say without hesitation that the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés were among the most challenging routes we have ever undertaken.

The length of the stages, the lack of infrastructure, and the solitude all tested us. Yet those very challenges are also what made this Camino unforgettable. Walking the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés was both a test of endurance and a gift of perspective. The sheer length, the solitude, and the logistical challenges shaped us in ways that easier Caminos did not. These routes taught us that people are stronger and more resourceful than they realize. Completing this pilgrimage, we were reminded that growth happens not in ease but in effort.  Not in shortcuts but in the steady rhythm of each step forward.

Looking back, the theft we experienced early on the Via de la Plata and the moment later in the pilgrimage when Sean was unexpectedly attacked by another pilgrim stand out as difficult memories. Yet it’s important to emphasize that in all our years of walking through Spain, Portugal, and France, these were the first and only such incidents we have ever encountered on the Camino. They are exceptions, not the rule.

We continue to believe the Camino is, by and large, a safe and welcoming journey. Like any form of travel, challenges and risks exist, but they pale in comparison to the countless acts of kindness, generosity, and solidarity we have experienced along the Way. Our recounting of these events is not meant to discourage others or promote fear, but rather to be honest about the full range of experiences one might encounter while travelling. For us, pilgrimage remains not only worthwhile but essential.

Every Camino leaves its mark. The Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés reminded us that pilgrimage is less about the destination and more about learning to walk with patience, humility, and perseverance on the journey.  The Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés do not just lead you to Santiago. They carry you into a slower, richer way of moving through the world. 

“One step at a time, and love every step”

See you on the trail!