Why walk alone? Look at the Pilgrim Statistics and tell me if you still wonder!

Many people who have read The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage, write to me to ask what possessed me to walk the Camino in winter and did I not find walking alone very lonely. To a large degree I answer the first question in the book -- it is very much a personal choice and not everyone is as fortunate as I was to have the luxury of time and choice of dates as I had, and the answer to the second question is a categoric "NO!" Most people find it a frightening thought to be on their own -- especially for such a long period and in such a vast and uninhabited space. But think about it -- if you had the choice of walking alone or walking with a hundred people in your sights in front of you -- the next person only ten metres ahead, and a hundred people fast approaching from the back -- the next person only ten metres behind you, which would you choose? Think of the litter and the pollution. Think of the number of refuges and beds and having to queue up for shelter and for food. Think of the noise, the crowding, the invasion of your mediation and reflection time and space.

The number of pilgrims collecting a compostela in Santiago during 2007 (last year's statistics aren’t yet available) was 114,026 from 138 different nations.
The most popular route continues to be the Camino Francés, playing host to 91,872 pilgrims representing 80% (down from 92% 2 years ago).
The second most popular route to Santiago is now the Camino Portugués with 8,110 pilgrims representing 7%. While not in these statistics the Camino Finisterre is becoming increasingly popular with an estimated 12,500 collecting a Fisteranna in 2008.
Next year, 2010 is a Holy Year on the Camino (there will not be another Holy Year until 2021.) and it now looks increasingly likely that Pope Benedict XVI will visit Santiago de Compostela during the year -- probably at the end of July when the Day of St James, 25 July, falls on a Sunday. Accordingly the number of visitors to Santiago during that year could rise to 10 million with 1⁄4 million expected to arrive on foot.

< A pilgrimage route in summer vs a pilgrimage route in winter? >





(Flights: From November 2008 Ryanair opened 2 daily flights from Santiago to Madrid to supplement its flights from/to Barcelona, Frankfurt, Rome and London. This has forced other airlines such as Iberia to lower its fares on this increasingly popular route to Madrid. Aer Lingus will fly twice weekly (Tues/Sat) direct from Dublin to Santiago from May 2nd to September 19th 2009.)