albergue queuing

[sprinto]

Is it still the done thing that if you arrive early at an albergue you can leave your rucksack
at the door to save your place in the queue if the albergue is not yet open ?

 

[henrythedog]

Is it still the done thing that if you arrive early at an albergue you can leave your rucksack
at the door to save your place in the queue if the albergue is not yet open ?

Yes, it’s still common practice if you’re comfortable leaving your bag unattended.

 

[naplesdon]

Always works for me. Sometimes you can access the washbasin and scrub your clothes from the days walk, grab a beer and sit down and relax until the doors open. Only time I ever saw an issue was some guy who claimed to be injured who had ridden in the Jacotran vehicle and said he had priority for a bed over those who already put our bags in line. You can on imagine the hostile reaction this clown got from all of us on a very hot day after walking to Ages.

 

[Bradypus]

You can on imagine the hostile reaction this clown got from all of us on a very hot day after walking to Ages.

I mostly walk quiet routes or out of the main season so it has not been an issue for me. I assume that you have to return in person by opening time to physically rejoin the queue? The hospitaleros are not expected to reserve beds for absentees just because they have dumped a bag on the doorstep? I'm imagining a situation where someone drops their pack and goes off for their menu del dia then returns to find the albergue has filled up in the meantime. Potential for arguments there.

 

[J Willhaus]

You leave your bag and return by opening for time.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Or potentially you might arrive a bit late to find your bag sitting outside all alone and the beds have all been taken in your absence, or your bag has disappeared; probably very unlikely, but I wouldn't take a chance even if no valuables were inside...

 

[naplesdon]

Precisely, place your bag in the queue, grab a brew and relax. Opening time us normally 13-14h, so if you began the day at dawn you have probably done 20 to 30 km by then.

 

[Michael-FL]

Always works for me. Sometimes you can access the washbasin and scrub your clothes from the days walk, grab a beer and sit down and relax until the doors open. Only time I ever saw an issue was some guy who claimed to be injured who had ridden in the Jacotran vehicle and said he had priority for a bed over those who already put our bags in line. You can on imagine the hostile reaction this clown got from all of us on a very hot day after walking to Ages.

Wow, I guess some people are just exceptional.

 

[rainswift]

Always works for me. Sometimes you can access the washbasin and scrub your clothes from the days walk, grab a beer and sit down and relax until the doors open. Only time I ever saw an issue was some guy who claimed to be injured who had ridden in the Jacotran vehicle and said he had priority for a bed over those who already put our bags in line. You can on imagine the hostile reaction this clown got from all of us on a very hot day after walking to Ages.

Please tell us the rest of the story! Did the allegedly injured pilgrim get priority in the end, or did the walkers win out?

 

[barryfr]

Interesting. We weren't aware of that custom when we walked del Norte this past spring. We were disturbed by an incident at the municipal albergue in Castro Urdiales. Quite a few people were waiting outside before the 16-bed albergue opened. When the doors opened, some new arrivals got in line ahead of some people who had been waiting for awhile. I don't recall if the earlier arrivals protested, but I do know that several people who had been waiting were turned away. After that, we started booking ahead when we planned to stay in a place that allowed prior booking.

 

[naplesdon]

Please tell us the rest of the story! Did the allegedly injured pilgrim get priority in the end, or did the walkers win out?

He had to wait his turn and was ostracized the entire night. Quite the pariah, he found no one willing to eat or drink with him and BTW, he was not injured, just a lazy SOB.

 

[naplesdon]

It is really easy to pick newbies out of the crowd.

 

[Gerard Griffin]

It's a sensible measure to let people leave their gear and wander around. Makes sense also that you have to be there at opening time to keep your place in the queue. But it can be a bit Draconian ... I was in the queue one time and I bent down to fumble in my gear, and when I looked up the door was open and all the people behind me vanished inside. Buen Camino is all very well but it goes out the window when the scramble for a bed begins.

 

[dick bird]

Yes, but if the albergue opens before you get back, you will lose your place. I would also ask the people in the queue before and after if they mind.

 

[Waka]

I came across a situation where a tour guide placed a backpack in the queue and when the Albergue opened around the corner came his Client’s expecting to jump the queue to where the backpack was. He didn’t get away with that.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Is it still the done thing that if you arrive early at an albergue you can leave your rucksack
at the door to save your place in the queue if the albergue is not yet open ?

Sort of, but you'd better stay in the vicinity. So really it's become mostly a method of sitting more comfortably on a nearby low wall or bench while you wait, and keeping your place in the queue meanwhile. Sure, you can make a dash to an ATM or grab a snack in a bar or something, but best ask others in the queue if they don't mind watching over your pack ?

Theft from unattended backpacks has become more frequent in recent years, so the number of unattended backpacks in that scenario and others has sharply decreased. Pack transport on the Francès, for instance, is now increasingly organised from bar to bar rather than between the Albergues, from the theft problem.

Also, the proportion of Albergues where you can reserve your spot with little need to queue up for it has greatly increased versus those where it's first come first served.

 

[Linda SLP]

Bercianos, September 2016 Pilgrims are also washing clothes while waiting!

 

[Lindsay53]

The beginning of the queue in Ourense. There was a very nice bar just across the street where we waited.

 

[Gerard Griffin]

It's a de facto ticketing system, far more civilised than standing in the heat while the hospitalero grinds slowly through the check-in procedure.