Sleeping Pad for the Levante?

[Deleted member 39006]

Hi All,

I'm planning to start the Levante immediately after Easter. Given the mixed availability of accommodation, I'm thinking about taking a lightweight inflatable sleeping mat, as I'm getting too old and creaky to sleep on floors, church pews etc without any padding. Did anybody take and use a sleeping pad when they traveled the Levante? I'd like to use a variety of albergues, casas rurales and hostels so don't want to carry a sleeping pad if it isn't necessary, but I'd rather carry it than have the odd sleepless night on a hard floor in a small albergue.

So what do you think?

 

[Donna Sch]

Hi All,

I'm planning to start the Levante immediately after Easter. Given the mixed availability of accommodation, I'm thinking about taking a lightweight inflatable sleeping mat, as I'm getting too old and creaky to sleep on floors, church pews etc without any padding. Did anybody take and use a sleeping pad when they traveled the Levante? I'd like to use a variety of albergues, casas rurales and hostels so don't want to carry a sleeping pad if it isn't necessary, but I'd rather carry it than have the odd sleepless night on a hard floor in a small albergue.

So what do you think?

Watch my Live on the Camino thread. I'm on the Levante at the moment.

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Hi Hamish,
Personally I think you will find that you don’t need a mat. There was always somewhere to stay and all the albergues had beds/bunks with matresses. It would be ‘rare’ for them to be full. Mostly I was staying on my own or with only 1 other. If not an albergue, you’ll find a pension.
Hope that helps. Cheers, Grace

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi All,

I'm planning to start the Levante immediately after Easter. Given the mixed availability of accommodation, I'm thinking about taking a lightweight inflatable sleeping mat, as I'm getting too old and creaky to sleep on floors, church pews etc without any padding. Did anybody take and use a sleeping pad when they traveled the Levante? I'd like to use a variety of albergues, casas rurales and hostels so don't want to carry a sleeping pad if it isn't necessary, but I'd rather carry it than have the odd sleepless night on a hard floor in a small albergue.

So what do you think?

Hi, Hamish,
I walked the Levante years ago, and never had a problem finding a place to stay. I attached a day by day in a pdf here and it does have names of places — https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-stages-on-the-levante.19142/.

And I know there are more albergues now than there were when I walked. I think I calculated that between Valencia and where the Levante joins the Sanabrés in Zamora, I was in albergues half the nights. And in several instances there were albergues available, but I opted out and let my hardier companions go with the more spartan accommodations. Long story short — I wouldn’t take a sleeping pad.

 

[LTfit]

Although it was in 2014, I never had a problem finding a bed in albergues. They did have limited beds - some with only 4 spots - but there were never more than 3 of us and in 98% of the time only 2.

 

[ortemio]

No pad, but definitely a sleeping sack. Plenty of police stations, museums and odd albergues.

In my opinion the loneliest, must hunted of all my caminos. maybe it was the albergue across from the rabbit processing plant on a holiday with no one around and the poured cement bunkers... bring some good road hiking shoes ( ie cushion ) lots of dry, flat walking. And one last thing take a taxi out of Valencia and forget the first 20km,, is not worth the pounding on your feet.

 

[Deleted member 39006]

Many, many thanks for all your very helpful comments, That's decided then - no pad. Sleeping gear is a given - I use a silk liner and a down blanket (plus a fleecy hat for the really chilly nights). And should there be a real problem, there is always cash = taxi = a bed further afield. I'll be using some good Meindl walking shoes with custom insoles (design tested on the VDLP but worn out, so a fresh pair) and, given the amount of road walking, I've changed from my usual sandals to a pair of Skechers memory foam sneakers as my evening wear - a little comfort underfoot might not go amiss! Fingers crossed - there might not be snow on my travels this May (unlike last year) but what the hell!
Thanks again...ultreia!

 

[Black and the Red]

Watch my Live on the Camino thread. I'm on the Levante at the moment.

Hi,

Plan to do the de levante/Sanabres route nextvyear if I have enough money. How can I view your live messages? Did the French way last year, and budgeted €40 a day, which was plenty. How does the Levante route compare price wise? Are the albergues more? Many thanks.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi,

Plan to do the de levante/Sanabres route nextvyear if I have enough money. How can I view your live messages? Did the French way last year, and budgeted €40 a day, which was plenty. How does the Levante route compare price wise? Are the albergues more? Many thanks.

Here’s a link to Donna’s thread. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/camino-mixto-feb-mar-2019-levante.60120/

When I walked the Levante years ago, I calculated that half of the stages from Valencia to Zamora had albergues. And the number has increased since then. Pensiones were usually available at around 20-25€. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is one of my favorite caminos.

I have just made a couple of live threads “sticky” posts (at the top). They all have lots of good info about accommodations.