Advance bookings!!! (Are they ruining the Camino?)

[David Tallan]

Listening to the conversations along the way about booking ahead, there seem to be two camps among those who book: those who are confident in their ability to walk the km required to get there, and those who are ever shifting their reservations because they’ve discovered walking that many km every day is hard.

I've also noticed an easy binary, but a slightly different one. Rather than two camps of people who book, it is instead to approaches to dealing with a situation where there appears to be more pilgrims than beds.

There are those who do not want to commit to where they will stop but are fine with getting up early and walking quickly to ensure that they are at their destination in a timely manner while some of the (perhaps few) unreserved beds are still available. And there are those who value walking at their own pace and starting and finishing their daily walk and are ready to commit to a stopping point so they are sure to have a bed waiting for them.

Wait a minute. I lied. This isn't an easy binary. There are actually three groups. There are also those who don't fit nicely into either of the two categories above. They are destined to be disappointed and will end up complaining about the "bed race" (where reservations are not taken) or the "people who reserve and steal all the beds" (where reservations are taken).

For myself, it doesn't seem conducive to my peace of mind to put myself into the third category. I'd rather figure out which of the first two fits best for me or pick a time/route where it won't be an issue.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Former member 92300]

Btw, which non-private albergues accept bookings? I can think of Roncesvalles, they are owned by the diocese but they have always done their own thing, for about a thousand years already. I cannot think of any other municipial or parochial albergue de peregrinos between Roncesvalles and Pamplona that accepts bookings but I would be interested to know.

I can't comment on who is accepting reservations currently - as currently I am not walking. But - it would not surprise me if they did during high pilgrim to bed ratio times. Quite a few did this after Spain reopened from COVID - I had quite a few municipal and parochial albergues asking me then if I had reservations. I usually did not. These were places that were listed as n not accepting reservations. And I know I was turned away from municipals once, maybe twice (can't remember if the second was municipal or private), because their beds were reserved. Most of the time I arrived early enough to still get a bed without reservations.

 

[NorthernLight]

I've also noticed an easy binary, but a slightly different one. Rather than two camps of people who book, it is instead to approaches to dealing with a situation where there appears to be more pilgrims than beds.

Well, so far I’ve not encountered a situation of no beds, but nothing outside of computer coding is really binary, is it? There are dozens of camps with hundreds of variations.

At the end of the day, who are we to say anything? We don’t know anyone else’s story.

 

[AZtor]

There seem to be less bed shortage panic posts... I guess things have calmed down?

I wonder if the previous posts have resulted in many postponing their trips? And / or if it's pushed more to prebook thereby leaving more space in the non-bookable places?

 

[Bradypus]

There seem to be less bed shortage panic posts... I guess things have calmed down?

The specially busy period around the May holiday is past now. And arrivals in Santiago have dropped a little in the past few days too. Numbers are still quite high but not as extreme as a week ago.

 

[dougfitz]

The specially busy period around the May holiday is past now. And arrivals in Santiago have dropped a little in the past few days too. Numbers are still quite high but not as extreme as a week ago.

We can look forward to 2024, or perhaps a repeat around September!!??

 

[Bradypus]

We can look forward to 2024, or perhaps a repeat around September!!??

Probably much the same in September. I will be walking with a friend from SJPDP during the first week of September. Andy is an experienced walker and pilgrim but he has never walked the Frances. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[WorddWizard]

As an update. Just finished the Camino and from the meseta through Santiago we were able to get through with 4 pilgrims without booking any nights (except for a planned stop at Casa Susi in Trabadelo) this includes some 30+ km days ending past 4p. We stayed off the planned stage stops after Sarria but the stage stops had even more beds.

I think the fears are a bit overblown, at least right now and after the initial st Jean crowd.

 

[NorthernLight]

I counted the number of beds in Hornillos and then watched the conga line of walkers heading there. Some would have gone on to Hontanas or even Castrojerez, but every bed in Hornillos appears to be bookable and a pilgrim relying on providence would be tested.

I was going to test it, but my knee screamed at me otherwise, and I’ve removed myself from the equation.

 

[J Willhaus]

I counted the number of beds in Hornillos and then watched the conga line of walkers heading there. Some would have gone on to Hontanas or even Castrojerez, but every bed in Hornillos appears to be bookable and a pilgrim relying on providence would be tested.

I was going to test it, but my knee screamed at me otherwise, and I’ve removed myself from the equation.

So did you stop walking? Did you book a bed in Hornillos? Did you make a short day from Burgos and stop before you got to Hornillos?

 

[NorthernLight]

So did you stop walking? Did you book a bed in Hornillos? Did you make a short day from Burgos and stop before you got to Hornillos?

Every day is a short day for me now. Anything over 10 km and my knee screams and my hip grumbles. I was in Tardajos this morning. I’m in Valladolid now. I hadn’t really enjoyed any of the walk once I reached Sanguesa on the Aragones. People are rude to staff, ignore their fellow walkers, jump queues, and have no idea of ‘pilgrimage’. (Some are good and kind and loving the experience and communal dinners.) I’ve been debating this since before Logrono, but at about 4:00 am I decided I was done. I started to walk back to Burgos but noticed a bus stop and saw a little bus was due in a while. So I watched the walkers walk by.

One young lad, hobbling, saw me and came over, hoping a bus was coming that could move him forward: this bus goes to no other camino towns.

One fellow came to check on me (his third camino) and that was sweet.

I’m hanging around Spain awhile, maybe I’ll decide to start walking again.

 

[J Willhaus]

Every day is a short day for me now. Anything over 10 km and my knee screams and my hip grumbles. I was in Tardajos this morning. I’m in Valladolid now. I hadn’t really enjoyed any of the walk once I reached Sanguesa on the Aragones. People are rude to staff, ignore their fellow walkers, jump queues, and have no idea of ‘pilgrimage’. (Some are good and kind and loving the experience and communal dinners.) I’ve been debating this since before Logrono, but at about 4:00 am I decided I was done. I started to walk back to Burgos but noticed a bus stop and saw a little bus was due in a while. So I watched the walkers walk by.

One young lad, hobbling, saw me and came over, hoping a bus was coming that could move him forward: this bus goes to no other camino towns.

One fellow came to check on me (his third camino) and that was sweet.

I’m hanging around Spain awhile, maybe I’ll decide to start walking again.

Sorry your joints are letting you down...we had to stop last year because I got a heat injury. It was disappointing to me since I consider myself to be a hardy soul. If you decide to come back for the "good parts" and rewalk the Aragones for a second time this year, we'll be at Arrés June 1-15.

 

[AZtor]

I hadn’t really enjoyed any of the walk once I reached Sanguesa on the Aragones. People are rude to staff, ignore their fellow walkers, jump queues, and have no idea of ‘pilgrimage’.

Oh no... this sound tragic. I'll be leaving shortly to begin on the Aragones... I hope the general mood improves...

 

[NorthernLight]

Oh no... this sound tragic. I'll be leaving shortly to begin on the Aragones... I hope the general mood improves...

The Aragones is great. The staff at Artieda’s albergue were disinterested and a couple of the pilgrims at Sanguesa were off-putting, but I’d do the Aragones a third time.

The comradery on the Aragones was more reminiscent of the Frances 10 years ago.

It was at Sanguesa that my distance issues became clear and I started having to adjust.

 

[Bogong]

By the way, Is it about arriving at a “tomb”?
It’s the walking not the arriving.
Enough said, had my winge. Won’t be telling people they should come and do this anymore that’s for sure. Enjoy x

Personally I think that the destination is more important in defining your journey as a pilgrimage than how you choose to find a bed for the night.

There are many wonderful and iconic walks around the world, even in our own countries. The Camino is not just a “walk” it’s a pilgrimage to the tomb of St James and has deep religious significance for many. There are other similar pilgrimages elsewhere in Europe, Asia, and many parts of the world. The difference is that in a pilgrimage the destination is the object and the walk is just a means to an end, not the end in itself.

De Colores

Bogong

 

[David Tallan]

There are many wonderful and iconic walks around the world, even in our own countries. The Camino is not just a “walk” it’s a pilgrimage to the tomb of St James and has deep religious significance for many. There are other similar pilgrimages elsewhere in Europe, Asia, and many parts of the world. The difference is that in a pilgrimage the destination is the object and the walk is just a means to an end, not the end in itself.

De Colores

Bogong

Personally, I think that one of the things that makes a Camino special is that as a pilgrimage it is about the walk  and the destination.

I've been to a number of pilgrimage sites. In the Christian tradition, that includes Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago, and Canterbury. Only Santiago has a significant number of people walking to it. (Yes, I know that the Via Francigena leads to Rome and the English Pilgrim's Way leads to Canterbury. But these don't bring a significant number of pilgrims. And their modern revival is building on the pattern set by the Camino.) The same could be said for Lourdes and Fatima.

Just as most other walks are not pilgrimages, so most other pilgrimages (except local, short  romerías) are not walks. The Camino is a rare intersection of the two.

The Camino is not Santiago de Compostela. The Camino is the  way to Santiago de Compostela. You can say the walk is a means to an end, but that way to get to the end, Santiago, is precisely what the Camino is. It is the heart of the experience. If someone flies to Santiago de Compostela they have made a pilgrimage. They have not done a Camino.

 

[dougfitz]

The Camino is a rare intersection of the two.

Rare, perhaps. Singular, definitely not. I have walked to Trondheim, New Norcia and Ramsgate on 'camino' walks that are combinations of the destination and the walk. Perhaps they have been modelled on the Camino de Santiago, but someone might have the knowledge to tell us that the pattern used there was already well established by the time of the first pilgrimages to Santiago.

 

[David Tallan]

Rare, perhaps. Singular, definitely not. I have walked to Trondheim, New Norcia and Ramsgate on 'camino' walks that are combinations of the destination and the walk. Perhaps they have been modelled on the Camino de Santiago, but someone might have the knowledge to tell us that the pattern used there was already well established by the time of the first pilgrimages to Santiago.

That's why I said "rare" and not "unique". I did put some thought into choosing my words and even gave examples of others.

 

[dougfitz]

That's why I said "rare" and not "unique". I did put some thought into choosing my words and even gave examples of others.

Indeed, and I appreciated that you didn't attempt to do that. But at the same time, it seemed to me that you appear to discount those other pilgrimages as being less special than the Camino de Santiago. I can accept that as a personal opinion, but I would share the observation that I have found arriving in some other pilgrimage destinations, such as the cathedrals and churches at Trondheim, Canterbury and Ramsgate, just as moving experience as arriving in Santiago.

 

[suirtean62]

The whole ethos of walking the Camino is being ruined by advance bookings of beds.
Obtaining beds is now a nightmare even trying to obtain bed 3 days in advance. This did not be the case before covid. Simply wanted to walk and stop wherever, now not possible. Not a pilgrimage anymore, simply a tourist trap !!

The plethora of companies offering planned pilgrimages is turning the pilgrimage into an "experience" I heard of one group doing the camino ingles and being charged £2,200.
I have not thought of inviting my present wife on the camino and remediate stress levels in that regard ;-)