If 25% of people staying at Roncesvalles (as suggested above), then it seems likely that they have NOT walked over the mountain, but arrived by some kind of transport.
On the topic of long queues to get into the Albergue at Roncesvalles: this is my observation: I was there a few years ago, cold and tired and with a reservation. The problem was that only ONE official was processing people. This accounted for the slow-moving queue. The volunteers could do...
When I was last there, a local man was sitting beside the start of the forest track advising everyone to take the road. I did this and it wasn't such a busy road at all.
In 2015 I followed a suggestion from Mspath to contact Gorge from Hacienda el Val to arrange for him to drive me around this area. It was a great experience:
http://caminoconfidential.blogspot.com/2015/04/ponferrada.html
IMHO, there are more important things to worry about on the Camino than ATM fees and bank charges. As an Australian, I paid enough on air fares and travel insurance; these other costs add up to very little in comparison. So just enjoy yourself!
Just finished Burgos to Sarria. Not a day went by without seeing one of their patrol cars going up and down the route, or just parked under a tree. As a woman on her own, I have never, ever, felt unsafe walking the Camino.
Today I took the ALSA bus from Carrion to Terradillos, departing at 11.51 am. Then I walked the short distance to Moratinos. I believe this is the best alternative to the long 17 km walk. (I am 78).
I’m on the CF right now - reaching Carrion today. It is VERY busy. Accommodation really has to be booked wherever possible. Long queues at bars for service…. It’s also hot as Spain is experiencing a heatwave. But it is what it is - and this is where I’d rather be!
A suggestion for anybody (anxious or not) is to prepare a little speech about yourself and/or reason for walking. This means that you will not have to invent something on the spot. It can be something quite vague and superficial, if that's what you want to say. Just think about it in advance!
This is what I wrote about Roncesvalles on 22 April, when it took over an hour to check in:
The albergue in Roncesvalles was full last night and they were turning people away with no reservations. They checked in 300 pilgrims when they were expecting only half that. No one could explain the...
You have a long memory, Doug! Now, here is a little tale about my latest gastro problem on this year's Camino. I stayed for a couple of days in Ponferrada in a hotel on the Plaza Ayuntamiento. On my last evening, I sat out in the square enjoying an ice cream from one of those shops with a huge...
My very first post to this forum, back in 2014, was about this very issue: gastric problems in Carrion de los Condes. I had eaten in a well-known restaurant there and was throwing up all night long. Next morning, another person in the albergue told me that exactly the same had occurred to him...
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