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Albergues with Communal Meals on El Norte?

Travelingmerci

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF, August- September (2015)
El Norte, August-September (2017)
One of my favorite aspects of my first camino on the CF was the albergues with communal meals. Right before I left for my camino, someone had published a guide to all the albergues that offered them here on the Forum, and I used that guide in part to structure my camino around those places.

Are there many similar albergues with communal meals on El Norte, and if so, is there a list out there of them? If not, which of the other camino routes do you think comes close to the CF in terms of communal meals?
 
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In 2014 the albergues on the Norte I stayed at which had communal meals were Santa Cruz de Bezana a really nice place after Santander, Albergue de Guemes, Albergue Aves de Paso at Pendueles. Don't recall any others, but I took the Primitivo later.
Aidan
 
On the GR 65 (Chemim du Puy) it is quite common to have demi-pension with all the pilgrims eating together. On the Norte I know of Laredo, Guemes and Cuerres, but there are probably more albergues with communal meals.
 
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Albergue San Antonio de Muerlo - about 10kms before Guemes; Alberque La Ferreria in Amandi which is about 2kms past Villaviciosa; Capitan Tximista just outside of Irun; Alberque Ixtarpe about 4kms past Deba. Towards the end after the Norte joins the Camino Frances in Santa Irene the private albergue there has a communal dinner.

Buen Camino
 
Beyond Avilés in San Martín de Laspra the hospitalero asks if pilgrims want to eat with him. I joined in with a few others but there is no obligation and all on a donativo basis. A German couple decided to eat by themselves and that was fine.
 
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In October we shared communal meals at La Revilla (about 4 km before San Vicente), Albergue Renecer (La Franca), Albergue Llanes (Poo), Albergue Tu Casa (La Vega) and Albergue San Martin (Miraz)
 
So, I wonder what everyone is envisioning when they say "communal meals." Not to put too fine a point on it, but there is, IMO, a big difference between the meal put together by a bunch of pilgrims who shop, cook, eat together and clean up (frequently at a donativo albergue), and a meal served for a set price by the owner of an albergue. I've had a lot of great meals with groups in private albergues, don't get me wrong, but it is really no different than a bunch of us going out and sitting together at a restaurant. And I don't think that's the common understanding of "communal meals" in the camino lexicon.
 
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
My understanding of a communal meal is one organised by the hospies/hosts where walkers are invited to eat, often for a set amount, sometimes donativo.
 
Anemone del Camino said:
My understanding of a communal meal is one organised by the hospies/hosts where walkers are invited to eat, often for a set amount, sometimes donativo.
Click to expand...

You're probably right. That's much easier -- we don't need to make a list, because I think nearly every private albergue (except for the youth hostels that receive pilgrims) I stayed in on the Norte (with the exception of Alex's outside Santillana) offered an evening meal for a set price.
 

Orio 9km beyond San sebastian. Best on norte in my humble opinion
 
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Albergue San Martin, the CSJ albergue in Miraz, probably qualifies (if Laurie isn't being too strict!).
Since Pilar's bar closed, the albergue has been keeping a stock of basic pilgrim meal ingredients like pasta, oil and tomato sauce. So it's best to try and bring some fresh items along as well (from Baamonde), like onions, garlic other veg, bread and cheese etc. As those of you who've been there know, the dining room is well set out for people to join up, and join forces in cooking and eating together. Now that there are other accommodation options in the village there's more chance of getting a bed in this gem of an albergue (declared interest: I am a CSJ member!).
Edited name, duh
 
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I throw Albergue Reposo del Andayón (Cuerres) in one more time. They cook a (delicious) vegetarian dinner on donativo basis.
 
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Anemone del Camino said:
My understanding of a communal meal is one organised by the hospies/hosts where walkers are invited to eat, often for a set amount, sometimes donativo.
Click to expand...


To put a finer point on it, for it to be communal, everyone sits together at the same table.
 
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