Being flexible.

[NI Walker]

I have read a thread about not making a detailed plan for your Camino, as it will undoubtedly not go to the plan. I get that as you may walk more 1 day than the next day so you can never really say where you will be at the end of any day. I am "planning" my first Camino in April and I wanted to book an Albergue for the end of each day so I would be sure of somewhere to sleep. I now realise that this is not practical so is it ok to just arrive at an Albergue in the evening and expect to be accomodated for that evening. There is also the obvious risk that the Albergue may be full and that there will be no where to sleep. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Poppy-Pete]

Hello NI, I walked the CF from May to June 2018. I had a rough plan of how far I would walk each day, but quickly found that I could walk further as I was fortunate and did not get any blisters or have any foot problems. Being flexible enabled me to either continue walking or stop.
There were a couple of days where I missed a turn to my desired destination, which wasn't an issue, I just kept walking to the next village.

Pre-booking accommodation will take that flexibility away from you. My only comment is to arrive at an Albergue early enough so that you're not getting the worst bed in the room. If you arrive around 1-2pm, in most instances you will be one of the first and get to choose your bed. Buen Camino

 

[Ekelund]

Hi NI Walker
Welcome to the Forum!
In April you will find lots of free beds in the Albergues. If you want to spend the night at Orrison after leaving SJPP you might want to make a reservation just to make sure, you have a bed.
A buen Camino to you!

 

[twh]

After you finish lunch and you are completely fueled up, make your reservations for the night.

While still at your table, take inventory after lunch re: how your body is doing (feet, legs, exhaustion, attitude) Then factor in how many "jobs" you need to do that evening like laundry, or calls home or journaling or exploring and those assessments along with their corresponding time relationships will tell you how many more hours you can walk before stopping for the day. Then check your hard copy or electronic guide to find the closest accommodations to your stopping time. Sort through your options and preferences regarding price, amenities and location within the town, near to things you may want to see and starting calling until you have a reservation. You'll have a place within 5 minutes...finish that beer and start walking!

Calling right after lunch is still before the arrival time for most "walk in" pilgrims who leave early and arrive early at their days end destination so most places will not be full when you call at lunch time unless it is a very popular place and/or a very busy time of year. April, is less busy than May but the busy season seems to continue to expand.

Calling right after lunch is late enough in the day and close enough to your destination to eliminate most of the variables regarding your ability to physically arrive at your destination since 2/3rds of your walking day are already over. Your accuracy in estimating a good place to stop will be much higher doing it at 1pm the day of than doing it the night before or early that morning.

Good luck and have a great camino and try to not to worry to much about this. Part of the fun and excitement is not knowing how each day will unfold. You will fondly remember the foibles and challenges you worked through on your camino and you will have few memories of the logistics you experienced like clock work.

 

[trecile]

so is it ok to just arrive at an Albergue in the evening and expect to be accomodated for that evening.

I walked at much busier times than April, and never had a problem finding a bed. The only time I found an albergue "completo" was in Puente la Reina in July, and the hospitalera directed us to another albergue a couple of blocks away. She called for us to make sure that there was room.
I would never show up in the "evening" though during the busier seasons. I like to finish walking no later than 3:00 pm, preferably a little earlier.

 

[Dave C.]

I have walked on the Frances 3 times in April (I assume we are talking of the Francis). I have never made a reservation (except in SJPdP and Orisson), and have never needed to. I always found a bed at my first choice.
Buen Camino

 

[twh]

Bottom Bunk Bed:

I walked from Mid May to end of June in 2018. I usually arrived between 2:30 and 3:30pm. I got a bottom bunk about half the time. As mentioned above if having a bottom bunk is a priority the earlier you arrive each day the better your chances along with the earlier in the season you walk the Camino and in April, I'd guess if you arrive by 2:30pm you will have a bottom bunk 90% of the time.

Benefits of Bottom Bunk:

Physical - Your weight, flexibility, mobility, strength. Getting in and out of the top bunk can be a challenge to execute gracefully. If you need to use the bathroom during sleeping hours you will need to get out and then back into your bunk, in the dark, each time you need to pee.

Organization - you have a "large", semi-private useable space for all your stuff when you get the bottom bunk. The space under your bed is a great closet for stuffing your shoes, poles, back pack and clothes you will get into when you wake up. You can hang a clothesline above you on the bottom side of the top bunk to dry out any wet laundry overnight or your towel after a shower. You can hang your glasses and your head lamp from the bottom of the top bunk so you don't crush them at night and you have your light within reach. But most important you have both a "chair" and a "large desk" which is important. You can sit on the lower bunk as a chair to rest for a moment, to put your shoes on or take off...to dress and undress. And to sit with feet on the floor while you use the rest of the lower bunk as a desk for organizing your stuff. I had organization challenges, especially the first half of my camino so having a bottom bunk reduced my stress considerable. I never packed the night before and packing in the morning from a top bunk is impossible if your bottom bunk mate has not left. When in this situation I would not leave bed until the lower occupant had vacated. I'd then use their bottom bunk to work from, organizing my getting dressed, packing and departure routine. I frequently had some level of friendship or familiarity with my top bunk mate and always invited them to feel comfortable sitting on my lower bunk when it would make their life easier while I was awake or away from my bed. It is rare for there to be chairs or benches to sit on in the bunk rooms so if you have a top bunk you may not have any place to sit other than outside of the bunk room or on the floor.

Fear of heights or rolling out of bed - someone did roll out of the top bunk at the big Albergue in Roncevalles and got hurt. It was on the other side of the wall from me so I did not get the details but it sounded somewhat serious. I think 50% or more of the bunks had some kind of protection discouraging a night time roll out which is good but those things also interfere with getting out of bed at night making a mis-step while getting to the ladder more likely.

 

[Hobbyhorse]

There may be days you decide to make a reservation and Orison is so special it's worth it. On the Frances in April I wouldn't worry about finding space. Keep in mind that the policy of volunteer-run parish albergues and municipal albergues is usually that reservations are NOT accepted. Freedom to listen to your body and your heart has been the tradition, so these albergues are the backbone of the system enabling pilgrims to 'go with their flow'. They (especially the donativo volunteer-run places) make possible the Camino feeling of gratitude and serendipity arising when we get what we need, as we are freed from constantly chasing what we 'want'. There is good advice above about timing the end of your day. A restful afternoon with time for personal chores, food and recovery is not wasted time. It will keep you moving forward and 'in the moment'. Best wishes!

 

[trecile]

There was a recent post on one of the Camino FB groups that I belong to where a pilgrim had become ill, and couldn't walk to her next pre-booked accommodation. It turns out that she had used a tour service and every night was pre-booked. I'm not sure exactly how she solved the problem - either taking a bus instead of walking or having to change all of the reservations. I thought that it was a good warning as to what can happen when all accommodations are pre-booked.

 

[NI Walker]

Fellow Camino walkers. I think that my mind is now made up that I will not book any accomodation. I will "go with the flow", listen to my body and embrace the experience.

 

[celinehenriette]

If you stay out of the stages they put in the guide books, you can pretty much allways get a bed. The town before or after a stage is usually quiet. I walked in june this year and could even get a bed around 5 in the afternoon. When I realized it would be a bit later, I tried to make a reservation on the same day.

 

[NI Walker]

Just received my Camino Frances wise pilgrim guide today. Looks like a great book with lots of maps and information on everything on the route. I am very refreshed by the number of Albergues along the way so I have no worries now about not finding somewhere to stay. One question on the Albergues. Do I need to bring a sleeping bag/blanket or is bedding provided?

 

[FLEUR]

@NIwalker you will definitely need a sleeping bag liner. Some albergues will provide sheets but not all. They normally provide blankets so no need to carry a padded sleeping bag.

 

[Aidan21]

I have spent about 100 nights walking various Caminos. On one occasion only was there no room at the inn. However the hospitalera made the phone calls for us; the taxi arrived and beds were available in the albergue in the next village along. I never worry about where I will be sleeping, if not in one albergue then another, if not in an albergue then is a casa rural or a small hotel. When you are stuck booking.com can help. But the fact of the matter is, you will never be stuck.

In any case, the Camino is to be walked and savoured, allow it to unfold organically, take it as it comes, enjoy the serendipity of the moment to and allow that moment to flourish. Plans are fine when we are at home but on the Camino, let the Camino provide and just enjoy the ride.