bivy on via de la plata

[Gvc]

Hi all,

I am thinking about bivvying partially along the via de la plata, but it will be my first time and have a little preoccupation. I read that there are some kinds of scorpions in Andalusia and was wondering if anyone has ever had troubles with scorpions or other "dangerous" animals?

thanks for sharing!

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Hi @Gvc, welcome to the forum. It’s a great way to ask/answer some of the queries you come up with while planning your camino.
I’m not sure that you’ll be able tocamp all along the VdlP. I believe free camping is not legal in Spain. Search the forum and you’ll find many threads with a wealth of information. e.g. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/camping-on-the-camino-frances.44016/#post-456876
There are definitely small snakes but I’ve never heard of ‘dangerous’ scorpions. FYI: There are many albergues on this route, so you’ll have no problem with accommodation. They are cheap and safe, maybe consider this option.

 

[bsewall]

Welcome, Gvc. I hope you enjoy the forum. In answer to your question as whether there are "dangerous" animals on the VdlP, yes there are. I see the most dangerous one every morning in the mirror. The one animal that can do the greatest harm to me on the Camino is myself.

Yes, there are a few snarling dogs, a snake or two, and maybe some nasty bugs along the way, but my overall impression is that the VdlP is, for the most part, filled with benign animals. I would not worry.

As to bivvying, whenever I hear that question about the VdlP, I just have to ask why one would want to camp alone at night on that route. I love the towns, cafes, and albergues in rural Spain. They are integral to the Camino experience. I never would choose camping in an open field over sharing my experiences with other pilgrims in a cafe or albergue. It is those social experiences during the evening that enhance the spiritual experiences of walking in solitude during the day. I need both.

Maybe bivvying will work for you, but I have yet to meet a pilgrim on the VdlP who camped for more than one night along the way. Regardless, buen Camino.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I saw plenty of great places to sleep in a bivy on the VDLP.
The things is, the cost of an albergue bed is so inexpensive, it really isn't worth the bother most of the time.
However, if you're determined, I'd say go for it.
They're so inconspicuous, you can pretty much sleep anywhere off the road.
We slept outside on the VDLP more than once with no problem. No bivy, just out in the open.
Here was one of those times:
http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2011/11/8-days-on-via-de-la-plata-day-3.html

 

[Hiawatha]

Your blog is an absolute joy to read Anne .
.
I have always carried a Bivvy bag when walking without a tent ,it is an insurance policy , a little like a space blanket . The Camino will be the first place I will ever have walked any great distance without one .
I suspect it will make me feel as if I have left the house having forgotten to put on my underpants !

 

[Deleted member 12253]

Hi all,

I am thinking about bivvying partially along the via de la plata, but it will be my first time and have a little preoccupation. I read that there are some kinds of scorpions in Andalusia and was wondering if anyone has ever had troubles with scorpions or other "dangerous" animals?

thanks for sharing!

There are very dangerous scorpions in Spain. Usually fooled up in ball, don't go near them

 

[Gvc]

Thanks all for your replies, I intend to partially bivvy as the distances between some of the albergues are long. On other caminos I only slept in albergues, but I like the idea of being free to have a break when I would like to or when my feet tell me to give them a break. I just never bivvied before (only camped) and I guess I was a little worried of waking up with a scorpion (or snake) sleeping next to my nose.
As to some preferring to only sleep in albergues, I guess we all walk our camino in a different way and that s most definitely the beauty of it....
@ Annie, I stumbled upon your blog before, nice writing and funny pics

 

[Bradypus]

This page gives an pretty well-informed and balanced overview of the nastier sorts of creatures you might find along the way. Certainly some to be cautious of but nothing that is instantly deadly! The only snakes of real danger to humans are the three viper species and even then the danger is often greatly exaggerated: a bite from one should always be treated as a medical emergency but is not the immediate death sentence some would have you believe.
http://www.iberianature.com/material/bitesandstings.html

 

[wayfarer]

Welcome Gvc, you could always bring a bivy tent which would make it more secure against night creatures and would give you more options to use depending on the weather.
Buen Camino.

 

[hecate105]

Another thread with peoples experiences - and opinions of the subject at 'wild camping along the via de plata and weather'
We will wild camp some of the time when we cycle the V de P in april (when are you going?) and whether that will be in the tent or not will depend how tired we are! The one comment i would make is - if you take off your boots - cover the tops with your socks, so no critters can get in. I've slept in the desert where our guides routinely catch 30 scorpions in a night - but i didn't even see one! Take sensible precautions to stop them but don't worry unduly.

 

[Don Camillo]

Hi,
I am currently walking the Camino Sanabres having walked the VdlP from Seville then turned left. I also carry a bivvy bag as an insurance policy.
So far I have had to use it once owing to an albergue being closed and no immediate alternative available. This was back in mid February and the night was definitely a cold one. I think it is worth pointing out that on the VdlP the path is generally fenced off from either bull rearing fields or private hunting areas. I saw ample evidence of wild boar in the vicinity of some parts of the way. I am a great fan of bivvying out but any of those factors are a very big wake up call to get to an albergue.
March and on the Sanabres there has been issues with some albergues being closed but this has been overcome by going to the next town. There are certainly more places to bivvy out on this route but,again,still signs of wild boar which you do not want to mess with. I do have a story about this as someone is bound to post that the boar will smell you first and avoid you. I was bivvied out on Primitivo and a boar got close before making a lot of angry sounds and running off. This was in the early hours and i ended up in a tree for half an hour. My theory ...Tucked up in the bivvy bag the boar could not smell me so didn't know i was there. A cautionary tale.
Chatting with fellow peregrinos is one way to spend an evening. Looking up at the stars and satellites from a bivvy bag out in the wilds is another. Both have there place.
So pack the bivvy but places to sleep out on the first bits of the VdlP are hard to find.
Buen Camino.
Don.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Hi,
I am currently walking the Camino Sanabres having walked the VdlP from Seville then turned left. I also carry a bivvy bag as an insurance policy.
So far I have had to use it once owing to an albergue being closed and no immediate alternative available. This was back in mid February and the night was definitely a cold one. I think it is worth pointing out that on the VdlP the path is generally fenced off from either bull rearing fields or private hunting areas. I saw ample evidence of wild boar in the vicinity of some parts of the way. I am a great fan of bivvying out but any of those factors are a very big wake up call to get to an albergue.
March and on the Sanabres there has been issues with some albergues being closed but this has been overcome by going to the next town. There are certainly more places to bivvy out on this route but,again,still signs of wild boar which you do not want to mess with. I do have a story about this as someone is bound to post that the boar will smell you first and avoid you. I was bivvied out on Primitivo and a boar got close before making a lot of angry sounds and running off. This was in the early hours and i ended up in a tree for half an hour. My theory ...Tucked up in the bivvy bag the boar could not smell me so didn't know i was there. A cautionary tale.
Chatting with fellow peregrinos is one way to spend an evening. Looking up at the stars and satellites from a bivvy bag out in the wilds is another. Both have there place.
So pack the bivvy but places to sleep out on the first bits of the VdlP are hard to find.
Buen Camino.
Don.

Many of the boars you see on the VDLP aren't wild, but are put out to graze on the acorns.
http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2011/11/8-days-on-via-de-la-plata-day-5-almaden.html

 

[Anniesantiago]

Your blog is an absolute joy to read Anne .
.
I have always carried a Bivvy bag when walking without a tent ,it is an insurance policy , a little like a space blanket . The Camino will be the first place I will ever have walked any great distance without one .
I suspect it will make me feel as if I have left the house having forgotten to put on my underpants !

Thanks Charles and Gvc. Glad you enjoyed it.
I did the VDLP in stages and still have to finish.

 

[Hiawatha]

Boars sound nasty ! Fortunately I have never come across the feral pigs that infest some of our bush areas .
One of my biggest concerns when sleeping ' rough ' is the possibility of some crawly finding its way into an ear . Of all the things that can happen when sleeping on earth this is more likely and is , of course extremely painful . Ear plugs seem to be the obvious solution but then you really do want to have all senses working ; especially if a Boar comes creeping around

 

[domigee]

Hi all,

. I read that there are some kinds of scorpions in Andalusia and was wondering if anyone has ever had troubles with scorpions or other "dangerous" animals?

thanks for sharing!

Yes, there are plenty of scorpions in Andalucia.
I have slept there in a tent (NOT on the Camino) and if you're careful, they cannot get in. I was told the spiders are far more dangerous....

 

[Kanga]

@Anniesantiago I loved your blog too. Looking forward to the Vdlp.

 

[Anniesantiago]

@Anniesantiago I loved your blog too. Looking forward to the Vdlp.

Thanks

 

[Anniesantiago]

By the way, in all these years, I've never seen a scorpion in Spain.
That doesn't mean they don't exist --- just that I haven't seen them!
Maybe the pitter-patter of pilgrim feet keep them off the trails.

I've seen a couple of tiny vipers - but they were more afraid of me than I of them.

 

[Gvc]

Thanks all, I think I ll opt for a bivaktent or even a normal tent (as the bivaktents are above my budget for now), it ll be more heavy, but I guess I prefer that to the night crawlers :-/ I ll leave the bivak experience for another time.
@Hecate, I ll be walking in April. I ll definitely remember the socks over the boots tip very handy!

 

[Gvc]

Yes, there are plenty of scorpions in Andalucia.
I have slept there in a tent (NOT on the Camino) and if you're careful, they cannot get in. I was told the spiders are far more dangerous....

hahaha Domigee, I feel much better now ;-)

 

[Bradypus]

You might be lucky enough to meet one of these. Probably the commonest snake in Spain but they don't normally get quite as big as this. Mildly venomous but rear-fanged so it is very hard for them to envenomate a human. Essentially harmless but impressive and very grumpy when threatened! I've only ever seen the tail end of one vanishing at high speed into a bush. I'd love to come across one some day.

 

[long trails]

I am about to start the VDLP from Seville and carrying a tent as per usual. I will be looking out for potential camping sites along the way, and while I probably won't always use them myself, I will be making notes and sharing my findings for future camping pilgrims.

As been discussed before, it's really nice to camp alone now and again during these long hikes. As an introvert I find night after night in albergues a little wearing. Even being able to camp once a week makes a big difference to my well being (and sleep quality).

 

[Gvc]

I am about to start the VDLP from Seville and carrying a tent as per usual. I will be looking out for potential camping sites along the way, and while I probably won't always use them myself, I will be making notes and sharing my findings for future camping pilgrims.

That would be great! I will be following your camp experiences!

 

[hecate105]

Will look out for you GVC

 

[Donna Sch]

I considered camping out near Caparra. The thing that stopped me was that my friend and I both ran out of water on a rather hot day and the vending machine is locked inside the info centre. There is no obvious water around there otherwise. If you can solve the water issue around there then it would be an excellent spot. I never saw any snakes or nasty insects. But then again I rarely see snakes here in Northern Australia despite having about 3 or 4 (at least) of anyone's Ten Most Deadly Snakes of the World list in the area. Saw some wild boar which were small and rather cute in Sanabria. A Mum and her piglets. Otherwise you come across the normal pigs which will end up as jamon. While it's worth keeping an eye on them, they seem to be used to people.

 

[Gvc]

I considered camping out near Caparra. The thing that stopped me was that my friend and I both ran out of water on a rather hot day and the vending machine is locked inside the info centre. There is no obvious water around there otherwise. If you can solve the water issue around there then it would be an excellent spot. I never saw any snakes or nasty insects. But then again I rarely see snakes here in Northern Australia despite having about 3 or 4 (at least) of anyone's Ten Most Deadly Snakes of the World list in the area. Saw some wild boar which were small and rather cute in Sanabria. A Mum and her piglets. Otherwise you come across the normal pigs which will end up as jamon. While it's worth keeping an eye on them, they seem to be used to people.

Thanks for the tip Donna, I am definitely considering an overnight around Caparra, was thinking to arrive early enough to stock up on water before they close the infocenter....

 

[hecate105]

Remembering to refill water containers is so important! We have marched off into beautiful woods for the night and then realised that either the dog gets his breakfast - or we do... and the dog always wins...! Or we only have enough to clean our teeth but not have a cuppa....grr!
Or the awful time i had refilled the bottles after sterilising them the night before... and as i took a huge swig, realised that it was still full of sterilizing fluid!!! I will not do that again..!

 

[Omega]

Hi all,

I am thinking about bivvying partially along the via de la plata, but it will be my first time and have a little preoccupation. I read that there are some kinds of scorpions in Andalusia and was wondering if anyone has ever had troubles with scorpions or other "dangerous" animals?

thanks for sharing!

Hi Gvc,

I've just joined the site, but was also planning on Bivying part of the way on the VdlP. I'm hoping it will offset some of the costs (and also potentially make the trip slightly more pilgrim-like). If possible, I would love to keep in touch with you about it. I'm planning to go in late May, taking a bus from Seville to my starting point in Salamanca (the idea is that I'll potentially escape some of the mid-plains heat that way, but we'll see) and walking on the Sanabres route to Santiago.

 

[hecate105]

We are on the V de P now, just past Salamanca (amazing city) we are on a campsite just N of town right by camino, as all albergues etc full - busy weekend in town!
We started in Cadiz and have camped out at least 3 out of every 5 nights. Wild camping mostly except when we wanted a day off to visit city (Merida for Easter ) it has been very easy to find a spot to camp, many grassy areas on edges of villages and beautiful oak forests on the way. (Especially the section leading to Caparra). Yes some forests are fenced off earlier on the route, but there is always unused bits of land too.
The main thing is water, sometimes even houses are few and far between so it is important to have enough!
So do camp! Spend some nights in albergues- it's great to meet the other pilgrims and have a shower - but it IS expensive to do so every night... We are on a budget as is our Thai friend, so we balance the costs by using more basic albergues, and wild camping more. This has given us a wonderful journey - waking up under the oaks near Caparra with white horses peering over the wall was magical! But so was our 'expensive' night (albergue AND dinner!) at the lovely Calzada de Bijar when we arrived exhausted and spent!
( ps we are a group with 3 tents - and use small shops wherever possible - keep it local!)

 

[Donna Sch]

If you end up camping out by the ruins of Castrotorafe , let me know how it goes. Loved that spot although it could get jolly cold up there.

 

[Gvc]

Hi Omega, I am just past Zamora right now, most of the last days were mainly along fields of grain and small vineyards, a bit difficult to camp, especially because sun sets at about 21, there weren t really a lot of discrete places, but the stretch passing Castrotorafe would be a great spot and leaving Granja de Moreruela towards Tabara has some nice spots as well, alongside the river Esla for exemple.
Let me know if I can help you out further

 

[Gvc]

And yes sleeping at Caparra us nice @Hecate

 

[Omega]

We are on the V de P now, just past Salamanca (amazing city) we are on a campsite just N of town right by camino, as all albergues etc full - busy weekend in town!
We started in Cadiz and have camped out at least 3 out of every 5 nights. Wild camping mostly except when we wanted a day off to visit city (Merida for Easter ) it has been very easy to find a spot to camp, many grassy areas on edges of villages and beautiful oak forests on the way. (Especially the section leading to Caparra). Yes some forests are fenced off earlier on the route, but there is always unused bits of land too.
The main thing is water, sometimes even houses are few and far between so it is important to have enough!
So do camp! Spend some nights in albergues- it's great to meet the other pilgrims and have a shower - but it IS expensive to do so every night... We are on a budget as is our Thai friend, so we balance the costs by using more basic albergues, and wild camping more. This has given us a wonderful journey - waking up under the oaks near Caparra with white horses peering over the wall was magical! But so was our 'expensive' night (albergue AND dinner!) at the lovely Calzada de Bijar when we arrived exhausted and spent!
( ps we are a group with 3 tents - and use small shops wherever possible - keep it local!)

Thank you for your very current reply. What a relief to hear it can be done! Most pilgrims don't camp, and there is relatively little discussion on the VdlP compared to the Camino Frances, so I was beginning to wonder how I could gather enough information about it.

Quick question: how do you get your information on hostels and camping areas (at least for official ones)? I'm struggling to find a reliable source of information... especially for the location of the least expensive accommodations specifically for pilgrims along the VdlP route.

Travel safely!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Couldn't even find a place to sit and rest during the day. Would have hated having to find a place to sleep. And how much water does one have to take if not sleeping in town? No thank you.

 

[Donna Sch]

Quick question: how do you get your information on hostels and camping areas (at least for official ones)? I'm struggling to find a reliable source of information... especially for the location of the least expensive accommodations specifically for pilgrims along the VdlP route.

Travel safely!

The Tourist information offices have that kind of information and some of their maps have the camping areas marked. Just ask!

https://www.eurocampings.co.uk/spain/ lists their camping grounds and some of them are on the Camino. They have an app as well.
https://www.eurocampings.co.uk/spain/

 

[Gvc]

I would download the free eroski app, it has all the albergues and some alternative hostels, but u ll find these to be more expensive then the albergues. The app is in Spanish, but even without knowing Spanish u should be able to figure it out, it is frequently updated and quite accurate. Also check Gronze s website. As for the campings, as mentioned above or otherwise just google the region u r in and camping (acampar), there were a few campings on the way to Salamanca (most of them still closed though), after Salamanca I haven t seen 1 yet.... if ur walking instead of biking, ur options are obviously more limited, (at least I didn t feel like walking some extra km after a whole day on my feet just to find the perfect camping spot), but definitely no problem. Low budget-wise, u will be skipping the more expensive part of the via de la plata/sanabres, most albergues are around 5-6 or donativos.

 

[hecate105]

I downloaded the V de P albergue info from the 'resources' section of this forum, v good and accurate. As GVC said many albergues are cheap, 3 -6 Euro. We camped when in between or when albergues more expensive, which seemed to be in the southern part. Only saw 'proper' campsites near cities, Merida, Seville (Dos Hermanas) Salamanca, and there's one at Ourense. But it is actually cheaper in some albergues, and they mostly are run by the villages so benefit the locals. We just googled them when we got wifi.
I also downloaded the free CaminoGuide.net guide, very good too for accomm info.
Wild camping has been fairly simple, we camped beside the oak trees, on the rough edges of vineyards, by streams, anywhere there was level ground, but filled up extra water too as we cooked for ourselves too.

 

[janecaroline]

Your blog is an absolute joy to read Anne .
.
I have always carried a Bivvy bag when walking without a tent ,it is an insurance policy , a little like a space blanket . The Camino will be the first place I will ever have walked any great distance without one .
I suspect it will make me feel as if I have left the house having forgotten to put on my underpants !

I couldn't agree more about Annie's Blogg - so happy to have found it again and reading it now - whilst planning starting the Via de la Plata in September....
thank you Annie and Charles.

 

[Ramblanista]

I'm guessing that during June and July one could comfortably 'camp' out with just a sleeping bag and mat and not have to bother with carrying a tent? I did this for one night on the Camino Viejo a couple of years ago.

 

[Gvc]

As for camping on the last part of the via de la plata, the camino Sanabres, there are heaps of nice spots to camp, especially nice would be around the embalse before villa farfon.
Except maybe the last stretches from Ourense onwards, the paved roads intertwine almost constantly with smaller paths. There r some half abandonned villages, you could ask the farmers, they might let u camp on their property.
In general the undergound is quite rocky throughout the most part of the via de la plata.
I guess u d be fine sleeping without a tent in june and july, but I definitely would not walk from Sevilla that time of the year, it is absolutely way too hot.

 

[notion900]

Just back from the VDLP I met a lovely young guy who was a fan of camping and had done it on other caminos a lot. But his experience was no so great on the Plata because of the water problem. He said he had to carry all his water from the previous town for the day and to camp overnight, because there are almost no villages or water supplies between the 'normal' stages on this camino between Seville and Salamanca. This and the heat in this part of Spain meant he had to carry a lot more water than normal, and he could not walk short or different stages as he liked, because he would run out of water, so it was like he was tied to the albergues anyway. The weight of this water and the long stages carrying camping stuff started to hurt his legs, and he actually had to give up. He was really sad about it.

 

[Gvc]

Yes that was indeed very hard and not only the water but add the food for 2 days to that. I had to abandon camping a few times because of water issues (walking with more then 3l becomes a bit of a burden for me at least). But luckely there are not that many long stretches, most 20k you can find water

 

[Donna Sch]

I'm guessing that during June and July one could comfortably 'camp' out with just a sleeping bag and mat and not have to bother with carrying a tent? I did this for one night on the Camino Viejo a couple of years ago.

If I could have solved the water issue I probably would have camped out by Caparra. I was quite prepared to use my poncho as a tarp and my sleeping bag.

 

[Gvc]

There is water in the vending machine at the information center, 1,5 liter bottles. They just close from 14 till 16 or so. I did sleep there....

 

[hecate105]

Ahem... when we got to Ourense we found the campsite had closed! oh well. We used the albergue at the top of town, above the Cathedral, which is due to move down into the town we were told... But there were places suitable to camp on the outskirts of town, along the river. Lovely old town but best of all are the hot springs along the river. Relaxing in the hot pools to ease all those aches and pains was a highlight of my camino!

 

[Jay Es]

we camped about half the time along the El Norte and possibly had better nights sleep than with 40 other snoring pilgrims. We used auberges too for the other half the time. it was good and we enjoyed both. we met plenty of others doing the same.
WE are planning the VdlP but intend to use auberges as there are few campsites along the way, we will take bivvi bags and sleeping bags though as there are some long stretches between civilisation and the weather is iffy in January and we are both in our 60s so often get aches and pains unexpectedly. I like to be self-sufficient just incase.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Which bivy are people carrying?

 

[Bradypus]

Which bivy are people carrying?

Mine is an Alpkit Hunka XL. As I sometimes camp or bivvy in sub-zero temperatures the extra volume is useful to allow my down sleeping bag to stay properly lofted. With my large bulk smaller bivvy bags can compress the down.

 

[Jay Es]

Alpkit. One of us has a Hunka the other has a Cloke. Can't fault Alpkit gear.

 

[Maxie]

Mine is an Astucas Miliaris coupled with a Gatewood cape.

 

[Don Camillo]

Branded Bivvy Bag's = high prices. I used a (new) surplus UK Army Bivvy for quite a few years before the taped seams became un-stuck. It was made from their version of Goretex. I then tried a branded bag, this cost double the price (£60) a couple of years back. Had two years of use before the membrane waterproofing went. I now use latest UK Army surplus bag which I have tried and tested and carried on my recent camino's and UK walk's. This cost £36 new (last time I looked they were about £40+) from ebay about 2 years ago, slightly heavier than the last two coming in at around 800 g but robust and still going strong. Again it is breathable, waterproof using a version of material similar to Goretex but without any fancy logo's or labels.
My point is that there is no need to go for high end branded and expensive gear when there is very often equally well performing alternatives available.
Don

 

[Maxie]

The ex Army bags are good but heavy. My current bivvy bag weighs 190g it is breathable and wind resistant but not waterproof.