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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,
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.
Your blog is an absolute joy to read Anne .
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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 !
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....
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.
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....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.
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!
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.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!)
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!
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....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 !
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.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.
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.Which bivy are people carrying?
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