Could O Cebreiro hostal be full

[Sarah14]

Hi everyone. I plan to start my pilgrimage at O Cebreiro at the end of August. I would be arriving at the hostal about 2030. Are people turned away if the hostel is full? Any advice or suggestions would be very welcome.

Many thanks

 

[Bradypus]

You ask about the "hostal" and the "hostel". In Spain a "hostal" is a hotel or guest house with private rooms. I think you may mean the public albergue which has dormitories like a youth hostel. In any case the answer is probably 'yes' - once the beds are all allocated then late arrivals will be turned away. It is no longer normally accepted for extra people to be squeezed in on mattresses in albergues as sometimes happened in the past. Your estimated arrival time is very late and O Cebreiro is a very popular place for overnight stays. If I expected to arrive at that time in a village with limited alternatives I would probably break my usual practice and reserve a bed in advance. The Xunta albergue does not accept reservations so that would mean one of the private providers.

 

[Felipe]

The trustful Gronze webpage mentions many private accomodations in O Cebreiro, for 30-50 euros. It provides available contacts.
After O Cebreiro there is apparently a new private albergue in Liñares that accepts reservations; this could be an option to you; it is a 40 minutes walk from O'. Cost 10 euros, 40 for a private double (according to consumer.eroski)
Buen camino!

 

[trecile]

I noticed an albergue turístico in O Cebreiro when I was there a few days ago.

 

[JabbaPapa]

That refugio rarely fills, but yes, your date is within the period where occasionally it might.

I can't recommend my usual response against attempts to turn me away -- instead, I can only suggest that for your first night on the Camino, it would be good to accept the solutions that present themselves, whatever they may be ... I'd also suggest tucking into a good jolly old pilgrim menu with vino tinto quickly after your arrival

 

[natefaith]

Hi Sarah and welcome to the forum. I'm not sure if this is still the case but I know that at least a few years ago, the O Cebreiro albergue gave priority to those who walked there that day from a town farther out on the Camino, and new walkers who were starting from O Cebreiro needed to wait until about 7pm to see if they could get in. With August still being high season, the chances of you arriving at 8:30pm and getting a bed *may* be good, but also may be slim. So if I were you I'd book a place for your first night, just to be sure you had a bed and that you weren't at the mercy of a full albergue.

Enjoy all the planning and Buen Camino!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

If you're coming up on the bus to Piedrafita do Cebreiro, there's private accommodation there at a cheaper rate. You can start afresh the following day, and see the sun rise over O Cebreiro.

 

[J Willhaus]

You might consider booking a room at La Escuela. It is in Laguna de Castilla right just below O'Cebreiro. It was an easy walk the next morning. We called to have them save beds the night before. No one there spoke any English, but I was able to make myself understood with my limited Spanish on the phone. The woman taking my call wanted me to spell our name in Spanish and it was beyond my skills. I just said "Mi marido es Phillipe, Nosotros somos Americanos" We all got a big laugh the next afternoon when my husband announced he was "Phillipe the American". During dinner we used food pictures and sign language to order our Pilgrim courses. They also have a washing machine. This town has one of those thatch roofed palloza which appeared to still be in use.

The place had a lot of charm and it was the first place we saw the cows being herded down the middle of the street right past the table where we were having an afternoon beer. Great memory!
I think there is also an albergue in La Faba which is about midway from Herrerias to O'Cebreiro.

 

[Anniesantiago]

You might consider booking a room at La Escuela.
The place had a lot of charm and it was the first place we saw the cows being herded down the middle of the street right past the table where we were having an afternoon beer. Great memory!
I think there is also an albergue in La Faba which is about midway from Herrerias to O'Cebreiro.

I also stayed here once and loved it! The food was good too!

 

[donalomahony]

Hi Sarah and welcome to the forum. I'm not sure if this is still the case but I know that at least a few years ago, the O Cebreiro albergue gave priority to those who walked there that day from a town farther out on the Camino, and new walkers who were starting from O Cebreiro needed to wait until about 7pm to see if they could get in. With August still being high season, the chances of you arriving at 8:30pm and getting a bed *may* be good, but also may be slim. So if I were you I'd book a place for your first night, just to be sure you had a bed and that you weren't at the mercy of a full albergue.

Enjoy all the planning and Buen Camino!

Sarah, I also saw this happen in O Cebreiro - agree with advice above... Buen Camino

 

[Felipe]

A side question...The easy and obvious way from Piedrafita to O' is the paved road -quite scenic, no sidewalk but scarce traffic. But I read somewhere (in an already disappeared forum) about a more interesting and safer path through the hills. This could be of interest to many pilgrims starting in O Cebreiro.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

You might consider booking a room at La Escuela. It is in Laguna de Castilla right just below O'Cebreiro. It was an easy walk the next morning. We called to have them save beds the night before. No one there spoke any English, but I was able to make myself understood with my limited Spanish on the phone. The woman taking my call wanted me to spell our name in Spanish and it was beyond my skills. I just said "Mi marido es Phillipe, Nosotros somos Americanos" We all got a big laugh the next afternoon when my husband announced he was "Phillipe the American". During dinner we used food pictures and sign language to order our Pilgrim courses. They also have a washing machine. This town has one of those thatch roofed palloza which appeared to still be in use.

The place had a lot of charm and it was the first place we saw the cows being herded down the middle of the street right past the table where we were having an afternoon beer. Great memory!
I think there is also an albergue in La Faba which is about midway from Herrerias to O'Cebreiro.

I loved staying at the main albergue in LaFaba! I also hear good things about the private one in that tiny village that specializes in vegetarian meals.

Stopping in LaFaba for the night helps break up the grueling uphill climb into O'Cebreiro so you can have the larger part of a day after arriving to enjoy the views and wander around the adorable thatched roof village and still have some energy left!

 

[Sarah14]

You ask about the "hostal" and the "hostel". In Spain a "hostal" is a hotel or guest house with private rooms. I think you may mean the public albergue which has dormitories like a youth hostel. In any case the answer is probably 'yes' - once the beds are all allocated then late arrivals will be turned away. It is no longer normally accepted for extra people to be squeezed in on mattresses in albergues as sometimes happened in the past. Your estimated arrival time is very late and O Cebreiro is a very popular place for overnight stays. If I expected to arrive at that time in a village with limited alternatives I would probably break my usual practice and reserve a bed in advance. The Xunta albergue does not accept reservations so that would mean one of the private providers.

 

[Sarah14]

Many thanks to everyone that has replied. I really appreciate the fabulous advice and will start looking into the options suggested.

 

[Saint Mike II]

The trustful Gronze webpage mentions many private accomodations in O Cebreiro, for 30-50 euros. It provides available contacts.
After O Cebreiro there is apparently a new private albergue in Liñares that accepts reservations; this could be an option to you; it is a 40 minutes walk from O'. Cost 10 euros, 40 for a private double (according to consumer.eroski)
Buen camino!

We stayed at Linares in early June (22 beds in 4 rooms) (phone 616 464 831) . Brierely also mentions private rooms but we did not see them. Whilst it is almost brand new (less that 12 months since it opened), it does have one drawback - a lack of any meals. The cafe across the road does do coffee and lunches (usually boccadillos) but no longer serves an evening meal. However it does a good supply of the basic pilgrim standards for an evening meal: pasta; pasta sauces; onions; bread; wine; beer; cheese and a good supply (limited range) of breakfast foods - yoghurt; some fruit (bananas if lucky); coffee/tea/juice and I forget what else. The albergue kitchen was well stocked as for plates/cutlery/pots/pans etc. BUT if you are aiming to arrive at 2030 I would try to eat somewhere along the road well before hand and try to pick-up something for breakfast.

 

[Felipe]

I stayed in Liñares two years ago, when an orange alert caught us in the Camino. No albergue then, but the cafe you mention (this one at the left, crossing the parking lot) also had some rooms (40e for a double, laundry included) and prepared us a good dinner (offered in a hall, not in the cafe, so I guess it is upon request).
The ladies of the reception were very kind; they comforted an old lady who was actually crying in desperation, and took upon themselves the chore or calling taxis and organizing a waiting list for pilgrims who realized it was almost impossible to walk further, but wanted to go to next village.
I was happy to see the strong wind and heavy rain the other side of my window...
I suppose the new albergue is the building with a veranda, by the bus stop.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

If you're coming up on the bus to Piedrafita do Cebreiro, there's private accommodation there at a cheaper rate. You can start afresh the following day, and see the sun rise over O Cebreiro.

Here are some sunrise pictures from O-Cebreiro.
And Sarah hope you will enjoy your stay in O-Cebreiro.
Wish you well,Peter.

 

[Tim (Ottawa)]

May 23rd (2017) the Albergue in O'Ceb was closed..."for maintenance." (Rumour: fumigation in progress. Maybe not a bad thing to miss...). No notice or advance warning given anywhere further up the line; that messed up everyone who had to soldier on down the trail. Next bed available was Alto de Poio, another 8.4 kms down the trail, and at the end of a brutal uphill.

The consolation: there's a bar right at the summit of that brutal ascent, with pilgrims serving as cheerleaders. And the beer was cold....

 

[HedaP]

I stayed in Liñares

What is an orange alert?

 

[mspath]

What is an orange alert?

An orange alert is issued by the weather bureau when dangerous storms either rain or snow are predicted. See more here--
http://avisos.alertas-tiempo.es/index-en.html

 

[Saint Mike II]

I stayed in Liñares two years ago, when an orange alert caught us in the Camino. No albergue then, but the cafe you mention (this one at the left, crossing the parking lot) also had some rooms (40e for a double, laundry included) and prepared us a good dinner (offered in a hall, not in the cafe, so I guess it is upon request). ....
I was happy to see the strong wind and heavy rain the other side of my window...
I suppose the new albergue is the building with a veranda, by the bus stop.

The new albergue is a totally new, purpose built, building. It's across the road from the cafe, about 150 meters from the cafe. I saw the dining room you speak of but it did not look like it is in regular use. Maybe with the new albergue there have been some changes!
One extra thing I did forget, you can get you dirty clothes washed - 3-4 euro per load. I think there is a drier, but if you arrive early the sun and wind can do a good job!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I would be arriving at the hostal about 2030.

I would say zero chance. It was full by 1 p.m. one time I stopped, and that was in May. August is a popular time to start in O Cebreiro. In August 2016, 2095 pilgrims started in O Cebreiro, or about 100 per day for an albergue with a capacity of 106.

 

[Sarah14]

Here are some sunrise pictures from O-Cebreiro.
And Sarah hope you will enjoy your stay in O-Cebreiro.
Wish you well,Peter.

Fabulous photos. I wonder what time sunrise is at the end of August.

 

[jrm]

Well, when I walked, it was May. My companions and I lugged all he way from Villafranca that morning and took the long route over the mountains through Pradela. When we got to O, they were full. Linares was full. We ended up having to backtrack down to Las Herrerias and stayed at a hotel in town. That was a rough day We had almost resigned ourselves to sleeping in a field, or finding a barn we could crash in (if someone would let us), but knowing we had a few long days ahead of us, we got back down the mountain. Totally wouldn't have traded it.

 

[Bradypus]

Fabulous photos. I wonder what time sunrise is at the end of August.

About 07:51 or a little later

 

[Deleted member 3000]

what time sunrise is at the end of August.

0754 on August 28

 

[Lell]

If you're coming up on the bus to Piedrafita do Cebreiro, there's private accommodation there at a cheaper rate. You can start afresh the following day, and see the sun rise over O Cebreiro.

We got the bus to Piedrafita do Cebreiro last August and booked accommodation in advance and started from here the following morning

 

[Nev Sheather]

The trustful Gronze webpage mentions many private accomodations in O Cebreiro, for 30-50 euros. It provides available contacts.
After O Cebreiro there is apparently a new private albergue in Liñares that accepts reservations; this could be an option to you; it is a 40 minutes walk from O'. Cost 10 euros, 40 for a private double (according to consumer.eroski)
Buen camino!

I stayed in the new Linares hostel, very nice hostel, but there is very little at Linares, only a small shop and tractor repair factory! No food available at the hostel. Seems to like group bookings, so book ahead if you want a bed. Hostel is on the road opposite side to the shop if you are wondering (took me a while to find it)

 

[Montana Jayne]

Hi everyone. I plan to start my pilgrimage at O Cebreiro at the end of August. I would be arriving at the hostal about 2030. Are people turned away if the hostel is full? Any advice or suggestions would be very welcome.

Many thanks

We left SJPP 2 yrs ago l

 

[Montana Jayne]

We left SJPP late August 2 yrs ago. Arrived O'Cebreiro September 26 and it was full mid-afternoon. We stayed at FRADE Tlf. 982 367 104 which is a stone house/private home in the middle of town. Just so very nice! A highlight stop for us in a beautiful spot. Bien camino

 

[Sarah14]

After reading all the advice I decided to stay in the valley for the first night. I stayed at Casa do Mason in San Pedro. What a lovely place! Charming hostess and I thought the price of €30 including an early morning transfer to O Cebreiro and collection from the bus stop very reasonable.
I communicated with the hosts daughter in English (Beatriz Valle Vara) through Facebook messenger. Telephone number is 605592188. Hopefully this will help out anyone else that is arriving on the late bus.