Hi all! We are 10 days into our camino, starting in Roncesvalles, and just wanted to pass on some current refugion information, as many more refugios are closed than both our guidebook (Walking the Camino de Santiago by Pili Pala Press) and the list given to us in St Jean Pied de Port suggest.
Zubiri and Larrasoana are both open, though in Larrasoana you must ask at the bar beforehand if you´d like to eat there (delicious Italian home cooking though!)(and it´s the only option of a place to eat). Hyper-clean refugio in Larrasoana.
ALL refugios in Pamplona are CLOSED (this was expected) - there is a hostel Hemingway which was full when we stopped in Pamplona (we ended up splurging on a night in a hostal, which had a very welcome bath - Calle San Nicolas has several affordable hostals (45 euro for a double for example).
BOTH refugios in Cizur Menor are CLOSED. There is a new albergue in Zariequiegui which was open.
Puente La Reina was fine - at least one, maybe two open. As previously reported all albergues in Ciraqui are closed.
Estella was open and very tranquil, though there was a whole lotta Bob Marley going on in the morning!
"La Fuente" and at least one other in Los Arcos were open.
I am fairly sure Viana was also open.
In Logrono, the main and another new one (flyers can be found pinned to trees on the camino) were open. However there were BEDBUGS at the main one in town (only one victim, but she was most unhappy!). The other was spotless and completely empty, compared to an incredibly stuffy room in the cheaper main albergue (it was 10 euro, however, vs 5 euro, but that´s a small price to pay for a bug free night in my opinion - a price we didn´t pay, much to our regret. Generally I would counsel skipping Logrono altogether if you can).
Navarette was open and is rather lovely from reports.
Najera is open.
Azofra is tiny and open and can be had more or less all to yourselves. It´s basic, but if you start to tire of being on the main pilgrim drag, most peaceful, and the townspeople were so welcoming to us.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada is open.
Granon was closed for bedbug fumigation when we passed through. It also only has mattresses on the floor as opposed to beds, and we ended up at a Casa Rural in Granon instead. Lovely but pricey for most pilgrims.
Redecilla del Camino is apparently open.
Belorado has several open albergues.
There is a brand new albergue (at least it appears in no guides we have) in Villambistia, which is currently open. It costs 5 euro and a pilgrim´s menu can be had at the bar below for 9 euro. We chose to continue to Villafranca, but it seemed a decent option. I suspect we would have had the place to ourselves! (There are signs in the village to direct you to the bar-albergue. Beware of dogs, by the way!) (Closed 24th November, by the way, for "descanso").
Espinosa del Camino is CLOSED, despite reports of the opposite.
Villafranca Montes de Oca is open and clean and empty tonight with the exception of two cyclists and we two pilgrims!
San Juan de Ortega is CLOSED.
Ages is open.
Atapuerca is CLOSED. There are no albergues available between Ages and Burgos.
For now that´s all we know. I don´t want to discourage anyone at all from their winter pilgrimage - it has been absolutely GORGEOUS here - the last few mornings foggy but free of rain. In fact - touch wood - we have had barely a drop of rain since St Jean. Our main advice is to phone ahead to the next albergue regardless of what your guide says. When we asked why San Juan was closed, the hospitalera here said, "because it closed." So, take nothing for granted! But who can on the camino anyway?
(Incidentally, regarding bedbugs-chinches, I have been employing Anniesantiago´s method of bug spraying the bed to see what gets stirred up. Thus far no sightings, but even in this late season it seems we have to be vigilant!)
Buen camino to all! Saludos from Villafranca.
Shevaun.
Zubiri and Larrasoana are both open, though in Larrasoana you must ask at the bar beforehand if you´d like to eat there (delicious Italian home cooking though!)(and it´s the only option of a place to eat). Hyper-clean refugio in Larrasoana.
ALL refugios in Pamplona are CLOSED (this was expected) - there is a hostel Hemingway which was full when we stopped in Pamplona (we ended up splurging on a night in a hostal, which had a very welcome bath - Calle San Nicolas has several affordable hostals (45 euro for a double for example).
BOTH refugios in Cizur Menor are CLOSED. There is a new albergue in Zariequiegui which was open.
Puente La Reina was fine - at least one, maybe two open. As previously reported all albergues in Ciraqui are closed.
Estella was open and very tranquil, though there was a whole lotta Bob Marley going on in the morning!
"La Fuente" and at least one other in Los Arcos were open.
I am fairly sure Viana was also open.
In Logrono, the main and another new one (flyers can be found pinned to trees on the camino) were open. However there were BEDBUGS at the main one in town (only one victim, but she was most unhappy!). The other was spotless and completely empty, compared to an incredibly stuffy room in the cheaper main albergue (it was 10 euro, however, vs 5 euro, but that´s a small price to pay for a bug free night in my opinion - a price we didn´t pay, much to our regret. Generally I would counsel skipping Logrono altogether if you can).
Navarette was open and is rather lovely from reports.
Najera is open.
Azofra is tiny and open and can be had more or less all to yourselves. It´s basic, but if you start to tire of being on the main pilgrim drag, most peaceful, and the townspeople were so welcoming to us.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada is open.
Granon was closed for bedbug fumigation when we passed through. It also only has mattresses on the floor as opposed to beds, and we ended up at a Casa Rural in Granon instead. Lovely but pricey for most pilgrims.
Redecilla del Camino is apparently open.
Belorado has several open albergues.
There is a brand new albergue (at least it appears in no guides we have) in Villambistia, which is currently open. It costs 5 euro and a pilgrim´s menu can be had at the bar below for 9 euro. We chose to continue to Villafranca, but it seemed a decent option. I suspect we would have had the place to ourselves! (There are signs in the village to direct you to the bar-albergue. Beware of dogs, by the way!) (Closed 24th November, by the way, for "descanso").
Espinosa del Camino is CLOSED, despite reports of the opposite.
Villafranca Montes de Oca is open and clean and empty tonight with the exception of two cyclists and we two pilgrims!
San Juan de Ortega is CLOSED.
Ages is open.
Atapuerca is CLOSED. There are no albergues available between Ages and Burgos.
For now that´s all we know. I don´t want to discourage anyone at all from their winter pilgrimage - it has been absolutely GORGEOUS here - the last few mornings foggy but free of rain. In fact - touch wood - we have had barely a drop of rain since St Jean. Our main advice is to phone ahead to the next albergue regardless of what your guide says. When we asked why San Juan was closed, the hospitalera here said, "because it closed." So, take nothing for granted! But who can on the camino anyway?
(Incidentally, regarding bedbugs-chinches, I have been employing Anniesantiago´s method of bug spraying the bed to see what gets stirred up. Thus far no sightings, but even in this late season it seems we have to be vigilant!)
Buen camino to all! Saludos from Villafranca.
Shevaun.
