Do I Need a sleeping bag liner for CF in May 2016?

[Karen Schoenfelder]

My husband & I will be leaving in less than a month and the only "equipment" I haven't purchased is a sleeping bag liner. We would like to stay in private rooms rather than dormitories as I don't sleep well under normal circumstances. I have read that not all alburgues give blankets and am wondering if I am making a mistake by not taking one. We will only be walking approx 2 wks from Leon to Santiago. Please let me know if a liner is needed. Also, will it be hard in May to find a private room along the Camino? I'm usually a planner and book ahead but this time I really want to walk until we are tired and stop when we need to. As I'm sure you can tell--we are first timers!
Thanks for all the info--this forum has been so helpful!

 

[JohnMcM]

Hello Karen and husband,
I guess it depends on how "warm" a sleeper you are, however, in May there can be some colder nights and early mornings than you would expect, or hope for.

It's not clear if you are thinking of taking a sleeping bag AND a liner. It may help you if I tell you I only took a liner, and always had a blanket in albergues if needed (maybe I got lucky?).

I like your idea of not planning too much and if you do choose to use private rooms in private hostels etc only, you'll find all the bedding you need. That let's you take a liner only as an emergency thing for albergues where you can choose to simply wear more clothes to bed. Taking your own blanket is probably not necessary.

As for the availability of private rooms I'd be surprised if you couldn't find one, although a little bit of research might help to avoid being disappointed. There's a great spreadsheet listing available places to stay on the CF in the Resources Section of the forum (which I can't find right now), that you may find helpful.

By the way, should you decide on a liner only, perhaps go for a rectangular rather than mummy shape.

Buen (sleep-filled) Camino

 

[Karen Schoenfelder]

Thanks so thanks so much John. That info really helps! We are not bringing a sleeping bag and do not want to carry "just in case" items. Since we plan to use some hotels and more private accommodations, I will hope we get blankets along the way!
Another question about accommodations: are the private places off the Camino? How hard are they to find? Where can I find them online? I've used booking.com and hotels.com but they don't list case rurales and other private alburgues. Is there another source that lists private accommodations and where they are located?
Last question: how is cell service on the Camino? I plan to use my iPhone/att intl plan when stopping for the day. Will I have problems with no service? Then what?
Sorry for all the questions, I've never done this before and am nervous about finding a decent place to stay at the last minute!

 

[mspath]

For a Spanish on-line list of private accommodation along the CF try www.Gronze.com. Listed east to west by geographical location pilgrim albergues are in brown ink and regular tourist accommodation is in black. Tap each location to see more info. Links to Booking.com are also provided.

Happy research and Buen camino!

 

[Lucy Longpath]

The John Brierley Guide for the Camino Frances includes casa rurales and hotels. Private albergues are also included, some of which may have private rooms. Private rooms in albergues are often not en-suite so it depends what you want. You can try phoning them the night before or as you are walking. I believe there is a pdf document in the Resources section of this forum that lists all the Albergues including private ones. I don't know if it gives the information about whether or not there are private rooms or whether or not they are ensuite. There are definitely pilgrims who stay entirely in private rooms on the Camino Frances.

 

[Karen Schoenfelder]

I tried the Gronze.com but I don't speak spanish. I can't find the english version on this site--is there one?

 

[mspath]

I tried the Gronze.com but I don't speak spanish. I can't find the english version on this site--is there one?

No there is not an English version of Gronze. You might run the data through a translate program.