• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

First Camino help!!

Verdonay

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
November 2016
Hello everyone!

I am soon to be off on my first Camino. I will be starting from SJPDP on November 1st. I got the app for a better idea of albergues and which are all season but it doesn't seem that there are many at all. I know a lot close during this time of the year but now I'm getting increasingly nervous that I will not be able to find anything when arriving in towns but not sure it would be wise to book all in advance in case of injury or rest days etc.

Any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Christine
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Hi Christine!
I don't know which App you have but those sites have information on the albergues, which are open all year etc.

http://www.gronze.com/camino-frances
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los-caminos-de-santiago/frances/

I wouldn't recommend 'booking all in advance' as you don't know at this stage how far you'll find comfortable to walk each day.... depending on the weather, how tired you are etc.
Also bear in mind there are fewer daylight hours in which to walk.
I don't think it is very crowded in November so if they are open at least they shouldn't be 'completo'.

I have heard that lots of cafes are not open in the winter though so I would always carry a snack and something to drink.

Buen camino :)
 
Closer at the time have a look at http://www.aprinca.com/alberguesinvierno/ that is a list of albergues that are open in winter and it is maintained by volunteers that live on the way.

You do not need to book in advance because of fear of over crowding, but you need to check if the place you want to stay at is actually open. And yes, as already mentioned, carry snacks as bars in the smaller villages might be also closed or open later than in summer.

Buen Camino, SY
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Hi Christine!
I don't know which App you have but those sites have information on the albergues, which are open all year etc.

http://www.gronze.com/camino-frances
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/los-caminos-de-santiago/frances/

I wouldn't recommend 'booking all in advance' as you don't know at this stage how far you'll find comfortable to walk each day.... depending on the weather, how tired you are etc.
Also bear in mind there are fewer daylight hours in which to walk.
I don't think it is very crowded in November so if they are open at least they shouldn't be 'completo'.

I have heard that lots of cafes are not open in the winter though so I would always carry a snack and something to drink.

Buen camino :)[/QUOTE
Thank you so much! Super helpful websites!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
There are enough places open in November that a little bit of planning each day is all that you need - stopping at popular stopping points; looking at a map to see if there are several options in a village; calling ahead if you are nervous.
 
I will also start 1st of november in SJPP Christine! And I don't plan to book anything in advance, it will be part of the adventure ;)
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
However do plan to carry some food always with you. Many summer-only shops and bar/restos will be closed. Hence my food basics have included tea bags, packets which make a cup of soup (even including croutons!), firm cheese, small sausage, simple cookies and some chocolate. Nothing heavy but enough to exist for 24 hours if need be.

On past caminos especially during storms when I stopped in small and remote albergues far from any supply source novice pilgrims have often staggered in wet, cold and hungry. They may have had the best gear but carried no food; of course I shared. Such simple supplies can taste like ambrosia when nothing else is available.

Remember winter is a great time to walk, but you must be PREPARED!
 

Most read last week in this forum

My name is Henrik and I will be coming down to SJPdP from Sweden on March 26 and start walking on March 27. I don't really have any experience and I'm not the best at planning and I'm a little...
When I hiked the Frances Route this happened. I was hiking in the afternoon just east of Arzua. I was reserved a bed at an albergue in Arzua, so I had already hiked all the way from San Xulien...
I'd like some recommendations about where to find the most current and up to date information about albergues that are actually open. I'm currently walking the camino Frances, and I can't even...
I am finalizing my packing list for Frances, and do not want to over pack. (I am 71) I will be starting at SJPdP on April 25th to Roncesvalles and forward. I was hoping on some advise as to...
Today is March 21, 1024 If you’re starting El Francés around this time, be warned that quite a few stretches between Rabanal del Camino and Molinaseca are in pretty bad shape. Lots of mud, and...
First marker starting from Albergue Monasterio de la Magdalena in Sarria (113.460 km) Start: 2023.9.29 07:22 Arrival: 2023.9.30 13:18 walking time : 26 hours 47 minutes rest time : 3 hours 8...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top