Albergues in Winter
Hello Irish pilgrim,
Jose from the Federation of Spanish Associations - the Federation uniting all Spanish Amigos del Camino (
http://www.caminosantiago.org) told us that although some albergues are not open between October and February, it is often possible to ask at the local Parish church or the bar for the keys. In addition, if there isn't an albergue pilgrims can usually find accommodation at fondas or hostales.
The numbers of pilgrims drop considerably in the winter months and there isn't usually a problem finding a bed.
2005 figures showed that the numbers of pilgrims arriving at Santiago dropped from 6873 in October to 1396 in November and only 668 in December. A huge difference to the 24 000 in August and 12 000 in September.