Question for anyone who has walked the CF in May and early J

[Sheffield James]

Forgive me if this specific question has been asked before, but I am trying to budget for my upcoming camino trip and there is a variable I need your help with, if that's OK.

I plan to walk from SJPdP to SdC during the whole month of May and possibly the first 3-4 days of June 2013. I am hoping to be able to book into the low-cost (private?) albergues and I am estimating this wil cost me approx 10 euros per night. Many threads have mentioned occasions when these albergues have been full but it is difficult to get a feel for how often this occurs and whether it is in some months, or on particuar routes, more than others.

So, my request is for best-guess estimates from the past experience of forum members about how many times this might realistically happen to me on the CF if I keep to this schedule. I imagine it will be easier to secure a bed at the start of the camino than it will be in the last 100km, but I need it to be a bit more specific to enable me to calculate the size of my contingency fund.

One extra piece of information that may be relevant is that probably I will walk at a slightly slower than average pace (based on typical 15 mile/24km per day hiking) and so I may be nearer the back of the queue/line (or still en route) when the doors of the albergues open.

Many thanks!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Many threads have mentioned occasions when these albergues have been full but it is difficult to get a feel for how often this occurs

Never.

 

[Tia Valeria]

A general price range is that private albergues may be about 10 euros; private rooms anywhere between 20-25 euros and hostals or hotels about 25-35 euros for a room with bathroom. Singles are about 2/3 to 3/4 cost of a double which can be up to 45 euros. Prices are generally at 'low season' until the end of May and the 'high season' from June onwards. Some of the rooms that appear slightly more expensive might include breakfast.

The 'bulge' dates are around public holidays; May Day etc and over weekends, or major religious festivals. We used private albergues and hostals by choice from Palas de Rei onwards but our impression was that the public albergues were full in mid May last year and late May when Terry walked previously. We booked the next night each evening when we knew where to aim for. Often asking for a recommendation for the place we were then staying at.

Hope that helps your contingency plans

Also if you want a guide with some private accomodation listed there is a new 2013 CSJ guide to the Francés just available. Guides can be bought on-line here http://www.csj.org.uk/acatalog/The_CSJ_Bookshop_Pilgrim_Guides_to_Spain_23.html. If you decide to join CSJ you can also ask for a credential and you might be able to ask for xnumber of spaces.
Buen Camino

 

[Deleted member 12253]

Private albergues are more frequent in the bigger towns and also the last 100 km from sarria to Santiago. I don't think you should rule out municipals, the best albergues I know are in roncesvalles, burgos, Leon. You can go private every few days and could team up with walking buddy and share cost. In my opinion camino very doable for €25 to €30 (Euros) Buen Camino

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

James, the problem is that we simply cannot provide the answer to that. The numbers of the Camino fluctuate year by year, month by month, and though they appear to be rising you have to figure that so are the number of beds.

The private albergues in the past couple of years have only been 2 to 3€ more than the municipal.

In 2007 the warden at Logrono found me a mat on the floor of the local priests house! Cost nothing.

A bit of forward thinking might help you out.

If you book a private albergue too far in advance and cannot get to it what are you going to do?

How will you let the albergue know they have a bed they can give to someone else?

What if you meet someone who is walking even more slowly than you and you drop your pace to stay with them?

If you don't book and are coming to an area where there are several albergues, stop at the first one and see if there is an empty bed in your price range. If there is grab it - you could be walking on to where all the beds are gone.

It is better to stop 4km short of your destination than to find you can't get a bed.

You may just have to walk on and that should be considered in your plans for the next day.

Over the years I have seen more pilgrims anxious about where they are going to sleep than anything else, yet I cannot remember anyone saying to me, we had to sleep in the fields last night because there were no beds.

They put a stress on themselves that was not needed.

I have always reckoned that an extra 150€ would the most I would need access to via a cash machine for an emergency. I don't think I have ever got anywhere near it.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

You say you are walking the whole of the month of May. If you are starting around May 1st you will be part of a big rush initially, as it's a major public holiday, and many start from SJPP then. You might be best to try and stay in smaller places away from the main towns initially.
Margaret

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Obviously, you can do things that make finding a bed difficult. However, in a dozen outings on the Camino Frances during all times of the year except July and August, I have NEVER not found a bed. Actually, I have had upper bunks only a few times.

Try to control the Camino, and you can make your life impossibly inconvenient. Let it control you, and life is a breeze. The Camino provides, but only if you let it!

 

[Sheffield James]

Thank you to everyone who has posted a reply to my question. As is the norm on this forum, it has provided much food for thought that will help me with my preparations. That said, I wonder if I have confused private alburgues with refugios in my post. Are they one and the same or is there a difference between the two? I intend to stay in accommodation run by churches/charities where there is a small fee or donation to be made.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I intend to stay in accommodation run by churches/charities where there is a small fee or donation to be made.

You won't find many of those these days. Albergues are dormitory type facilities. As the number of parochial and municipal albergues has decreased, for-profit private albergues have been built. They are built to code, so they cost a bit more. When the prevailing municipal rate is 5E per night, the private rate may be 8 to 10. Closer to Santiago the private rate is 10 to 12E. All of these will have shared bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchens.

The next step up is the hostales and hoteles, which are all private and usually have en suite bathrooms. They will be 20 to 35E, with single and double being about the same. Some private albergues have private rooms to rent in that same price range.

 

[Sheffield James]

Thanks for the clarification falcon269. I think I got my terminology in a bit of a muddle, but things are much clearer now. From the contributions to date, I conclude that I would be very unlucky not to find accommodation in the alburgues along the way during May/early June, and in the price range I'm counting on. Nonetheless I will take a little extra money in case I need to find a hostal in an emergency.

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

James, And as you will probably have picked up there are plenty of cash machines on the way if you need them. The downside is that your bank will probably make a flat rate charge for every withdrawl, so try to get right the balance between how much you carry in cash and how often you use the machines.

Sometimes the private albergues give a little extra for the extra euros that you pay. For instance, Don Alvero in Sarria has a real log fire and an array of spirits from which you can have a "free" drink.

If you are trying to keep the costs down then the municipals are a bit cheaper but then, like at Hospital de Orbigo, they can be someway off the Camino route whereas the private alberuge is right on them. I like the HdO municipal but its distance from food and the town is a pain. But yous take your choice and pays your money.

As both Falcoln and I have already said, be relaxed about this.

 

[KinkyOne]

Hi James,

if that helps you in any way I'll shortly described my Camino in 2011, between 15th May and 28th June.

No problem at all about getting the room, bed/bunkbed or mattress I am very slow going and most of the days I was actually kind of thrown out of the albergue at 8 in the morning as the last one. My average per day was 21,5km and was usually coming into village or town (=albergue) late in the afternoon, at about 5 or even later. Only in Carrion de los Condes I had to ask the third albergue otherwise I got the bed at first option. And never on the reservation! I don't know, maybe I was just lucky...

And the average cost for my 47 nights on CF was exactly 7.96€. I've slept in donativos, municipal. private and also in pensiones/hostales especially in bigger cities for one more day stay. Guess you just have to make your pick.

Ultreia!

 

[lindseh]

Hi,
I walked April 24 - May 28 of 2011. I never had a problem finding a bed, but in all honesty some people did. I'd say I saw it happen several times from Leon to Sarria. Some friends had to walk on or get a taxi, but usually the albergues brought out mattresses and let pilgrims sleep on the floor. However, they only started to become full in the late afternoon, around 4-5 pm when the vast majority of pilgrims had already arrived.

Not trying to scare you off, just telling you that you're right, it does happen. But as is often said here, the Camino provides. You'll never be stuck without a bed. Locals and other pilgrims can and will help you if it happens. So don't worry too much.

Lindsey