Roncesvalles to limit number of beds to 183 from Monday

[kayagee66]

The only person I've met who did his Camino in the 1950s did no such thing -- he described walking every step, needing to talk to locals to find his way, sometimes going hungry, sleeping mostly in barns and whatnot, as an utterly stark experience.

Of course, the pilgrimage as such requires none of these things -- but what's the point of a foot pilgrimage where the use of public transport is promoted as somehow "normal" ?



Don't be silly, but don't expect foot pilgrims to be pleased about the imposition of touristification upon the basic infrastructures of this foot pilgrimage.



Nobody has suggested abolishing compassion, please don't exaggerate.

Kathar1na was talking about a man in 1650's and i think it is certain that pilgrims throughout the centuries have 'got a lift' when the chance has arisen or when needs must.
I also think she has a valid point about some people behaving like members of a sect by saying that people should only 'do' a pilgrimage the way that they think it should be done.
Has anyone used term 'Pilgrim Fundamentalist' before. Or 'Arch Pilgrim' etc. I've read a few comments and met a few people that makes me think these people exist and are spoiling it for those who aren't like them.

 

[JabbaPapa]

The Frances already has luggage transport, taxis and buses. This bottle neck will not change that

It will inevitably and immediately make the problem worse, in several different ways.

1) Many people will be "encouraged" on Day 1 to get a taxi, reserve their bed, and so on

2) Some people will be forced to sleep outdoors

3) The whole thing will very quickly lead to yet another private albergue price hike due to the sudden artificial spike in demand

And so on ...

 

[JabbaPapa]

Kathar1na was talking about a man in 1650's and i think it is certain that pilgrims throughout the centuries have 'got a lift' when the chance has arisen or when needs must.
I also think she has a valid point about some people behaving like members of a sect by saying that people should only 'do' a pilgrimage the way that they think it should be done.
Has anyone used term 'Pilgrim Fundamentalist' before. Or 'Arch Pilgrim' etc. I've read a few comments and met a few people that makes me think these people exist and are spoiling it for those who aren't like them.

Maybe, but then it strikes me that using the terms 'Pilgrim Fundamentalist' or 'Arch Pilgrim' etc. could be seen as derogatory, and perhaps constitute the very attitude purportedly being attacked here.

See, this is why these "discussions" never end well, because they basically amount to groups of people arguing that their own way of doing the Camino is somehow "the best" -- instead of perhaps simply sticking to the sort of advice that they might give from their own experiences and from their own perspective and understanding of the Camino and of the pilgrimage in general.

Might I humbly suggest that sticking to the topic of "Sudden Bed Crisis in Roncesvalles !!" might be a wiser approach here ?

 

[nathanael]

It is the government of Navarra who has forbidden the Colegiata de Roncesvalles to accomodate people in other places than the 183 beds in the restored part of the Monastry.

Up till today they could use much more beds when many pelgrims arrived: 40 beds in the basement, 34 beds in the so-called 'winter-albergue', 80 beds in the 'bordas' on the 'campamento' and even more beds in the old white cabins on the campamento. So on very busy days they could provide a bed for approx. 400 people. Not the best beds, and certainly not the best sanitary services, though the price per bed for these last beds were in relation to the less comfortable situation.

There has been a complaint about the 'campamento' and now the Colegiata is no longer allowed to use the overspill of the beds due to hygienic and health standards. The 80 beds in the 'bordas' are really OK, but the showers and toilets are old. The Colegiata has been waiting already for a few years for a license to build a proper sanitary building and a pilgrims' accomodation on the campamento, but this license has not been given, so up till now the pelgrims who slept there had to use the really old showers and toilets.
Also the 40 beds in the basement have such poor shower and toilet equipment, so therefore these beds cannot be used anymore.

I have been a hospitalero in Roncesvalles two times before, and will be there again next June. We hospitaleros feel very sad with these problems, and are not looking forward to having to send exhausted people away in busy times, knowing we have lots of beds which are not available due to the government .....

As for the left side of the building (somebody mentioned this): up till last year old Spanish people lived there. But there are plans to restore this part of the monastry in a few years, just like they did in 2003 with the part of the albergue which is in use now, in order to accomodate much more pilgrims in a comfortable way.
Buen Camino to you all, maybe I'll see you next June!

they can do what they want. I have exhausted my Camino going through here and will not fret. there many mor e beautiful Caminos or just skip this place.

 

[Deleted member 32860]

See, though I disagree with some of Rebekkah Scott's recent long piece about the future of the Camino, this is exactly the sort of thing that I agree with her about 100%.

If the Camino becomes a bus & taxi relay with a bit of walking between handy tourist accommodation locations, BTW almost exactly as General Franco wanted it back in the 1960s, then it stops being the Camino.

And if being a pilgrim means needing to start sleeping outdoors again, simply to avoid the touristification, then by golly that's what we'll have to do.

It has already turned into a tourist thing. When I walked CF in September/October last year I decided to stay two nights in Belorado. On my second day I chose to take a small stroll around the town in the early morning - found some breakfast and sat close to the bus station. It was around 8.30 in the morning. There were literally a crowd of people with backpacks. When the bus to Burgos arrived I was surprised that only two locals got on. 5 minutes later an empty bus arrived and everybody got on. I asked some people what was going on and they said that there were so many pilgrims that wanted to drive to Burgos that the bus company had to put in an extra bus just for pilgrims. So much for saying yes at the pilgrim office - when asked "have you walked the entire way".

 

[Kathar1na]

Thanks for the link, I'm all booked for the 7th of May.

I pre-booked Roncesvalles in May 2016 as I did not know any better. As it was booked in my partners name the 'desk lady' showed me the pre-booked name list for that day - there were seven pre-booked. I guess this will grow in future!

It seems to be a little known feature . I used to think that you book by email but I see now that they have a proper (new?) online booking system at the Roncesvalles albergue. It seems to be in real time, ie it tells whether places are still available or not. Obviously, I did not follow through with my test booking so I don't know how it ends.I understand that one has to pay in advance and there is a 24 hour cancellation limit, is that correct? @Caminokiwi, @Davie Blisters, can you shed some light on this? There's often a lot of unreliable information floating about.

 

[Kathar1na]

It has been suggested on this forum to book Roncesvalles, unfortunately I believe Roncesvilles is already booked up , a friend couldnt get a reservation for April28.

@Ron Cesvalles, your message prompted me to have a look at the online booking system of the Roncesvalles albergue. It seems new, I had not seen it before. It seems to be in real time, it tells when there are no beds available which it told me, unfortunately, for this Friday and Saturday, 28+29 April. However, I could initiate the booking process for tomorrow (Wednesday) and for Thursday this week and also for 30 April and 1 May. It does not let you book for a bed on the day (ie today). However, all is not lost as it is only possible to book beds on the first floor. It says so on the website. That is 60 beds out of 217 (or 218) beds so there is no reason to panic beforehand, they keep plenty of beds unreserved.

Someone claimed that one needs to book at least 14 days beforehand but the system allowed me to initiate a booking for tomorrow and for next week so I don't know what to make of it. There is a lot of outdated information floating about. I did not see this claim on current Facebook pages of the Roncesvalles albergue / Roncesvalles Colegiata / Dutch pilgrims association.

Here is the link to the online booking system again http://www.alberguederoncesvalles.com/01_reservaonline_formulario.php
There is a choice of four languages.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Not too long ago, pilgrims carried a rolled-up sleeping mat strapped to their backpack, so they could better manage to sleep on the floor or the ground.
The mats are no longer standard, because nobody sleeps on the floor or the ground any more. It's pretty much unthinkable. "Not getting a bed" is somehow the ultimate camino horror, right up there with staying in an albergue where someone said they saw a bedbug a couple of years ago!

I am not a fan of sleeping on the ground, or bedbugs, or suffering in general. But in my experience, "not getting a bed" has not proven fatal to anyone. Sleeping on the ground, or even sleeping outdoors, are time-honored ways of dealing with the "Completo" phenomenon. It's not comfy, but it's dirt cheap. And it gives you a great story to tell later on.

I think we may see more sleeping mats in coming days, if the infrastructure continues to be overrun this way. Be prepared.

 

[natefaith]

Closing the thread now. If you'd like to follow along with a firsthand account of what's happening in Roncesvalles, please see https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/latest-news-roncesvalles.47605/#post-509720.