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Show Up; Get Bed?

barryg

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
June: Camino Frances from Pamplona
If my wife & I were just to “show up” somtime around 19:30 August 15th with no reservation, what would you put our chances at getting a bed? And by bed, I mean anything from space on the floor of a church to the municipal albergue to a private hotel <$50?

I don’t like making reservations on the Camino; ruins the image (for me) of what The Camino is supposed to be.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Warmly,

Barry
 
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If my wife & I were just to “show up” somtime around 19:30 August 15th with no reservation, what would you put our chances at getting a bed? And by bed, I mean anything from space on the floor of a church to the municipal albergue to a private hotel <$50?

I don’t like making reservations on the Camino; ruins the image (for me) of what The Camino is supposed to be.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Warmly,

Barry
Where are you planning to show up on that day?
 
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Just for info, 15 August 2019 is a Thursday this year and it's Assumption Day like every year. A public holiday in France and Spain and elsewhere and attractive for a long weekend away from home, for example in the Pyrenees.
I also arrive that day and wasn't aware of that. Thank you!
 
If my wife & I were just to “show up” somtime around 19:30 August 15th with no reservation, what would you put our chances at getting a bed?
Show up where, exactly?
SJPP? Leon? Burgos? Sarria? It'll make a difference in terms of what's available in the first place. Bigger cities are more likely to have availability, assuming there's no fiesta happening.
 
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I would say that as long as it's in one of the bigger cities, you will have no problem to find 'something', due to the fact that most residents will be on holiday somewhere else (beach, mountains or old family villages) .
 
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You have asked this question before, in an earlier thread of yours, and you got some good advice.
For some reason you prefer not to take it.
That is entirely up to you, but I cannot help but feel sorry for your wife. She'd probably be happier with a solid reservation for the first nights to sleep well.

Since you know the date and the time that you will arrive in SJPP, you probably have made other reservations (planes, trains, automobiles). Isn't it odd that these reservations apparently don't ruin your image of what the Camino is supposed to be?

A gentleman would make a reservation for his wife, and sleep himself on the steps of the church if necessary in true Camino spirit.
 
If my wife & I were just to “show up” somtime around 19:30 August 15th with no reservation, what would you put our chances at getting a bed? And by bed, I mean anything from space on the floor of a church to the municipal albergue to a private hotel <$50?

I don’t like making reservations on the Camino; ruins the image (for me) of what The Camino is supposed to be.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Warmly,

Barry

In a larger metro area you would probably find something, but you might be spending a bit of time walking around and checking with lodgings to find a spot. Smaller towns and villages might be difficult. My son and I came up with nada after a long day on Camino when arriving in Maneru. We ended up taking a taxi to Estella for the night as there was nothing in the other two small towns along the way after Maneru, either. The next morning, we taxied back to Maneru and picked up where we left off.

If you do not mind me asking, is there a reason why you would not wish to make a reservation when you know you will be arriving around 7:30 pm?
 
I don't understand the desire not to make a reservation for the first night when arriving in the evening either. I completely understand the desire to wing it on the Camino in general - don't want to be tied to a schedule, want to take every day as it comes, etc. - but for the night of Aug 15, you know exactly where you will be, and you will be arriving in the evening, so it makes sense to make a reservation, go directly there, and have a good night's sleep before setting off.
 
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Just for info, 15 August 2019 is a Thursday this year and it's Assumption Day like every year. A public holiday in France and Spain and elsewhere and attractive for a long weekend away from home, for example in the Pyrenees.
This is a very important point and based on the holiday I would definitely have a reservation. Especially if you are looking for an inexpensive place to stay. Those accommodations will be the first to fill up.

By 7:30 pm you will pretty much be left with whatever is still available, and it could end up being well over your price range. And who knows how long it will take you to find it?

You know you are going to be there, you know you need a place to sleep, you know it's a national holiday, why not make just make a reservation at a place in your price range and be done with it? There'll be plenty of time to wing it over the following weeks. 😊
 
If you do decide to wing it and assuming we're talking about St Jean I would head straight to the Pilgrim Office which closes at 8pm. They are very helpful and should be able to give you an idea of where you can get a bed.
 
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This is a very important point and based on the holiday I would definitely have a reservation. Especially if you are looking for an inexpensive place to stay. Those accommodations will be the first to fill up.
I‘m actually not certain that very cheap pilgrim accommodations will fill up because of the Assumption holiday on 15 August. I guess we are talking Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Roncesvalles etc. Those that are not dirt cheap do (I checked). In SJPP they always seem to be able to get people a place to sleep - if there’s a really great influx of pilgrims (unlikely on 15 Aug) it can be a place without a mattress and it’s not in a romantic church porch but in some modern multifunctional hall.

I mentioned the holiday as general information and also in the hope that it may help the OP to finally reach a decision ... Booking a room at the beginning, at the end and even occasionally in the middle of the journey cannot weaken the camino feeling too much I reckon. As others have said, if you know for certain that you will arrive in a town on a specific date at a specific hour ...

On the other hand, if not booking is the gospel you follow, then just don’t book. The Camino Francés with its very generous supply of supercheap accommodation and bars every 5 km has definitely shaped people‘s idea of pilgrimage.
 
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Bring a tent in case it rains that night....or all the other nights of gambling on the Camino Royale...may the odds be with you.
 
Gambling = is loosing ...
I would book ahead and have nada problems.
Camino spirit is what you make yourself of it. Like said before...your wife will probably not enjoy it...nice Camino spirit and memory...
It up to you ...Buen Camino 😎
 
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Gambling = is loosing ...
I would book ahead and have nada problems.
Camino spirit is what you make yourself of it. Like said before...your wife will probably not enjoy it...nice Camino spirit and memory...
It up to you ...Buen Camino 😎

I'm sorry, I have to disagree. Being stuck having to stay in accomodation you chose from a website days or even weeks ago then discovering there were better options if only you'd stepped just a little outside your comfort zone is losing as far as I'm concerned.

As for what his wife may or may not enjoy I don't see how any of us can be in any position to judge.
 
@Dorpie he is talking for a certain day and time. So he knows well what walking time he needs. I'm not talking about the whole Camino. At the end of the day at that time...you walked a lot or have a slow pace, you will be tired. Finding something in that spirit is not easy. We are asumming he is walking that day, where?
OP has not come back to answer the questions in earlier posts ...
Like I wrote "I would'=my opinion and "it's up..." =his dicision" 😉
Buen Camino to you and the OP barryg👣
P.S. comfort zone change with age 🍀
 
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@Dorpie he is talking for a certain day and time. So he knows well what walking time he needs. I'm not talking about the whole Camino. At the end of the day at that time...you walked a lot or have a slow pace, you will be tired. Finding something in that spirit is not easy. We are asumming he is walking that day, where?
OP has not come back to answer the questions in earlier posts ...
Like I wrote "I would'=my opinion and "it is up..." =his dicision" 😉
P.S. comfort zone change with age 🍀
Buen Camino to you and the OP👣

Ah, sorry @willydp I thought you were speaking generally.
 
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Sounds like you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Given all the relevant factors I would book that first night.
At your hour sadly probably too late for a shared pilgrim meal.
Whatever you choose Buen Camino
 
I don’t like making reservations on the Camino; ruins the image (for me) of what The Camino is supposed to be.
I think there's some romance in walking the Camino without reservations and plans, throwing caution to the winds, savoring the freedom to stop where you like and walk as far as you choose, unchaining yourself from schedules, surrendering to the kindness of strangers etc. etc..

But none of that really applies on a day of planes, trains, and automobiles, when you're jetting across the skies, and taking scheduled public transportation to get from A to B, and arriving late, tired, and tetchy. On such days, failure to plan is planning to fail. My advice is to make a reservation and activate Camino mode the next morning. Modern-day travel is stressful enough without throwing in arbitrary constraints.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Whoops! This is the first time I have actually felt like I’m being ridiculed on this forum! Sorry that I forgot to, duh, mention where we were “showing up.” I will certainly be careful in my posting in the future. Thanks to everyone who answered with kindness, but yes, I will be more careful. Thank you.

Barry
 
I don't understand the desire not to make a reservation for the first night when arriving in the evening either. I completely understand the desire to wing it on the Camino in general - don't want to be tied to a schedule, want to take every day as it comes, etc. - but for the night of Aug 15, you know exactly where you will be, and you will be arriving in the evening, so it makes sense to make a reservation, go directly there, and have a good night's sleep before setting off.

Thank you for your advice. I reserved a room with 2 bunks at le chemin ver l’etoils
 
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Sounds like you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Given all the relevant factors I would book that first night.
At your hour sadly probably too late for a shared pilgrim meal.
Whatever you choose Buen Camino

Sorry for the delay in answering. Thanks for your advice. I reserved a spot at Le Chemin vers l’etoil.

Sorr
 
Where are you planning to show up on that day?

Oops! Sorry about that! SJPDP. Reserved a room.
You have asked this question before, in an earlier thread of yours, and you got some good advice.
For some reason you prefer not to take it.
That is entirely up to you, but I cannot help but feel sorry for your wife. She'd probably be happier with a solid reservation for the first nights to sleep well.

Since you know the date and the time that you will arrive in SJPP, you probably have made other reservations (planes, trains, automobiles). Isn't it odd that these reservations apparently don't ruin your image of what the Camino is supposed to be?

A gentleman would make a reservation for his wife, and sleep himself on the steps of the church if necessary in true Camino spirit.


That was a bit mean.
 
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Barryg, good to see you returning to your post. You have had a chance to see what can happen if you forget to include a key piece of information. Usually - hah! I travel with a friend, and so far we have just showed up except for beginning and end of some routes. This time, I am on my own, and just training for the Ingles in August. I have booked for the whole week, as I do not want an upper bunk, and I want to know I will have a bed. At this moment I am lounging on top of a cotton sheet, with a cotton pillowcase, the assurance of dinner at 7, a spotless bathroom and airy drying patio..
.....lots more, but enough of my story. It is easy enough to just show up if you can gauge your distances and allow for maybe having to go on.have a great camino!
 
In a larger metro area you would probably find something, but you might be spending a bit of time walking around and checking with lodgings to find a spot. Smaller towns and villages might be difficult. My son and I came up with nada after a long day on Camino when arriving in Maneru. We ended up taking a taxi to Estella for the night as there was nothing in the other two small towns along the way after Maneru, either. The next morning, we taxied back to Maneru and picked up where we left off.

If you do not mind me asking, is there a reason why you would not wish to make a reservation when you know you will be arriving around 7:30 pm?


Bit the bullet on that! Reserved a room at Le Chemin Vers L’etoils
 
In a larger metro area you would probably find something, but you might be spending a bit of time walking around and checking with lodgings to find a spot. Smaller towns and villages might be difficult. My son and I came up with nada after a long day on Camino when arriving in Maneru. We ended up taking a taxi to Estella for the night as there was nothing in the other two small towns along the way after Maneru, either. The next morning, we taxied back to Maneru and picked up where we left off.

If you do not mind me asking, is there a reason why you would not wish to make a reservation when you know you will be arriving around 7:30 pm?


Thanks! I did get a reservation.
 
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Hello everyone! Thanks so much for all your replies, even the ones that were critical of me. I need to be respectful of this forum and not abuse it, as for example, not giving my destination 🥴. And, oh yes, asking the same question & ignoring (or not going back to check) the replies to my posts. For all these transgressions, I humbly apologize. My feelings were hurt & I DID fire off some sarcastic responses of my own. Please accept my apologies, as well, for those arrogant rejoinders. This, of all forums on the web, should be no place for that & I regret that I added to that with my arrogant replies. Please forgive me & thanks so much for all your help AND criticism.
 
Barryg, good to see you returning to your post. You have had a chance to see what can happen if you forget to include a key piece of information. Usually - hah! I travel with a friend, and so far we have just showed up except for beginning and end of some routes. This time, I am on my own, and just training for the Ingles in August. I have booked for the whole week, as I do not want an upper bunk, and I want to know I will have a bed. At this moment I am lounging on top of a cotton sheet, with a cotton pillowcase, the assurance of dinner at 7, a spotless bathroom and airy drying patio..
.....lots more, but enough of my story. It is easy enough to just show up if you can gauge your distances and allow for maybe having to go on.have a great camino!


Thanks for your reply. I did the Camino last year, in June (starting in Pamplona) & never made a reservation, so I guess I’m spoiled.
 
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That seems a bit mean & sarcastic. Did you understand that the purpose of this forum is to help pilgrims?
I'll agree with sarcastic but I think my post made a point of what you and your wife had to look forward to if you didn't make a reservation.

As for understanding about giving help; look for my avatar on a number of your threads.

[Edit: BTW I've already planted a "like" on your post above. I've got to like "thank you" posts.]
 
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I'll agree with sarcastic but I think my post made a point of what you and your wife had to look forward to if you didn't make a reservation.

As for understanding about giving help; look for my avatar on a number of your threads.

[Edit: BTW I've already planted a "like" on your post above. I've got to like "thank you" posts.]

Yes, I know, you've been an enormous help too, and thanks so much! I have a thin hide and don't take criticism well at all. I have a lot to learn on my personal Camino. Thanks again for pointing out what I should have appreciated rather than be offended by.
 
I guess I am too late to ask where exactly you will be arriving and then to offer to book something for you -- so that you will have a bed and yet not deviating from your camino tradition of not booking!

I tend to offer help (actions if allowed to do so) that could produce results! I think everybody is happy now! Buen Camino! Bon Chemin!
 
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I'm sorry, I have to disagree. Being stuck having to stay in accomodation you chose from a website days or even weeks ago then discovering there were better options if only you'd stepped just a little outside your comfort zone is losing as far as I'm concerned.

As for what his wife may or may not enjoy I don't see how any of us can be in any position to judge.

Thanks for that! I DID end up getting a reservation at Le Chemin Vers L’Etoil for the first day, August 15, but now I’m worried about Roncesvalles! I thought with 183 beds + 100 overflow in the old albergue, I’d be fine on August 16. Now I’m not so sure. What do you think? BTW my wife is much (much,much) hardier than me. She’d sleep outside in a heartbeat, but I’m trying to fix my mistake & I see that all the hotels in Roncesvalles are booked. Great planning, Barry!
 
I guess I am too late to ask where exactly you will be arriving and then to offer to book something for you -- so that you will have a bed and yet not deviating from your camino tradition of not booking!

I tend to offer help (actions if allowed to do so) that could produce results! I think everybody is happy now! Buen Camino! Bon Chemin!

I’m all set except for August 16 in Roncesvalles where all the hotels are sold out.
 
Thanks for that! I DID end up getting a reservation at Le Chemin Vers L’Etoil for the first day, August 15, but now I’m worried about Roncesvalles! I thought with 183 beds + 100 overflow in the old albergue, I’d be fine on August 16. Now I’m not so sure. What do you think? BTW my wife is much (much,much) hardier than me. She’d sleep outside in a heartbeat, but I’m trying to fix my mistake & I see that all the hotels in Roncesvalles are booked. Great planning, Barry!
I really wouldn't worry too much about Roncesvalles in August, before the September hordes descend upon St Jean Pied de Port.
 
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now I’m worried about Roncesvalles! I thought with 183 beds + 100 overflow in the old albergue, I’d be fine on August 16. Now I’m not so sure. What do you think?
I wouldn’t worry about getting 2 beds at the albergue of Roncesvalles on 16 August either. But just for the record: there is no overflow of 100 beds in an old albergue anymore because that building has been turned into an exhibition and meeting hall for local purposes and is no longer available for housing pilgrims. And beds at the Roncesvalles albergue can be booked online which may put you again into the difficult situation of having to decide whether to book or not. 😊
 
Thanks for that! I DID end up getting a reservation at Le Chemin Vers L’Etoil for the first day, August 15, but now I’m worried about Roncesvalles! I thought with 183 beds + 100 overflow in the old albergue, I’d be fine on August 16. Now I’m not so sure. What do you think? BTW my wife is much (much,much) hardier than me. She’d sleep outside in a heartbeat, but I’m trying to fix my mistake & I see that all the hotels in Roncesvalles are booked. Great planning, Barry!

Hi @barryg

The critical question is what time do you think you'll arrive at Roncesvalles? If you're getting in at 2-2.30 or earlier I'd say you have no problem, if you're thinking it may be closer to 4 or later I'd be more concerned.
 
I wouldn’t worry about getting 2 beds at the albergue of Roncesvalles on 16 August either. But just for the record: there is no overflow of 100 beds in an old albergue anymore because that building has been turned into an exhibition and meeting hall for local purposes and is no longer available for housing pilgrims. And beds at the Roncesvalles albergue can be booked online which may put you again into the difficult situation of having to decide whether to book or not. 😊

I have learned my lesson! Thanks! I will check into how to book those beds.
 
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Hi @barryg

The critical question is what time do you think you'll arrive at Roncesvalles? If you're getting in at 2-2.30 or earlier I'd say you have no problem, if you're thinking it may be closer to 4 or later I'd be more concerned.

We’re going straight from SJPDP to Roncesvalles. Don’t know if we can make it by 2:00 on the same day. She could, I’m not sure about me ☹️
 
Hi Barry,

I would not worry too much about Roncesvalles, because the situation is different. 183 beds in the albergue - that is similar to the number of albergue-beds available at SJPDP. You are not arriving that late and less than 3 km further on at Burguete there are some casas rurales which offer alternatives.

But if you want to have a comfortable first day without need to rush, nobody would blame you for booking ahead.
 
I would book the monastery in Roncesvalles ahead. Last year I arrived at 3pm however had to wait in a queue for an hour for a bed in the old albergue. The showers were disgusting for 100 people. The main building is good to stay in. I would have ventured further if I'd known this was the case.
 
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I hadn’t seen any of this thread till a member reported some of the fairly zinging and nasty comments. Since things seem to have been resolved, or at least aired, I am going to leave it up here and open, because I hope that some more members will see and appreciate what are perhaps the unintended reactions to written posts. The member who reported these comments said the following in his/her report:

Overly critical and nasty. Makes me afraid to post anything. Not in the spirit of this board.

I agree completely. And that’s certainly not how we want newcomers to feel.

As so many have said in the past — if someone posts a duplicate post, if someone seems to have ignored your great advice, if someone says something that you vehemently disagreed with — if you can’t bring yourself to tone down your response to the level of “civil”, then I would suggest you avert your eyes and move on to the next thread.
 
Last year I arrived at 3pm however had to wait in a queue for an hour for a bed in the old albergue.
Just a quick clarification so that we know what we are talking about. This old albergue in Roncesvalles (see below) is no longer an albergue and hasn't been an albergue for years. It featured in the movie "The Way". It may or may not have had 100 beds (I simply don't know).

Old albergue.jpg
 
I stayed in the old albergue in 2006 and counted 160 beds in 3 rows. But only two showers for men and two for women and the albergue not letting anybody in before 17.00 h. Good old times?
 
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That's good old times .... not 160 beds but only 120 beds in the old albergue Itzandeguia, and opening time was 4 PM.
Nowadays in the new albergue Aterpea there are 183 beds, another 34 beds in the overflow (the winter albergue) and openingtime is 2 PM (check-in is possible as from 10 AM but you cannot go to the dormitories before 2 PM as the hospitaleros are cleaning and having lunch).
 
I was there one June 2nd 2006.
 
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