Kevin Considine
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2021
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I am currently in Agés and despite many saying it is crowded there are still empty bunks, it was the same in Belorado. However there were many bags deposited at the entrance to my Albergue from the non-carriers .
There’s got to be close to a hundred people in line at the Pilgrim’s Office at 4:30 today. Locals are saying the first two weeks in September are always the most crowded. Second most crowded is a stretch in May! By 5PM it seemed all the albergues and hostals on Rue de la Citadelle were full. Should be an interesting Camino.
PS:
Just talked with nice Australian woman at Pilgrims Office and she told me they told the pilgrims arriving yesterday to wait a day if they could as today was dark and rainy. Hence there are well over 500 pilgrims queued up for a hopefully a beautiful day tomorrow. The locals are opening the gymnasium and providing mats for late arrivers aas the night train is coming in soon.
Oh, Dave, Don't say that about how far in advance you book! More than one newer person on this forum has gotten the idea that one must book an entire Camino at least a year in advance, leaving nothing for someone like me who just wants to book my first night in country a few weeks ahead. Next year I am going on a cruise around Scotland!Added to the fact that September is an extremely popular Pilgrim month, it is also a popular tourist month for SJPdP, which further depletes available lodging. I always made my reservations - - for a September start in SJPdP - - in January to March earlier in the year.
Oh, Dave, Don't say that about how far in advance you book! More than one newer person on this forum has gotten the idea that one must book an entire Camino at least a year in advance, leaving nothing for someone like me who just wants to book my first night in country a few weeks ahead. Next year I am going on a cruise around Scotland!
Which place may I ask in Saint Jean Dave?Only for St Jean Pied de Port, because the place I like to stay at gets booked out months ahead, sometimes. Outside of Roncesvalles -- which I book three months ahead -- all else is played by ear day-to-day. No planning involved, and certainly no booking every stop ahead of time.
Which place may I ask in Saint Jean Dave?
Also my favorite! ::maybe we should whisper:::Gite Makila.
We should. I looked up the date I’m arriving and early April is already booked up. Unless the online booking schedule is not open yet for 2029Also my favorite! ::maybe we should whisper:::
Correction 2020 lolWe should. I looked up the date I’m arriving and early April is already booked up. Unless the online booking schedule is not open yet for 2029
You started ahead of the big September wave of pilgrims.I am currently in Agés and despite many saying it is crowded there are still empty bunks, it was the same in Belorado.
I'm sorry to read this, @Stephen, but thank you to you and to @Kevin considine for this feedback about the current situation in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I guess sports hall means sleeping on the floor without a mattress and many people will not be carrying a pad to sleep on? It would be a killer for my back, too.I'm in a sports hall in SJPdP tonight with about 60 other pilgrims. I'm a bit too long in the tooth for sleeping on floors.
I left the Le Puy route yesterday because of difficulties finding beds.
I'll get the train back to Bayonne tomorrow morning, have already booked 2 nights in an hotel there, and get a flight to Dublin as soon as I can. It seems September isn't a good month for older pilgrims anymore.
Where and when did you start, @Nigel Clark? The bottleneck is Saint-Jean / Roncesvalles / next villages until Pamplona, from about 1 September onwards this year apparently. 1 September was a Sunday this year. What was your experience in that section?I am currently in Agés and despite many saying it is crowded there are still empty bunks, it was the same in Belorado.
I'm glad that you bring this up. It is important to be very clear about where and when these problems arise. First, so that people are not caught by surprise which apparently does happen right now to quite a few people, judging from what I currently read in the FB groups that I'm following, and secondly, so that nobody worries or even panics without reason.This sounds a bit troubling. I am restarting my Camino in Pamplona on 16 Sept 2019. Not sure how fun this will be with hundreds of pilgrims running for beds every night!
We are now in Logroño. Until now there have been packed everywhere. We have to book albergue ahead, which takes out the Camino spirit or some of itThere’s got to be close to a hundred people in line at the Pilgrim’s Office at 4:30 today. Locals are saying the first two weeks in September are always the most crowded. Second most crowded is a stretch in May! By 5PM it seemed all the albergues and hostals on Rue de la Citadelle were full. Should be an interesting Camino.
PS:
Just talked with nice Australian woman at Pilgrims Office and she told me they told the pilgrims arriving yesterday to wait a day if they could as today was dark and rainy. Hence there are well over 500 pilgrims queued up for a hopefully a beautiful day tomorrow. The locals are opening the gymnasium and providing mats for late arrivers aas the night train is coming in soon.
We’re in Pamplona. We’ve had reservations until now. People were turned away from Orisson and Roncesvalles, with very little to no availability in Zubiri. If there are that many Pilgrims in SJPDP they’ll have a really hard time going forward without reservations.There’s got to be close to a hundred people in line at the Pilgrim’s Office at 4:30 today. Locals are saying the first two weeks in September are always the most crowded. Second most crowded is a stretch in May! By 5PM it seemed all the albergues and hostals on Rue de la Citadelle were full. Should be an interesting Camino.
PS:
Just talked with nice Australian woman at Pilgrims Office and she told me they told the pilgrims arriving yesterday to wait a day if they could as today was dark and rainy. Hence there are well over 500 pilgrims queued up for a hopefully a beautiful day tomorrow. The locals are opening the gymnasium and providing mats for late arrivers aas the night train is coming in soon.
Only for St Jean Pied de Port, because the place I like to stay at gets booked out months ahead, sometimes. Outside of Roncesvalles -- which I book three months ahead -- all else is played by ear day-to-day. No planning involved, and certainly no booking every stop ahead of time.
What is the name of the FB group? I can’t find it.I'm sorry to read this, @Stephen, but thank you to you and to @Kevin considine for this feedback about the current situation in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I guess sports hall means sleeping on the floor without a mattress and many people will not be carrying a pad to sleep on? It would be a killer for my back, too.
I follow the FB group of the SJPP pilgrims office. They registered over 400 pilgrims on the 1st of September and they are saying right now that the situation has been the same every day during the last 10 days. The first two weeks in September have been very busy in this section of the Camino Frances for years now but this year seems to be even busier than before.
The number of beds reserved (around 60 beds out of about 200 beds can be reserved) further on, at the Roncesvalles albergue, is a good indicator, and on this basis I can see that it will be remain busy well into next week (beyond the weekend of 14-15 September 2019).
what is the name of the facebook group for the pilgrim office I can't seem to find it. Thanks in advanceI'm sorry to read this, @Stephen, but thank you to you and to @Kevin considine for this feedback about the current situation in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I guess sports hall means sleeping on the floor without a mattress and many people will not be carrying a pad to sleep on? It would be a killer for my back, too.
I follow the FB group of the SJPP pilgrims office. They registered over 400 pilgrims on the 1st of September and they are saying right now that the situation has been the same every day during the last 10 days. The first two weeks in September have been very busy in this section of the Camino Frances for years now but this year seems to be even busier than before.
The number of beds reserved (around 60 beds out of about 200 beds can be reserved) further on, at the Roncesvalles albergue, is a good indicator, and on this basis I can see that it will be remain busy well into next week (beyond the weekend of 14-15 September 2019).
Or you could go to Irun and do a bit of Camino del Norte, then 'hop' across to CF later (via bus or train or a connecting Camino route)I'm in a sports hall in SJPdP tonight with about 60 other pilgrims. I'm a bit too long in the tooth for sleeping on floors.
I left the Le Puy route yesterday because of difficulties finding beds.
I'll get the train back to Bayonne tomorrow morning, have already booked 2 nights in an hotel there, and get a flight to Dublin as soon as I can. It seems September isn't a good month for older pilgrims anymore.
If you avoid the end of stage stops given in the popular guide books then you should find it easier to get a bed, even without booking ahead. The problem with booking ahead is that you are then obliged to get there, but during the walk you might feel like stopping earlier - perhaps due to fatigue or just because the village is peaceful or interesting etc. Alternatively, if you're feeling good and time is in your favour, just go on one more village past the end of stage stop. There is plenty of infrastructure on the CF, but the stage start/stop towns can become bottlenecks at times.I am currently in Agés and despite many saying it is crowded there are still empty bunks, it was the same in Belorado. However there were many bags deposited at the entrance to my Albergue from the non-carriers .
I was there a few weeks ago - a great little village, the local ‘fair’ was being held that night - and the church is very simple by normal over-the-top (personal view) Spanish standards-very calming.Ages is a good stopping point to avoid the crowds following "The Guide Book". It's an easy downhill from San Juan de Ortega and shortens the trip into Burgos. Check out the church if you get a chance.
Most of the videos I've watched on YouTube by American long trail thru-hikers have good things to say about the various ones in Thermorest's NeoAir line. The video below by Darwin of Darwin on the Trail shows it and a couple other types and discusses the pros and cons.Does anyone make/sell a ultralight sleeping pad?
If I were walking at the height of pilgrimage crowds, I'd be tempted to carry one, so I can sleep a mite more comfortably under the church porch if needed.I wonder if they are giving pilgrims pads to sleep on like the ones they hand out in the parochials? Does anyone know? I don't think it's necessary to carry a pad, is it?
I'm glad that you bring this up. It is important to be very clear about where and when these problems arise. First, so that people are not caught by surprise which apparently does happen right now to quite a few people, judging from what I currently read in the FB groups that I'm following, and secondly, so that nobody worries or even panics without reason.
@Jamminclark, you are starting on a Monday, you are starting from Pamplona, you will be walking from the middle of September onwards, and I'm predicting that it will be just fine. Please let us know how it goes if you feel like online communication while walking.
PS: As you said "restarting", I suppose you did SJPP to Pamplona earlier? Others will do the same right now. The section is a popular short stint. Many will be gone after Pamplona.
Good idea. Bringing a ground pad (for those that do not mind the wee bit of extra weight and bulk) does add a measure of mental security/relaxation that if need be you can pull up a section of church porch or similar and crash for the night in relative comfort.If I were walking at the height of pilgrimage crowds, I'd be tempted to carry one, so I can sleep a mite more comfortably under the church porch if needed.
Zubiri can be a bottleneck too though....... Things tend to clear after Pamplona.
Booking ahead only makes life easier for the bookee, it does nothing to fix the problem.
Does anyone make/sell a ultralight sleeping pad?
So why did you use "many NeoAir models" if they are tough?On my Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike, I started using one of the Nemo Tensor ultralight air-mats as a replacement for the many NeoAir models I had used previous. Tough things, those.
I never stop at Zubiri except to take a short break for refreshment so I'm clueless about what the situation is there. I do know that Zubiri has taxi service and buses, so if housing is full, one can transport to alternative locations for the night, then return to start again from Zubiri.
So why did you use "many NeoAir models" if they are tough?
I bought my sleeping pad (because it was wider than usual) in Athens in 1997 and I'm still using it. And not just me, mom and dad do morning stretch on it for couple of years now too
I wonder how much the decision to close the "substandard" overflow beds in Roncesvalles a couple of years ago has contributed to the problem? The place was already manically busy the previous September (2016) when I last stayed there. A bit different from my first time there when 9 of us stayed one night in July - the largest number of pilgrims I saw in one place until I reached Santiago.Roncesvalles and Zubiri seem to be becoming major 'choke' points at peak times.....
yes, I was aware of the September popularity after reading about it here and on the Facebook forums. I got a little nervous about it as a first-timer so I booked through Pamplona. I’m really glad I did!@mette, @Evvie, I have given your messages a "like". Not because I like what you are reporting but because you are reporting "from the field" right now.
Were you aware beforehand that the beginning of September is an exceptionally busy period at the start of the Camino Frances?
I loved Ages. San Juan de Ortega was full, so we had to go there. Several of us put together a private table of 10 or 12, and were served dinner by the charming. Fighting couple that own the corner restaurant/deli. It was upstairs, and the building seemed hundreds of years old. The couple would scream and yell at each other in the kitchen, then come out smiling. It was like a tv show.Ages is a good stopping point to avoid the crowds following "The Guide Book". It's an easy downhill from San Juan de Ortega and shortens the trip into Burgos. Check out the church if you get a chance.
So I understand that yesterday in Roncesvalles, the hospitalero volunteers arranged taxis for 100 or so people by 17:30 to take them to accommodation elsewhere and the albergue was full by 15:30? As someone else remarked, even when pilgrims are able to leave SJPP at 7:00 in the morning and arrive after a mere six hours in Roncesvalles at 13:00 - many first-timers are not able to walk so fast and need all day - or everyone starts from Valcarlos, there will always be 100 people who won't get a bed in Roncesvalles in times of such a large influx of camino walkers.Am in Roncesvalles now in a wonderful bed on the top floor of the albergue. I think some people get a bit of the wrong idea of my original post. Yes it is crowded but there were still beds available yesterday in SJPP if you just showed up until 5PM. My Dutch friend, Kees, is one of the volunteers at Roncesvalles Albergue doing his 2 week stint and he says they have been filling up every night between 4 and 6 and arranging busses to take people to alternative towns.
Yes I think so. The pattern in SJPP/Roncesvalles is the same every year. A peak at the beginning of May and a peak at the beginning of September (see below). The weekend of 21 September is not going to be lonely as I see from their website that the bookable beds (which is not the same as the available beds, only about a third is bookable, the rest is first come first served) are all already booked at the Roncesvalles albergue for Friday and Saturday (20+21) but it will be much calmer than it was just now.I am starting my first camino from SJPDP next week, September 21st. I have booked my first night in SJPDP, but nothing after that. Do you think that the September peak is over by then?
Not only seasonal but also regional. The fact that there was a peak in SJPP/Roncesvalles just now doesn't mean that there will be a peak in Santiago in a month's time. Only a minority of pilgrims walk from Saint-Jean to Santiago non-stop or cover the whole distance at all.All goes to show how seasonal it is
I had a quick look at Gronze.com and counted the beds available in Hornillos. About 130 beds. So, obviously, at any time, if there are more than 130 people who want to stay there, which I think is not an extraordinary high daily number, there will not be a bed for everyone in Hornillos. Even if nobody reserves in advance and everyone gets up really early and walks really fast ...Pilgrims continued arriving in Hornillos throughout the afternoon. There was not a single bed available. Finally someone arranged for a van to come and pick up the unplaced pilgrims and shuttled them to the next town or two so they could have beds.
You will be OK. No worries.I am starting my first camino from SJPDP next week, September 21st. I have booked my first night in SJPDP, but nothing after that. Do you think that the September peak is over by then?
Not quite! The old July/August is still the new July/August from Sarria to Santiago.May/September are the new July/August.
It will be interesting to see the actual numbers if the pilgrim office ever get around to publishing them for July and August this year. Strange that they have not been updated on the website. That usually happens very quickly after the month ends. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the figures this year are so high that they are afraid it will scare people off from starting a CaminoNot quite! The old July/August is still the new July/August from Sarria to Santiago.
I am starting my first camino from SJPDP next week, September 21st. I have booked my first night in SJPDP, but nothing after that. Do you think that the September peak is over by then?
Gronze.com suggests five stages on the Camino Baztan from Bayonne to Pamplona. This also crosses the Pyrenees.Who knows?... maybe you'll meet someone in Bayonne before SJPP, and decide to start walking from there to Pamplona! Skip SJPP entirely!
I am starting my first camino from SJPDP next week, September 21st. I have booked my first night in SJPDP, but nothing after that. Do you think that the September peak is over by then?
Yes, you'll be fine without booking ahead beyond that, unless you want to stay at Orrison.
I tend to stray away from recommending any piece of kit that is expensive. I do not assume everyone reading these posts has gobs of disposable currency to spend say 100 euros on a fancy piece of foam/inflatable bladder. I know that many who come here are on extremely tight budgets and barely scrape enough money up to get to the Camino. I have met many pilgrims like that on the Frances. I never carry anything on the Camino so expensive I would be overly upset at losing/breaking/donating or have stolen from me. It is all just things anyway.The problem is that for that reason--it being something you may not use often, if at all--you may want it to be as small and light as possible. The smallest/lightest ones are quite expensive.
Maybe that is why @Healthful mentioned it as a problem.I do not assume everyone reading these posts has gobs of disposable currency
Yes, you'll be fine without booking ahead beyond that, unless you want to stay at Orrison.
@Jan79 said that s/he will start on Saturday the 21st of September in SJPP. I mentioned it already in my reply to her/him in a tiny line that is easily overlooked so below it is in largeIt is easy to book a bed in Roncesvalles, and I sure would.
I sense some frustration, Katharina.@Jan79 said that s/he will start on Saturday the 21st of September in SJPP. I mentioned it already in my reply to her/him in a tiny line that is easily overlooked so below it is in large. I also pointed out that they have many beds that cannot be booked.
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They didn't give us mats. One young lady brought her own inflatable matress. She must have had a comfortable nights sleep as she was the last one up.People they will give you a mat in SJPP at the gymnasium.
Booking ahead only makes life easier for the bookee, it does nothing to fix the problem.
Does anyone make/sell a ultralight sleeping pad?
You are encountering the Senior Citizen wave. Many of us Seniors wait until September to avoid the summer rush, creating a Sep/Oct rush.There’s got to be close to a hundred people in line at the Pilgrim’s Office at 4:30 today. Locals are saying the first two weeks in September are always the most crowded. Second most crowded is a stretch in May! By 5PM it seemed all the albergues and hostals on Rue de la Citadelle were full. Should be an interesting Camino.
PS:
Just talked with nice Australian woman at Pilgrims Office and she told me they told the pilgrims arriving yesterday to wait a day if they could as today was dark and rainy. Hence there are well over 500 pilgrims queued up for a hopefully a beautiful day tomorrow. The locals are opening the gymnasium and providing mats for late arrivers aas the night train is coming in soon.
If you avoid the end of stage stops given in the popular guide books then you should find it easier to get a bed, even without booking ahead. The problem with booking ahead is that you are then obliged to get there, but during the walk you might feel like stopping earlier - perhaps due to fatigue or just because the village is peaceful or interesting etc. Alternatively, if you're feeling good and time is in your favour, just go on one more village past the end of stage stop. There is plenty of infrastructure on the CF, but the stage start/stop towns can become bottlenecks at times.
Too much money and weight to carry for one nightThermaRest makes a very light, comfortable, small backpacking sleeping pad. Well worth the $100
Absolutely! I thought you were hoping to camp more.Too much money and weight to carry for one night
Just past Logrono. So many on the path and a bed race every night. Very hot.There’s got to be close to a hundred people in line at the Pilgrim’s Office at 4:30 today. Locals are saying the first two weeks in September are always the most crowded. Second most crowded is a stretch in May! By 5PM it seemed all the albergues and hostals on Rue de la Citadelle were full. Should be an interesting Camino.
PS:
Just talked with nice Australian woman at Pilgrims Office and she told me they told the pilgrims arriving yesterday to wait a day if they could as today was dark and rainy. Hence there are well over 500 pilgrims queued up for a hopefully a beautiful day tomorrow. The locals are opening the gymnasium and providing mats for late arrivers aas the night train is coming in soon.
I'm in a sports hall in SJPdP tonight with about 60 other pilgrims. I'm a bit too long in the tooth for sleeping on floors.
I left the Le Puy route yesterday because of difficulties finding beds.
I'll get the train back to Bayonne tomorrow morning, have already booked 2 nights in an hotel there, and get a flight to Dublin as soon as I can. It seems September isn't a good month for older pilgrims anymore.
You are encountering the Senior Citizen wave. Many of us Seniors wait until September to avoid the summer rush, creating a Sep/Oct rush.
I would agree with that. Ive been walking since July 22 and the Frances is loaded with seniors right now.You are encountering the Senior Citizen wave. Many of us Seniors wait until September to avoid the summer rush, creating a Sep/Oct rush.
I took the Napoleon route first time around and whilst it was a hard slog I’m still glad I opted to give it a go but would take the Valcarlos route next time as I’d heard it was an enjoyable route.Last time I walked the Francés I took the Valcarlos route and stayed in the albergue there. A leisurely breakfast in SJPDP watching the eager beavers rush off to the Napoleon, then a lovely walk through the Basque countryside (with a stop off at Arnéguy for coffee and a meander through the duty free shops), then on to Valcarlos and the excellent albergue there, where I stayed. Only two pilgrims in the albergue, a scrumptious dinner meal, and the next day a stroll through the beach woods, and I arrived in Roncesvalles ahead of the Napoleon crowd, with no trouble getting a bed.
@mette, @Evvie, I have given your messages a "like". Not because I like what you are reporting but because you are reporting "from the field" right now.
Were you aware beforehand that the beginning of September is an exceptionally busy period at the start of the Camino Frances?
There’s got to be close to a hundred people in line at the Pilgrim’s Office at 4:30 today. Locals are saying the first two weeks in September are always the most crowded. Second most crowded is a stretch in May! By 5PM it seemed all the albergues and hostals on Rue de la Citadelle were full. Should be an interesting Camino.
PS:
Just talked with nice Australian woman at Pilgrims Office and she told me they told the pilgrims arriving yesterday to wait a day if they could as today was dark and rainy. Hence there are well over 500 pilgrims queued up for a hopefully a beautiful day tomorrow. The locals are opening the gymnasium and providing mats for late arrivers aas the night train is coming in soon.
I was part of one of those last minute taxi runs Sept 2018. Stressful at first but taxi driver called ahead to an Alburgue not expecting a small crowd. Alburgue was eagerly waiting for is when we arrived. Our group of strangers had now become a close knit family. Dinner was joyous.Follow up to my original post. On 11 September, according to my Dutch friend who is a volunteer hospitalero there September 6-20 the Roncesvalles Abbey’s 217 beds (around 300 total in Roncesvalles) were filled by 3:30 and they set a record for needing 15 taxis to take over 100 pilgrims to other accommodations. I was talking with him in the lobby at 9:30PM when a final pilgrim walked in all red from the cold. He just informed me that today they were completo again for like over 2 weeks consecutively. Positively, they needed no taxis. Perhaps the numbers have peaked and things will ease up for pilgrims starting over the next few days and weeks.
Is it in French the fb pageL
Thank you! Found it.
Or walk from there to Irun and on to either Santo Domingo or Burgos on the Vasco Interior/Via de Bayona.@C clearly made a suggestion on another thread that one could walk from Bayonne to Pamplona and I posted a follow-up. That walk would avoid the crowds on the early part of the CF. The post follows:
I just finished the Portuguese yesterday. Started the first week of September from Porto. Not too many pilgrims until Tui, then the crowds began.Great thread. I'm glad I stumbled onto it. Would anyone know if starting in September is busy like this on all Caminos or just CF? I am/(was) starting to think about a September (2020) start for the Portuguese.
Any info would be appreciated............
Muchas gracias!Congratulations and welcome to Santiago, @trecile!
I’m totally doing this in a few weeks.Last time I walked the Francés I took the Valcarlos route and stayed in the albergue there. A leisurely breakfast in SJPDP watching the eager beavers rush off to the Napoleon, then a lovely walk through the Basque countryside (with a stop off at Arnéguy for coffee and a meander through the duty free shops), then on to Valcarlos and the excellent albergue there, where I stayed. Only two pilgrims in the albergue, a scrumptious dinner meal, and the next day a stroll through the beech woods, and I arrived in Roncesvalles ahead of the Napoleon crowd, with no trouble getting a bed.
later september is good. i started my on 19th last year. thr weath was very pleseant and it was quiet all the way to santiago. never had problem finding a bed once.I'm in a sports hall in SJPdP tonight with about 60 other pilgrims. I'm a bit too long in the tooth for sleeping on floors.
I left the Le Puy route yesterday because of difficulties finding beds.
I'll get the train back to Bayonne tomorrow morning, have already booked 2 nights in an hotel there, and get a flight to Dublin as soon as I can. It seems September isn't a good month for older pilgrims anymore.
The same conversations every September....
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