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Sleeping Bag Needed? October

alhartman

2005-2017 Delightful 346 days in Spain and France.
Time of past OR future Camino
2017
Planning 30 Sept to 2 Nov walk from Lisbon to Santiago. Weather history seems to be pretty temperate and I sleep warm but do not know if Albergues have blankets. I am sure added warmth would be good on occasion.
Any recommendations from those who have done this route in the fall. Thanks
 
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Most of the Xunta albergues and many of the other government operated provide throw away sheets to protect pillows and mattress but not blankets.

A lot of the private and municipal albergues do provide blankets. Sheets are used to protect pillows and mattresses but some looked kind of sketchy from cleanliness point of view due to limited laundry facilities. You don't ever get a top sheet. (except in San Lazaro in Santiago)

There was speculation amongst fellow pilgrims on my trip about the relative cleanliness of blankets and there was discussion about bed bugs among the blankets too .

You won't die if you don't have a sleeping bag and being uncomfortable due to cold is allowed ... some would even insist that you experience discomfort whilst on a pilgrimage.

Albergue temperatures ranged from grand solar minima to apocalyptic global warming alarmism scenarios.

So its up to you.

I wouldn't be caught dead walking in unfamiliar mountains without a sleeping bag. I got mild hypothermia before I got to Hontanas (too long a walk and I didn't protect against a cold wind) and my sleeping bag is what kept me out of misery in the unheated albergue till supper was served (some 3 hours after I arrived) and I could restore my energy levels.
 
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You won’t really need a sleeping bag until you hit the Xunta albergues in Galicia, as they don’t provide blankets. I do, however, remember two freezing cold nights in February in two different pensions south of Porto, and wished I had my down sleeping bag with me. There were plenty of (hard, thin) blankets, but they didn’t keep me warm; they were a heavy weight on top of me and I shivered inside the cold sheets. I finally put on all my clothes to get warm. Most family-run places in Portugal have sheets and old blankets; fluffy duvets are usually only to be found in the more modern hotels. You’ll probably be OK in October, but I would take the sleeping bag.
Jill
 
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There were blankets in the Xunta albergue in Muxia, and also I think in Dumbría.
 
trecile said:
There were blankets in the Xunta albergue in Muxia, and also I think in Dumbría.
Click to expand...



Ah the albergue at Dumbria is splendid! By the way they have great showers plus handy sub-floor heat in winter.

Located on the eastern side of the village next to the local sport hall; when you arrive if the large glass door appears closed just push it, enter and choose a bunk. The helpful hospitalero generally arrives about 17:00 to stamp your Crendencial and take the fee.
 
I had gone into town to get a bite to eat when the hospitalera first arrived, but she came back at 21:30 - when I was already in bed, but not asleep yet.
It really is a great facility, though I think that they failed when they chose the beds. For all planning that obviously went into the albergue I'm surprised that they equipped it with standard issue bunks where an adult can't sit on the bottom bunk without hitting their head.
And I didn't understand the purpose of the large empty space just past the reception desk. We called it the ballroom.
 
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Where on the Portuguese is this?
 
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Pretty cold nights are to be expected in some mountain places.
I was comfortably lodged in Foncebadon (early October) but pilgrims arriving late were placed in some kind of attic, with air currents going through the dorm.
Ýes, a sleeping bag is convenient. Not a risk worth taking in Autumn.
 
mspath said:
Ah the albergue at Dumbria is splendid! By the way they have great showers plus handy sub-floor heat in winter.
Click to expand...

At the end of Nov one year I stayed at the Dumbria Xunta albergue, just one Korean couple and me. They had one dorm and I had the other. I couldn’t work out how to set the dial on the wall for the floor heating, so did what I thought and went to sleep. Woke up at 3am roasting! I am still on a major guilt trip for having wasted so much electricity .
Jill
 
trecile said:
There were blankets in the Xunta albergue in Muxia, and also I think in Dumbría.
Click to expand...

In early March I asked the hospitalero in the Porriño albergue for a blanket. He was very apologetic that there were none, but that the heating would come on at 6pm. It did, but it didn’t stay on, and I was very cold that night.
Jill
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
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.
Thanks to all. Sounds like even in Portugal a (lightweight) bag is useful. So it will go with me!!
 
I would not travel or walk a Camino without a lightweight sleeping bag which would guarantee a warm night's sleep. You can buy sleeping bags that weigh as little as 400 grams and will keep you toasty warm down to about 14 degrees which should be fine for albergues. Check out the Mountain Equipement Helium Solo, a high quality bag and very light. Also the Sea to Summit TR I quilt which is another popular choice. I walked the CF in July 2001 and slept cold with my polar sleeping bag liner. Since then I have always kept a lightweight sleeping bag with me. No regrets and great sleep!
 
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