Sleeping Bag or liner

[WALKER007]

I am starting from Lisbon at the beginning of September to walk the Camino Portuguese and hoping to stay in alburgues along the way. Can anyone advise if I need to bring a sleeping bag or will a liner suffice?

 

[SYates]

Personally I take always a sleeping bag but I do hate to sleep 'cold'. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Average temperatures show a low of 16 degrees C in September so I'd certainly consider just a good liner and if it's ever necessary you can leave on a shirt and pants for extra warmth.

 

[Davie Blisters]

Although I walked from Lisbon in June this year, I can confirm each Albergue had a ready supply of blankets. Most nights I only used my liner.
Bom Caminho
Davie

 

[hel&scott]

I am starting from Lisbon at the beginning of September to walk the Camino Portuguese and hoping to stay in alburgues along the way. Can anyone advise if I need to bring a sleeping bag or will a liner suffice?

Take both, and some merino thermals. My daughter and I walked this route in winter, started in Ferrol in November and walked down to reach Lisbon a month later, in an attempt to stay ahead of the rain. It didn't work. On other trips to Portugal we have found it to be cold and wet from mid Sept onwards.
There are few refuges in the Lisbon to Porto section, but fire stations have stacks if mattresses and blankets, they tend to be used more by large groups going to Fatima, rather then solo walkers. But they will give you a basic place to stay. Cold though, as were most of the pensions and hotels we stayed in, for some reason heating is very poor in Portugal. My local friends laugh that its more likely your host will give you a coat to wear inside, then take yours to hang up. That said, lovely people and a lovely Caminho.

 

[edumad]

I would go for a light-duty sleeping bag, small and light but will offer much more protection than a liner. Some public albergues will not have any covers, as was the case in Ponte de Lima.

 

[WALKER007]

Take both, and some merino thermals. My daughter and I walked this route in winter, started in Ferrol in November and walked down to reach Lisbon a month later, in an attempt to stay ahead of the rain. It didn't work. On other trips to Portugal we have found it to be cold and wet from mid Sept onwards.
There are few refuges in the Lisbon to Porto section, but fire stations have stacks if mattresses and blankets, they tend to be used more by large groups going to Fatima, rather then solo walkers. But they will give you a basic place to stay. Cold though, as were most of the pensions and hotels we stayed in, for some reason heating is very poor in Portugal. My local friends laugh that its more likely your host will give you a coat to wear inside, then take yours to hang up. That said, lovely people and a lovely Caminho.

Thank you Helen and Scott - interesting you say rain from mid September onwards, imagine it would still be hot weather. I am walking from 1st September from Lisbon and have been told the route from Lisbon to Porto is not well marked, there a few alburgues and shouldn't be attempted unless one is seasoned pilgrim and one speaks Portuguese. I am neither really so slightly apprehensive but hey ho isn't that what the Camino is about. I walked the CF three years ago and it was fantastic. Thanks for your reply

 

[hel&scott]

I am walking from 1st September from Lisbon and have been told the route from Lisbon to Porto is not well marked, there a few alburgues and shouldn't be attempted unless one is seasoned pilgrim and one speaks Portuguese. I am neither really so slightly apprehensive but hey ho isn't that what the Camino is about. I walked the CF three years ago and it was fantastic. Thanks for your reply

You will be fine, we speak next to no Portuguese and found it not to be a problem, due largely I guess to the historical impact of Brits in the county over the years. We usually time our European walking to their Autumn, ie September, as it starts to cool off and you get a few good weeks before the rain sets in. If you are only going up to Porto you should be fine, the rain rolls in from the Atlantic and hits the north before working its way down the county, the mt ranges on the border mean Portugal tends to be wet while the Spaish side can be in drought. Just take lightweight warm clothes to help incase it gets cold. Cheers Hel

 

[jerbear]

Easy to cool off. Difficult to get warm if you dont have warm clothes. WFM. Works for me. KSO bc

 

[jsalt]

I am starting from Lisbon at the beginning of September to walk the Camino Portuguese and hoping to stay in alburgues along the way. Can anyone advise if I need to bring a sleeping bag or will a liner suffice?

There are NO blankets in the Xunta albergues in Galicia (e.g. Porriño). I would suggest you have a sleeping bag with you if you intend to stay in them (the cheapest option). September can still be hot . . . but it can also be cold . . .
Jill

 

[Kiwi-d]

I left Pamplona 31 August and it was so hot I used just a liner for about 3 days. After that it was cool enough that I used a sleeping bag (one that opened out completely) and didn't use the liner again. Like SYates, I hate to sleep cold.

 

[J F Gregory]

A light weight down quilt, Mine weighs 18oz + a silk liner, bedbugs don't like silk.

 

[C clearly]

bedbugs don't like silk

Can you give us any evidence or reputable scientific studies of this? Bedbugs don't chew their way through any fabric - silk, cotton or polyester.