Sleeping mat

[Walker75]

I am reading a guide to the Via de la Plata that recommends taking a sleeping mat. I walked the Camino Frances and the Camino Portuguese in 2009 and never stayed in an albergue where a mat would have been useful. What are the experiences of those of you who have done the Via recently? Take a mat?

 

[+@^^]

over the 42 days in sept/ oct last year
not ever once did i have the need for a sleeping mat
i never saw one on any pilgrims back ever

 

[Anna-Marie]

The English guidebooks tend to be out of date--written at a time when, I believe, pilgrim accommodation often involved sleeping on the floor.

That said, spring is getting busier on the Via de la Plata. There were times I'd have felt more comfortable with a mat as backup because albergue beds did sometimes get full. (I walked this April/May, and apparently June was also very busy.)

Of course, I don't know if I'd take a sleeping mat if I did the route again in spring--I never absolutely needed it, though I did spend one night on a floor. And from what I've read, I definitely wouldn't take one at any other time of year.

Anna-Marie

 

[Walker75]

Gracias. I am starting to walk from Seville on September 12. No mat for this peregrino.

 

[mmm042]

I can't imagine you'd need one on the VDLP either. I've walked various portions on October 2009, November 2010 and March 2011 -- granted, not the most popular times -- and after covering about 600 km I only saw a total of 12 people. Many, many albergues were totally empty. I spoke with some hospitaleras, and while traffic increases in the summer, it's still not so bad.

I'm heading out from Salamanca in late September! Buen Camino!

Melanie