St.Juan de Villapanada.

[jaws101]

Hope to be overnighting next week at Villapanada Albergue....can anyone advise on blanket availability.....we are currently in Spain and making final plans to start the Primitivo.

 

[jaws101]

No responses!!! Oh well, we'll start tomorrow without a sleeping bag and if we shiver all night we know who to blame, lol.

Excited about starting the Primitivo, it was delayed from May due to the weather (and mud). Hope nothing stops us now!

 

[Tincatinker]

I guess there aren't many on the forum who've stopped there. Grado is the usual first stop for the long legged out of Oviedo. Escamplero for those like me who like to take it slow. It's a parochial Albergue in a fairly small pueblo without any services apart from the dispensing machine in the Albergue. Blankets are unlikely to be available but you never know your luck. The old school building at Esclampero has a cupboard full - you just need to know where to look.

The Primitivo is a great Camino, have a good one.

 

[jaws101]

We're actually hoping to stay in the Pension but not getting a response from them. The albergue is a fallback and we're not carrying a sleeping bag, just a sheet inner.

Tomorrow night will be interesting!!!

We may (now we're going to start earlier in the day than originally anticipated) walk further and stop at Grado.

Thanks for your response @Tincatinker

 

[peregrino_tom]

I guess there aren't many on the forum who've stopped there. Grado is the usual first stop for the long legged out of Oviedo.

Maybe now, but I don't think there were any pilgrim albergues in Grado until 2016? I visited Villapanada mid-September 2011 and it was full, and all folk I talked to had started in Oviedo that morning. I have fond memories of the place, mainly because of Domingo, the hospitalero, who was amazingly helpful. I see Gronze still lists him as the hospitalero.. if he is still there he'd probably give you the blankets off his own bed if there weren't any others available (seems unlikely).
Jaws, please let us know how you get on.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

there's a shiny new private albergue in Grado now, you should have no problems finding a warm bed, even if the Grado municipal is full. Villapanada has blankets, but this far into the year I would not guarantee their daisy-freshness. Bring up some food with you from Grado!

 

[jaws101]

We stopped the first night in Escamplero cos I got a blister on the ball of my foot. However, after minor surgery! today I was able to walk on it. We passed Grado and Villapañada and are now in a shed at Doriga!! Very nice it is also cos we have it to ourselves. It was fiesta today in Doriga so the bar was full but they still made us welcome and I innocently found myself in the grounds of the Palace (the gate was open, why not!). It was closed and locked half an hour later, lol.

 

[BlaBlah]

April 2019:easter. Domingo showed up (with a temper), required all to lay out their sleeping bags, and threatened to throw out anyone without this basic equipment. The albuergue is unheated, with a choice of huddling around a stove in the kitchen or moving it into the dorm. Simulatenously heating water blew the fused, leaving is in the dark. The bossy approach by the Domino is contrary to the information above, severely upsetting to the witnesses and the mist unwelcome we saw on two camino so far.