Stop in the name of love...accommodation . for easter week..solo woman first camino

[Lauramac]

Hello everyone.sorry about title needed some thing that might catch the eye .I'm walking the sarria to santiago route starting on good Friday for a week..I have a few questions that I hope you might help me with.
Do I need to book my accommodation ahead or can I just book that day or the day before I get there..will it be very busy at that time?
I'm getting my bag transfer as I have a sore shoulder and recommendations would be great. .would it be a problem if I didn't have a list of accommodation before hand for transfer?
And lastly . .I have a bone spur in my ankle and I'm going to use my hiking boots for most of hike....are thear suitable for the terrain in last 115km end of march start April or will my feet fall off in the heat wearing them!?thanks so much for taking the time to read this. ..any hints it tips ...very thankfully received

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It will be merely busy with Holy Week pilgrims, mostly from Spain. Everything will be open, so there will be plenty of beds. You need to know where your bag is going, so reserve one day ahead. Arranging bag service is easy. Just ask at the albergue or hostal desk.

 

[Waka]

I can answer a few if not all your questions.
Starting on Good Friday or anytime around Easter is going to be very busy, you can't imagine how busy, a lot of the Spanish will be walking at that time of year and a favourite is from Sarria.
My advice would be to book your accommodation ahead of time, nothing worse than arriving at your destination and having to sleep under the stars.
You can download an up to date accommodation list from this forum, it will give you everything you need to know about Albergues private or otherwise.
Regarding your footwear you must wear what you feel comfortable in, you will note that there is a variety of footwear on the camino, whatever you wear it's a good idea to air your feet during your breaks.
One final tip for you, just go with the flow, walk at your own pace, enjoy your surroundings, there will be plenty of people in front and behind you, enjoy the magical experience.

Hope this helps.

Buen Camino

 

[Marbe2]

We came into Santiago on Holy Thursday 2017. If you are staying in larger towns such as Pedrouzo, Azura , etc I would definitely make reservations! I heard people calling when we checked in at Pedrouzo and staff telling the caller that they had no vacancies. The proprietor told us that there were no beds left in town! We arrived in towns between 1 and 3pm. Towns were FULL! Another resource is booking.com for accommodations. Also wanted to mention that some private places close down Easter Sunday.

Last year our days in Galacia were unseasonably warm. Easter was April 16. . So you are a bit earlier. Suggest you go with what will protect and support your feet. Wearing an additional pair of wicking socks will help prevent blisters. Also use vasoline or hiking goo on your feet to prevent blisters. As previously suggested, stop periodically and air out your feet!

 

[Bala]

I haven't been there (yet), but as a former travel agent I would say ..... bear in mind that you are travelling to one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in the world, on the most important weekend of the Christian calendar. Plan accordingly!

 

[tpmchugh]

Hello everyone.sorry about title needed some thing that might catch the eye .I'm walking the sarria to santiago route starting on good Friday for a week..I have a few questions that I hope you might help me with.
Do I need to book my accommodation ahead or can I just book that day or the day before I get there..will it be very busy at that time?
I'm getting my bag transfer as I have a sore shoulder and recommendations would be great. .would it be a problem if I didn't have a list of accommodation before hand for transfer?
And lastly . .I have a bone spur in my ankle and I'm going to use my hiking boots for most of hike....are thear suitable for the terrain in last 115km end of march start April or will my feet fall off in the heat wearing them!?thanks so much for taking the time to read this. ..any hints it tips ...very thankfully received

Unlike a lot of countries, Spain takes Holy Week as its Easter holiday. A lot of Spanish like to walk a section of the camino at this time. I walked during Easter week in 2013 and had no problems but in Estella, the completo sign went up on our albergue late in the afternoon

 

[HeidiL]

Do you need to arrive in Santiago from Sarria, or will another stretch of a Camino do just as well? We always walk at Easter and love it, but the stretch from Sarria will be quite crowded.

We (husband, 21-year-old son and I) will be walking from A Coruña to Muxia via Santiago and Finisterre the same week (starting March 24th) and don't expect problems, but we're flexible about distances and accommodation and can afford hotels all the way if necessary.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Given that the Sarria to Santiago section is busy virtually all of the year you might need to either rethink your plans or start doing some forward bookings. Even away from the various Caminos Easter is an important period to Spaniards and I do support the idea of forward bookings. You should also think about accommodation in Santiago - the city will be packed!!

If you are going to use backpack transfers then you will need to nominate a specific albergue (preferably not a donativo one - one that will be open when your backpack arrives and might take some responsibility for it).
Buen Camino!