Urgent question regarding sleeping bags

[freeflyer123]

About to pack everything to take, we have been wondering about the wisdom of packing sleeping bags. We are taking a tent, primarily because I get the impression that beds might be at a premium this time of year. Can we manage with just silk inner liners? I see that England is to have a heatwave next week, which means that the Camino is probably already in the grips of a hot summer. But I feel the cold something chronic - one of the reasons I wanted to get away to the Camino! Does it get really cold in the mountains on the Camino this time of year? We won't be able to buy sleeping bags once there, so I would love any feedback - positive - that a silk liner will be enough in a tent!

 

[julo d.]

Be careful that in Spain the free camping is forbidden by law

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The albergues have been quite warm. They all have blankets. Only you know if you need a sleeping bag in a tent. In the last week into Santiago everyone found a bed. They are easiest to find if you avoid the guidebook destinations.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Oh, and the local police were visiting a tent in a park in Portomarin in the morning just at the street intersection for the camping grounds as I walked by from Vilachá. If you are going to break the law, be invisible.

 

[NoQ]

It would also depend on what temperatures you are comfortable with. If you are coming from Northern Europe a liner may be enough.

I'm setting out at the end of next week and will be taking a light summer sleeping bag. While the temperatures will be mostly comfortable, it can get chilly at night, especially on the higher stages. Then again, chilly for me would be anything below 20 degrees as for the past few weeks the minimum night time temperature in Hong Kong has not been lower than 27 degrees C.

 

[sulu]

The weather is pretty warm at the moment. I live at 890 metres, I sleep with the windows open but I wouldn't want to be without a blanket. There seems to be a heavy dew over night as well. I'm sure the meseta is much warmer but you could have some miserable nights without a sleeping bag.

 

[freeflyer123]

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. I suspect that I will be happier with a small lightweight sleeping bag, although my husband probably won't bother as he doesn't feel the cold like I do.

We have been researching all of the campsites as we don't intend to sleep rough. Some albergues, I believe, will even let you use their premises to pitch your tent. I have to admit to being worried that we might not find a place to stay because we are on bikes, and cyclists tend to be turned away until all of the walkers are in (fair enough considering it's a lot harder to walk an extra five miles than it is to cycle). Also, we are taking the tent because we intend to cycle back to the UK via France and camping there is always an option.

Having said that about not sleeping rough, I did read somewhere that two young girls did, only using hiding places to pitch their tents. It's not something I would recommend because we're both too old (65 and 72) to start having to explain ourselves to the local police

 

[Jochen-Schmidtke]

Re: A list of camping sites along the Camino

Hi Freeflyer.
You can download a list with camping sites along the Camino here.
Buen Camino
Jochen

 

[whariwharangi]

Camping in the mountains no matter the time of year is prone to variable weather. If your plan is to camp then I would recommend a light sleeping bag at the least. Since you are on bikes that should not be a problem.