Via de la Plata

[Liz Drew]

I will start from Merida in April and am planning on not taking my sleeping bag - just the silk liner. I walked the Camino Portuguese in 2016 and never used it.
What do other's who have walked this route think?
Thanks

 

[maurice]

You will be having a great time! It's a beautiful path, wish you a buen camino!
(I am walking this camino too but because of work can't do it in one time, walked sevilla- Galisteo, Galisteo- Granje de Moruela, and hopefully, God willing, I will return in September for the last 353km )

 

[Liz Drew]

Thank you very much. I am looking forward to it immensely

 

[HedaP]

Sorry have never walked the VdlP so can’t help but am hoping to walk the Portuguese next. I like to walk in early spring so am wondering if you also walked the Portuguese in April and if so beginning, middle or end? Many thanks.
Buen camino.

 

[Liz Drew]

Hello
I walked the Portuguese Camino - coastal route in September and it was absolutely fabulous! It will be warm enough in April to walk easily in shorts in April, cold early mornings but the days should be lovely and mild. You will enjoy it immensely!

 

[Liz Drew]

Hello
I walked the Portuguese Camino - coastal route in September and it was absolutely fabulous! It will be warm enough in April to walk easily in shorts in April, cold early mornings but the days should be lovely and mild. You will enjoy it immensely!

I started from Lisbon

 

[Martyduc]

i would not go without my lightweight sleeping bag ,,,, i should be a little behind you on the vdlp ,,, starting the mozarabe in almeria in late march to walk throught to merida and onwards ,,, buen camino

 

[Former member 31048]

I will start from Merida in April and am planning on not taking my sleeping bag - just the silk liner. I walked the Camino Portuguese in 2016 and never used it.
What do other's who have walked this route think?
Thanks

Hi Liz

If you have time, spend a day or two in Merida before you set out. It's a wonderful town - I'm usually a bad tourist but the town has a great atmosphere and the Roman ruins are truly wonderful - both at the Teatro Romano de Merida and the ones you come across just walking in the town. We had no expectations of Merida when we arrived - it was just the last town on the Camino Mozarabe - where it connects to Via de la Plata. It's now one of our favourite Spanish towns. Buen Camino

 

[Liz Drew]

i would not go without my lightweight sleeping bag ,,,, i should be a little behind you on the vdlp ,,, starting the mozarabe in almeria in late march to walk throught to merida and onwards ,,, buen camino

 

[Liz Drew]

Many thanks for that. I was hoping to relieve my pack of 680gms!

 

[CaroleH]

I always have my lightweight ( 450gm) down sleeping bag too, on the VdlP or any camino. Sometimes it's too warm but some nights in April/May can be quite chilly. Maybe it's a personal choice.
Buen camino Liz. It's a wonderful camino and the wild flowers should be appearing in April...

 

[Liz Drew]

Many thanks! I will take it as the last thing I want is to be cold!!

 

[Martyduc]

good choice ,,, it may well get a bit chilly ,,and many times if there are blankets in the albergues,they don't always look so clean ,,, cheers

 

[Liz Drew]

good choice ,,, it may well get a bit chilly ,,and many times if there are blankets in the albergues,they don't always look so clean ,,, cheers

 

[Liz Drew]

Thanks, though I don’t tend to stay in albergues unless I have to. I am a very light sleeper and try and avoid the snorechestrs if possible.
Single rooms in hostels is more my style.
When I walked through Portugal and stayed in hostels I never used my sleeping bag

 

[jungleboy]

I started from Lisbon

Hi Liz, what was the Lisbon-Porto stretch like for you? My wife and I are looking at doing the Caminho Português next year and need to decide whether to start in Lisbon (where we live) or Porto.

 

[Liz Drew]

Hi there, I walked many d September and the days were very warm. About 34 degrees! It was hard going out of Lisbon but got easier and more interesting once I got to Santarem everything became more interesting. Colega, Tomar and of course Coimbra are must see places!

Liz

 

[jungleboy]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. My wife is very keen to start walking from our front door in Lisbon. But we've read that between Lisbon and Porto there are not many albergues and there's a lot of road walking and barking dogs and that the stages just aren't that nice. Plus, we have already been to Coimbra and Tomar and some other places in central Portugal (not Colega, though). So we are a bit torn about this.

 

[Liz Drew]

Your wife is correct! There is a lot of road walking to Porto and not a lot of albergues but the ones I stayed in were great, walking the roads is tough! Much better from Porto but there are barking dogs everywhere!

 

[CaroleH]

Liz, you generally don't need a sleeping bag for hostals. Blankets provided.

 

[Kanga]

@Liz Drew I've put my toe in the water for the Vdlp last April - and I definitely needed my sleeping bag - but I was staying in albergues which do not provide bedding. In hotels, casa rurals, hostals it is usual to get bedding and therefore you would not need a sleeping bag. Provided you can find that type of accommodation where you want it!

 

[Liz Drew]

Great to hear!
Many thanks. My pack has just become 680gms lighter!!

 

[Liz Drew]

I generally stay in hostels, away from snorechestra