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Just tried it. Did found some useful information. Thank you!Have you used the Forum Search feature, yet? There are several threads on this topic.
Buen Camino
that is a very good piece of advice and very encouraging . thank you so much!I have wild camped (stealth camping) on all of my caminos.
Used hammock, light weight tent and bivy.
Found bivy is best used with a tarp.
Each has their own good and bads.
Most of the time I stopped in a a’burg. Paid. Shower, did clothes, went to eat and then went to my wild camping spot.
Normally found before sunset. Then went to store, a’burg, etc.
Coming back to spot / area at sunset.
No fires, no smoking, no cooking etc.
Never climb over fence or enter gate.
Left spot better than found it when I got up at sunrise.
I like to wild camp so don’t hear snoring, toilet flushing all night, talk, giggling , etc
Few times I went straight to stealth camping spot without stopping at a’burg.
I have body wipes to wipe down some before sleeping.
I have light weight sleeping bag.
Always have wool night cap and emerging blanket.
I have also stayed in private places, B&B, pensions, hotels etc.
Also slept with in garden area (with permission) of a A’burg.
Slept on porches, balcony, etc
I do not take cooking gear.
You will be surprised at how many spots there are to wild camp! All over the place.
Many on here frown on people who want to sleep outside.
thank you! i will also only do camping occasionally.Your painting is beautiful!
I wild camped the Frances and the Portuguese to Porto from Santiago on a bicycle in Oct/Nov several years ago and walked the Frances this last March staying in albergues. On a future walk the only thing that would keep me from occasional wild camping would be the extra weight of a tent or bivy sack.
Love your painting and just walked out of Villar de Mazarife this morning.I wonder how practical it is to wild camping on the Camino. I can get an ultralight tent (weigh about 1.5 kg). So the weight is not a problem. But I remember I read it somewhere it said the official camping sites are usually quite far from Camino trail and it is prohibited to wild camping in Spain. Don’t know if this is true. I have three routes in mind, Portugues, Norte and Via da la Plate. The facilities on these routes are not as good as Frances. I think a tent is necessary in case I can’t get a bed in albergue.
View attachment 57747
Buen Camino!Love your painting and just walked out of Villar de Mazarife this morning.
Just because people post videos doesn't mean what theu're doing is OK. Camping with the permission of someone is one thing, but it's my understanding that wild camping IS illegal in Spain. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.I doubt that it is illegal to wild camp in Spain. In fact, I have seen many vids of folks doing just that.
So, with a little searching, the true answer to this question is yes, no and maybe. The Spanish Biker Blog provides all on free camping in Spain here, including translation of the governing Spanish Laws;Just because people post videos doesn't mean what they're doing is OK. Camping with the permission of someone is one thing, but it's my understanding that wild camping IS illegal in Spain. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
I wonder how practical it is to wild camping on the Camino. I can get an ultralight tent (weigh about 1.5 kg). So the weight is not a problem. But I remember I read it somewhere it said the official camping sites are usually quite far from Camino trail and it is prohibited to wild camping in Spain. Don’t know if this is true. I have three routes in mind, Portugues, Norte and Via da la Plate. The facilities on these routes are not as good as Frances. I think a tent is necessary in case I can’t get a bed in albergue.
View attachment 57747
Great! Thank you!I have wild camped all over Spain, Portugal and France (many other places too!) it is easy, simple and if anyone does notice you - they are usually concerned that you will be cold, or that you have enough food...
As long as you are gone first thing, leave no traces (I usually clean up a place if there is litter) and are respectful - no-one ever minds. (not in the last 53 years anyway...!)
We are all travellers in a strange land and all of us need to lay down our heads at some point. Not everyone can afford accommodation (even albergues mount up!) I always welcome strangers in my land and my garden, they are always welcome to camp - or have a bed for the night - we are all human - I cannot imagine anyone doing any differently.....
Thank you Robin. Your experience sounds brilliant to me!In September 2012 my wife and I walked the CF. We pitched our tent probably half of the fourty nights. We loved it. I would have done it every day if I could have, but the lady loved a hot shower now and then ;-)
Sometimes we set up the tent in the garden of an albergue (paid for it and used facilities), at a camp site or just near a river out in the middle of nowhere, even on the meseta (pic). When sleeping in an albergue I often took my inflatable and sleeping bag and went to the yard of an albergue, the dining hall, the washing area, or whatever convenient location and slept there. This because often I could not sleep between the snoring fellow pilgrims or just got to hot in the sleeping halls. It was quit an adventure, but really loved it. On our other caminos (Portugues April 2016 and Primitivo June 2018) we only used the bunks in albergues or pensions. Got used to it and enjoyed just as much as the CF earlier. Official camp sites on the CF were sometimes a little of track, but not very. I did find them quit expensive though. Buen Camino!
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PS: Don't forget to check the inside of your gear (including shoes) in the morning before putting them on!
Beyond the shadow of a doubt it is illegal to wild camp in the comarca Odra-Pisuerga which includes Castrojeriz, Hontanas, Hornillos del Camino, and Itero del Castillo, see this recent article of 2 July 2019:So, with a little searching, the true answer to this question is yes, no and maybe.
Rules and laws can be annoying, irrational, and arbitrary. But there they are. Choose not to follow them at your own risk. Overstaying a Schengen visa and camping illegally seems an ideal recipe for misfortune.The Guardia Civil went there at 22:15 at night and found two persons who were occupying the tent and who said that they were walking the Camino de Santiago. The Guardia Civil also discovered that one of the two persons, according to her passport, had entered the Schengen area in March and had therefore overstayed her Schengen visa.
„Is it illegal?“ and „Will I get caught?“ are obviously two different questions. I came across the article and found it remarkable for two reasons: first, that it said that they started a procedure for expelling a tourist with a minor period of overstaying, and secondly, that a (presumably local) person didn’t approve of wild camping and contacted the police who then were obliged to intervene. A cautionary tale, nothing more. The article does not provide many details otherwise.Early one morning at the top of the hill outside Castrojeriz I met a bloke who had spent the night in the shelter there. The previous night the Guardia Civil had stopped their vehicle and had a quick look at him, then moved on without saying anything. Seems he had no trouble camping and no one was bothered as long as he picked an isolated spot.
I made a point of looking for camping spots as I walked, even though I was staying in albergues the entire way. A bit hard to find on the Meseta but in the forests of Galacia there were plenty of places to set up discreetly.
Thanks, Ant, for not being a scofflaw, and setting a good example. It helps our relationship with locals when we respect their property.I know it won't be classed as wild camping, but I took a UL tent on the Frances in 2016 and managed to camp a few times. I camped mainly in the grounds and gardens of albergues. I liked the fact I was away from the noise pollution of dormitories, but I could still use the facilities, often paying less than other pilgrims.
I have wild camped (stealth camping) on all of my caminos.
Used hammock, light weight tent and bivy.
Found bivy is best used with a tarp.
Each has their own good and bads.
Most of the time I stopped in a a’burg. Paid. Shower, did clothes, went to eat and then went to my wild camping spot.
Normally found before sunset. Then went to store, a’burg, etc.
Coming back to spot / area at sunset.
No fires, no smoking, no cooking etc.
Never climb over fence or enter gate.
Left spot better than found it when I got up at sunrise.
I like to wild camp so don’t hear snoring, toilet flushing all night, talk, giggling , etc
Few times I went straight to stealth camping spot without stopping at a’burg.
I have body wipes to wipe down some before sleeping.
I have light weight sleeping bag.
Always have wool night cap and emerging blanket.
I have also stayed in private places, B&B, pensions, hotels etc.
Also slept with in garden area (with permission) of a A’burg.
Slept on porches, balcony, etc
I do not take cooking gear.
You will be surprised at how many spots there are to wild camp! All over the place.
Many on here frown on people who want to sleep outside.
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