Aragon government plan to build albergue at Somport

[Bradypus]

Quite a few articles on local news pages in the past 24 hours about the Aragon provincial government's announcement that it intends to build an albergue at Somport. No specific details on timescale for the project or the building itself. Part of a proposed series of measures to encourage more pilgrims to walk that route. The article notes that although 75,000 pilgrims walked through Navarra last year only 2,000 walked the Aragon route. Aragon wants a larger slice of the cake! I've often found that surprising as the Somport route was the first one described in the very influential guidebook written by Elias Valina in the 1980s while the routes from SJPDP took second place.

Un albergue en Somport para potenciar el Camino Francés

Navarra recibe en una semana más peregrinos que Aragón durante todo un año<br>

www.diariodelaltoaragon.es

 

[jouffroy47]

Hmmm... I'm of mixed feelings. The Aragones is one of the best-kept secrets among the Spanish camino routes...

 

[Juspassinthru]

Possibly some additional infrastructure would encourage people to walk there taking pressure off the early stages of the CF. Having recently completed that route, some support between the existing stages would be helpful but I don’t see that happening with the number of pilgrims currently walking the Aragónes. Chicken/Egg

 

[Bradypus]

Chicken/Egg

I agree. It took some years for numbers to build up on the Navarra route to anything like enough to be financially self-sustaining. Apart from historic religious pilgrim places like Roncesvalles pilgrim refugios mostly started off very small and basic and locally provided. On my first Camino the only refugio in Astorga had 4 beds! I think that these days there would need to be a substantial and coordinated investment from the provincial government. Something like the radical albergue programme that Galicia made in preparation for the 1993 Holy Year which really boosted interest in the Camino.A very expensive speculative move which proved wildly successful in the long run.

 

[Flog]

Wouldn't an albergue up at Somport need to feed pilgrims, after their (minimum) 13km/1000m ascent from Urdos.. or at least have a tienda with items for sale so pilgrims could cook for themselves? It seems to me that carrying provisions up there would be a tall order for many.

 

[jouffroy47]

Possibly some additional infrastructure would encourage people to walk there taking pressure off the early stages of the CF. Having recently completed that route, some support between the existing stages would be helpful but I don’t see that happening with the number of pilgrims currently walking the Aragónes. Chicken/Egg

Personnaly, I would have liked something between Sangüesa and Monreal. At least there is the Albergue Alsa at Somport.

 

[Flog]

That place, is officially closed for much of the year, and when it's not, seems to open when it suits them.

 

[domigee]

I can’t remember finding it difficult to find a place to sleep - at all! There was less choice of course, often only one albergue but with so few pilgrims it wasn’t a problem. So much easier on the Spanish side than on the French side!

 

[howardd5]

Quite a few articles on local news pages in the past 24 hours about the Aragon provincial government's announcement that it intends to build an albergue at Somport. No specific details on timescale for the project or the building itself. Part of a proposed series of measures to encourage more pilgrims to walk that route. The article notes that although 75,000 pilgrims walked through Navarra last year only 2,000 walked the Aragon route. Aragon wants a larger slice of the cake! I've often found that surprising as the Somport route was the first one described in the very influential guidebook written by Elias Valina in the 1980s while the routes from SJPDP took second place.

Un albergue en Somport para potenciar el Camino Francés

Navarra recibe en una semana más peregrinos que Aragón durante todo un año<br>

www.diariodelaltoaragon.es

I have walked the Aragonnes route twice and found it less crowded an beautifull .