No room in the albergues!

[BonitaHolland]

I know I am late to this thread, but I am attaching a graph of 2015 pilgrims leaving SJPDP in 2015 (by week). Note that weeks 36/37 (the highest weeks) are in mid-September. There seems to be a consistent myth that pilgrim numbers drop in September. Arrivals in Santiago do drop after August, but September is the BUSIEST month leaving SJPDP. Every September there is a consistent problem with full refuges in the first several stages, and even well past Logrono on certain days, even toward the end of September. If you are active on the forum, or in any other Camino leadership position, please take note of this and help correct the mis-information concerning September crowds. Thanks!

I love statistics!

 

[smj6]

Because no-one talks about this as an option--we're in a SJPP rut . It's a great idea, Thornley, giving the body a few easier days at first before the uphill walk through the mountains...

That's my intention @Viranani in order to have a 'run' up to climbing the Pyrenees, I'm opting to start at Argagnon (about 70-80 km inside France along the Via Podensis), to give me a few days to acclimatise on flat terrain first.
Would love to actually start from my home outside Geneva but feel it wouldn't be fair on my husband to be away for 4 months or so after the last decade of working thousands of kms away.
All things being equal, I'll be jumping on a train down south in a couple of days
Suzanne

 

[domigee]

Would love to actually start from my home outside Geneva but feel it wouldn't be fair on my husband to be away for 4 months ....

Oh how I can relate to that!
Sorry, off topic?..

 

[Gibbru]

Hi, I just finished day 3 of our Camino de Santiago, starting in St. Jean. Arriving in Rancesvalles around 4:30, a couple hundred pilgrims were already there. Many of is got into overflow in rooms across the bridge, but all dinner and breakfast tickets were gone, restaurant was out of food, so we ate vending machine food (for which we were quite thankful). Next day we arrived in Zubiri, and again, everything was full! We had tried to reserve something early with no luck. The Municipal Albergues took pity on us and opened up extra space, so my friend and I got a room. But by 6 they were full and sent pilgrims away. We were able to make reservations in Pamplona for the following night, thankfully, because we ran into a few young pilgrims along the way who were panicking because there was nothing. We are now very worried that this will be a major issue the rest of our Camino. I thought this time of year was supposed to be no problem? Is this a sign of even more increases in pilgrims? Thanks! Jamie.

I am surprised too ... there are no beds at all in some places. I had to take a bus from Villafranca de Montes de Oca to Burgos today because everywhere was full ahead. The bus was full of pilgrims who had done the same for the same reason
Those without reservations are having to leave really early in the dark to be there to queue for a room when places open at 1 pm on a first come first served basis. So it isnt a rumour ... it really is overcrowded.

 

[Bradypus]

After 8pm and there are still empty beds in this albergue in Los Arcos. Three days ago all the beds in Larrasoaña were taken by 5pm. Hard to see any pattern but there is certainly a problem in some places at some times along the CF.

 

[Margaret A]

We're this evening in an albergue in Castrojeriz that as I write has lots of available space at 17.15! We've walked from SJPDP, started 2 weeks ago, no booking ahead, and got beds each day without any difficulty.
Buen Camino

 

[Margaret A]

The albergue I mentioned above is the Orion in CASTROJEREZ and I can vouch for the showers - terrific.

 

[Debora]

Travel out to SJPdP on Wednesday and head west Thursday. Play it by ear, go with the flow. I'm staying at Kayola the first night, so like what's been suggested and consider straddling the stages if it looks like it's going to be busy.

I hope no blisters Fez...

 

[xin loi]

We stayed at several albergues in 2014 that let extra people sleep on the floors. Just finished walking Camino --started Aug 26 at SJPDP and finished in 27 days--only saw two albergues that were full--even though Camping was illegal when I walked in Spain due to fire danger, lot of people were camping in fields/woods anyway.

 

[dougfitz]

lot of people were camping in fields/woods anyway

I regularly saw evidence of camping in May/Jun this year as well. Not every day, but regularly enough, and clearly more than one person or group was camping. That said, after Zubiri we always found accommodation, although walking with my wife, we were looking for private rooms and paying a little more for that where necessary. They weren't necessarily easy to find, and we still stayed in albergue dormitories regularly enough. We stayed in many places that were full early on the CF, but things seemed to ease up, particularly between Leon and Sarria. After Sarria it was crowded again, but we took it fairly slowly, and the only place that was really difficult was at Arzua. That said, we booked a place, so we didn't check whether there were places still available at the Xunta albergue.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

the Dutch volunteers had been given the go-ahead from the Colegiata to put yellow arrows on the road with the text "easy way". Anyone seen this?

yay! although I missed the sign altogether, will the arrows be large and easily seen in snow
I am thankful beyond words for the Dutch volunteers at Roncesvalles

 

[Felipe]

As pilgrims are often not sure which way to take from the Col Lepoeder - the more difficult path through the woods or the easier path via Ibañeta - the Dutch volunteers had been given the go-ahead from the Colegiata to put yellow arrows on the road with the text "easy way". Anyone seen this?

I suppose it is the wooden signpost that says (amongst other directions) "Alternativa suave" (literally, "soft"). See a photo I posted here (taken a year ago). Problem is, apparentely it is not an obvious marking for non-Spanish pilgrims, as many member forums have commented.