Albergue leaving time

[camster]

Hi! I heard that there were albergues where you couldn't leave until a certain hour in the morning. Anyone has had this experience?
There is a website that lists albergues and sometimes, they mention a 'compulsory leaving time', and I wonder if it's a time you have to have left by, or if it's the earliest you are allowed to leave.
Thank you!

 

[Anniesantiago]

Some will not let you out until a particular time, usually 7 am.
Some will not let you stay PAST a particular time, usually 8 am.

 

[camster]

Some will not let you out until a particular time, usually 7 am.
Some will not let you out AFTER a particular time, usually 8 am.

After a particular time? What happens then-- Are you stuck at the albergue?

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Yes, it is true but I only remember one of them. Leda, bless her heart, at Casa Albergue Molino de Marzán (near Peruscallo) had one. Peg wrote a note home saying "House rules were no-one leaves before 6:15." We got an extra hour's sleep.

Leda runs one of the best albergues we stayed at, very peaceful setting with a pond. It is right on the camino but a ways away from bars, shops, etc. She had a decent shop though where you could buy drinks, snacks and dinner items.

 

[camster]

thanks for the info!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

After a particular time? What happens then-- Are you stuck at the albergue?

The usual check out time is 0800 or 0830. They will post it. They generally do enforce it, but I have never seen anyone locked IN. If they post a closing time of 2200, you are likely to find the doors locked, though. Hospitaleros have a life, and a workday from 0600 to 2200 is about all they tolerate. If you want a later time, use hotels.

 

[Anniesantiago]

After a particular time? What happens then-- Are you stuck at the albergue?

No, after a particular time, they kick you and your things out.

 

[Kurt5280]

Some Albergues have private rooms...so the hostel type rooms will have a time you have to leave before usually 8:00 am...while the private rooms usually have a later time like 10:00 am...important to know just in case you had a long or difficult day and need to sleep longer in the morning.

 

[Harington]

Hi! I heard that there were albergues where you couldn't leave until a certain hour in the morning. Anyone has had this experience?
There is a website that lists albergues and sometimes, they mention a 'compulsory leaving time', and I wonder if it's a time you have to have left by, or if it's the earliest you are allowed to leave.
Thank you!

At Grañon they don't like you to get or make any noise till 7am (or that was the case when I was there 2011), and they like you to have breakfast with them. Alas there were people who ignored this and disturbed everyone. It's worth the Grañon experience even if one is later starting than one would wish.

 

[Kurt5280]

At Grañon they don't like you to get or make any noise till 7am

I stayed at the Granon Albergue in September 2015...and we had Pilgrims up and walking through the upstairs loft slamming the door to the laundry at 5:00 am...then they turned the lights on in the dinning area below at 5:30 am and started a group conversation...this would not have been so bad if another Pilgrim did not decide to play loud music after dinner making it difficult to go to bed early...they were so loud they even woke up the Albergue Hospitaleros to serve breakfast early...so this was the last Albergue I stayed at because of sleep deprivation...the worst of it was that all of these inconsiderate Pilgrims were Americans too.

 

[t2andreo]

The 'prohibition' against too early leaving is for the consideration of other pilgrims who need their sleep. Leaving pilgrims typically make too much noise, which wakes people up while they are in deep, beneficial, REM sleep. This occurs for most folks just before their waking time, or just before the albergue turns the music on...

Rustling rucksacks, plastic bags, running water and speaking are all very rude to others who are trying to sleep in an adjoining bunk. Then, there are the folks who set alarms on their digital devices to make sure THEY wake up, not thinking that the others can also hear this alarm. THAT is rude behavior. The dawn will come soon enough for all...

Plus, it is for the safety of pilgrims who might attempt to walk before there is enough ambient light. Even LED headlamps are not sufficient in the total dark. Common courtesy is one of the basic hallmarks of the Camino. If there is a way to hurt yourself while walking, walking off a path or hill in the dark is among the best and also most avoidable I've heard of.

This is why I chose some years ago to spend the extra to stay in private lodgings. I need my sleep and am prepared to pay for it.

 

[camster]

At Grañon they don't like you to get or make any noise till 7am (or that was the case when I was there 2011), and they like you to have breakfast with them. Alas there were people who ignored this and disturbed everyone. It's worth the Grañon experience even if one is later starting than one would wish.

Thank you for the tip, I'll make sure to have breakfast with them when I'm there!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

We hospitaleros tell pilgrims when they arrive that if they stay later than 8 a.m., they'll have to clean all the toilets.
That gets 'em up and out the door!

 

[camster]

We hospitaleros tell pilgrims when they arrive that if they stay later than 8 a.m., they'll have to clean all the toilets.
That gets 'em up and out the door!

LOL! that's a good one! Oh, you're my first contact with an hospitaleros haha i'm super excited!

 

[Kanga]

It used to be that Gaulcelmo at Rabanaul (the Confraternity albergue) did not allow pilgrims to leave before there was some light, because of the dangers of falls and injuries walking across the mountain track in the dark. So I was surprised this last September to find no restriction at all; some people seemed to get up and leave in the middle of the night.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Pilgrims often are sufficiently self-directed that they leave when they want, not when the hospitalero wants! Ear plugs and a sleep mask will allow you to sleep through the early risers, but you will be aggravating yourself unnecessarily to resent them (and there will ALWAYS be a few early departures).

Some places, Burgos municipal comes to mind, the hospitaleras are very vigorous (rude) in chasing out pilgrims at about 8 a.m. They have five floors to clean seven days a week before the incoming pilgrims start arriving at noon, and they have to tend the place until 2200. They don't have time for laggards.

 

[Mark Lee]

I stayed at the Granon Albergue in September 2015...and we had Pilgrims up and walking through the upstairs loft slamming the door to the laundry at 5:00 am...then they turned the lights on in the dinning area below at 5:30 am and started a group conversation...this would not have been so bad if another Pilgrim did not decide to play loud music after dinner making it difficult to go to bed early...they were so loud they even woke up the Albergue Hospitaleros to serve breakfast early...so this was the last Albergue I stayed at because of sleep deprivation...the worst of it was that all of these inconsiderate Pilgrims were Americans too.

Yeah, unfortunately those things do indeed happen. Last year when I was on the CF there was a drunk girl throwing up in the toilet at an albergue one night. It was mixed gender facilities. She was part of a group of multi nationality pilgrims.
I don't think it's out of line to let people like that know how they are acting is rude and inconsiderate.

 

[marilyn van graan]

I stayed at the Granon Albergue in September 2015...and we had Pilgrims up and walking through the upstairs loft slamming the door to the laundry at 5:00 am...then they turned the lights on in the dinning area below at 5:30 am and started a group conversation...this would not have been so bad if another Pilgrim did not decide to play loud music after dinner making it difficult to go to bed early...they were so loud they even woke up the Albergue Hospitaleros to serve breakfast early...so this was the last Albergue I stayed at because of sleep deprivation...the worst of it was that all of these inconsiderate Pilgrims were Americans too.

What a shame that pilgrims do not have consideration for each other - I cannot find any reason for leaving in the dark when you cannot even enjoy the path or surroundings - it may be their camino but life is not all about them

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I cannot find any reason for leaving in the dark when you cannot even enjoy the path or surroundings

However, others might! There are several threads in the Forum about wanting to walk in the dark. Others may want to leave early to avoid the afternoon heat, or to walk long distances. I agree that fellow pilgrims should be courteous, which would include packing the night before, not using the crinkly plastic bags, and moving silently without a headlamp. With up to 120 people in a room, it is hard to satisfy everyone, so both courtesy and a thick skin help.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I don't think it's out of line to let people like that know how they are acting is rude and inconsiderate.

I cannot find any reason for leaving in the dark when you cannot even enjoy the path or surroundings

Yeah, the dark is no good. That's why one guy looking for a blanket turned on the albergue's light at 1:30. I may have had that light out before anyone else was even sitting up and I made sure he got the point that he was rude and inconsiderate. Not even a flashlight came on after that. My wife wasn't able to get to sleep again for over an hour.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I agree that fellow pilgrims should be courteous, which would include packing the night before, not using the crinkly plastic bags, and moving silently without a headlamp.

Please, at night and in the morning don't **wear** the headlamps. They end up beaming everywhere (meaning everyone else's eyes.) Hold them like a flashlight and maybe even dim the beams by holding some fingers across the lens. Wear the headlamps on the road.

And ...

Half a dozen people trying not to make any noise make a lot of noise. Put the stuff in your pack, leave the dorm and then sort it.

Sorry. This looks nastier then it is meant to be.

 

[camster]

Yeah, unfortunately those things do indeed happen. Last year when I was on the CF there was a drunk girl throwing up in the toilet at an albergue one night. It was mixed gender facilities. She was part of a group of multi nationality pilgrims.
I don't think it's out of line to let people like that know how they are acting is rude and inconsiderate.

That's nasty. I hope these sorts of things don't happen too often. I know people want to enjoy temselves and sample the various wines and things there are to try, but all in moderation, of course. I think this behaviour is inapropriate, especially on the camino.

 

[camster]

English not being my first language, I wanted to clarify the expression 'compulsory' leaving time. If I take into account all the replies people gave, I'm guessing it means that it's a time where you should have left (the times which hospitaleros want the pilgrims to be gone by), and not the time at which you can start leaving, right? thanks!

 

[camster]

Please, at night and in the morning don't **wear** the headlamps. They end up beaming everywhere (meaning everyone else's eyes.) Hold them like a flashlight and maybe even dim the beams by holding some fingers across the lens. Wear the headlamps on the road.

And ...

Half a dozen people trying not to make any noise make a lot of noise. Put the stuff in your pack, leave the dorm and then sort it.

Sorry. This looks nastier then it is meant to be.

I heard there was this red light option on certain head lamps that avoids waking up other people, does this work for real?

 

[Bradypus]

Many years ago I stayed in an albergue in Pamplona. You had to leave before 8am. The hospitalero ensured this by pulling blankets off all the beds and shouting very angrily in the ear of anyone still in bed at 06:30. A little over-zealous.

 

[Mark Lee]

I heard there was this red light option on certain head lamps that avoids waking up other people, does this work for real?

Yeah, a colored lens (blue or red) does diminish the intensity and I recommend it, but really what woke people up (at least me, anyway) is the noise. The rustling, bumping, talking etc. My best advice and what I did is to have all my stuff in the pack and ready to go the night before. That way all I had to do was grab it and walk out the sleeping area with minimal noise and such. If I had to sort anything out in the bag, I did that outside or in the common area of the albergue where nobody is disturbed. Some pilgrims would dump all their stuff out and sort it in the dark, light beams going everywhere. That makes no sense.

 

[Mark Lee]

Many years ago I stayed in an albergue in Pamplona. You had to leave before 8am. The hospitalero ensured this by pulling blankets off all the beds and shouting very angrily in the ear of anyone still in bed at 06:30. A little over-zealous.

The only time in my life that I allowed someone to pull a blanket off me early in the morning and then shout angrily in my ear was when I was a recruit in boot camp. If someone did that to me now, that may cause a bit of an awkward situation and end all prospects of a peaceful, loving Camino.

 

[Mark Lee]

That's nasty. I hope these sorts of things don't happen too often. I know people want to enjoy temselves and sample the various wines and things there are to try, but all in moderation, of course. I think this behaviour is inapropriate, especially on the camino.

No, they don't happen often and it is definitely the exception, as is all these lesser desired experiences shared. Really it is nothing to even be concerned about.
I'm not going to throw stones too much as on my last Camino I drank way too much wine the night before whilst on a tapas crawl with some fellow pilgrims in Logrono. I was staying in a private albergue with no curfew, so coming in late was no problem, but I was awoken at about 9:00 am by a lady telling me that I had to go and she needed to clean the place. Yikes! I asked her to give me 30 minutes to knock the groggy out of my head and I'd be out of there. She said no problem. Into the cold shower I went to wake myself up and in no time I was outside desperately looking for some black coffee, ha ha. Needless to say that was a short walking day...only covered about 15k.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I hope these sorts of things don't happen too often.

Early departees happen every morning! If you can't get used to it, try private rooms. Albergue private rooms may still have an early checkout time, but hoteles and hostales usually don't.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

not the time at which you can start leaving, right?

Some albergues ask pilgrims NOT to leave before a certain time. Enforcement can be a bit difficult.

 

[camster]

Many years ago I stayed in an albergue in Pamplona. You had to leave before 8am. The hospitalero ensured this by pulling blankets off all the beds and shouting very angrily in the ear of anyone still in bed at 06:30. A little over-zealous.

woah- that's scary!

 

[camster]

No, they don't happen often and it is definitely the exception, as is all these lesser desired experiences shared. Really it is nothing to even be concerned about.
I'm not going to throw stones too much as on my last Camino I drank way too much wine the night before whilst on a tapas crawl with some fellow pilgrims in Logrono. I was staying in a private albergue with no curfew, so coming in late was no problem, but I was awoken at about 9:00 am by a lady telling me that I had to go and she needed to clean the place. Yikes! I asked her to give me 30 minutes to knock the groggy out of my head and I'd be out of there. She said no problem. Into the cold shower I went to wake myself up and in no time I was outside desperately looking for some black coffee, ha ha. Needless to say that was a short walking day...only covered about 15k.

haha, yes, I imagine it was a short day.
okay, broaching another topic. You said cold shower? are they that common on the camino?

 

[Kanga]

Eyemasks and earplugs are my standbys in albergues. I can't change the behaviour of others, only my own response (well, I try).

 

[Mark Lee]

haha, yes, I imagine it was a short day.
okay, broaching another topic. You said cold shower? are they that common on the camino?

Cold shower by choice....knock da stupor outta da body.
Can honestly say never had a bad shower in an albergue. There always seemed to be enough hot water to shower with.

 

[Kanga]

Oh how things have changed! In 2001 a hot shower was the rare exception.

Its a good thing to be aware of how much has changed in a short time frame - there are great books out there that are wonderful accounts but that can lead to false information. An example is the persistent myth that "wild dogs" are the only inhabitants of Foncebadon.

 

[camster]

Cold shower by choice....knock da stupor outta da body.
Can honestly say never had a bad shower in an albergue. There always seemed to be enough hot water to shower with.

Great to know, thanks!

 

[Mark Lee]

Great to know, thanks!

When you first get to an albergue in the afternoon, and it's around the time most of all the other pilgrims get there, there may be some times a line for the showers, and sometimes not. A couple of hours later, no more lines and all the showers are available. So in the event there is a crowd, be a little patient and take a shower after the initial rush.

 

[camster]

When you first get to an albergue in the afternoon, and it's around the time most of all the other pilgrims get there, there may be some times a line for the showers, and sometimes not. A couple of hours later, no more lines and all the showers are available. So in the event there is a crowd, be a little patient and take a shower after the initial rush.

Great tip, thank you!!

 

[dougfitz]

I heard there was this red light option on certain head lamps that avoids waking up other people, does this work for real?

No. Both red and white light will wake people up, but that will depend on the intensity and duration of the exposure to the light. Red light preserves one's night adapted vision, where the eye has adjusted to have greater sensitivity to low light conditions. Most of this adjustment takes place in the first five minutes of darkness, but takes up to 45 minutes for the eye to completely adjust. White light will pretty much ruin that instantly.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Some will not let you out until a particular time, usually 7 am.
Some will not let you out AFTER a particular time, usually 8 am.

Don't you mean - you must go by 8.00 am?? About the earliest departure time I saw (allowed) was 6.00 am - although I did hear one noisy pilgrim leaving at 5.30 am.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

I remember staying at the newish Jesus Y Maria albergue in Pamplona in 2008- and the door was actually locked until a certain time so you couldn't leave before that. (Can't remember the time now.) I was frankly quite scared by this, as I wondered what would happen if there was an emergency. Perhaps there was another emergency exit somewhere, but I never saw it anywhere.
Margaret

 

[Anniesantiago]

Don't you mean - you must go by 8.00 am?? About the earliest departure time I saw (allowed) was 6.00 am - although I did hear one noisy pilgrim leaving at 5.30 am.

Yes, I fixed it

 

[Lance Chambers]

Never heard of a 'can't leave before xx:xx but doesn't mean it can't happen.

 

[Deleted member 34316]

If you arrive at the albergue in Sobrado dos Monxes (Camino del Norte) before 1 pm, they will let you enter the grounds of the Monastery and take your bed in the albergue. But at 1 pm they close the main gate and you are trapped until about 4 pm. You can't leave the grounds and go and buy anything, or have a cerveza or coffee or lunch in a bar outside the walls.
Well, the grounds are a wonderful place to have a picnic lunch on the lawn, but stock up before you enter.
You have been warned. I haven't

 

[camster]

If you arrive at the albergue in Sobrado dos Monxes (Camino del Norte) before 1 pm, they will let you enter the grounds of the Monastery and take your bed in the albergue. But at 1 pm they close the main gate and you are trapped until about 4 pm. You can't leave the grounds and go and buy anything, or have a cerveza or coffee or lunch in a bar outside the walls.
Well, the grounds are a wonderful place to have a picnic lunch on the lawn, but stock up before you enter.
You have been warned. I haven't

Gorgeous place! Thanks for the heads up. It's a good thing I'm planning for the Francés, but good to know if I decide to come back and do the Norte.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Never heard of a 'can't leave before xx:xx but doesn't mean it can't happen.

Ruitelan:
If you ask for the keys you are closed on the Omega bar. Community dinner. One of the hospitaleros is massage. vegetarian for dinner upon request. They play music to wake up at 6 in the morning.

Pilgrims are asked not to leave before the 6 a.m. music wakeup. There are several others.

 

[crazyloon]

Please, at night and in the morning don't **wear** the headlamps. They end up beaming everywhere (meaning everyone else's eyes.) Hold them like a flashlight and maybe even dim the beams by holding some fingers across the lens. Wear the headlamps on the road.

And ...

Half a dozen people trying not to make any noise make a lot of noise. Put the stuff in your pack, leave the dorm and then sort it.

Sorry. This looks nastier then it is meant to be.

I read a suggestion from another pilgrim to bring along one of those keychain lights. They emit little light and can be directed easier and of course take up little room.

 

[james walter purdum iv]

Hi! I heard that there were albergues where you couldn't leave until a certain hour in the morning. Anyone has had this experience?
There is a website that lists albergues and sometimes, they mention a 'compulsory leaving time', and I wonder if it's a time you have to have left by, or if it's the earliest you are allowed to leave.
Thank you!

my experience that a 7am start was best...just a little darkness...sunrise always around 8-8:20...very hard to see the yellow arrows in the dak and getting out of the cities was tricky....walk in the light...literally and figuratively

 

[Daretolive]

If you arrive at the albergue in Sobrado dos Monxes (Camino del Norte) before 1 pm, they will let you enter the grounds of the Monastery and take your bed in the albergue. But at 1 pm they close the main gate and you are trapped until about 4 pm. You can't leave the grounds and go and buy anything, or have a cerveza or coffee or lunch in a bar outside the walls.
Well, the grounds are a wonderful place to have a picnic lunch on the lawn, but stock up before you enter.
You have been warned. I haven't

I confirm, true story and it's one of the most memorable albergues I slept in, highly recommended

 

[alipilgrim]

In 2012, when walking the VdlP, I was locked in a monastery till 7:30am. Here is my description from my blog:

"So Alcuescar it is! The albergue is on the 3rd floor of an active monastery. We stay by virtue of making a donation and in return we get a bunk in a large room for 16, a mass at 5pm, and a communal dinner for all at 7:30pm. The building is closed between 2:30-4:30pm, and again locked down at 9pm, with the doors not reopening until the next morning at 7:30am. This will be a trial for the 3 pilgrims who normally leave at 5:30am and with all the pilgrims starting at the same time, it will create a rush for Aldea del Cano!"

 

[marilyn van graan]

The 'prohibition' against too early leaving is for the consideration of other pilgrims who need their sleep. Leaving pilgrims typically make too much noise, which wakes people up while they are in deep, beneficial, REM sleep. This occurs for most folks just before their waking time, or just before the albergue turns the music on...

Rustling rucksacks, plastic bags, running water and speaking are all very rude to others who are trying to sleep in an adjoining bunk. Then, there are the folks who set alarms on their digital devices to make sure THEY wake up, not thinking that the others can also hear this alarm. THAT is rude behavior. The dawn will come soon enough for all...

Plus, it is for the safety of pilgrims who might attempt to walk before there is enough ambient light. Even LED headlamps are not sufficient in the total dark. Common courtesy is one of the basic hallmarks of the Camino. If there is a way to hurt yourself while walking, walking off a path or hill in the dark is among the best and also most avoidable I've heard of.

This is why I chose some years ago to spend the extra to stay in private lodgings. I need my sleep and am prepared to pay for it.

Well said - I think the sad thing is that many folk have no consideration of others - if we could all remember life is just not about us
Buen camino

 

[Albertagirl]

I had an unusual problem with my camino last fall. I seemed to almost always be the first one up. Packing my backpack was always a challenge, since my sleeping bag had to go in the bottom, to leave space at the more accessible top for spare clothing (for warmth) and food for the day. Anyway, I struggled every day not to disturb others, but my rustling around was no doubt annoying to everyone else, who was still asleep. As it was still dark, October/November, I had no problem with others sleeping later, and I never turned on the light unless everyone else was up and usually left that to someone else. But, I couldn't pack the night before. Clean clothing and my towel were always airing. Everything but my sleeping bag had to go on top, as it fit snugly into the very bottom of the bag. But the kicker to my dormitory naughtiness is that I never got up before 6:30 am. I conked out at 9:30 most nights, so I was awake and ready to get up at 6:30 but nobody else was. I expect that my fall camino this year will be the same. I can't afford private accommodation. Apologies to everyone.

 

[Devon Mike]

@Albertagirl I am often up early and always quietly pick up my stuff and carry it out of the dormitory to pack it elsewhere without disturbing anyone.

 

[Albertagirl]

@Albertagirl I am often up early and always quietly pick up my stuff and carry it out of the dormitory to pack it elsewhere without disturbing anyone.

@Devon Mike,
I have tried that, with minimal success: me with my arms full of backpack, sleeping bag, clothing, toiletries, several pairs of socks, flashlight, odds and ends, shedding clean garments and towel on the not so clean floor of the albergue, finding nowhere outside the dormitory door to sort all this mess, chasing it across the floor with light from my flashlight. I walk in October/November and seem to carry a lot of stuff. The only way that I feel sure that I am taking it all with me is to keep it within range of my bunk. I try very hard to stay in bed until others are up, but can seldom manage that. I did say that I never get up before 6:30. If my rustling around gets others out of bed by 7:00, that still seems reasonable to me. If I remember correctly, at Emaus in Burgos we were urged to stay in bed until 7:00, which I did. But that caused another problem, as it was impossible to pack up, eat breakfast, and help with the morning cleanup before we were supposed to be out at 8:00. I suppose that, as a lady of 67 years, I am used to giving myself a little time in the morning to get going. Perhaps the challenge for all of us is that we are used to having personal space and now must share as best we can. It would be nice to feel, virtuously, that I always do what is best for others in the albergue. I try. But some things are harder than others.

 

[james walter purdum iv]

No. Both red and white light will wake people up, but that will depend on the intensity and duration of the exposure to the light. Red light preserves one's night adapted vision, where the eye has adjusted to have greater sensitivity to low light conditions. Most of this adjustment takes place in the first five minutes of darkness, but takes up to 45 minutes for the eye to completely adjust. White light will pretty much ruin that instantly.

i wanted the early risers to just put the lights on..the noise of fumbling through their stuff was much more annoying than a light on with silence

 

[Devon Mike]

@Albertagirl

I always put everything in my pack before going to bed. That way it is easy to remove it quietly, then empty out and repack in a quiet area.

Life on the Camino is certainly different to what we are used to. The older we get, the more we need to be open to change.

By the way you are younger than me.