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Camping on VDLP: Feasible or not?

Frogatthefarriers

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
March 3023
Another question. Camping.

I’ve been bikepacking for a few years now, but only in UK and max for four days, but thought to extend this to my Camino in September. My thought was to try to camp out every other day, and albergue the others to wash my kit and meet fellow Peregrinos.

Is that feasible, do you think? What snags am I likely to encounter?

I well understand the 'leave no trace' and no fires thing.
 
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I walked the Mozarabes in spring and weather was fine. I don't know any other camino. So the terrain might be better in the North.

I used a bivvy bag and tarp instead of a tent. Finding a space under a tree to sleep on and the tarp as a covering.

Camping is not easy to do on the trail as I found a lack of topsoil in which to put a peg in. Farmland is rocky and sandy. There just didn't seem to be a decent patch of grass for a tent.

Pastureland where sheep and cattle feed would be okay for a tent, but it's often patrolled by big farm dogs that wander freely. And you'd get spotted quickly.

In general you couldn't expect some kind of a wild camp pitch to appear in the way it does in the UK.

A bivvy bag is good enough for mild weather and lightweight. I managed to cook food and tea on a gas stove. A few people spotted me but didn't interfere.

I used an olive grove, a viewpoint outside Villaharta, and common area outside Cordoba and a public picnic area outside Merida, where there was a water tap!
 
As I understand it, it’s illegal to free camp/ camp in the wild in Spain. And I believe the fines are fairly hefty. I’ve seen other threads were people have camped in Albergue gardens, some even have places for that as I understand it. Others turn you away.
Basically, as is often the case in Spain, different Municipalities have different rules.
The public Albergue in Bruma on the Ingles recently not only refused a friend of mine, but told her that she could be arrested and fined for doing so. Presumably therefore the local municipality has ruled against it.
Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I can shed more light on this?
There are of course official camp sites, both private and public. The public sites are sometimes provided free of charge by the corresponding town hall, and are really just an area provided for people to set up their tents, usually with water and toilets , occasionally even showers. Not sure where you’d go to get info on them

I think to leave no trace I’d add - and don’t get caught!
 
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Met a guy with a dog back in 2016, he'd walked from Germany and had less budget than I had. He said he spent most nights in church graveyards, cloisters, occasionally camp sites. He would pitch at dusk and be gone by dawn. Leave no trace. But he said most churches have a water tap, some even have power. On occasion he had been surprised by priests, but he would often talk to them and ask them for a blessing. He said he had not been moved on at all on his entire journey. But you have to let your senses guide you on this.

Pick your spot well and stay far off the track, ideally a couple hundred metres away from the path or roads and never do it near villages or towns.

Like this year I will be camping a lot, but probably not so much in the mountains as I am not that happy wild camping around bears and wolves, not to mention all the dogs. But from what research i've done, there are a lot of campsites and most of them do a pilgrim rate (and if they don't you should probably ask if they do).

The other thing is it depends on the route. So in 2016 I mostly walked the French route. There were many places you could have pitched a tent and no one would have been the wiser. Especially on the bits before Galicia. Through Leon and Castille, so many bridges you could pitch under or throw down a bivvy bag or swag. Also so many churches you could easily pitch on the other side of and no one would have cared. Once you get up past Leon to Astorga and beyond, the last place in El Ganso will let you camp behind at pilgrim rates, Foncebadon has an albergue that allows camping, that I know of. But around there you could easily find somewhere if you just walked down one of the many tracks leading off the camino route. Up on the top past Manjarin, if you were ballsy enough, there is an old ex military outpost, long abandoned and derelict. that might make a decent spot.

Once you hit Galicia, you will occasionally find people with horses camping anywhere and everywhere, especially in the forests. On one occasion I came across five horses and five pilgrims around a camp fire in one of the tree sections after Arzua.

Be discreet and keep a low profile if you are wild camping. Or use campsites when you can (which is what i do).
 
The ban on wild camping seems more honoured in the breach than the observance, the police have better things to do (and the law was probably aimed at Roma, who nowadays travel in campervans anyway). The most they are likely to do is just move you on. If you are discreet, no one will bother you as you bivvy down out of general sight and leave early. Your main problem will be finding a suitable spot. There are very few campsites except on the Costa del Norte and the soil is generally not soft. Albergues with a garden would be your best bet if you ask them nicely and offer to pay.
 
Another possibility is to carry a hammock and tarp. String it between two trees and you have an off the ground place to sleep. Or for the more upmarket, you can get hammock tents. Same setup, but it seals up like a tent.

I researched lightweight swags back in 2017, to try and find something relatively light that could be rolled up, but I didn't find many that met the criteria and most were in Australia (and they didn't want to ship to the UK).
 
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dick bird said:
There are very few campsites except on the Costa del Norte
Click to expand...

I guess if you don't look for them you don't notice them, but that is not completely true.

There are far less campsites than for example in France and Germany, but there are quite a few at least on / close to the Francés (I did not do any research for other routes). On the Francés there are over 20 official campsites on/near the Camino route (or at least within a more or less reasonable detour, depending how much you prefer to camp)

Campsites directly on or very close to the Camino Francés are for example in

- St. Jean Pied de Port,
- Camping Urrobi after Roncesvalles is only a short detour
- Puente La Reina (the albergue up the hill is also a campsite)
- Estella (a bit before town)
- Ayegui (camping Iratxe just after wine fountain )
- Castrojeriz
- Carrion de los Condes (down next to the river and park)
- Burgos (on the alternative river route into the city)
- Sarria
- Portomarin (maybe 1,5 km outside of town, but has a very good restaurant)
- Arzúa (really good pool!)
- San Marcos before Santiago
- Santiago

and more. Those are just a few that came directly to mind. Plus the albergues that allow to camp.

No idea about the via de la plata, though.

So, sorry for going off-topic (because my information is for the wrong Camino route and the op seems to ask about wild camping more than official campsites) but that blanket statement is simply not correct and I couldn't resist.

Since the title of the opening post does not indicate which route, those searching the forum for info regarding camping on the Francés might read this, too, so I hope it is okay to leave this comment. If not, feel free to remove it of course.
 
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There are camping sites, some that include the tents, along the El Norte. You would need to map that out to see what is feasible. Most of the beachy towns have them.
 
Sorry, but there just aren't many places to hang on the Camino. Honest...
 
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I should be able to advise on camping the Vadiniense next month, but as everyone has mentioned, the OP wasn't very specific in route choice.
Anniesantiago said:
Sorry, but there just aren't many places to hang on the Camino. Honest...
Click to expand...

Not to mention a hammock in a forest with the threat of forest fires strikes me as unwise. I personally prefer a small tent. Currently use a £30 decathlon 2 man, which was funnily enough the same one used by the guy with his dog. It weighs about 2kg and has survived a couple of rain showers in the Picos so far.
 
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I never looked. LOL.

I've only walked from Ourense and I didn't camp that section, but there are many places on it you could pitch a tent without ever seeing anyone else, especially on the Canedo route to Cea. When I walked it I saw no one. But the whole of that route is full of places you could pitch a tent and never have an issue with anyone.
 
As for wild camping being illegal - afaik this differs regionally. It is not illegal by the laws of Spain, but it is illegal by regulations of the local regions. So it is illegal in Galicia and Asturias. But I am not sure how it is along the VdlP.
But as said, I am not an expert. I am sure someone more of an expert on laws in Spain might clarify this more precisely.
 
But I suspect due to the almost complete lack of infrastructure for say horse pilgrims, wild camping in Galicia is probably tolerated for them. I always wondered what pilgrims on horseback do when they get to Santiago. Are there stables for them somewhere in the city?

In fact I have seen a number of people wild camping in Asturias as well, not with horses, but with dogs. Anywhere you find good climbing spots, you will also probably find somewhere to camp. I find it surprising the general lack of good campsites in Asturias near the climbing spots. The few places that I know generally have grass areas nearby for you to throw a tent on, but many use camper vans nowadays and find an aire.
 
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Frogatthefarriers said:
Another question. Camping.
I slept out a few nights in a hammock. Yes, no fire.
Click to expand...



 
I walked the VdLP in 2020 & 2022, interrupted by the pandemic. March/April. I crossed paths with pilgrims who were camping off and on. Each of these solo hikers seemed to find reasonable spots here and there. They also stayed in albergues some nights. Not sure of any of the details but my sense was that they enjoyed the mix of camping and staying in albergues.
 
There are people who camp along the Via. It is illegal but I've never heard of them encountering a problem. Of course, how you do it, common sense, good behaviour, not lighting a fire, etc., makes a big difference to how you'll be perceived by local people. There's some additional information on my FAQ here: https://www.viadelaplataguide.net/p...uestions-about-walking-the-via-de-la-plata#46

The big question is why bother carrying all that camping gear 1000km when there's no shortage of cheap, well-equipped pilgrim hostels?

I've heard several people say they brought a tend / bivvy bag, and only used it once or twice.

So you need to think about whether for your own sake it's worth the hassle.

Also, what kind of bike are you going to ride? Parts of the Via are pretty tough going for cyclists because of hills, rough terrain, etc. Most cyclists follow the road.
 
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@geraldkelly, I’m not camping to save on costs, but because I like cycle camping. I’ve already got all the gear I need, just need to decide which stuff to take. As it stands, my shelter and sleeping kit weighs less than 2 kg and the bike will carry that. The bike is a mountain/trekking jobby. I’ve done many miles on it and I’m sure it can handle the terrain.

I'm sort of confident that I can cycle 50ish miles a day. I cycle in Wales so no stranger to hills. I just hope my backside can stand all the friction.
 
geraldkelly said:
The big question is why bother carrying all that camping gear 1000km when there's no shortage of cheap, well-equipped pilgrim hostels?
Click to expand...

For some people the answer is simply because they like to.

Some prefer hotels, some albergues, some their tent.

I carried "all that camping gear" (~3kg) for almost four months last year and would do so again.

Most pilgrims who only use their tent once or twice are those who brought it "just in case" and not those who really love to camp.
 
Well then go for it and Buen Camino!
As for your backside, loads of lube and you're grand!
 
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geraldkelly said:
The big question is why bother carrying all that camping gear 1000km when there's no shortage of cheap, well-equipped pilgrim hostels?
Click to expand...

For me the answer is simple, severe anaphylaxis. I sleep in those hostels and if someone cooks something I'm allergic to, I either spend 10 mins in the toilet popping pills and stabbing epipens in my legs (was a fun night at the Gonzar Municipal), or I die (hasn't happened yet, but came close twice, but not on Camino).

Staying in an albergue for me is like throwing that round in the cylinder and giving it a spin.

For others it might be having animals with them, claustrophobia, ptsd, severe anxiety and many more.

A guy I know did several tours in war zones and can't sleep in a house anymore. He sleeps in a tent in his back garden. When he goes on camino or pretty much anywhere, he also sleeps in a tent. He has bad ptsd and he says when he wakes up screaming it's probably not something other people want to be hearing in an albergue at 3am in the morning. There have been a couple of posts on here in the past by people that suffer the same problem.
 
@geraldkelly, I’m not camping to save on costs, but because I like cycle camping.

I love to see so many camping lovers. On the camino you will not meet so many. This year in June I walked and camped 3 weeks on the frances, and did not meet many campers. I find it gorgeous, sleeping outside just with inner tent, touched to nature and weather. And definitely is much more adventurous than booking beds or rooms. My preferred approach is always to ask locals where you can put the tent. Such I have always found "safe" spots, despite not always legal. Or even directly outside of an albergue. Such may be a good option if you still want to socialize a bit, toilet, washing, cooking, electricity. I made experience that many albergues municipales don't charge at all or very little up to 3 Eur for the shower. If you camp on private Albergues spaces then often they charge you higher up to 12 Eur my experience. You can have a bed for almost same price, which also may be an adventure - but differently. Last word: don't underestimate the toilet situation if you are going wild. We all hate to see toilet paper all along the way.
 
SanchoSombra said:
Last word: don't underestimate the toilet situation if you are going wild. We all hate to see toilet paper all along the way.
Click to expand...
This.

I never could see why it was so hard for people to dig a small hole and then cover it afterwards. Even in the most arid places you can generally chisel out a hole with your pole tips. If you are in a wooded or forested area then designate an area away from your tent and cover it the next morning.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Ha! I’ve just spent 25 quid on a super-lightweight poo trowel.
 
Frogatthefarriers said:
Ha! I’ve just spent 25 quid on a super-lightweight poo trowel.
Click to expand...

I've walked thousands of kms by now, often camping. Never needed a trowel. A simple stick or stone will do the same thing and you don't need to carry it. 25€, that's at least five beers or ten coffees in a café /bar in France, and even more in spain! I know what I'd choose

But jokes aside, better to be prepared than to leave a mess. It will be useful when wild camping, so definitely not a bad idea, even though I wouldn't consider it necessary.
 
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Frogatthefarriers said:
Is that feasible, do you think? What snags am I likely to encounter?
Click to expand...
On the VDLP and on a bike, super easy.

Snags - pigs & their protective owners, heavy thunderstorms and possibly traffic noise (it's not a particularly remote route). Of course, you can go where you want on a bike and distance is not such an issue but I would take a tent that can be pitched more or less anywhere. You might struggle if you need trees and pegs and all the rest of it. If you're going in the summer heat, water/food is probably more of an issue especially if you're not 100% on top of Spanish opening hours, Sunday closing, etc. esp in the South. (It's not really a big deal and petrol stations can be a lifesaver but it caught me out a couple of times)

If you are interested in history there are some amazing places along VDLP but most are in urban areas like Merida. Logistically you might find it simpler to book cheap hotels rather than stay in pilgrim accommodation/attempt to camp on those nights. Pays to be aware of Spanish opening times too which might be 5-8pm. Takes a bit of getting used to if you're from UK.

Hope you have fun!
 
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re wild camping, there's a helpful phrase a young Spaniard who was wild camping his way to Santiago on the CFtaught me:
"Manana por la manana me voy"

According to him, wild bivouacking - 1 night - is tolerated, though not legal, while wild camping (2 or more nights) is often not. You're still at the mercy of the officer's goodwill though. If on private lands ask for permission.
The old saying "leave only footprints, take only memories " applies everywhere
Next, as much as possible stay out of sight and earshot. Dull coloured (sandy browns/dark greens) gear helps.
and above all do not start a campfire. If seen they'll come down on you like a ton of bricks.
There are plenty of fairly isolated spots along the VdlP to camp to your heart's content, just carry enough water as water sources between stages can be scarce
 
There are plenty of places to camp unobserved on the Via. I met a woman cyclist who was camping most nights who said she had no problem.
 
geraldkelly said:
The big question is why bother carrying all that camping gear 1000km when there's no shortage of cheap, well-equipped pilgrim hostels?
Click to expand...
I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. That means if I'm in a place where someone has strong cologne or spray deodorant on, or slathers themselves with essential oils, or the floor has been mopped with FABULOSO, I can be sick enough to be in bed for days. Migraine, brain fog, aching joints, fight or flight, etc. These days, I'm almost always booking privates but in the past, camping has saved my butt and my Camino.

I had a heated texting convo with a fellow last week who lives in Viana (not a Spaniard btw) who told me he was a retired policeman. I told him I was from a police family. My father, my grandfather were both policemen and my step-dad was police chief so I'm well acquainted with being law abiding. That really set him off and he really wanted to fight about the blog post I did, saying I was encouraging people to break the law. I finally had to block him because he really just wanted to fight. I do NOT encourage people to break the law. I encourage them to use campgrounds, which I list in the post, and to get permission and to not camp in places where it is illegal. That said, I still do not believe it's impossible unless campers themselves ruin it by leaving a mess and turning the locals against it.
 
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A selection of Camino Jewellery
So now Ive finished, got the t shirt etc. I'd like to report I managed only 4 wild camps.

With a bit of luck, my pictures will work.

Merida in the aqueduct park
 

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Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
And finally, one on a picnic area under the motorway at Lubián in a barbecue house:-

Not the little mouse hiding under the blue bowl. He'd helped himself to some biscuits I'd left out and woke me at 2am in the process.
 

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Seems quite surprising there isn't anything definitive on the forum re: regional laws and camping. i spoke a hiking store manager in Leon about this and he was emphatic that bivying (not camping) - but setting up a tent at sunset, away from the trail and sleeping only the one night (no cooking, no fires) and leaving at sunrise - was perfectly legal in Spain. He also mentioned different regional laws, but said bivying was legal across all regions.

Maybe Ivar or well connected mod could have a guest lawyer appear on the forum?
 
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Lindsay53 said:
You had no problems camping by the aqueduct? I would have thought that would be difficult given it's right in the city.
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Ah well, I wasn't quite under the aqueduct, but very close. I was behind some bushes between the path and the railway line. I pitched up after dark and was away before daylight. It was a good spot but noisy. On the path side a boy and girl were flirting (think laughing and giggling) and the railway line on the other with trains clunk-clunking past all night. Didn't keep me awake long. Each time I was back asleep in no time.
 

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Thanks for the update. And congratulations on finishing.
Better the mouse in the 'house' than the one in your bag. Happened to me once, jumped out at the next stop. Had to wash a previously clean shirt again - Mouse pee. Fortunately only ate some noodles not my shirt!
 
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