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What posts suggest that places are already fully booked? September is a busy month for starting from SJPdP - especially the first two weeks, so it's good that you are going mid month. There should really be no reason that you will have to sleep "rough" unless you prefer it.Posts also suggest bottlenecks already fully booked.
I would only book ahead in St Jean pde Port for the 1st night, Roncesvalles if you intend to stay there and also Santiago a few days before you arrive.We are a couple due to walk from SJDP in mid September. Not keen to book (unsure about daily walk distance & like freedom) Posts also suggest bottlenecks already fully booked. Keen to avoid bed race. I see posts suggesting this relaxed approach will result in some night's with no bed & necessitate rough sleeping. Is discrete rough sleeping acceptable outside big towns if beds are all full? We are wondering about carrying bivvy bags (not tent) sleeping bag & mat to give more options.
Unfortunately, there's not much chance that either has vacancies this September.Should you choose to stay in Orrisson or Borda albergues on the way to Roncesvalles, these also need to be booked ahead.
The OP (swimming against the tide) doesn’t seem to be looking for a private room. After Pamplona all will be well. Busy, but well.
Most of the suggestions that ‘there are no beds left’ actually mean there are no private rooms with their own bathroom showing as available on booking.com. The two things are very different.
The municipal albergue in Mansilla de las Mulas has now reopened.Mansilla de las Mulas is 20km before Leon but the municipal is shut and the 2 private albergues can get busy.
Will edit above! And good news to see!The municipal albergue in Mansilla de las Mulas has now reopened.
not really, and illegal in many places, although locals and cops may ignore you. that said, it really isn't a great idea to promote roughing it across spain as it is not fair for the locals. imagine what the camino would look and feel like if half a million pilgrims slept and did their stuff wherever they wanted along the trail.We are a couple due to walk from SJDP in mid September. Not keen to book (unsure about daily walk distance & like freedom) Posts also suggest bottlenecks already fully booked. Keen to avoid bed race. I see posts suggesting this relaxed approach will result in some night's with no bed & necessitate rough sleeping. Is discrete rough sleeping acceptable outside big towns if beds are all full? We are wondering about carrying bivvy bags (not tent) sleeping bag & mat to give more options.
Actually, the most stressed people we saw in June this year were those who had made reservations and were struggling get to the places they´d reserved. If you are OK with public albergues (and if you are contemplating sleeping rough, you obviously are), then you should be fine. By the way, church porches are usually kept firmly locked at night.Not having reservations is a source of extreme stress for some people.
I have walked by many small churches in villages where the porches only had an overhanging roof, but no enclosures to lock them. I did see two young men sleeping under one of them as I'd walked by on the Primitivo. Here they are a day later and had slept outdoors the following night.By the way, church porches are usually kept firmly locked at night.
Hi SeabeggerWe are a couple due to walk from SJDP in mid September. Not keen to book (unsure about daily walk distance & like freedom) Posts also suggest bottlenecks already fully booked. Keen to avoid bed race. I see posts suggesting this relaxed approach will result in some night's with no bed & necessitate rough sleeping. Is discrete rough sleeping acceptable outside big towns if beds are all full? We are wondering about carrying bivvy bags (not tent) sleeping bag & mat to give more options.
SIt's a complicated topic, but as I will be sleeping rough tonight (in France not Spain), I guess I should opine somewhat.
First, it's simply not possible without the kit, unless you are in your 20s or 30s or something ...
And second first, you need some kind of roof unless it's 0% chance of rain, and you need somewhere isolated and out of the way for everybody's protection including yours.
There is no one size fits all solution, there's just trial and error.
Socially acceptable ? In short, noWhat I am wondering is whether it is socially acceptable to sleep on the street along a Camino.
So what happens @Peterexpatkiwi, if you can't find a bed? What's a viable and socially acceptable alternative?Socially acceptable ? In short, no
On my 2017 Camino I didn’t arrive into my location until early evening and the 3 albergues were completely full. It was my own fault I thought I would make up time and distance combining two stages, so when I arrived there was nothing left. I couldn’t walk any further that day so I took a stroll around the town and found a small park I could rest in for the night. I found a little restaurant to eat and had a wash then retired to the park later and slept there. There was no one complaining or harassing me and I was up just after 5am and started walking again until I found a place for breakfast which wasn’t too far away and extremely welcoming. KeithSo what happens if you can't find a bed? What's a viable alternative?
Good suggestions, and thanks for sharing your experience.Whilst it does not happen often it certainly does happen. For example if you have been unfortunate enough to have hit one of the famed bottle necks on a busy day. In which case you simply move on. If you're physically unable to, you seek assistance to call a taxi to go elsewhere - off Camino for example. Bars, restaurants, Albergues, police, a shop, even a random local will generally help you call a taxi should you not be able to find one.
You generally don't have to go far - 5 perhaps 10 kilometres - although there could always be exceptions. Then you taxi back the next day.
I would monitor these area as well: Rabanal del Camino to Molineseca, Villafranca to OCebreiro, and Sarria to SdC. There are times in Oct. when even the towns in between are Full! The National Day of Spain is October 12th this year and many will have a three day weekend. If you are in these areas at that time check ahead for availability.I would only book ahead in St Jean pde Port for the 1st night, Roncesvalles if you intend to stay there and also Santiago a few days before you arrive.
Should you choose to stay in Orrisson or Borda albergues on the way to Roncesvalles, these also need to be booked ahead.
I can’t think of anywhere else. Maybe the Trasgu hostal in Foncebadon gets very booked up ahead too but there are many other options.
Unless you have very specific requirements ie private rooms with ensuite bathroom for ex., you should have no need to sleep under a church porch
I always tried to end my walk by 2pm. This is the time most albergues open. You’ll usually find a bed at that hour. Then you can head out for a big pilgrim lunch.We are a couple due to walk from SJDP in mid September. Not keen to book (unsure about daily walk distance & like freedom) Posts also suggest bottlenecks already fully booked. Keen to avoid bed race. I see posts suggesting this relaxed approach will result in some night's with no bed & necessitate rough sleeping. Is discrete rough sleeping acceptable outside big towns if beds are all full? We are wondering about carrying bivvy bags (not tent) sleeping bag & mat to give more options.
Rough or wild camping is illegal everywhere in Spain. I don't think there have been any changes to that policy recently.The police banned camping and sleeping rough from SJPP to Pamplona due to the risk of being abducted in the Basque region
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