Sleeping bags - Camino Portugues April-May

[Jeff Gallagher]

We plan on doing the Camino Portugues Next April 21st - May 10. We are trying to figures out how cold it is in the Albergues that time of year. Do the Alberques have pillows and blankets? We are trying to stay with a bag that is less than 1lb. Any suggestions?

 

[Former member 22438]

Jeff where do you want to start ?

All Portugese albergues have pillows and blankets. Most are privat albergues.
I do not know all municipal Galecian albergues but the ones I have been in provided blankets. Only once on the camino Ingles in the albergue of Betanzos were no blankets.
My wife and I walked in (end of) April, May and June during our caminhos and only took a silk sleepingliner with us. In Betanzos wore our fleece vest as protection against the "coldth"
A sleepingliner is a good idea for hygienic reasons anyway.

• Bom caminho

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Greetings, my friend Albertinho!
Jeff - take a sleeping bag.
See my diary of the Portuguese Camino from 2011. Night temperatures were down to 4 degs occasionally.
I discovered some albergues without blankets .....




- and one without beds!



If you're walking for more than a fortnight, also take a liner, which, as Albertinho says, will make you more popular with other peregrinos than if you're just using a smelly sleeping bag!

Bom caminho .... and let us all know how you get on.

 

[Former member 22438]

Greetings, my friend Albertinho!
Jeff - take a sleeping bag.
See my diary of the Portuguese Camino from 2011. Night temperatures were down to 4 degs occasionally.
I discovered some albergues without blankets .....

View attachment 20421


- and one without beds!

View attachment 20422

If you're walking for more than a fortnight, also take a liner, which, as Albertinho says, will make you more popular with other peregrinos than if you're just using a smelly sleeping bag!

Bom caminho .... and let us all know how you get on.

Hi Stephen !
So you advise Jeff to take his bed aswell ?

I also mentioned taking the liner because some smelly peregrinos are sleeping under the provided blankets and as long as it is after you there will be no problem but you'll never know who was before you
Everything okay with you ?
Regards from this side of the North Sea

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Hi Stephen !So you advise Jeff to take his bed aswell ? I also mentioned taking the liner because some smelly peregrinos are sleeping under the provided blankets and as long as it is after you there will be no problem but you'll never know who was before you Everything okay with you ? Regards from this side of the North Sea

Hello friend Albertinho - and Jeff!
Yes, all is well here. We have moved into our final retirement bungalow and enjoy it very much.
I hope you are both well. Are you hospitaleiros at Fernanda's yet? Or is that next year? I am soooooo tempted to visit you.
The last pilgrimage up the Ebro river was supposed to be my last ... age and poor feet are catching up on me! However ... I am looking at the Primitivo. Just looking, you understand.
As for Jeff - yes, he should take his own twin bunks. And, just in case they have no toilets, maybe take his own Elsan toilet?!
Blessings, my friend, from sunny Suffolk.....

 

[Former member 22438]

Hello friend Albertinho - and Jeff!
Yes, all is well here. We have moved into our final retirement bungalow and enjoy it very much.
I hope you are both well. Are you hospitaleiros at Fernanda's yet? Or is that next year? I am soooooo tempted to visit you.
The last pilgrimage up the Ebro river was supposed to be my last ... age and poor feet are catching up on me! However ... I am looking at the Primitivo. Just looking, you understand.
As for Jeff - yes, he should take his own twin bunks. And, just in case they have no toilets, maybe take his own Elsan toilet?!
Blessings, my friend, from sunny Suffolk.....

Good to hear you moved to a new place. Send me your new address by mail please. And if you cross the North Sea you know where we are.
We are not at Fernanda's but intending to go there next year july to give a hand in busy times. Our plan is to stay for a month in Portugal around Lisbon and Porto.
We have no caminho plans either. But I was very enthuastic yesterday watching Aurelio Simoēs post about the caminho interior.So am going to read more about it

Abraço from rainy Rotterdam

 

[Jeff Gallagher]

Jeff where do you want to start ?

All Portugese albergues have pillows and blankets. Most are privat albergues.
I do not know all municipal Galecian albergues but the ones I have been in provided blankets. Only once on the camino Ingles in the albergue of Betanzos were no blankets.
My wife and I walked in (end of) April, May and June during our caminhos and only took a silk sleepingliner with us. In Betanzos wore our fleece vest as protection against the "coldth"
A sleepingliner is a good idea for hygienic reasons anyway.

• Bom caminho

Hello friend Albertinho - and Jeff!
Yes, all is well here. We have moved into our final retirement bungalow and enjoy it very much.
I hope you are both well. Are you hospitaleiros at Fernanda's yet? Or is that next year? I am soooooo tempted to visit you.
The last pilgrimage up the Ebro river was supposed to be my last ... age and poor feet are catching up on me! However ... I am looking at the Primitivo. Just looking, you understand.
As for Jeff - yes, he should take his own twin bunks. And, just in case they have no toilets, maybe take his own Elsan toilet?!
Blessings, my friend, from sunny Suffolk.....

Jeff where do you want to start ?

All Portugese albergues have pillows and blankets. Most are privat albergues.
I do not know all municipal Galecian albergues but the ones I have been in provided blankets. Only once on the camino Ingles in the albergue of Betanzos were no blankets.
My wife and I walked in (end of) April, May and June during our caminhos and only took a silk sleepingliner with us. In Betanzos wore our fleece vest as protection against the "coldth"
A sleepingliner is a good idea for hygienic reasons anyway.

• Bom caminho

We are going to start in Porto. When we walked the Camino Frances this year we stayed in small hotels and guest houses so we have no idea what to expect as far as the Albergues. I do not think I can carry my own bed. But thought I could handle a sleeping bag.

 

[Former member 22438]

We are going to start in Porto. When we walked the Camino Frances this year we stayed in small hotels and guest houses so we have no idea what to expect as far as the Albergues. I do not think I can carry my own bed. But thought I could handle a sleeping bag.

Okay . There are two trails out of Porto. One goes to Vilarinho through the busy infrastructure of Porto
The other is a detour along the coast via Matosinhos to Vila do Conde.
I should advise you to walk the detour. You could start in Porto Center. to Matosinhos is 10 kms and from there to Vila do Conde is 20 kms . From there you cn walk to the central caminho in São Pedro de Rates or follow the coast all away to Vigo in Spain..great walk too. We did it this year.
You could go to Matosinhos by metro or bus and start from there.
In Matosinhos and Vila do Conde are no albergues.

The first you'll meet is in São Pedro de Rates where are blankets
If you walk the Vilarinho way which is great as soon as you are past the Porto airport and metro station Forum Maia, you come to the albergue Monastero de Vairão. There are blankets.
From there you also walk to Sæo Pedro de Rates.
Your next from Rates are in Barcelinhos and Barcelos. I haven't been in both albergues
From Barcelos you could go to albergue de Tamel of the best experience on the entire northern caminho from Porto, casa Fernanda in Vilhadiz. There are blankets. I made the beds myself as hospitaleiro reservation is advisable. It can be busy there.
Other albergues on the Portugese side I do not know .. There is one in Ponte de Lima and one in Rubiaēs as well in Valença do Minho . We used privat hostals.

Once we were in the busy municipal albergue in Redondela. With blankets but did not like it. to many people.
This year we walked 3 kms further and stayed in Cessantes in Refuxio de la Jerézana. Great place., new, clean ,quiet and very kind hospitalera ,Marie ,a Spanish lady who lived long in Germany.

Maybe others can give their experiences about the albergues I haven't been


Bom caminho