Nicky - might see you. I walked from Seville to Monestario in March but had to stop due to severe blisters. I plan to step of again from M probably in February - I just hope it will be cool, the temp even in March this year was too much for me!!
That’ll be cool Simon B, I’m just hoping it’s not too cold that my water reservoir freezes but from what you write I should be ok!
Antonio Retamosa's website (and PDF) lists opening dates for albergues. In theory, those with "Abierto todo el año" should be open. In practice, things are less reliable in winter and I would call ahead to verify on some stages where there aren't many options:
My experience of VDLP and Camino Sanabres was in November and December - Shorter days meant less daylight to cover long distances. There were enough open albergues, but some were cold at night.
Perhaps you’re accustomed to winter camping, in which case have at it. Speaking for myself, I would not carry a bivvi bag for a January Camino - There are places to stay. It gets really cold outside. (For that matter it can get pretty cold inside some of the albergues, so a warm sleeping bag is a must).
Its the "just in case" bit the bivvi is for. emergencies. Id rather be snug in a bivvi bag than not.
It's your call. For an "emergency" of the "albergue closed" variety, I suggest calling a taxi and getting a ride to the nearest open place. For the "broken leg and no phone signal" or "unexpected weather" kind of emergency, I guess a bivvi could be a lifesaver.
This is where a bivvi may have been useful. https://www.europapress.es/madrid/n...aba-hacer-camino-santiago-20191122193542.html
