camping and fire policy along the Camino...

[Chinan Ovidiu]

hello,
Does annyone know if it is possible to camp outside of cities and make small fires ... or what is the policy in Spain for camping and outside fires...because: i don`t want to sleep every day indoor... and i plan to stay out of the villages for sleeping as many nights as possible....

[Leslie]

I think you might run into problems with wild camping and lighting fires. However if you are walking in mid summer it is warm at night when you are not in the mountains.

[Covey]

Camping when not on a licensed camp site is difficult because all the land is owned by someone and you need to seek permission to camp on their land. Unless you speak fluent Spanish you are not going to be able to find out who owns the land!

The Spanish Government has a blanket ban on fires on open ground between May and November. I am told the penalties if caught are draconian!

[Chinan Ovidiu]

Hello,

Thank you for your answers. But if i can manage and camp on somebody`s land if i ask permision to make a small fire, will i be fined by the police or annyone? If the fire is on private land and i have permission?

[Covey]

I assume you can use one of those camping gas rings, but natural fires are out.

From a practical point of view, camping has as many drawbacks as advantages. Most of the towns and cities have camp sites, but I have to say that I have never passed by one where I thought "that looks nice!" They are usually on the edge of town, and that means away from the albergues where your companions will be sleeping. It also means you and all your belongings are away from the bars where we tend to eat and socialize.

The albergues vary from the excellent to the decidedly indifferent. There are an increasing number of private albergues which are licensed to provide facilities for Pilgrims only. They tend to be reasonably modern and have better toilets and showers. The "official" albergues are generally buildings owned by the local or state government and mostly have been there a long time, and most are in need of modernization.

The official albergues max out at around €5 per night for a bed and the private albergues average around €8-10 per night.

You normally have to pay to pitch a tent on one of the campsites but there never appears to be any security to keep an eye on your kit whilst you wander off for a beer with your friends. The albergues are reasonably secure and there is always someone on duty to keep an eye on things and book people in.

Frankly, given the fire regulations and general all round hassle of camping, you are better off in an albergue with your friends, and you do not have to carry all the additional weight of tent, cooking kit etc.

[Chinan Ovidiu]

thanks covey for your advice !
I want to have more options than the albergue, because maybe there will be days when i will want to be alone outside, disconected...

Annyway, this forum has offerd me almost every answer that i was looking for, fast and on the point !!

Keep up the good work

[grayland]

One of the problems would be finding someone to ask permission from. You would be spending more time trying to find a place to pitch a tent than walking. The extra weight of the tent and camping equipment, even minimal gear, would have to be carried the whole way and just would not be used.