No Room At The Inn

The weather has been fantastic for walking, so much so, that everybody seems to have decided to do the Camino at the same time as me. Given that it was a very wet Spring and Summer in Spain, it is possible that the unexpected and unusual number of pilgrims at this time of year is due to the wonderful weather. However, the downside is that there is often a scarcity of beds in the normal albergues for late arrivals. As I´m a bit of a snail, this could be a problem. I tend to walk at a steady pace all day, but definitely not fast. I´m not the slowest either. So, after a very tiring and fairly gruelling day from Roncesvalles to Zubiri, we (my companions from the UK)and I just wanted a bed and some sleep. Our feet were sore, the descent into town was steep and full of rocks and pebbles so needed to watch our feet and, the town seemed to never get closer. We discovered there was no room at the inn or the other 5 albergues in town, nor any vacancies in the next few towns. The only option seemed to be to catch a taxi to Pamplona. So, off to Pamplona we went only to find that the two albergues in Pamplona and the one in the next small town were full as well! So, no bed in a pilgrim hostel to be had for miles. Everyone we spoke to said this was very unusual for this time of year. Having to go by taxi from Zubiri to Pamplona meant we had missed one day of the walk, but there really wasn´t much choice. The high number of pilgrims and the wonderful weather made it unfeasible to return to do the walk the next day or suffer the same fate with regards to beds (or pay for a 4 or 5 star hotel in Pamplona and the budget doesn´t stretch that far). The taxi driver was really lovely and definitely wanted to help us find a bed so kept driving us to different albergues, waited while I ran in to check if any vacancies, then drove us to the next one. Eventually, we ended up in a triple room at Cizur Mayor in a lovely little hotel. Split 3 ways, the 70 euro bill wasn´t too bad. The people in the hotel were very friendly, helpful and we got gold star service for dinner and a 5% discount for being pilgrims. We love them! We also then got a very good nights sleep. My Spanish skills got pressed into service with the taxi driver and the albergues and hotel. My new friends are very impressed! So, now ready for the big day ahead - 19 kms to Puenta La Reina (over more hills and mountains including the famous Alto de Perdon - a very steep and long climb).