One of the possible challenges/changes I set myself for my Camino Sola in September 2015 was to sleep in albergues only and don’t take part in the bed race, but rather leave my money with the albergues, especially the donativos, which need it the most. I also wanted to try to choose only top bunks, as opposed to always heading for the bottom one.
Well, that worked well in the beginning – I started at the donativo CSJ albergue Gaucelmo in Rabanal, then failed the next night, when I stayed in the private albergue, but both nights in a top bunk. In fact, it was in the top bunk in Acebo, on my second night, that I managed to damage my shin so badly that I tried to avoid top bunks afterwards. I then went for a spate of normal beds – Pichin in Molinaseca, San Nicolas in Villafranca – so I didn’t really not take a top bunk … In Triacastela I asked for a bottom one though as I had to see what the cut looked like and treat it properly before I went climbing any more.
All in all the stats are as follows: Top bunks: 2, Bottom bunks: 3, Normal beds: 6
Not too bad. As so often happens, I ended up walking with two other ladies and then suddenly booking becomes easier, as you can stay together and it isn’t really any more expensive. I don’t approve of the prebooking culture but I went with the flow and I am glad I did.
Somewhere Slowly 
Don’t knock yourself over failing this challenge Linda. It’s the quality of sleep that matters. I have in quite a few bottom bunks and got zero hours of sleep!
I know, it was just one of those things where I thought we are all scrambling for the bottom bunk and I was going to get out of that habit of wanting one. I can sleep just as well in the top, in fact as long as there is an edge there to stop me falling out, I can sleep better up than down.
I still haven’t mastered coming down from the top bunk 🙂 I always am afraid of standing on the person underneath!
The trick is to commandeer the chair which some bottom bunk dwellers mistakenly think is their bedside table.
Aha…the chair! Epic battles can start over ownershop of the chair 🙂
This is probably why some albergues won’t let you into the dorm with a pair of walking poles …