Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[Cat21]

Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

I'm making my first attempt at the Camino this December/January and I was looking for suggestions on the most weather-friendly route to take. I'm no stranger to cold temperatures and snow but I am a little nervous about getting lost if there is too much snow cover.

Thanks in advance!

[sillydoll]

Hi there,
I see that nobody has replied to your query. I haven't walked in winter and don't know which the best route would be, but you could have a look at the article on the CSJ website - Winter Pilgrimage at http://www.csj.org.uk/bull-arts/a-raju-art.htm

You could also contact Sue Kenney who walked a winter pilgrimage: (http://www.suekenney.ca/ ()
email: sue.kenney@sympatico.ca I'm sure she will be only too happy to help you.

I would imagine that all 15 routes in Spain (and the 7 or so in France) cross a few high places where the camino signs will be obliterated by snow.

Whichever route you choose, you will need more clothing, warmer clothing, good waterproof raingear and a guide book that tells you which albergues are open as many close at the end of October.

Good luck!

[JohnnieWalker]

Hi - sorry I missed this post.

I love walking in winter in Spain and the best advice I got on this forum some time ago was to realise that winter in Spain can be just as cold at times as walking in Scotland.

That being said I walked from StJdPP over the route Napoleon last November in no more than blustery conditions and then within a couple of days I was walking in shorts and applying sun screen. But as Sil says further on there are elevations so better safe than sorry.

If you want to be more certain of avoiding adverse conditions (although what is certain weather wise these days?) an option would be to take a route starting in the South. I walked from Seville in January and although I had some mornings of freezing fog which was burned away by the sun mid morning generally the weather was very good indeed. I never used my rain gear once. You have a number of options from the South - leaving from Granada, or Seville or from Valencia. You will certainly encounter cold conditions on the Via de la Plata in Extremadura but I suspect no major weather until Galicia.

It sounds as if you are experienced though and would follow the advice of locals and look at weatrher predictions nearer the time - that plus good layers of technical clothing and all should be well.

Happy planning.

John

[MaryPat]

I would not like to traverse the mountains of Leon in heavy snow; route finding would be a real challenge, unless one followed the road over the tops. Snow stakes are planted along the roadways; I assume they must be plowed.

I was very cold in Extremadura in mid-April. More to the point, many of the refugios and hostals had no heat; after all, that is the South!

Mary Pat

[Javier Martin]

I'm sorry, I'm always late reading posts.

I've walked two differents Caminos in winter.

Camino Sanabres was very, very cold, with a lot of snow.

Camino portugues had nice weather.

I imagine the Camino ingles very wet, the same in the Camino del Norte.

May be the Camino Frances is a bit friendly, but ... well, I don't know. If I was you, I would try the Portuguese, or the Camino Frances

Absolutely NO to the Camino Primitivo in winter. Because your Safety. Remember, your first Camino.

Enjoy it, whichever you choose.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain