Walking the norte in October

[Andys Camino]

Am planning to spend two weeks on the camino norte starting early October,any advice/suggestions on what to expect at this time of year would be great.Am planning to fly to Biarritz ,bus to Irun and start from there,will hope to get as far as Santander.Will be walking alone.What do you think,is it mad or bad?or even mabey great

 

[michal.don]

Am planning to spend two weeks on the camino norte starting early October,any advice/suggestions on what to expect at this time of year would be great.Am planning to fly to Biarritz ,bus to Irun and start from there,will hope to get as far as Santander.Will be walking alone.What do you think,is it mad or bad?or even mabey great

Sorry, I have no useful insight, yet. But I'm going to the Norte in early-ish October, too. So I'll be watching what others have to say. And I'll hope for the "great" rather than the "mad or bad"

 

[Former member 92300]

Am planning to spend two weeks on the camino norte starting early October,any advice/suggestions on what to expect at this time of year would be great.Am planning to fly to Biarritz ,bus to Irun and start from there,will hope to get as far as Santander.Will be walking alone.What do you think,is it mad or bad?or even mabey great

Well - I walked the Norte to Primitivo to SdC late May to late June. I will tell you - most days were cool. Usually not getting higher than the 60's (Fahrenheight). I had I think 4 hot/humid days in the 90's. I would suspect October is cooler - so look at the historical weather. Also - a lot of albergues don't open before July - so for you I would check when most albergues close for the season. It isn't like the Frances where many albergues are open year round. The good thing was that while on the Frances - I didn't have a sleeping bag and really wished I did - the Norte/Primitivo albergues MOSTLY provided blankets - but not all. But - if you are going in October - you are more likely to need a sleeping bag than I was. For me - I was able to send my sleeping bag home and just keep the liner.

Those are the biggest things I think you should research.

 

[Richmond Gardner]

I walked from Santillana Del Mar to Baamonde last October, and the weather was generally very pleasant. Cool mornings and evenings, with warm days. However, your experience can be very different. I do recommend October for the Norte. There were plenty of pilgrims, without any overcrowding and the scenery was spectacular !

 

[JerryStroebele]

I have walked on the del Norte 3x in October. Generally delightful but be prepared for some heavy rain and wind. And mud. Definitely not mad or bad, maybe great weather and for sure beautiful scenery and friendly people. Kaicho. Buen Camino

 

[lt56ny]

I walked in October from Irun to Santiago. Great weather, you will never get an accurate answer on the weather. Lots of ups and downs, fantastic scenery, I met some wonderful people, good food. Do not know which caminos you have walked, your fitness level and age but to me it is much more difficult than the CF but still worth every struggle.

 

[world walker]

Am planning to spend two weeks on the camino norte starting early October,any advice/suggestions on what to expect at this time of year would be great.Am planning to fly to Biarritz ,bus to Irun and start from there,will hope to get as far as Santander.Will be walking alone.What do you think,is it mad or bad?or even mabey great

I did it last year in October alone. Lovely walk. More road walking than I expected nice weather and accommodations

 

[makingtrax]

Am planning to spend two weeks on the camino norte starting early October,any advice/suggestions on what to expect at this time of year would be great.Am planning to fly to Biarritz ,bus to Irun and start from there,will hope to get as far as Santander.Will be walking alone.What do you think,is it mad or bad?or even mabey great

I walked 3 weeks 2010 Santander to Santiago and had only 2 days drizzle. Some colder days near the end due to frosti mornings. Lovely time if year to walk. Harvesting the crops, blackberries and walnuts everywhere and people have time for a chat. Bon camino

 

[Vacajoe]

Walked Bayonne to Bilbao early Oct 2021 - lovely walk with a warm day or two, a rainy day or two, a warm rainy day or two , and cool otherwise. Handful of pilgrims at the Albergues with some issues regarding bed availability due to Covid, mid-month seasonal shutdowns, and the existence of surfers on the coast. Felt more like a long hike than a Camino, per se.

 

[Wandalina]

Am planning to spend two weeks on the camino norte starting early October,any advice/suggestions on what to expect at this time of year would be great.Am planning to fly to Biarritz ,bus to Irun and start from there,will hope to get as far as Santander.Will be walking alone.What do you think,is it mad or bad?or even mabey great

Im doing same route from 20th September im sure we wont be alone! Have a good one