An early May Camino?

[jrm]

Hello all,

I've got some planning to do and a Camino this year isn't doable.. but I'm thinking of early May from Leon to Santiago. Is that a very crowded time? I know June is busy, but is the first two weeks of May a more relaxed/less populated time to walk? Any tips on the weather as well?

 

[Houlet]

I walked this year in May and there were plenty of pilgrims around but accommodation was never a problem The May 2014 weather was very good but that will obviously vary from year to year.

 

[scruffy1]

Houlet is right about the weather, hasn't been normal for a long time, one year cool 15-7 degrees C, the next 24-14 C, and the next year rain rain and then more rain plus an early May snow - be prepared for anything! May is a marvelous time on the Camino, after the Meseta you will find Spring still in all its glory, mountains covered with the yellow broom flowers, if it remains cool hillsides with blue lobellia and the allusive and protected wild primavera primrose, vineyards bright green with first growth. village gardens blooming, wisteria covering fences, pergolas, and houses, cities with tulips and pansies mixed. It can be marvelous. Buen Camino!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

May is a very popular month to make the camino. The pilgrims tend to move in big waves. If you find you're having problems with accommodation or crowding, just move ahead or wait a day or two, til the wave passes.

 

[Al the optimist]

I have left SJPdP around the 10th May the last two years. One was wet/snow/cold, one sunny/hot. I found it mostly sunny/hot from Leon, but it was early June. There seemed to be more people this year, but not enough to be a problem for me. I try to get done before the middle of June to avoid the summer heat and increased numbers once school finishes. Try going for the "in-between" stops.

 

[jrm]

Thanks for the responses all. This is really quite helpful. I'm not so much bothered by the weather.. I like the rain, and am used to snow if it arrives. I'm finding myself more focused on the amount of people on the camino... not because I'm worried about a bed-race though. So, maybe it'd be fun to move it up even further.. like begining/mid April. Try to get some of that spring weather, some rains, some beautiful scenery, and maybe a few less people around. After looking at the statistics, it seems that April sees significantly less traffic than May.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

March and April are both fine choices. The weather is a bit more "iffy," there are fewer flowers blooming, and the wind blows into your face a lot... but you should have as much alone time as you like.

 

[jrm]

Okay, it's looking like a very early April Camino is going to be just the ticket. I'm assuming rain (but probably not all day every day). And it seems that it should be a bit less busy on the Camino from Leon to Santiago. Any words of wisdom? Anyone done this stretch over this time period?

 

[Tincatinker]

Departed Leon 21 April 2012, I'd been walking for a while by then so was "camino fit" and had learned that weather happens wether you want it to or not. Most of my weather notes refer to the wind, on occasions a real challenge - one note says "the wind added 5k to today's walking". I hit snow at the Cruz Ferrol and again a O'Cerebrio but mostly walked in sunshine, leaning on the wind. There was rain too, another note says " now I know where ponchos go when they die - they festoon the hedgerows of Galicia", I relied on and was relieved by my umbrella.

Replies above and, no doubt to follow, will tell you that the weather will be variable but interesting; there will be pilgrims aplenty on the way but not crowds (except perhaps at the Cruz - another thread entirely). As for words of wisdom (?) Caldo de Gallego has resolved more difficult days than this forum ever will

 

[tyrrek]

Okay, it's looking like a very early April Camino is going to be just the ticket. I'm assuming rain (but probably not all day every day). And it seems that it should be a bit less busy on the Camino from Leon to Santiago. Any words of wisdom? Anyone done this stretch over this time period?

Yes, much, much quieter at the start of April than the start of May. At the start of April the first of two big waves of pilgrims hits the Camino Frances...in SJPP. They don't arrive in Leon for another few weeks. So you can expect Leon onwards to be quieter than average at the start of April, but by the start of May it's significantly busier than average as the wave moves through. See these spreadsheets: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...e-the-busy-periods-on-the-camino-frances.114/

 

[waveprof]

I walked this year in May and there were plenty of pilgrims around but accommodation was never a problem The May 2014 weather was very good but that will obviously vary from year to year.

May 2013 was the coldest in 40 years. Our Spanish and Basque friends still talk about it. May 2014 was really nice. The key to May in the north of Spain is that it can vary year to year....or, often, day to day.......

 

[jrm]

Thanks all. That's what I figured. I guess that is half the fun I like the idea of a less crowded camino and that seems to work for my schedule better than may. Keep those words of wisdom coming!

 

[jrm]

To update, the time table has been truncated a bit, so looks like starting in Astorga. Now to figure out how to get from Madrid to Astorga early enough to walk a little bit!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I love walking in April and May. The earlier you walk, the fewer pilgrims. I left Lourdes one year in mid-April and it was awesome!
If you do find yourself in a wave of pilgrims, like Rebecca said, hang back a day or two and let them pass and get "between the wave" and you'll be fine.