2023 Dreaming - how's the weather in May on the Norte?

[trecile]

I had decided that September may be the perfect time for the Norte, but I don't want to wait almost a year for my next Camino! So now I'm thinking of May.

In addition, I've had the idea for a while to accompany a few newbie pilgrims from my local American Pilgrims chapter from SJPdP to Pamplona and give them a "push start" before I leave them on their own and take a bus to the Norte - possibly to Bayonne (there's something that I love about crossing a border on foot ). There are a few members of the group that really want to walk a Camino, but for various reasons are too nervous to start on their own.

For me, April is too iffy weather-wise, but I'm not sure that May will be that much drier.

I've done the Norte in June and July in the past, with July 2018 being unusually rainy.
I'll be finishing on the Primitivo.

What do you May Norte pilgrims say?

 

[Texas Walker]

Hello, fellow peregrina! We walked in 2017-2018 (injury stopped the first one) and for the first half or so, everywhere we went people said it was the winter that wouldn't quit. (Arrived in Spain appx 5/19) Then towards the end, it finally got warm. HTH! BC!

 

[André Walker]

Hi Trecile,

In 2016 I walked the Norte, starting at the beginning of May. Nice temperatures for walking (not too cold, not too hot) and a lot of sunny days. Only two days of rain, although on 1 day from early morning until late at night). That is, until I got to Galicia. There I had a number of days with some occasional drizzle. But, all in all, very nice weather.

That year it got a bit crowded in Bilbao: a lot of Frances-pilgrims switching to the Norte because it had been raining for 2 weeks in a row on the Frances...

Could be that I was just lucky.

For what it's worth: the climate of the last decade in Santander:

 

[jungleboy]

That is, until I got to Galicia.

Oh yes, that little caveat!

 

[RainerS]

I had decided that September may be the perfect time for the Norte, but I don't want to wait almost a year for my next Camino! So now I'm thinking of May.

In addition, I've had the idea for a while to accompany a few newbie pilgrims from my local American Pilgrims chapter from SJPdP to Pamplona and give them a "push start" before I leave them on their own and take a bus to the Norte - possibly to Bayonne (there's something that I love about crossing a border on foot ). There are a few members of the group that really want to walk a Camino, but for various reasons are too nervous to start on their own.

For me, April is too iffy weather-wise, but I'm not sure that May will be that much drier.

I've done the Norte in June and July in the past, with July 2018 being unusually rainy.
I'll be finishing on the Primitivo.

What do you May Norte pilgrims say?

I walked the Norte (then switched the Primitivo) from 4/30/2019 (Irun) to 6/5/2019 (Santiago) - perfect walking weather - maybe a little on the cool side - 3 days of rain for the entire trip - couldn't recommend it more.