• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.
  • Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Best Time of Year to Start Camino fro SJPDP?

sandylea

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2015
There is just some much information on this topic that I'm starting to get a little confused about what month of the year to commence the Camino Frances. My main aim is to avoid rain. I have narrowed it down to the months of late April/May/June or late Aug/Sept. I was in the north of Spain last Sept and the weather was very warm. Is that normal? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
I was on the Camino last Sept also. Pamplona to Burgos.Then from Sarria to Santiago. Very hot indeed!! Pilgrims were starting the day at 4:00am and finishing at noon to beat the heat. I was informed that it was as hot in Sept last year as July and August. I am going back April 29 to start from SJPDP-Pamplona;Burgos to Sarria;Santiago to Finnisterre.It will most likely be not nearly as hot.I can always stay dry and warm with gear but dealing with that heat ,you can only take off so much clothing and all that really does is get ya burned 'all over'.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Thats sort of funny because I went late October to early December ... These are wetter months than the summer months ... and I went then to avoid the rain.

Thats because November and December are the worst months of the year for rain where I live.

It rained often whilst on the Camino but it was much warmer and drier than it was at home.
 
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
I will be arriving in Madrid,Delta Airlines from Atlanta, 8:35am on April 29 and bus from the airport to Pamplona . I'll be needing to share a taxi to SJPdP on April 30. if your plans coincide and you are interested let me know.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I would expect you will see a lot more rain in spring than if you go in Aug/Sep. But August will probably be brutally hot so I would suggest going as late as possible.
 
End of April and May sounds good to me. Much of the rain that falls does so at night, and is not a problem, so don't take basic stats at face value.

In Galicia you're practically guaranteed rain, as you're walking through clouds, but it's sometimes just a fine misty rain and can be quite refreshing. On the other hand it tipped down on me last autumn while walking, and although prepared I was unamused. (Unlike the group of Germans in the bar who laughed at me when I arrived.) :D Buen Camino!
 
In Galacia the rain comes in squalls. If you keep your eyes on the clouds you can see them coming. I found bus stops, trees, and sometimes overhangs on buildings, were useful places to take cover.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
as they say on the Appalachian Trail... 'to get to Maine ya gotta walk in the rain in pain'; SO, the same might be said about getting to Santiago,Spain. just bring a good poncho ,a good IPOD, hunker down and sing as you go. It worked for me last year during the 5 day stretch between Sarria and Santiago, all of which were IN THE RAIN.
 
emv0816 said:
I was on the Camino last Sept also. Pamplona to Burgos.Then from Sarria to Santiago. Very hot indeed!! Pilgrims were starting the day at 4:00am and finishing at noon to beat the heat. I was informed that it was as hot in Sept last year as July and August. I am going back April 29 to start from SJPDP-Pamplona;Burgos to Sarria;Santiago to Finnisterre.It will most likely be not nearly as hot.I can always stay dry and warm with gear but dealing with that heat ,you can only take off so much clothing and all that really does is get ya burned 'all over'.[/quote

Hola! Did you start in early September? I started from SJPP on the 12th, ran into a couple of warm days along the way (80 degrees F) but never felt it was difficult to navigate due to heat. I walked through the Meseta, as well, which would be the hottest, I would imagine. I started out at 6:30am for awhile, but only out of concern that once I got to my destination, that I could wash my clothes and they'd be dry by morning! :) then I figured that it was better to walk in the light, so would leave between 8 - 8:15am. It does rain in Galicia, but by that time, I was seeing the rain as a positive thing. It make everything "alive" and is really metaphoric at this point. By giving in to the elements, it was very freeing...for fighting them or being unhappy about them only caused me to miss their lessons.
Blessings to all walking now, those who will walk and those of us who have walked, finding our Way, one step at a time...
Buen Camino!
"Bozzie"
(Dee Anne from Dallas)
 
hola!buenos dias. yes, I started Sept 5 , Pamplona to Burgos. After the flight to Madrid and the bus trip to Pamplona I was anxious to get my hike started and therefore did not want to spend any more travel time to get to SJPDP . I am from FL and the heat was not a big deal to me as it was a dry heat. Humidity and high temps (Florida) make it more difficult as the sweat doesn't cool the body off. I did meet several pligrims who seemed to be genuinely suffering from the heat (over 100degrees F) last Sept...I had a thermometer on my pack. My wife arrived Madrid on Sept 19 so I met her and we hiked the 5 days Sarria -SDC together. The rain in Galicia did have a positive efect on me as well, cool and ALIVE and the scent from the flowers and eucalyptus trees was wonderful!!
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc

Most read last week in this forum

I've just read this article from La Voz de Galicia. A Camino guide and frequent pilgrim with over 30 years of Camino experience calling for some greater regulation of numbers - at least on the...
Hello. I am considering walking the Camino for the first time this fall, probably beginning the third week of September in St. Jean. But I keep reading about how crowded the Camino is, including...
Hello, two weeks ago, I finished the Camino Francés, and while all the recent memories have not properly settled yet, I think enough time has passed to write a bit about my experience of the...
Can anyone give me (newbie!) some guidance on planning my stages after Roncesvalles? I currently have lodging booked Zubiri, Pamplona and then Puente la Reine, and on from there. I would prefer...
Big stupid question: what if, in the middle of a stage, I realize I can't really walk anymore? For whatever reason, fatigue, pain, etc. How others have treated this? Are there buses usually...
Hi everyone: I'm hoping to hike the Camino Frances in July/Aug. I would love to, ahead of time, order and ship ahead a pair of my favorite hiking shoes (Hokas) so that, roughly halfway through...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top