Camino francés in Feb/March

[Mbadro]

Hola a todos, I have a month off end of February / early March and was wondering if the Camino francés is accessible and doable in this season as I recognize it is off season.

My main concerns revolve around:

terrain - snow on the ground, passes through mountains
climate / temp - if it will be too cold, snowy, rainy
albergues - will they be open
other pilgrims - i recognize this can be a great experience to meet others, and was wondering if many pilgrims still travel during this time period
packing concerns - as i imagine a pack might be heavier with more cold - weather gear, etc

Please let me know, friends, if this is a viable plan as I have gotten myself all excited, but worried about logistics.

Thank you

 

[jsalt]

Yes, it's doable.
Walk from town to town, as places to stay in the villages in-between may be closed.
Buen camino!

 

[C clearly]

terrain - snow on the ground, passes through mountains
climate / temp - if it will be too cold, snowy, rainy

The Napoleon route from SJPP will be closed, so you will need to take the Valcarlos route.

There could be cold and snow, and there will almost certainly be some rain. But much of the time, the walking conditions will probably be very good. If a snowstorm comes in, maybe you just take a day off from walking.

albergues - will they be open
other pilgrims - i recognize this can be a great experience to meet others, and was wondering if many pilgrims still travel during this time period
packing concerns - as i imagine a pack might be heavier with more cold - weather gear, etc

Not all albergues will be open, but on the Camino Frances there should be enough open to allow reasonable walking distances each day. Here is a list of albergues open in winter. Even so, don't expect to arrive in a tiny village with one albergue listed, and be guaranteed a bed. Inform yourself of the situation a day or so in advance, unless you are prepared to walk on to the next town.

other pilgrims - i recognize this can be a great experience to meet others, and was wondering if many pilgrims still travel during this time period

Define "many" . You will meet other pilgrims on the Camino Frances at any time of year.

packing concerns - as i imagine a pack might be heavier with more cold - weather gear, etc

If you pack carefully, using multiple layers of lightweight items, rather than any single heavy items, you should not need to carry a lot more weight that you would in October-November or March-April, which I have done with 6 kg. For mid-winter, maybe I would add 1 kg. Just remember that you can wear everything at once, if necessary, except that you should be sure to keep one fully layer dry for the evening and night ahead. Gloves, hat and buff are important.

 

[Derek Booth]

If you start in, say Pamplona rather than in Spdp you miss out on the more rugged parts of the Camino.
It's still 799kms to SdC so don't think it's a walk in the park.
In 2019 i started in Pamplona on 1st March arriving on the 29th without feeling any rain on my head.
It did rain but I was in a golf club having a sandwich at the time. (All true!)

 

[mspath]

Mbadro,
For walking in winter now please read
this earlier post and the links that are cited within it.

Stay safe and Buen camino.

 

[lt56ny]

You will be fine walking in winter. As stated above layers are the key. On the coldest days below freezing I have walked with a lighter base shirt, a mid level medium warmth long sleeve base layer, a light but warm puffy down coat. For pants I always go to Decathlon and buy some inexpensive insulated long pants. I also have long johns, not sure what they are called in Europe and my usual quick dry regular pants to wear together when it is not too cold. Usually I just wear the insulated long pants during the day. Before you know it even on the coldest days you will be warm very quickly and once it gets above 0C you will start to take a few things off.
A warm stocking cap, gloves and a buff are all essential.

Here is a list of albergues open in winter. Even so, don't expect to arrive in a tiny village with one albergue listed, and be guaranteed a bed. Inform yourself of the situation a day or so in advance, unless you are prepared to walk on to the next town.

This is a good list and I have used it but it is far from complete and like all lists is never 100% accurate. Use Gronze.com. They also do a great job of keeping you up to date on open/closed albergues with reviews of other pilgrim stays. I also had the Buen Camino app. No one app or list is complete or 100% accurate. I would say they are all at best about 65% accurate for open albergues. Call ahead each day but you will have very little problem finding a bed. Or for that matter meeting wonderful pilgrims. Check the weather every day.

Camino Francés | Gronze.com

El Camino Francés es el Camino de Santiago en el que confluyen la mayoría de las vías medievales de peregrinación europeas, siendo por tanto el camino de mayor relevancia histórica y el más seguido por los peregrinos. Su punto de inicio, hoy en día, tanto puede considerarse Roncesvalles como...

www.gronze.com

 

[Curly Cath]

I walked in feb/mar 2020. Set out on feb 24, got thrown off Camino for lockdown fri 13 March. Pamplona to Leon. Daytime temperature range: 26 to -1 ! I got sunburned, and snowed on. As someone else said, no problems with accommodation but stick to the main stages in winter. I had one 'winter' walking outfit and one 'summer' walking outfit plus waterproofs. This worked well for me. I wore all my clothes at night sometimes, I took a thermal vest and long johns for sleeping. I loved walking at that time so much I am restarting at the end of march. Buen Camino!

 

[Alex M]

Hola a todos, I have a month off end of February / early March and was wondering if the Camino francés is accessible and doable in this season as I recognize it is off season.

My main concerns revolve around:

terrain - snow on the ground, passes through mountains
climate / temp - if it will be too cold, snowy, rainy
albergues - will they be open
other pilgrims - i recognize this can be a great experience to meet others, and was wondering if many pilgrims still travel during this time period
packing concerns - as i imagine a pack might be heavier with more cold - weather gear, etc

Please let me know, friends, if this is a viable plan as I have gotten myself all excited, but worried about logistics.

Thank you

At exactly that time I did just the bit from Pamplona to Burgos. Not many people around and some albergues closed, though I only stayed in hotels (being old codger). Lots of convenience shops etc also closed. There was some snow. Bring gloves. I met a few interesting people but I also kind of like my own company. I wrote a journal but for some obscure reason I'm unable to attach it. If you would like to read it, feel free to email me - alexamck@gmail.com. Alex