Camino Frances in September - experiences

[unsicher]

Hi guys, thinking about doing the Camino Frances in September. What experiences have people had with weather and crowds and accommodation during this time? I would plan for about 30 days which hopefully gives me enough time, or even a few extra days if needed. My fitness is okay, I'm lean and healthy but not super fit.

It will be my first camino. I am keen to miss the worst of the summer heat but I also want the weather to be manageable.

Interested to hear any thoughts you guys have.

 

[markie6]

Busy, good weather. My favourite time of year to walk

 

[J Willhaus]

It is one of the busiest months of the year to walk, especially starting in St. Jean.

 

[trecile]

As far as crowds go, this thread has information about September which is one of the busiest months for starting from SJPdP.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/a-tale-of-two-caminos-what-about-those-crowds.80411/

 

[C clearly]

Welcome to the forum!

That's a very broad question! There are probably thousands of threads and posts about walking in September. If you browse through some of them, perhaps then you'll be able to focus your questions better, so we can answer.

How far are you comfortable walking, day after day? If you haven't done a long distance walk before, I would suggest not expecting to walk an average more than 25 km per day (that would be too much for me, though). Thirty days of that, with no rest days or time in Santiago, would mean 750 km maximum. Let that guide you on deciding where to start.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

It can also still be very hot in September.

 

[Bradypus]

It can also be extremely wet!

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/a-very-wet-day-on-the-camino-frances.82803/#post-1177312

 

[SoundguyO]

I walked last year starting in mid September. In 2023 it was still quite warm during the day (30C/90F) so I got an early start to get some kilometers in before the heat of the afternoon...

 

[davejsy]

I started September 25th last year, and had the most amazingly wonderful Camino, I'd suggest starting at the tail end. The only real crowds were for 2 days after Sarria, but totally avoidable if you wanted (get there not at a weekend like I stupidly did), and on the whole plenty of alone time if you need it. No problems with beds, I think only once were places full but with easy alternatives nearby (only place I booked was Orisson first night). Weather for the first 3 or so weeks was beautiful, still very warm come late afternoon. The last 2 weeks were mixed with some wet days, but nothing that could put a dampener on things. It is impossible to predict the weather though.

 

[C clearly]

I'd suggest starting at the tail end

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding where this would be!

Ah!!!! Just figured out that you probably mean the tail end of September!

 

[Marian Patricia]

Hi guys, thinking about doing the Camino Frances in September. What experiences have people had with weather and crowds and accommodation during this time? I would plan for about 30 days which hopefully gives me enough time, or even a few extra days if needed. My fitness is okay, I'm lean and healthy but not super fit.

It will be my first camino. I am keen to miss the worst of the summer heat but I also want the weather to be manageable.

Interested to hear any thoughts you guys have.

We did it in September 2017 and were told then that September was the busiest month. Just past Leon they were advising us to book accommodation ahead, so we did. It didn’t seem that busy to us until after Sarria when tours with groups became evident and it seemed more commercial. Some days we hardly saw any others on the trail. Our weather was beautiful - we encountered only 10 minutes of rain while walking the entire way, warm days and some fog in the mornings. It was hotter in Galicia, cooler in the morning but rising to 25-27 degrees. It was a beautiful walk!

 

[pkonopka]

Hi guys, thinking about doing the Camino Frances in September. What experiences have people had with weather and crowds and accommodation during this time? I would plan for about 30 days which hopefully gives me enough time, or even a few extra days if needed. My fitness is okay, I'm lean and healthy but not super fit.

It will be my first camino. I am keen to miss the worst of the summer heat but I also want the weather to be manageable.

Interested to hear any thoughts you guys have.

It’s busy if you start in the beginning of Sept. crowds start falling off mid-September as most schools and unis are back in class. I walked mid-Sept to mid-Oct, SJPDP to SDC. Was perfect weather. Great company - crowded enough to have interactions with peregrinos from around the world but also you could walk alone and have quiet time. We got about 3 days of rain. A little sleet going over the Pyrenees. Just missed a multi-day downpour as we reached SDC. Have fun - it’s incredible. Buen Camino!

 

[DreamWeaver]

We started 3rd week of Sep 2023, the weather was still pretty hot first two weeks, 35/36°C at times. But no bed race. But toward mid October, it started to rain quite a fair bit.

 

[MesaWalker]

I suggest, if your precise timing is flexible, you leave in the middle or third week of September. It can still get hot, but crowds may be a bit less leaving 2-3 weeks later than September 1. Plus it's likely to be a bit cooler. The only downside I can think of is it puts you a bit closer to what traditionally has been a rainier time of year - I think October historically is wetter than September, but you can get hit by rain anytime.

We left St. Jean Pied-de-Port on September 14 in 2021. The weather was splendid virtually the entire time and never too hot or too cold. The winds on the meseta were light and comfortable. It was busy on the trail, but not frantic, and we found we typically didn't need to make reservations along the way (as a measure of crowding). We got to see sunflowers, grapes and other fruits and vegetables being harvested, although for some areas we were on the tail-end of the harvest schedule. All in all, it seemed like an idyllic time to walk.

 

[t2andreo]

The first half to three weeks of September are very busy. From about the third week in September, departures from St. Jean Pied de Port start to drop off.

Days are still hot and dry. Or, they can be very wet. It depends.

The nights start to get cool. Not wintry, just nippy. You will need a fleece for the evenings, as well a good pack poncho - that covers your rucksack too.

Check with the SJPdP Pilgrim Office for the stats. MonaSP (here in the forum) is a manager there. I know they keep good stats on departures, or at least of those pilgrims who register before starting out.

You could ask her in this thread - OR - send a PM - Private Conversation. Mona is always very helpful and responsive.

IMHO, I would plan on departing SJPdP in the last 10 days of September. Unless you are up to walking 27 km each day on average, 30 days is not enough to walk the full 800 km distance from SJPdP to Santiago.

There are three ways to do this:

1. Find more time to do the entire route;
2. Start at Pamplona, Logroño, etc., instead; or,
3. Do a “leap-frog Camino.” This is where you walk, then bus to leap ahead a few days, then walk again. Repeat to suit your schedule.

Doing a “leap-frog Camino,” you can easily pick up a week of time this way - but you will miss a lot of the local flavor of the Camino. Also, if you started with a “Camino family” in France, your more rapid rate of movement across Northern Spain will certainly leave them behind.

Personally, I would opt for more time and a conventional pace. I suggest 35 days as a good trade off between haste and taking the time to be able to experience the full Camino Frances.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[temiatwork]

I did it last year started mid-Sept and I find it quite pleasant, not too crowded until you hit Sarria. I start my day between 5-6 am and am done by noon as it still can get hot by mid-day. I was already out of SdC when the continuous downpour happened on the 3rd week of October.

 

[Larry E]

I did SJPP to Santiago September 1-October 1, 2021, so I was pushing it fairly hard. Weather was a bit of a surprise: There were 9 or 10 misty/drizzly mornings where I wore a poncho for an hour or so. But the rest of the time was ideal for temps and skies, with 2 days with serious afternoon rains, and only one day where I was still out walking. My big regret were the 4 or 5 interesting towns I couldn't stop at (because of COVID resrictions and my own time constraints, I began with lodging reservations for the whole way). If I had been doing it the "old-fashioned" way of just walking until you felt like stopping, I think I would stay everyplace I did (no "bad" stays or stops) BUT I would have stopped for the night in Castrojerez, Astorga, Molinaseca, Sarria (I got to Sarria from Samos, early, and took the noonish train to Lugo to spend the night there, THEN returned to Sarria by train the next morning. If you look at the street map of Sarria, you'll see I missed the heart of Sarria doing that), and Azura. Anyway, Buen Camino!

 

[cubanisimo]

Hi guys, thinking about doing the Camino Frances in September. What experiences have people had with weather and crowds and accommodation during this time? I would plan for about 30 days which hopefully gives me enough time, or even a few extra days if needed. My fitness is okay, I'm lean and healthy but not super fit.

It will be my first camino. I am keen to miss the worst of the summer heat but I also want the weather to be manageable.

Interested to hear any thoughts you guys have.

I did it in september. It was great. Crowds thinned out and plenty of accommodations.
Cooler weather. I'm Del Norte at that time.

 

[curlylottie]

I started from SJPP on Sept 13 two years ago, and it was magical. Some warm days, cooler toward mid-Oct when I reached Santiago. I had my first week’s accommodations reserved before starting, and then used Booking.com to reserve out several days in advance from there. And for that last week from Sarria on. It was dry until I reached Galicia, and then there were more rainy days. But nothing too bad. Buen camino!

 

[CherieAnne]

Hi guys, thinking about doing the Camino Frances in September. What experiences have people had with weather and crowds and accommodation during this time? I would plan for about 30 days which hopefully gives me enough time, or even a few extra days if needed. My fitness is okay, I'm lean and healthy but not super fit.

It will be my first camino. I am keen to miss the worst of the summer heat but I also want the weather to be manageable.

Interested to hear any thoughts you guys have.

 

[CherieAnne]

I walked at the end of September from St Jean and it was gorgeous. Have a great walk.

 

[CBB]

Hi guys, thinking about doing the Camino Frances in September. What experiences have people had with weather and crowds and accommodation during this time? I would plan for about 30 days which hopefully gives me enough time, or even a few extra days if needed. My fitness is okay, I'm lean and healthy but not super fit.

It will be my first camino. I am keen to miss the worst of the summer heat but I also want the weather to be manageable.

Interested to hear any thoughts you guys have.

I walked the CF in the August/September time frame. All sorts of weather. Never had a problem finding accommodations. You just may have to book one-two days in advance.

 

[babikeski]

Hi guys, thinking about doing the Camino Frances in September. What experiences have people had with weather and crowds and accommodation during this time? I would plan for about 30 days which hopefully gives me enough time, or even a few extra days if needed. My fitness is okay, I'm lean and healthy but not super fit.

It will be my first camino. I am keen to miss the worst of the summer heat but I also want the weather to be manageable.

Interested to hear any thoughts you guys have.

I walked this route in September 2 years ago. The weather was great but hot in a few stretches across the Meseta. Around Foncebadon I bought some inexpensive gloves but wore shorts the entire Camino. Only a couple of days of rain with mist nearing the end.
Booked 3-4 days out then.
I'm walking it again this Sept 1st.

 

[trecile]

I walked the CF in the August/September time frame. All sorts of weather. Never had a problem finding accommodations. You just may have to book one-two days in advance.

If you don't mind hotter weather, starting in August is less busy than waiting until the beginning of September. I started my first Camino on August 21, and never had a problem getting a bed. That was 8 years ago, but I believe that August is still much less busy than the first two weeks of September. The floodgates seem to open on September 1st.

 

[Wander2020]

I walked from SJPDP to SDC from August 24, 2022 to September 30, 2024. The weather was very good, I don’t remember any crowds until Saria. Obviously, weather and crowds can be a day by day issue over which you have no control. But, based upon my experience, September should be a “go”.

 

[david g]

Hi guys, thinking about doing the Camino Frances in September. What experiences have people had with weather and crowds and accommodation during this time? I would plan for about 30 days which hopefully gives me enough time, or even a few extra days if needed. My fitness is okay, I'm lean and healthy but not super fit.

It will be my first camino. I am keen to miss the worst of the summer heat but I also want the weather to be manageable.

Interested to hear any thoughts you guys have.

I’ve walked the Frances three times in September/October and enjoyed it each time. Early in September the path can still be crowded but lightens up a bit later in the month. The weather tends to be cool mornings followed by warm days perfect for walking. Last year however was the wettest one I’ve done (possibly because I started later-sept 27) and finished late October. There are enough pilgrims walking at that time to ensure not feeling alone while also not feeling overwhelmed by crowds.