How green, or not green, is the meseta in the fall/winter?

Icacos · Jan 20, 2019

Hi fellow members. If I work very hard I could probably be ready to walk this fall and am seriously looking at the Madrid, but I worry that there might be a total lack of green on the meseta at that time. We have all seen the pictures and know how beautiful the meseta can be at all times of the year - but being around green really sustains me and I'm not sure how I would cope if there were a total absence of it for several days on a stretch. Have other people noticed this and/or been affected by this? If you could post pictures of the meseta taken during the fall that would be most appreciated.

MaryLynn · Jan 20, 2019

Spring and summer is beautiful, but I also love the meseta and all the CF fields in the fall with its many shades of brown. I noticed a very different sense of ‘energy’ in the landscape last year when I walked in both the spring and fall. This year I was quite surprised at the brilliant reds in the vineyards in the first half of November.

Marbe2 · Jan 20, 2019

We walked through the Mesata in March. It was Cold, windy and constantly raining (2018) or snow....vegetation mostly still hibernating.

Pelegrin · Jan 20, 2019

The Meseta is full of fields of barley and wheat. Therefore only is green in Spring.

RJM · Jan 20, 2019

An October meseta morning from a couple of years ago. Quite lovely, as was all of the then harvested fields, now brown and gray.
I prefer summertime Camino walks, but I had no problem being able to "cope" with the fall season absence of green, lol

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nycwalking · Jan 21, 2019

Trust me and aforementioned posts the beauty of harvest season on meseta is breathtaking and spirit calming.

I loved it.

Icacos · Jan 21, 2019

Thank you all for your input. It must be my eager anticipation of new spring growth that has me so fixated on green. The pictures you provided are spectacular; it's good to be reminded of what the soft autumn light can do to fall colours. And @marylynn, your description of the brilliant reds in the vineyards in early November is a real draw, although I don't know if I want to be walking at that time of the year.

Tim Floyd · Jan 22, 2019

I walked in in late Sept and there was nothing green. Most fields were harvested. That said, it was one of my favorite sections. The light on the fields in the morning was beautiful.

J F Gregory · Jan 22, 2019

Winter is green and muddy

robertt · Jan 27, 2019

When I walked it in the winter I had an eerie but interesting experience. At one point there were no birds or insects, no wind at all, no people or vehicles. Realising the only sounds were my feet and the creaking of my pack, I came to a dead halt and held my breath. There was complete silence, such as I'd never experienced outdoors. Here in the Australian bush, something will make a sound somewhere, even in the middle of a still, frosty night. But not out on the meseta on a windless winter day.

Desolate it was. But I wouldn't miss the meseta. In Galicia one can o/d on all the green. The meseta is for something else, especially in the heart of winter.
https://slowcamino.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/out-of-burgos/