Is this camino really not walkable in July?

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola

That advice is simply because of the heat in July and August. In Extremadura it can be particularly intense - hence the name. However many pilgrims still walk during these months. If you leave early to walk in the relative cool of early morning, carry plenty of water, wear a hat and sunscreen and you aren't "allergic" to walking when it can be very warm then it is very doable.

John

 

[LTfit]

Hi Juli.b.

Welcome to the forum!

I asked that exact question last August. I had just returned from my first Camino and started planning my next. Here is the link to the thread:

http://www.caminodesantiago.me/board/camino-mozarabe-and-via-de-la-plata/topic9212.html

I also suggest that you read through some of the other threads under Via de la Plata.

In spite of all the comments, I decided to go for it. I will arrive in Sevilla on July 7 and start walking the following day. I enjoy solitary walks but I am getting the feeling that I may be alone - so come join me haha!

Good luck deciding and enjoy the planning!

Cheers,
LT

 

[JohnnieWalker]

You definitely won't need a sleeping bag at the time you are walking!

 

[lovingkindness]

Hi there, Juli.b. How exciting, you are considering the Portuguese Via de la Plata. I walked this route in July last year (photos and comments elsewhere). If you do follow this route I'd love to how you get on. Cheers y Buen Camino, Peregrina. -Lovingkindness

 

[William Marques]

If you start in Caceres you are only a couple of days in Extremadura and if you start in Salamanca you are in Castille on the same meseta as the Camino Frances so the heat from there on while you are on the plains should be no worse than the CF.

The normal advice against walking the Via de la Plata in July and August is the long slog from Sevilla to the Sierra de Gredos not far north of Caceres. The further South you are the hotter it gets. Cacares is a lovely town and makes a good starting place. Salamanca is a wonderful city and would save you a week or more walking and would make a good starting point too.

Buen Camino wherever you start

 

[Senyor Pirotecnic]

If you start in Caceres you are only a couple of days in Extremadura and if you start in Salamanca you are in Castille on the same meseta as the Camino Frances so the heat from there on while you are on the plains should be no worse than the CF.

The normal advice against walking the Via de la Plata in July and August is the long slog from Sevilla to the Sierra de Gredos not far north of Caceres. The further South you are the hotter it gets. Cacares is a lovely town and makes a good starting place. Salamanca is a wonderful city and would save you a week or more walking and would make a good starting point too.

Buen Camino wherever you start

What do you think of setting off from Salamanca in mid-August?

 

[William Marques]

I would say it is no different to setting off from Burgos on the CF in mid-August in terms of heat. We found it hot of course but it was much hotter on the stretch from Sevilla to Caceres than further North. The stretch up to Astorga is fairly dull but Zamora is great and if you are turning West via Portugal or Sanabria things should get cooler quickly.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

August 2010 in Sevilla, Spain

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[Beverley]

Wow, these temperatures are well beyond my comfort level even though I love the heat. Glad I will be walking the Del Norte!

Bev

 

[Anniesantiago]

I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley of California where days were typically over 100 degrees in the summer.

I pooh-poohed the advice not to walk the VDLP in the summer.

I tossed in the towel after about 8 days.

The heat was DANGEROUSLY high.
The fountains listed in the guidebooks were DRY - which left us stuck in the middle of nowhere with NO WATER.
To carry enough water for this extreme heat added POUNDS to our pack.

My advice? Don't do it. There are plenty of other "ways" to walk.
Save the VDLP for early spring or fall.

 

[hel&scott]

My advice? Don't do it. There are plenty of other "ways" to walk.
Save the VDLP for early spring or fall.

Good advice Annie, while we loved the VDP and did it in September when the weather was cooler we still had problems with water. Even starting in Salamanca while you will be off the worst of the open dry areas, it will still be a haul.

Plenty of other great routes to take and no need to risk souring your view of the camino. Why not look at the Portuguese route for June / July, its a greener cooler walk that time of year and not as packed as the French routes.