Poll - When would you depart from SJPdP? (If you were me)

[Robo]

Hi everyone.

We are close to locking in our dates for next year and I have been pouring over the stats. Most people, least people, heat, rain etc. I know that when all is said and done we will have a fantastic Camino regardless of departure date. And we cannot predict the weather etc etc.

But I'm curious. Given our preferences, when would you aim to depart SJPdP?

So for those who have already walked the CF from SJPdP .........your feedback would be very helpful.

Now we all have different ideas of what is hot, cold, wet etc. But we will try to aim for, a departure date that gives us the best chance of:

1. Midday temperatures not lower than 15 degrees C at the start. (59F). Though of course that will drop as we go 'over the top'. And will warm up week by week as we progress.
2. Midday temperatures generally below 25C (77F) by the end (or hottest part). That should give us a fairly wide 'window'.
3. Minimise rain days.

Given that my better half is about as comfortable in the rain...as a Cat. That might be the highest priority
I think we would rather be too hot, than wet and cold.

So when would you depart?

I have excluded August as that is peak season and hot I presume. If there are other times you would select, please mention them. Sadly the poll only allows 8 options.

Please pick the start date that you think might best suit our preferences, rather than 'I love the cold so I go in December!'

 

[scruffy1]

Greetings from Jerusalem! We have such a short spring in this part of the world I always go as early in the year as possible Easter-time is perfect for me. Spring unfolds all along the Camino as you walk wildflowers (ever see an entire hillside colored blue from Lobellia?) and wonderful gardens (wisteria!!) while vinyards first seen as a strange collection of sticks sprout leaves and become gloriously green-even the Meseta will be green. Temperatures in the range you request but as to rain-"The Times they are A'Changing" the poet said, who knows. April is not on you list so I would go for the first half of May making the effort to do at least a week of April. Buen Camino

 

[PANO]

Robo, the Camino still happens to be held outdoors and Northern Spain lies in a "meteorologically interesting zone". There is just no insurance against ...cold....heat....rain...physical hardship...bugs...blisters, etc, the Camino is a challenge and close a quarter of a million do it every year, (very) young and (very) old, women, men, even handicapped seek exactly that; most of them succeed!
September is usually said to be a good time (look up the stats!) but there are no guarantees. Reading your previous posts, you are seemingly torn in between many doubts which no-one here can resolve for you! Just get that pack and do it....or not, it's your decision. One idea might be that you first do a small section, nothing ambitious, just to get a taste; and perhaps you should make this exploration by yourself alone.
Buen Camino

PS: looking at http://www.jrn.com/kivitv/news/Ill-push-you-260052711.html may put your worries into a perspective.

 

[Robo]

Robo, the Camino still happens to be held outdoors and Northern Spain lies in a "meteorologically interesting zone". There is just no insurance against ...cold....heat....rain...

Outdoors

As I said PANO, we'll take what comes....... Nothing can be predicted. Just curious what other people think....

 

[Robo]

Greetings from Jerusalem! We have such a short spring in this part of the world I always go as early in the year as possible Easter-time is perfect for me. Spring unfolds all along the Camino as you walk wildflowers (ever see an entire hillside colored blue from Lobellia?) and wonderful gardens (wisteria!!) while vinyards first seen as a strange collection of sticks sprout leaves and become gloriously green-even the Meseta will be green. Temperatures in the range you request but as to rain-"The Times they are A'Changing" the poet said, who knows. April is not on you list so I would go for the first half of May making the effort to do at least a week of April. Buen Camino

Thanks Scruffy for the feedback.

 

[OzAnnie]

Robo

You know it's an impossible ask but going on my estimation of what 'COULD' happen with the weather ( is this for 2015?)
- my input is ;

Springish weather -Depart sjpdp around 18th may

Autumn/fall walk
Depart sjpdp around 10sept


But your own research is probably better to go by than others .

 

[Robo]

Thanks Annie. May 15th was going to be my planned start date.

 

[OzAnnie]

May 15 sounds good. I would normally have guessed around 7-10 may but this year and last year have blown all stats (averages) out of the water ? It's been freezing. Not to say it won't flip back and be lovely next early may.

 

[Robo]

May 15 sounds good. I would normally have guessed around 7-10 may but this year and last year have blown all stats (averages) out of the water ? It's been freezing. Not to say it won't flip back and be lovely next early may.

I realise it's a total Lottery. But we can at least take a 'stab' at picking a suitable time.

 

[Adhemar78]

I am starting at SJPP on 21 September. I decided I would either walk the Camino in either March/April or September/October, as I didn't want to get caught up in the peak period in the middle of the year. If I could have gone in March/April this year I would have, but I hadn't got enough money and gear together by then. I will be ready by September - which is just as well, as it would have been a struggle to wait another six months!

 

[OzAnnie]

I am starting at SJPP on 21 September. I decided I would either walk the Camino in either March/April or September/October, as I didn't want to get caught up in the peak period in the middle of the year. If I could have gone in March/April this year I would have, but I hadn't got enough money and gear together by then. I will be ready by September - which is just as well, as it would have been a struggle to wait another six months!

Hi Adhemar78 Welcome and Buen camino
I agree,it would have been hard to wait another six months!
I hope you're all sorted with preparations - may see you are the Sydney pilgrim group meeting 7 June?
Are you aware of the meetings?
Annie

 

[Adhemar78]

Hi Adhemar78 Welcome and Buen camino
I agree,it would have been hard to wait another six months!
I hope you're all sorted with preparations - may see you are the Sydney pilgrim group meeting 7 June?
Are you aware of the meetings?
Annie

Thank you Annie! Yes, I was actually looking at the Pilgrims in Sydney website last night and I saw that your next meeting was on 7 June. I was thinking I would come along - I live close to the city so I will be able to get there without any trouble.

 

[AnnieY]

I am starting at SJPP on 21 September. I decided I would either walk the Camino in either March/April or September/October, as I didn't want to get caught up in the peak period in the middle of the year. If I could have gone in March/April this year I would have, but I hadn't got enough money and gear together by then. I will be ready by September - which is just as well, as it would have been a struggle to wait another six months!

curious about the picture you have here?

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Robo,
I think that if warmer temps and fewer people are your goal, I'd wait till June. May is a very crowded month -- when I was volunteering in the pilgrims office just a few weeks ago, we heard reports of full albergues and big crowds up at the early stages of the Frances.

The numbers of pilgrims who arrive in Santiago and who started in SJPP tends to bear this out for 2013 -- In June, 4880 of those who arrived in Santiago started in St. Jean (started in May), whereas of those arriving in July, 3,681 started there (starting in June). Looks like starting in Sept. is now almost as popular as starting in May, with 4,396 people arriving in October who started in SJPP. Not a precise statistical analysis, I know, but it does give some overall sense of the crowds you're likely to find from St. Jean onward. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Adhemar78]

curious about the picture you have here?

You mean my profile picture? It's a painting of King Henry V of England from the National Portrait Gallery in London. I have loved the Shakespeare play Henry V ever since I saw the Kenneth Branagh film adaptation in my teens.

 

[koilife]

Not a precise statistical analysis, I know, but it does give some overall sense of the crowds you're likely to find from St. Jean onward.

But more predictable than the weather!

 

[naplesdon]

You mean my profile picture? It's a painting of King Henry V of England from the National Portrait Gallery in London. I have loved the Shakespeare play Henry V ever since I saw the Kenneth Branagh film adaptation in my teens.

I loved that movie as well and the St. Crispin's Day speech he made to his scrappy forces after winning the battle to the far superior French forces. One has to wonder if the speech was a creation of Shakespeare or came from the mouth of Henry V, but who cares.
BTW, my answer to when to start the Camino from SJPdP is very simple. It should be early in the morning unless you are walking as far as Orrison.

 

[Larry from Sydney]

We left SJPDP on the 16th May abc supposedly so did 360 other Pilgrims and yet the walk is nut crowed yet ?


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[simply B]

Your specs for weather are a bit...umm, strict.

Pack for the climate you have researched then plan on dressing for the weather of the day. For example, here are the "surprises" (to me, at least ) for just SJPP to SdC. (Aversion to rain has me suspecting that continuation to Muxia/Finisterre is a no-go.)

Camino 1: 29 Sept - 1 Nov, 2012. Weather surprised me on the Meseta with lots of rain and wind. (LOTS of rain.)

Camino 2: 27 Mar - 1 May 2014. Several days early on in the first two weeks, I found sweltering for early April. (Snow at Foncebadon and O Cebreiro "averaged it out", tho.)

Good luck and Buen Camino!

B

 

[Adhemar78]

I loved that movie as well and the St. Crispin's Day speech he made to his scrappy forces after winning the battle to the far superior French forces. One has to wonder if the speech was a creation of Shakespeare or came from the mouth of Henry V, but who cares.

I have read a number of books about the battle of Agincourt (I studied medieval history at university) and no one mentions Henry V giving a speech like this, so it would appear to be a creation of Shakespeare. But, as you say, who cares? It's a wonderful speech.

 

[annakappa]

One of the reasons that May is surprisingly crowded to many people is that there are several public holidays around that time. Begin with 1st May ( labour day in most of Europe) then there is Ascension which is always on a Thursday in Spain ( giving folks to make a " puente" - a bridge or long weekend), then comes Whit. Also Easter was exceptionally late this year, so all in all people accumulate all these public holidays together and find that they have a bonus of about one week paid holiday. Add to that, that when one thinks of Spain, they mistakenly think of sun and heat. But that's down in the Mediterranean. Totally different climate up north along the Francés!

 

[annakappa]

Oops, I forgot Corpus, which, should Easter be early, then Corpus will be at the beginning of June, so still another reason to tag on bonus days! Anne

 

[Robo]

Hi, Robo,
I think that if warmer temps and fewer people are your goal, I'd wait till June. May is a very crowded month -- when I was volunteering in the pilgrims office just a few weeks ago, we heard reports of full albergues and big crowds up at the early stages of the Frances.

The numbers of pilgrims who arrive in Santiago and who started in SJPP tends to bear this out for 2013 -- In June, 4880 of those who arrived in Santiago started in St. Jean (started in May), whereas of those arriving in July, 3,681 started there (starting in June). Looks like starting in Sept. is now almost as popular as starting in May, with 4,396 people arriving in October who started in SJPP. Not a precise statistical analysis, I know, but it does give some overall sense of the crowds you're likely to find from St. Jean onward. Buen camino, Laurie

Thanks Laurie.

 

[Robo]

Your specs for weather are a bit...umm, strict.

Thanks B. We'll take what ever comes don't worry. The specs were purely intended as a 'ball park'.
If I had asked, when is a 'warm' time to walk, pilgrim's ideas of warm could range from 5C - 35C! It's all relative isn't it?

 

[Kanga]

I've walked it in spring, summer and autumn.

If you rain is your main problem and you don't mind heat then June July.

My personal preference is May June, but I'd rather have rain than heat.

 

[Larry from Sydney]

We are walking now the people a day ahead have had bad weather we are having great weather - so no time is specific you get what the Camino gives you


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[SYates]

My personal preference is May, September, October and winter ... in no particular order ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[AnnieY]

You mean my profile picture? It's a painting of King Henry V of England from the National Portrait Gallery in London. I have loved the Shakespeare play Henry V ever since I saw the Kenneth Branagh film adaptation in my teens.

Ive been reading 'the winter king' Henry V11 a similar flavour in costume

 

[LiesbethSA]

Hi Robo I am a fan of autumn ... The colours, the quality of light, the milder temperatures ... It "speak" to me - so, I would like to experience the feel of the northern hemisphere autumn in Spain and I am preparing to leave SJPDP early in September. Sure the mountain forests and open plains will not disappoint!!