Winter Camino

[WayneStewart]

G'Day,
My son and I are walking the Camino starting SJPP on 30 Nov or possibly the day after.
Not ideal time but fits in with his uni summer vacation.
We are flying into London, train to Paris and onwards.
I gather based on averages about 4-5 people per day will start from SJ?
What is the Auberge situation like through December? Are we likely to find many closed doors?
Cheers
Wayne

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Many, if not most, of the small places close around October 31. Call ahead. In towns with two or more albergues, one usually stays open. Be prepared for cold nights. Heat may not be available. Food should not be a problem unless the albergue is the only place in town, and it is closed. Even the country bars will be open since they cater as much to local customers as pilgrims.

Buen camino!

 

[mspath]

Wayne,

Although not all albergues will be open starting mid October the hospitaleros usually know who is on the next stage. You will find the welcome at those albergues which are open to be most sincere; generally they will either be heated or have blankets.

Since one never knows with the weather the best advice is to BE PREPARED for extremes. November nights could be very cold with freezing rain or snow. Learn to read the sky for possible storms.Regarding the state of the path and weather forecasts be sure to ask the locals and watch TV reports.

In bad weather many steep ascents/descents on the camino MIGHT be treacherous and following smaller parallel roads necessary. For example crossing from SJPdP to Roncevalles and then descending to Zubiri, up and down the Alto de Perdon, the stretch from Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada or across the Montes de Oca from Villafranca.

Even late last November my climb up to O Cebriero after Ruitelan eventually was packed with a meter of snow in white-out conditions. Luckily I knew the alternate bicycle path and met a guardian angel! At the summit the open albergue offered us welcoming shelter, heat and companionship.

Stay safe and Buen Camino to you both,

Margaret Meredith

 

[Kialoa3]

Hi Wayne, my wife and I have walked the CF twice in the Dec-Feb timeframe. We always found an albergue open in the major stage break cities and towns. Accommodation in smaller towns was much harder to find. We always had the hospitalero call ahead to confirm what was open, and that worked out fine. Be advised that even albergues that advertise as being open all year might not be, as people seem to take vacations without notice or close for a day or two around holidays. We walked into Santo Domingo on Christmas Eve, expecting the municipal albergue to be open (as advertised), but it wasn't. Fortunately a local young lady, seeing our predicament, made some phone calls, and eventually the door swung open. It is a great time of the year to walk. I would much rather walk in 30F than 90F weather. Speaking of weather you can find quite a variety at this time of year. Temps can range from 20F to 70F. We had several days this past Jan in Navarre where the temps were 60-70F. Snow is to be expected in the higher elevations, and rain/sleet is always a possibility. If the Camino path is drifted in the road is usually walkable. Obviously caution must be used when road walking in this kind of weather, but it is usually doable. It is possible that you might have to hole up for a day or two if a bad weather system overtakes you. It is all part of the journey. Enjoy and Buen Camino.

John

 

[WayneStewart]

About 100 hours till we are leaving from Australia, don't start walking until dec 1.
Simultaneously very excited and absolutely terrified.
I wonder how many others will be starting from Saint Jean on that day?

 

[alansykes]

I'm starting out from Madrid that day and am (just) managing not to count down the hours. Hope you have a great time. Ultreya!

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Johnnie Walker has some info on his blog about walking he did on the Camino Frances in winter. http://www.johnniewalker-santiago.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/Winter Camino
You get a particularly good look at conditions he experienced via his YouTube slideshow:

 

[WayneStewart]

That looks nice & warm!

 

[MargaretWilson]

G'Day,
My son and I are walking the Camino starting SJPP on 30 Nov or possibly the day after.
Not ideal time but fits in with his uni summer vacation.
We are flying into London, train to Paris and onwards.
I gather based on averages about 4-5 people per day will start from SJ?
What is the Auberge situation like through December? Are we likely to find many closed doors?
Cheers
Wayne

Hi Wayne - yes, you are likely to find some alberge/hostals closed during the winter. If you plan your daily walk you could actually phone ahead and check there is accommodation. Pilgrim Office in SJPP has a list which will help you. They also will give you a weather forecast, and if they say don't walk because the conditions are bad, don't walk!