VdlP January

[kim in cornwall]

Planning to start in Sevilla in January. Is anyone else out there of the same mind?

 

[nycwalking]

What a wonderful way to start the new year.

Buen camino to you.

 

[Colette Z]

Planning to start in Sevilla in January. Is anyone else out there of the same mind?

May I ask how it was in January and February? Was it totally void of other pilgrims and was it really difficult to find accommodation (I’m easy going re sleeping but not tenting)? I’m hoping to start end of January. Walking without pressure for time. Thanks

 

[mlhhome]

Colette,
Have faith! You will be able to find accommodations. Granted it will be arduous a couple of days to commute with the next hostel/albergue/hotel and you may have to walk segments varying between 15K and 30K to find your best path; but very doable. I will be watching and plan on joining the VDLP on St. Patrick’s Day.
Mike

 

[Colette Z]

Colette,
Have faith! You will be able to find accommodations. Granted it will be arduous a couple of days to commute with the next hostel/albergue/hotel and you may have to walk segments varying between 15K and 30K to find your best path; but very doable. I will be watching and plan on joining the VDLP on St. Patrick’s Day.
Mike

Thanks Mike, so weather-wise it was ok? Being Canadian cold for me is different plus I’ve only walked Feb or March start Caminos. Any advice or guidance will be greatly appreciated. Colette

 

[mlhhome]

Colette
I would be a perfect weatherman in another life, as my forecast are usually wrong. I believe you will need layers with temperatures ranging from high 30s with days of rain to absolutely perfect days of mid 50s. The rain will make a few paths muddy and a couple of arroyo crossings memorable. My recommendation is for you read a few blogs (to learn) and always have a sandwich and fruit in your backpack.
Buen Camino

 

[MileHighPair]

Colette, if you look at the pinned threads for the VdlP in this forum you'll see a very detailed account written in 2016 about a February to April pilgrimage from Seville. It will be 6 years old in 2022, but it will still be close to what you might find this coming winter. I used this information extensively on my journey in 2017. Of course, none of us know what any route will end up being like post-Lockdown. Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 73526]

@mlhhome's forecast (in Fahrenheit) is in line with the climate charts that you can find online, although you might prefer Celsius scale ;-) Here's a site that offers both. You can check charts for Seville, Merida, Salamanca, Caceres, Zamora, Ourense, and Santiago de Compostela. (Just make sure you're looking at those cities in Spain and not in Santiago de Chile or Merida in Mexico)

Salamanca Climate By Month | A Year-Round Guide

Plan your visit with detailed insights on the climate in Salamanca by month. Get accurate forecasts for Salamanca temperature & weather by month, days, & hours

weather-and-climate.com

Average temperatures drop somewhat as you travel north, but more significant will be the effect of altitude. I think the highest peaks are Pico de la Dueña (1,165m) after Fuenterroble de Salvatierra, and Portelo da Canda (1,250m) at the border of Galicia. Those are the places that you're most likely to encounter snow, wind-chill, and sub-freezing temperatures (but not the only places where you could encounter those conditions).

Bear in mind that you have fewer hours of daylight in January than you would in February or March, and some stages are rather long. It's not a problem if you walk at a relatively brisk pace without too many breaks. For the longer stages, you may find that you need to make an "instrument landing" at the end of the stage - that is to say, you rely on your phone or GPS device to keep you on track in the event that you fail to see an arrow. The more adept you are at using your navigation and communication tools, the more comfortable you will feel on the Camino in January.

 

[Colette Z]

@mlhhome's forecast (in Fahrenheit) is in line with the climate charts that you can find online, although you might prefer Celsius scale ;-) Here's a site that offers both. You can check charts for Seville, Merida, Salamanca, Caceres, Zamora, Ourense, and Santiago de Compostela. (Just make sure you're looking at those cities in Spain and not in Santiago de Chile or Merida in Mexico)

Salamanca Climate By Month | A Year-Round Guide

Plan your visit with detailed insights on the climate in Salamanca by month. Get accurate forecasts for Salamanca temperature & weather by month, days, & hours

weather-and-climate.com

Average temperatures drop somewhat as you travel north, but more significant will be the effect of altitude. I think the highest peaks are Pico de la Dueña (1,165m) after Fuenterroble de Salvatierra, and Portelo da Canda (1,250m) at the border of Galicia. Those are the places that you're most likely to encounter snow, wind-chill, and sub-freezing temperatures (but not the only places where you could encounter those conditions).

Bear in mind that you have fewer hours of daylight in January than you would in February or March, and some stages are rather long. It's not a problem if you walk at a relatively brisk pace without too many breaks. For the longer stages, you may find that you need to make an "instrument landing" at the end of the stage - that is to say, you rely on your phone or GPS device to keep you on track in the event that you fail to see an arrow. The more adept you are at using your navigation and communication tools, the more comfortable you will feel on the Camino in January.

Thank you, I’m thinking best would be a February start, mostly for me it’s about not being totally alone & getting caught in flooding rivers vs the cold/snow. I am totally flexible so will adapt to weather forecast. I’ll be in Spain/Portugal until April 30th so can walk a shorter southern route until warmer temps are predicted on the VdLP. Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

Thank you, I’m thinking best would be a February start, mostly for me it’s about not being totally alone & getting caught in flooding rivers vs the cold/snow. I am totally flexible so will adapt to weather forecast. I’ll be in Spain/Portugal until April 30th so can walk a shorter southern route until warmer temps are predicted on the VdLP. Thanks.

Weather might be warmer on the coast of Portugal than on the VDLP at that time. More likely to encounter other pilgrims in Portugal too. If you wanted to begin in the south, you could start from Faro and head to Santiago de Cacem, then Lisbon, for example. It's marked as a Camino on some maps. How much infrastructure it has, I don't know.

 

[Colette Z]

Weather might be warmer on the coast of Portugal than on the VDLP at that time. More likely to encounter other pilgrims in Portugal too. If you wanted to begin in the south, you could start from Faro and head to Santiago de Cacem, then Lisbon, for example. It's marked as a Camino on some maps. How much infrastructure it has, I don't know.

I hope to « warm up » (the legs) by doing the Portuguese in November. I’ve considered a start in Almeria. I want a long Camino that takes in spring but want to be finished 8na relaxed way mid April. Thanks for the suggestions. I’m not into heat at all.

 

[kiwicat]

Thank you, I’m thinking best would be a February start, mostly for me it’s about not being totally alone & getting caught in flooding rivers vs the cold/snow. I am totally flexible so will adapt to weather forecast. I’ll be in Spain/Portugal until April 30th so can walk a shorter southern route until warmer temps are predicted on the VdLP. Thanks.

not guaranteed to be alone just quite yet, Colette!

 

[Colette Z]

not guaranteed to be alone just quite yet, Colette!

 

[Deleted member 73526]

I hope to « warm up » (the legs) by doing the Portuguese in November. I’ve considered a start in Almeria. I want a long Camino that takes in spring but want to be finished 8na relaxed way mid April. Thanks for the suggestions. I’m not into heat at all.

Almeria itself has a balmy Mediterranean climate, but the Camino soon takes you inland and into the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Things feel much cooler from around Hueneja. You might encounter snow on the stage to Quentar, just before Granada. For a Canadian who doesn't fear a bit of frost, though, I think that it's probably a good choice, especially since the Almeria association is incredibly hospitable. They take such good care of the pilgrims on their turf. They'll keep in touch with you daily to advise you of any obstacles ahead and offer the support that you need. The main challenge right now is that they can't open the donativo albergues because they need hospitaleros on site to ensure compliance with hygiene rules. Keep an eye on the situation - If the rules are relaxed, the situation could change.