Camino Frances 2016

[Raymond Aquilina]

Dear Forum Members,

I am planning to walk the Camino Frances in 2016 and would like opinions about the best time in terms of weather. I have the impression that May is the best but cannot make it that time.

Is there any other period which one would recommend?

Thanks in advance and Buen Camino,

Rayaqui,

Malta

 

[wayfarer]

Hi Raymond, from my limited experience the other times I would recommend would be April or from mid September. April will be colder and will have a variety of weather, mid September will be cooling down but will still have very pleasant to hot weather.
Buen Camino.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Dear Forum Members,

I am planning to walk the Camino Frances in 2016 and would like opinions about the best time in terms of weather. I have the impression that May is the best but cannot make it that time.

Is there any other period which one would recommend?

Thanks in advance and Buen Camino,

Rayaqui,

Malta

Hi Raymond, every period of the year has his own charm. My wife prevere September and I walked in April /May and that was nice to.
It will be your own choice to make.
I wish you well and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[MTtoCamino]

I will default to those who have walked every season, so I will make only one comment. A friend who walked & shared her Camino experience walked in April & had 4 weeks of rain. The following year I walked in April & had what I consider a downpour for only 3 days. All other days were simply beautiful & at night the rain would come. So I would average the responses & just prepare for the time of year walking. Also I had no bedbug issues.
Buen Camino

 

[mountaingoat999]

Ray

May is a very nice time to go.
I have done the Camino each month except December.......and each has it's own merits....for a first timer last two weeks in April and all of May is a grand time for the CF...

cold warm or hot for me........its when its damp for weeks on end that I dislike, which can be so, February through March as happen in 2013 for us..

August varies between being hot-getting hotter and really hot.....wonderful for dying clothes

 

[Cam1952]

I strongly recommend starting mid September...... I will be starting on my second in 2016.
Buen Camino.
As Always..... Cam'.

 

[Urban Trekker]

April and May or September and October Buen Camino

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Is there any other period which one would recommend?

September and October have great weather. September is becoming progressively more busy as pilgrims avoid July and August, so there may still be some crowding problems in the standard stops. Stop one village before or one village after a popular spot, and there never is a problem.

 

[JOSEPH MUSCAT]

Dear Forum Members,

I am planning to walk the Camino Frances in 2016 and would like opinions about the best time in terms of weather. I have the impression that May is the best but cannot make it that time.

Is there any other period which one would recommend?

Thanks in advance and Buen Camino,

Rayaqui,

Malta

Hi Ray, My name is Joe Muscat from Malta also. I am also planning to do the Camino Frances. I should start on the 3rd week of September 2016.
Spring is Good but quite rainy in this area. For me September /October is the ideal time and weather. I was in St' Jean Pied de Port a week ago.....What an amazing place to start from...Whatever you decide...Buen Camino.

 

[Raymond Aquilina]

Hi Ray, My name is Joe Muscat from Malta also. I am also planning to do the Camino Frances. I should start on the 3rd week of September 2016.
Spring is Good but quite rainy in this area. For me September /October is the ideal time and weather. I was in St' Jean Pied de Port a week ago.....What an amazing place to start from...Whatever you decide...Buen Camino.

Hi Ray, My name is Joe Muscat from Malta also. I am also planning to do the Camino Frances. I should start on the 3rd week of September 2016.
Spring is Good but quite rainy in this area. For me September /October is the ideal time and weather. I was in St' Jean Pied de Port a week ago.....What an amazing place to start from...Whatever you decide...Buen Camino.

 

[Mark Lee]

September and October have great weather. September is becoming progressively more busy as pilgrims avoid July and August, so there may still be some crowding problems in the standard stops. Stop one village before or one village after a popular spot, and there never is a problem.

Very true. On my recent CF I reached Sarria on September 13th, a Sunday. That next day the CF had a lot of new pilgrims on it doing the last 100 km. More than I had seen on previous CF's. A couple of times I stepped off the Camino to allow large, noisy groups to pass. It makes sense that there were so many starting from Sarria on a Monday, as that allowed them to reach Santiago on Friday which in turn had them there for the weekend, and leaving on Sunday to be back at work/school. I suppose one can keep that in mind when planning a CF. If you want to avoid the larger crowds on the CF any time of the year, try to time it so you don't walk out of Sarria on a Monday and arrive in Santiago on a Friday afternoon. When I reached Monte de Gozo on Friday afternoon there were still so many pilgrims streaming by I opted to spend the night there (only about 20 pilgrims total that night in that huge complex) as I had no reservations in Santiago. Besides, it was overcast and gloomy weather and blue skies forecast for the next morning, and it was indeed beautiful weather when I walked into the plaza at 9:00 am and had no problem finding a pensiones for that night.

 

[Raymond Aquilina]

Thanks all for your input. It seems that September is the most recommended time. From my end I will probably plan for this period as this time tends to be less crowded. This will be my second Camino.

Joseph and Cam1920.. I am glad you are also planning for this Camino in 2016. I wish you all the best in planning and experiencing this adventure!!

Buen Camino

Ray

 

[Gabe]

Dear Forum Members,

I am planning to walk the Camino Frances in 2016 and would like opinions about the best time in terms of weather. I have the impression that May is the best but cannot make it that time.

Is there any other period which one would recommend?

Thanks in advance and Buen Camino,

Rayaqui,

Malta

Hi Rayaqui!

My wife and I chose June for 2 reasons. One was for the weather. June is warm but not the hottest month that you can walk which is August. We also chose June to avoid the largest crowds which come to the Camino de Santiago in August. So based on my experience I would say June. This allows for great weather with less rain than earlier months and you miss the intense heat of August (although June is hot of course). I have also heard from others that September is a great time as well because the crowds lesson a bit and lots of fruits and things are in season which makes eating fun I hope that helps a bit.

Buen Camino!

Gabe

 

[Raymond Aquilina]

Hi Rayaqui!

My wife and I chose June for 2 reasons. One was for the weather. June is warm but not the hottest month that you can walk which is August. We also chose June to avoid the largest crowds which come to the Camino de Santiago in August. So based on my experience I would say June. This allows for great weather with less rain than earlier months and you miss the intense heat of August (although June is hot of course). I have also heard from others that September is a great time as well because the crowds lesson a bit and lots of fruits and things are in season which makes eating fun I hope that helps a bit.

Buen Camino!

Gabe

Thank you Gabe for your suggestion.

Many have suggested September which I am sure its a good time. However June can be an ideal time for me as September can mean a lot of training in the hot summer months of Malta.

Buen Camino!

 

[KarolMT]

Kuragg Ray!

 

[Raymond Aquilina]

Kuragg Ray!

Hi KarolMT...I can see you are from Malta..could be we know eachother!? Thanks for your encouragement. This will be my second camino. Last May I did the Camino Portugues grom Lisbon where I met a number of Forum members with whom I had already shared messages on the Forum....It was an awsome experience. If you are planning your first camino I fully encourage you and the Forum is very useful. It will be a unique experience. Good luck in your training.

Buen Camino

Ray

 

[MTtoCamino]

Hi Ray, My name is Joe Muscat from Malta also. I am also planning to do the Camino Frances. I should start on the 3rd week of September 2016.
Spring is Good but quite rainy in this area. For me September /October is the ideal time and weather. I was in St' Jean Pied de Port a week ago.....What an amazing place to start from...Whatever you decide...Buen Camino.

You & Ray should think about just training thru the winter. The wind would make up for mountains, & any type of weather would simply be mild. Balmy comes to mind...
Keith

 

[Raymond Aquilina]

You & Ray should think about just training thru the winter. The wind would make up for mountains, & any type of weather would simply be mild. Balmy comes to mind...
Keith

Hi Ray, My name is Joe Muscat from Malta also. I am also planning to do the Camino Frances. I should start on the 3rd week of September 2016.
Spring is Good but quite rainy in this area. For me September /October is the ideal time and weather. I was in St' Jean Pied de Port a week ago.....What an amazing place to start from...Whatever you decide...Buen Camino.

Hi Ray, My name is Joe Muscat from Malta also. I am also planning to do the Camino Frances. I should start on the 3rd week of September 2016.
Spring is Good but quite rainy in this area. For me September /October is the ideal time and weather. I was in St' Jean Pied de Port a week ago.....What an amazing place to start from...Whatever you decide...Buen Camino.

Hi Joseph,

Thank you for your tip.

I can see that the ideal time is September. That is an added advantage in my case as September is the best time for me apart from the weather. I was also considering June as this can mean that most training will be done this coming winter. However I am an early riser and can train early in the morning in the Maltese hot summer months.

This will be my second Camino after last May's Camino Portugues which I started from Lisbon and finished in 26 days.

I wish you all the best in your preparation.

Buen Camino !!!

Ray

 

[MTtoCamino]

Hi Joseph,

Thank you for your tip.

I can see that the ideal time is September. That is an added advantage in my case as September is the best time for me apart from the weather. I was also considering June as this can mean that most training will be done this coming winter. However I am an early riser and can train early in the morning in the Maltese hot summer months.

This will be my second Camino after last May's Camino Portugues which I started from Lisbon and finished in 26 days.

I wish you all the best in your preparation.

Buen Camino !!!

Ray

Nice too see my eastern neighbors walking. It is a blessing to run into others from MT on the walk.
Buen Camino