MainelyStina
Chronic Overpacker
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances from SJPP Starting Aug 21, 2023
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Unsolicited advice:
You do not need a sleeping bag, bring a headlight, vaseline/sock liners/socks - I had no blisters, cut your toenails short, mini can of lubricant for squeaky albergue hinges, a small Bluetooth speaker.
We (my wife and I) started August 25 2022. I chose this date primarily be in a slack period of Pilgrims that need to finish by end of summer and before the large numbers of Pilgrims that start the first two week of September.
By starting this date (or about it) we did avoid the influx of Pilgrims and depending on your pace you should stay ahead of most of them.
It probably doesn't matter what day of the week you start, but it can be busier in the cities on weekends rather than weekdays.
If your schedule is flexible and you prefer the autumn, could you depart toward the end of September, in the final week and finish at the end of October or even early November? The weather will still be, for the most part, quite warm when you start, cool/warm in the middle, and cool at the end (though this year saw very pleasant/warm temperatures persist well into November for folks ending in Santiago then.
I began this year in late September and was surprised by how hot 19C felt even at the high points on the Salvador route… dipped into some single digit mornings on the Primitivo around Oct 1…. And finished in temperatures in the mid 20’s from Lugo to Santiago between Oct 6-10….
Temperatures will vary a little from year to year, but I’ve done 3 autumn caminos now, 1 in the height of summer, and one in a shoulder season…. the full autumn has reliably been my favourite.
Here is another thread about crowding on the Camino Frances. I agree with @trecile that a few days earlier than August 28 might be a good time to start in SJPP. Or push it back into October if you don't like heat.
The weather was predictable, cool mornings hot afternoons. For me, the most unexpected thing was how late in the morning it got light. Most days it was around 8:15. We made reservations through Puenta la Reina including Orrisson. I would recommend doing that. We then made reservations 2 days out. Mon. for Wed., Tue for Thu etc.. We weren't always able to get the albergue we wanted, but always found a place in the town we wanted. I used a combination of Booking and had a SIM card for my phone (got it in Pamplona) and called place using the Canon Ninja app. I highly recommend that app.Thank you for your reply! How did you find the weather? Predictable? I'm used to hot and humid summers here, so not an overly huge concern - but curious. I assume you didn't struggle too much to find accommodations since you were ahead of most of the wave?
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