Hi fellow pilgrims,
Back home after 2 weeks on the Camino Francés (Burgos - Sarria).
This is a short report about walking the Francés in the winter (from a "summer peregrina") and some suggestions for those heading out soon.
First if all, we were very lucky with the weather, many days I didn't even wear gloves although I normally always have cold fingers. The temperatures ranged from -3c (leaving O Cebreiro in the morning) to 15c in Astorga! Many days felt like spring and with a blue sky even on cold days, the walking was a dream. I especially appreciated the blue skies as The Netherlands is very grey and humid this time of year. We only hit snow on O Cebreiro but since then there has been snowfall around Rabanal and Foncebadón so be prepared!
I picked Burgos as a starting point as I could catch a bus from Barajas T4 within and hour of landing and in two hours I was at the Cathedral! I was surprised when in the evening there were 10 pilgrims at the municipal! I had no idea what to expect. In the ensuing 2 weeks there was an average of about 8-12 pilgrims on the Camino, maybe a bit more in León where some stayed 2 nights. Perfect in my book.
As others have mentioned, use www.aprinca.com as a guideline but always call ahead just in case. As an example an Italian and I wanted to stay in Molinaseca at the municipal albergue which was listed as open. I called twice from Foncebadón and once from El Acebo and no one answered. As it was closed when we walked by we continued on to Ponferrada making it a 45 km day (started from Santa Catalina de Somosa). Luckily we are strong walkers but take care not to get stuck!
Heating was on in all the albergues, in fact, many if not all kept the heating on all night! I was never cold and only had a +15c sleeping bag.
We also found that there were hostales and even municipal albergues open that were not on the list. This was the case in Pereje after Villafranca. Via via we were told that it was open and that we had to pick up the key at the bar. A lovely young guy runs the bar/restaurant and was happy to have customers this time of year. We gave him the email address of Lourdes so that she could add to the list. All in all we had no problems finding a place to stay and 95% of the time it was in municipal albergues. The only exception was in Moratinos where we stayed with Reb at the Peaceable (many thanks @Rebekah Scott) and in Albergue Oribio in Tricastela as we were warned not to stay in the Xunta albergue from several who had stayed there the previous days.
Suggestions? Take a thermos! I know that I will if I ever walk in the winter again. The Italian I walked with for about 10 days had one which he filled with hot water or tea. We still stopped at café's but it was nice to have that as well.
It was a bit strange to stop in Sarria but I knew from the outset that I had only two weeks to walk. It was also a convenient place to catch the train back to Madrid.
All in all it was a good experience. Although I have been back on the Francés on several occasions volunteering in albergues and walking a day or two, it has been 7 years since I walked the Francés from St. Jean to Finisterre. Should I do it again, it will definitely be in late fall or in the winter!
Here are a few pictures. Stay warm to those on the Camino and happy planning for those leaving shortly.
Ultreia!
Back home after 2 weeks on the Camino Francés (Burgos - Sarria).
This is a short report about walking the Francés in the winter (from a "summer peregrina") and some suggestions for those heading out soon.
First if all, we were very lucky with the weather, many days I didn't even wear gloves although I normally always have cold fingers. The temperatures ranged from -3c (leaving O Cebreiro in the morning) to 15c in Astorga! Many days felt like spring and with a blue sky even on cold days, the walking was a dream. I especially appreciated the blue skies as The Netherlands is very grey and humid this time of year. We only hit snow on O Cebreiro but since then there has been snowfall around Rabanal and Foncebadón so be prepared!
I picked Burgos as a starting point as I could catch a bus from Barajas T4 within and hour of landing and in two hours I was at the Cathedral! I was surprised when in the evening there were 10 pilgrims at the municipal! I had no idea what to expect. In the ensuing 2 weeks there was an average of about 8-12 pilgrims on the Camino, maybe a bit more in León where some stayed 2 nights. Perfect in my book.
As others have mentioned, use www.aprinca.com as a guideline but always call ahead just in case. As an example an Italian and I wanted to stay in Molinaseca at the municipal albergue which was listed as open. I called twice from Foncebadón and once from El Acebo and no one answered. As it was closed when we walked by we continued on to Ponferrada making it a 45 km day (started from Santa Catalina de Somosa). Luckily we are strong walkers but take care not to get stuck!
Heating was on in all the albergues, in fact, many if not all kept the heating on all night! I was never cold and only had a +15c sleeping bag.
We also found that there were hostales and even municipal albergues open that were not on the list. This was the case in Pereje after Villafranca. Via via we were told that it was open and that we had to pick up the key at the bar. A lovely young guy runs the bar/restaurant and was happy to have customers this time of year. We gave him the email address of Lourdes so that she could add to the list. All in all we had no problems finding a place to stay and 95% of the time it was in municipal albergues. The only exception was in Moratinos where we stayed with Reb at the Peaceable (many thanks @Rebekah Scott) and in Albergue Oribio in Tricastela as we were warned not to stay in the Xunta albergue from several who had stayed there the previous days.
Suggestions? Take a thermos! I know that I will if I ever walk in the winter again. The Italian I walked with for about 10 days had one which he filled with hot water or tea. We still stopped at café's but it was nice to have that as well.
It was a bit strange to stop in Sarria but I knew from the outset that I had only two weeks to walk. It was also a convenient place to catch the train back to Madrid.
All in all it was a good experience. Although I have been back on the Francés on several occasions volunteering in albergues and walking a day or two, it has been 7 years since I walked the Francés from St. Jean to Finisterre. Should I do it again, it will definitely be in late fall or in the winter!
Here are a few pictures. Stay warm to those on the Camino and happy planning for those leaving shortly.
Ultreia!
