Blimey. This weather

Started walking from Gijon on 06 April, torrential rain for the first 3 days. Having said that it was still a lot warmer than Ireland was at the same time. I wore shorts everyday only putting on over trousers for the really heavy rain. After that we had a mixture of sunshine, rain and hail. Miraz was like an oasis when we reached it one afternoon after a particularly heavy hail storm. The hospitalaros (Bromsgove & Plymouth) were fantastic with a super wood burning stove to dry our clothes and a warm room to sleep in. It was probably the best Auberge we stayed in. The staff there have done fantastic work and I think that it would serve as a model refuge for anywhere in Europe. We continued on our way with mostly good weather, there was rain but mainly showers lasting about 30 minutes. The temperature was noticeably colder when we joined the Camino Frances at Azura, meeting so many pilgrims was almost overwhelming, unfortunately the etiquette in the Auberges by some of them left a lot to be desired, but with such large numbers it is probably to be expected. We broke the final 40kms from Azura down into 2 days to savour our entry into Santiago de Compostelo and were rewarded with blue skies and sunshine as we arrived just in time for the midday pilgrims mass. I commenced the Northern route in August 2012 finishing it off in March/April 2013. On balance I can honestly say that I enjoyed both stages equally. In the summer it is great to get in for an early morning swim at some secluded beach or cove, or to enjoy a lunch break with an ice cream or a busy beach but likewise it was equally good to walk in cooler temperatures, enjoying a nice bowl of Galician soup for lunch or getting into a warm bed in an almost deserted Auberge at night. We had no problem finding Auberges along the way and of course unlike the summer there is no danger of having to queue for them or even worse finding them full. The most people that were staying in an Auberge with us was 11 and that was only once or twice. And with the smaller numbers you tend to mix better. We met some fabulous people, like the Spanish family from Toledo of mother, father, auntie, 12 yr old son and 7 yr old little sister Elsa who walked 150kms together from Ribadeo. How could you feel tired or complain after seeing her smiling face as she skipped along with her little pack holding her fathers hand. And not forgetting that "crazy" French girl who after spending a year in a wheelchair and crutches following a motorcycle accident walked out of her house in Brittany in early April and walked the 1800kms all the way to Santiago de Compostelo - Inspirational.