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Camino de Madrid starting mid-February?

Pilgrim9

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
SJPdP-SdC (2017)
SdC-Muxia-Fisterra-SdC (2017)
Lisboa-SdC (2018)
Ferrol-SdC (2018)
Good day, pilgrims and friends:

I am pondering starting the Camino de Madrid in mid-February and getting as far as I choose to go, while also exploring Segovia, Valladolid, & perhaps Palencia whilst in that region. I am also thinking about visiting Sevilla and Salamanca first, for wintertime temperature reasons, and then starting the Camino de Madrid in, say, early March.

I will not need to return home until about mid-April so I think that that duration in weeks of the walk will not be an issue but I am wondering if mid-February would be a suitable Camino de Madrid start time, or should I delay it by two or three weeks. I don't mind cool or moderately cold weather but snow / continuous rain would be deprecated. Also, am a bit concerned that starting too early will trigger problems with hotels and cafés being still seasonally closed.

Any comments about my proposed start date would be appreciated.

Thanks ...
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I walked the first half of the Madrid just before the first lockdown in early March 2020. I actually got sun burn on my neck and one arm. On the other hand I've just come back from walking Seville to Merida and whilst the days were beautiful it was cold at night and I walked with a fleece on until around 11am each day.
 
Good day, pilgrims and friends:

I am pondering starting the Camino de Madrid in mid-February and getting as far as I choose to go, while also exploring Segovia, Valladolid, & perhaps Palencia whilst in that region. I am also thinking about visiting Sevilla and Salamanca first, for wintertime temperature reasons, and then starting the Camino de Madrid in, say, early March.

I will not need to return home until about mid-April so I think that that duration in weeks of the walk will not be an issue but I am wondering if mid-February would be a suitable Camino de Madrid start time, or should I delay it by two or three weeks. I don't mind cool or moderately cold weather but snow / continuous rain would be deprecated. Also, am a bit concerned that starting too early will trigger problems with hotels and cafés being still seasonally closed.

Any comments about my proposed start date would be appreciated.

Thanks ...
Not a good time to go. I can't imagine you can get over the mountain to Segovia without much pain if at all at that time. We were counseled to go in mid-September if we wanted to do the entire Madrid camino. It was perfect. In the winter or Spring, it's too cold with snow in the mountains. In the summer the meseta after Segovia is brutally hot and dry. Of course, there is no right camino except your camino. You can bypass the mountain, checking the weather to see what is doable and what isn't. But you would be missing some lovely terrain, walking on an old Roman road and the sweeping vista as you walk down the mountain to Segovia, one of our priceless memories. And whenever you go, don't bypass Valladolid. It's not on camino route, but not far off. We loved our time there.
 
Good day, pilgrims and friends:

I am pondering starting the Camino de Madrid in mid-February and getting as far as I choose to go, while also exploring Segovia, Valladolid, & perhaps Palencia whilst in that region. I am also thinking about visiting Sevilla and Salamanca first, for wintertime temperature reasons, and then starting the Camino de Madrid in, say, early March.

I will not need to return home until about mid-April so I think that that duration in weeks of the walk will not be an issue but I am wondering if mid-February would be a suitable Camino de Madrid start time, or should I delay it by two or three weeks. I don't mind cool or moderately cold weather but snow / continuous rain would be deprecated. Also, am a bit concerned that starting too early will trigger problems with hotels and cafés being still seasonally closed.

Any comments about my proposed start date would be appreciated.

Thanks ...
Yes, the camino de Madrid is a wonderful route, but I have my doubts about whether this is also true for January and February. Madrid is the highest capital in Europe at over 500m above sea level and most of the route is at altitudes of 500 to 700m. The stage to Segovia will hardly be passable. Even at the end of April, there was still plenty of fresh snow at 1800m above sea level.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Thank you, HenryTheDog, Rebekah Scott, CaliSteve, Anthony Rocco, and Hans-Georg Goebel, for your valuable advice.

Everyone seems to agree that February is far too early. Thanks for reminding me about the mountain, Anthony; I had forgotten about that.

I think I received enough weather/time comments for now and have decided to completely replan this trip. After replanning I might post a revised plan here for scrutiny.

Thanks again, everyone.
 
Good day, pilgrims and friends:

I am pondering starting the Camino de Madrid in mid-February and getting as far as I choose to go, while also exploring Segovia, Valladolid, & perhaps Palencia whilst in that region. I am also thinking about visiting Sevilla and Salamanca first, for wintertime temperature reasons, and then starting the Camino de Madrid in, say, early March.

I will not need to return home until about mid-April so I think that that duration in weeks of the walk will not be an issue but I am wondering if mid-February would be a suitable Camino de Madrid start time, or should I delay it by two or three weeks. I don't mind cool or moderately cold weather but snow / continuous rain would be deprecated. Also, am a bit concerned that starting too early will trigger problems with hotels and cafés being still seasonally closed.

Any comments about my proposed start date would be appreciated.

Thanks ...
The only real issue is going over the mountain, Cercedilla to Segovia. In April 2016, I encountered a foot of snow on the top for about 5 km's.
 

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Thank you, HenryTheDog, Rebekah Scott, CaliSteve, Anthony Rocco, and Hans-Georg Goebel, for your valuable advice.

Everyone seems to agree that February is far too early. Thanks for reminding me about the mountain, Anthony; I had forgotten about that.

I think I received enough weather/time comments for now and have decided to completely replan this trip. After replanning I might post a revised plan here for scrutiny.

Thanks again, everyone.
I think that's wise. This is a wonderful camino. It surprised us at how much we enjoyed it, including Segovia, where we spent two nights, Valladolid, Madina del Rio Seco, and all the villages and villagers, including an entire community embracing us in Penaflor de Hornijos. Then there is the whackiest and most delightful hospitalero, barista and just about everything in the tiny village of Villalon. His name is Kiki. He is truly unforgettable.
 
I have walked from Cercedilla to Segovia in February. There was no snow accumulation at the pass. You just never know. If you really want to walk in February, as JPflavin says, your only likely potential no-go would be from Cercedilla to the other side of the moutain, which you could skip with public transport if you had to.

I personally prefer walking in springtime, because this camino is glorious at that time with all the emerald green fields and the bright red poppies. But I would jump at the chance to go in winter if it presented itself!
 
Not a good time to go. I can't imagine you can get over the mountain to Segovia without much pain if at all at that time. We were counseled to go in mid-September if we wanted to do the entire Madrid camino. It was perfect. In the winter or Spring, it's too cold with snow in the mountains. In the summer the meseta after Segovia is brutally hot and dry. Of course, there is no right camino except your camino. You can bypass the mountain, checking the weather to see what is doable and what isn't. But you would be missing some lovely terrain, walking on an old Roman road and the sweeping vista as you walk down the mountain to Segovia, one of our priceless memories. And whenever you go, don't bypass Valladolid. It's not on camino route, but not far off. We loved our time there.
It would be worthwhile sharing your thoughts on Valladolid on the current, and excellent, CdMadrid thread. The prevailing view on there was ‘nice enough’ but not much more.
 
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Thanks again, all you great folks who are expending their time helping me to plan this trip.

For clarity, I would fly from Canada to Madrid (probably, to eliminate connecting flights) around February 9, 2022, and fly back home around April 13, 2022.

There are various cities in the south that I would like to explore, as previously stated, using trains / buses for intercity travel. I am experienced at that.

I am now leaning towards doing all of that before starting the Camino de Madrid (CdM).

I have scrapped the idea of starting the CdM in February due to weather.

I am receptive to readers' opinions of starting the CdM in mid-March, with respect to weather, seasonal availability of lodgings, cafés, etc. That would give me about 4 weeks of walking time before I would need to head back to Madrid. Generally I walk for 6 days +- , at about 20 to 25 km per day, and then take a rest day for local explorations. I have done 35 km in a day but find it tough. I would like to complete the entire CdM within those 4 weeks if practicable, and then continue walking westbound along the CF to use up whatever time is left over. No need to get to SdC.

Starting the CdM at the end of March would probably provide better weather but would cut my walking time down to two weeks, which is pretty short.

WRT seasonal availability of lodgings, generally I prefer to stay in economical hotels/hostals/residencials; albergues are a last resort.

I appreciate all your help.

P9
 
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I am receptive to readers' opinions of starting the CdM in mid-March, with respect to weather, seasonal availability of lodgings, cafés, etc.
I think that's wise. This is a wonderful camino. It surprised us at how much we enjoyed it, including Segovia, where we spent two nights, Valladolid, Madina del Rio Seco, and all the villages and villagers, including an entire community embracing us in Penaflor de Hornijos. Then there is the whackiest and most delightful hospitalero, barista and just about everything in the tiny village of Villalon. His name is Kiki. He is truly unforgettable.
As @henrythedog mentioned, there is an active thread now called Virtual walk on the Camino de Madrid - Detailed Planning. On that thread, we are going stage-by-stage along the route, discussing the route and the infrastructure. That thread provides a lot of general information, although we can't know about exactly which facilities will be open or closed on specific dates.

Although we have almost completed the route to Sahagun, if you have specific information or questions about any point on the route, feel free to add them. At the end of the route, moderators will clean up the thread and re-position some of the information so that it is a better reference thread.
 
Thanks again, all you great folks who are expending their time helping me to plan this trip.

For clarity, I would fly from Canada to Madrid (probably, to eliminate connecting flights) around February 9, 2022, and fly back home around April 13, 2022.

There are various cities in the south that I would like to explore, as previously stated, using trains / buses for intercity travel. I am experienced at that.

I am now leaning towards doing all of that before starting the Camino de Madrid (CdM).

I have scrapped the idea of starting the CdM in February due to weather.

I am receptive to readers' opinions of starting the CdM in mid-March, with respect to weather, seasonal availability of lodgings, cafés, etc. That would give me about 4 weeks of walking time before I would need to head back to Madrid. Generally I walk for 6 days +- , at about 20 to 25 km per day, and then take a rest day for local explorations. I have done 35 km in a day but find it tough. I would like to complete the entire CdM within those 4 weeks if practicable, and then continue walking westbound along the CF to use up whatever time is left over. No need to get to SdC.

Starting the CdM at the end of March would probably provide better weather but would cut my walking time down to two weeks, which is pretty short.

WRT seasonal availability of lodgings, generally I prefer to stay in economical hotels/hostals/residencials; albergues are a last resort.

I appreciate all your help.

P9
If you are planning on going down south, you might want to consider the Mozarabe. You can start in either Malaga or Almeria. The route passes through two great cities Granada and Cordoba. It is also well supported by the local association. You can get a flight from Madrid to Almeria.
 
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Thanks again, all you great folks who are expending their time helping me to plan this trip.

For clarity, I would fly from Canada to Madrid (probably, to eliminate connecting flights) around February 9, 2022, and fly back home around April 13, 2022.

There are various cities in the south that I would like to explore, as previously stated, using trains / buses for intercity travel. I am experienced at that.

I am now leaning towards doing all of that before starting the Camino de Madrid (CdM).

I have scrapped the idea of starting the CdM in February due to weather.

I am receptive to readers' opinions of starting the CdM in mid-March, with respect to weather, seasonal availability of lodgings, cafés, etc. That would give me about 4 weeks of walking time before I would need to head back to Madrid. Generally I walk for 6 days +- , at about 20 to 25 km per day, and then take a rest day for local explorations. I have done 35 km in a day but find it tough. I would like to complete the entire CdM within those 4 weeks if practicable, and then continue walking westbound along the CF to use up whatever time is left over. No need to get to SdC.

Starting the CdM at the end of March would probably provide better weather but would cut my walking time down to two weeks, which is pretty short.

WRT seasonal availability of lodgings, generally I prefer to stay in economical hotels/hostals/residencials; albergues are a last resort.

I appreciate all your help.

P9
You can easily walk the CM in four weeks (12-14 days), I walked from Madrid to Santiago in 24 days. After Segovia the route is mostly Forest and Meseta. Cercedilla to Segovia is the only tough day. Good climb up the mountain and then a long hike to Segovia. You will be tired.
 
Thanks again, all you great folks who are expending their time helping me to plan this trip.

For clarity, I would fly from Canada to Madrid (probably, to eliminate connecting flights) around February 9, 2022, and fly back home around April 13, 2022.

There are various cities in the south that I would like to explore, as previously stated, using trains / buses for intercity travel. I am experienced at that.

I am now leaning towards doing all of that before starting the Camino de Madrid (CdM).

I have scrapped the idea of starting the CdM in February due to weather.

I am receptive to readers' opinions of starting the CdM in mid-March, with respect to weather, seasonal availability of lodgings, cafés, etc. That would give me about 4 weeks of walking time before I would need to head back to Madrid. Generally I walk for 6 days +- , at about 20 to 25 km per day, and then take a rest day for local explorations. I have done 35 km in a day but find it tough. I would like to complete the entire CdM within those 4 weeks if practicable, and then continue walking westbound along the CF to use up whatever time is left over. No need to get to SdC.

Starting the CdM at the end of March would probably provide better weather but would cut my walking time down to two weeks, which is pretty short.

WRT seasonal availability of lodgings, generally I prefer to stay in economical hotels/hostals/residencials; albergues are a last resort.

I appreciate all your help.

P9
Actually you have enough time to do both routes Mozarabe and Madrid.
 
It would be worthwhile sharing your thoughts on Valladolid on the current, and excellent, CdMadrid thread. The prevailing view on there was ‘nice enough’ but not much more.
Valladolid was special to us for many reasons. First, we ended up walking 43kms to get there. Exhausted and starving, we saw a cafe open, found a table, dumped our packs and put our heads down on the table. The proprietor came up to us asking if we were OK. We said we were tired, hungry peregrinos. He immediately went into action, bringing us plate after plate of down home Spanish comfort food. Even we two beers each, the bill came to only 15 euro. We decided that we needed to refresh so we went to the hotel next to the cathedral. The desk clerk initially was less than enamored to see our condition, but took pity on us and gave us a spectacular room, ultra modern, a bathroom bigger than some mini-albergues on the Camino Madrid. We were like little kids opening Christmas presents. Being lovers of culture, Valladolid offers historic churches and public buildings that enchanted us for a day and half. The restaurants were outstanding and it was fun being with local residents. To cap off a delightful stay, when we are at a bus stop to catch a bus to Simancas to resume our camino, a gentleman started chatting with us. He was a retired lawyer (Valladolid has the premier law school in Spain, he told us) who had always wanted to do a camino. We had a nice chat, he asked that we stay where we were till he came back, then ten minutes later pulled up in a Mercedes. He drove us to Simanacas where we had time to visit the national archives of Spain. Now you know why we can never forget Valladolid.

We have a zillion photos of Valladolid. I have attached one of me and our "chauffeur", my wife and I, and the must see church of San Benito. The cathedral was, to be frank, disappointing, much less fascinating than other churches spread around the city center, all walkable to.
 

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Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-

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