Camino del Norte in October

[josephleaf]

Hi,

I'm planning my camino in October (and maybe into early Nov, depends on when I could start).

I"m deciding between Frances and Norte. I'd prefer the Norte as I would like more time on my own, as I've read that there are less pilgrim on the Norte.

It's hard to find info on the Norte in Oct, so if you have experience/info, please kindly assist:
- What's the weather like? Is it colder/wetter? How about rain? Is it cold in the evening? 10 deg C is considered cold to me.
- Is it harder to find Albergues / hostels in the Norte? Do they open in Oct?
- A sleeping bag seems necessary, should I also bring a tent in case I cant find a place to stay?
- Other than the CSJ guide, is there any other guide you would recommend?

Regards,
Joseph

 

[skilsaw]

Hi Joseph
I can't answer any of your del Norte questions.
This note is just to wish you well and buen camino.

David, Victoria, Canada

 

[Anniesantiago]

You might try PMing Mermaid Lilli She walked the Norte last year.

I did a beautiful but short section from Bilbao to Santander end of October last year. There was partial sunshine 2 days and rain 2 days. It was definitely wetter than along the Frances, which I had just walked.

 

[Bridget and Peter]

We cycled Irun to Guernica (well, from Limoges really) last October (early in the month). Weather bright, nights quite cold, certainly need a sleeping bag. We then walked Guernica to San Vicente (nearly end of Cantabria) this April. We had fine weather almost all the two weeks, but others had it very wet in May. There are adequate albergues in the middle of the year (see the mundicamino site) but some were closed in April and would also be in October. If you have enough money to spend the occasional 25/30 euros on a one star hotel/pension then you will be fine.

Guides - well, the CSJ one is rather confusing, we think. We took a german one as well which was better but our german let us down. There are good spanish ones out there with maps. You could buy one at the albergue in Irun. Also each region has good regional guides with maps available in the tourist office. Always go to the tourist office - they know all sorts of useful things like which hotel does a deal for pilgrims (in Gernica we paid less for a night and an evening meal in the hotel than in the youth hostel).

There are quite a lot of route variations for the Norte, so collecting info as you get into a new area, talking to the hospitaleros and other pilgrims will help you decide as you go.

It's a very beautiful route, with views of sea and mountains, interesting towns and cities, cliff paths and countryside tracks. We'd be there now cycling from San Vicente to Santiago, except that we forgot to rescue our passports when all our belongings went into store, as we are between houses!