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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Camino Frances - April or May

CarolMex

New Member
Hi there...
Im planning to do the Camino Frances April or May next year. But I would like to know if it's a good idea do it in those months.. or I need to wait because of the weather conditions.
I dont know about it. But if someone can help me with your comments would be great.
Is just that I was planning to do it on September, but couldnt have holidays... :(
Thanks for your comments.
 
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Hi Carol!

I absolutely loved walking the Camino in April. I started the 12th of April in Roncevalles and took my time to arrive on the 17th of May in Compostela. Not too hot, only three days of rain and till Leon lots of room in the albergues. I personally don't think I would have accomplished my Camino in the spanish summer. Then again I'm from Belgium so only used to mild continental weather.
 
Hello Sabine,
Thanks for your comments.
I heart that could be raining mid April so I was little bit doubting to do it in that month.
But now that you tell me, I think could be a good idea, specially with the rooms that wont be that full as in September I guess.
And what about the views?... are better in April as is Spring?..
If you could share me your experience would be great as I can plan my trip better.
Do you know where I can leave my lougage if I start in St Jean Pied de Port???. Because I think I will fly Mexico - Paris and then from Paris to St Jean Pied de Port (still dont know excatly)... but I will have suitcase plus my bagpack... could you tell me?..
Thanks..
:D
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Carol,

Regarding the luggage : I 'm sure more experienced members here will give you more accurate advice. I started in Roncesvalles so I do not have a clue about situation in SJPP.
Yes, early spring can be a problem concerning the rain but I prefer rain to too much heat ( again very personal view of course ). I had a quick dry trouser and a raintrouser ( for when it really poured ) and my rainjacket. For me this was sufficient although I know that many posters here prefer a poncho ( especially the Altus poncho ).

Regarding nature and views in spring : Spain is beautiful throughout the whole year but yes the blossoming and the wild flowers have a special appeal in spring. I especially loved the walk to Molinaseca where there was an abundance of wild flowers.

If you want to have an idea about my walk , you can click on my blog and take a look at some pics.
 
Hello Carol:

I walked the Camino Frances this year from March 24-April 25th. I started in SJPdP. I chose this time of year to avoid crowds. I had no issues with finding a bed nor did I encounter any bed bugs. The weather was beautiful only had 4 rain days and everything was in bloom. The only issue was that some of the Albergues were not open until April 1st.

Regarding luggage, I left my luggage in London and just traveled with my hiking gear. You can ship your luggage ahead to Santiago from SJPdP. I am sure the folks at the Pilgrim office in SJPdP can help you with that information.

Pak as light as possible, start slowly and the Camino will take care of the rest.

If you have any particular questions about the Camino in Spring, you can respond here with them or PM me.

Ultreya,
Joe
 
I have walked in April and May and it has been beautiful. A little cold in the mountains, and a bit of rain, but overall very pleasant. Wildflowers and flowering trees are in bloom and the country is waking up from winter. No problem at all finding a bed in the albergues. I prefer the cooler weather.
Buen Camino!
Suzanne
 
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I walked for 40 days from Roncevalles to Santiago de Compostela starting April 22nd. At the start of my trip there were pilgrims who came over the passes higher up who had to deal with quite a bit of snow. I did not have snow, but I did use my rain gear (an excellent red Altus coat that covered my pack well - I looked like a hunchback!) Mornings were brisk, but I ayered my silk thermal shirt, a long-sleeved t-shirt a fleece and sometimes wore my rain gear as an added layer.

Happy trails...

"Ginn"
 
I started from SJPD on 27 April. I had my luggage sent over by a Spanish courier company from London to the Pilgrim Helper in Santiago, so it was waiting for me when I arrived. It only cost me 15 pounds.

May was the most beautiful time to walk with the abundance of spring flowers, perfect balmy weather (1 day of rain the entire journey), but I definitely would not walk so late into May again and next time will start in early April or later September. I thought that the crowds only started gathering in June and July but was told that May is normally a very busy month. Although I was turned away only once at an albergue, I always had to cut my walking short to ensure I got into an albergue. If I was still walking after 2.00 pm, I had to bypass all the smaller albergues as they generally filled up by 2.30. There were large numbers starting off from SJPDP, and even more from Roncesvalles. I think the albergue there takes about 180 people, and it was full the night that I was there. Setting out from Roncesvalles with the hoardes of pilgrims was quite a shock to the system and my heart sank at the thought of walking the next 780 km with them. Zubiri was full by 3.00 pm. There was always this stampede of pilgrims to leave in the dark by 6.00 am which became quite stressful. Fortunately, after Cezor Menor the crowds thinned out considerably and it wasn't too bad after that and often I walked long stretches without seeing another pilgrim. The crowds started gathering again from Sarria. It is a beautiful stretch from there to Santiago, but one gets the impression that it is becoming over-saturated with the large number of pilgrims.
 
This one is a tough call because while weather stats indicate that the chance of rain in April is higher than in May, overall April weather is much more pleasant. That said, I started The camino from SJPDP in late May and the weather, while cool in the AMs was overall gorgeous. Once you get past Zubiri you will feel the Spanish sun. Regardless of month, I would not start on a rainy/bad weather day out of SJPDP; the vistas are too beatiful and the unpaved camino sections can get pretty muddy if too much rain. Try to get a better head-start by starting from SJPDP on a decent weather day.

I am planning to go back again next year and I am inclined to start Mid-April.

Regarding how to get to SJPDP I recommend you fly into Pamplona and contact Express Bouricott for a van ride to SJPDP. I paid 16 Euros Pamplona-SJPDP. I flew into Barcelona, stayed a couple of days, took the bus to Pamplona and the van to SJPDP. I started at 7am from Barcelona and was at SJPDP by 4pm with plenty time to explore the town and get ready for the next day.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Hi
I have just joined and planning to start from SJPP end April 2012. I am planning to start on 27 April so very distrubed by Jennysa reply that she found May quite busy.
I have already booked flights from New Zealand to Paris so no way to change now but the more I read of peoples' experiences, the more I wish I had planned a mid April start.
has anyone else found May very busy. I am planning to finish at Finisteere on 1 June so will be walking the whole of May.

karen
 
Karen,

Let not your heart be troubled...there are "our" experiences on the Camino and the Camino will take care of "your" Way.

Continue with your plan and begin to look forward to all the Camino can provide...there will be days that are better than some, but all will be worthwhile and memorable.

Buen Camino,

Arn
 
Hi Arn
thankyou for your calming words...I will stop worrying about things I cannot change and focus on planning for my trip - though still 8 months away.
karen
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Hello from Canada - new to this site. I did the Camino in May 2009 and always found a place to sleep quite easily. I am going again this April May and hoping to do the Camino Arragones April 20-27 and catch up with Camino Frances around May 1st. Glad to know lots of others are looking at travelling during this time. Backup route is Camino Norte....
 
Hello Carol

I have the camino twice.

The first time in 2007, my wife and I left Saint Jean Pied de Port April 25 and walked to Santiago throughout the rest of April and all of May. The busiest day was May 1 (it also happened to be the day it rained all day too) otherwise the route was relatively speaking, not that busy, the weather was mostly dry and even hot in mid May but cool and wet nearer Santiago

The second time was this year. I went by myself leaving Saint Jean Pied de Port May 19 and arriving in Santiago June 19. I continued out to the coast to Finisterre and Muxia, The trail was slightly more busier than 2007, especially in the larger centers, the weather was generally dry but cooler that expected, to the point some days I hiked wearing my fleece jacket for some of the day.

Overall I still think May is the best month to hike the camino. The long sunny and generally dry days makes for great photos and a wonderful walking experience. My second choice would be June, followed by September

Cheers

Neville
Photos from my 2011 Camino
https://picasaweb.google.com/1094336834 ... tiago2011#
 
Neville -

I agree - May -June are the best months for the camino and I've walked 5 times on various routes in exactly those months.... I may have to walk in September next year so that will be an adventure.

What this post is really for is to thank you for the pictures of your camino of this year. The photos are absolutely outstanding and I very much enjoyed them. Thanks for sharing.

lynne
 
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Hi, my name is Leopoldo and with a friend we shall go to' Santiago.
We shall start fron Saint Jean Pied de Port the 3th of May from Padua.
May is a food month for walking.
The start planning from Saint J.P.de P. shall be' the 4th of May
We hope to meet you during walking
Bue
Leop
 
Hi Leopoldo,

Welcome to the Forum. I shall 4 days behind you as I start in st. Jean Pied du Port on May 6th.

I should like if we meet up some time as both my father and my brother are Leopold. and my son has it as his middle name.

Buen Camino
 
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i'm lending a voice to an April start. Europe in Spring. In September last year with the weather information, route planners and experience on forum pointed to April and Easter. Also happily the most number of public holidays for me occur in April at work. It set my dates up really well.

I'm currently scheduled to leave in the 9th of April! er weather, hangovers & jetlag permitting.

I may need a few cafe el negro's to begin and a staunch breakfast. :roll:
 
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Hi everyone
I'm starting the camino in Pamplona at easter time. Not sure whether to take a sleeping bag or a cotton bed sack.do the aubergues have blankets in France?
any ideas. Amanda from Australia
 
Totally agree with everyone that April/May is a great time to walk. Apart from the weather, wild flowers, wind moving through the wheat fields etc. don't forget to enjoy the stars on a clear night when you're out in the countryside. They're stunning.

Amanda - some albergues have blankets and some don't. I'd suggest one of those compact sleeping bags rather than just a liner. It can get chilly at night when the sky is clear, so with a combination of sleeping bag, clothes, and possibly blankets you should be OK. A chilly night often means a bright day tomorrow!

Buen Camino!
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Amanda...welcome to the Class of 2012!

Tyrrek make a good point on sleeping bags. Here's a site where you can compare size/weight (under 1 lb.) and materials.

http://www.rei.com/product/778156/rei-h ... eeping-bag

As far as the decision to take only a liner...choose a silk liner rather than cotton.

In fact...leave all cotton at home! IMHO, when hiking, sailing, exercising, cotton kills! Once cotton gets wet the body's natural heat cannot dry it. Therefore, even on a sunny day in the 70's, with any wind at all you will begin to get cold. Rather, consider wearing shirts and shorts that are no less than 50/50 % polypro and cotton mix. You still have the smooth feel of the cotton with the wicking/drying properties of the polypro.

http://www.rei.com/product/817550/rei-w ... irt-womens

Arn
 
Breaking in the new boots on a 23 km hike along the John Buchan Way from Peebles to Broughton in Southern Scotland on Saturday. All in aid of checking out the new boots and the thickness of socks which I will require on the Camino Frances in earlyish April. Am planning brief detour on Saturday to visit Stobo Kirk - built on the site where St Mungo was alleged to have converted Merlin Sylvestris to Christianity back in the day.

The JBW has the sort of ascents/descents one expects to encounter on the Camino and, with the vile weather we've been having here in Scotland over the past week we can also expect the sort of muddy tracks which might also prove to be the case in Spain. Good to know now how the boots behave.

Have accumulated a pack and two poles which have already made steep descents easier on the knees.

Rob
 
Amanda59 said:
I'm starting the camino in Pamplona at easter time. Not sure whether to take a sleeping bag or a cotton bed sack.do the aubergues have blankets in France?
Amanda from Australia
Hi Amanda,
Pamplona on the "Camino Frances', (despite the name), is in Spain, not France. Gites in France almost all have blankets you can use, but that isn't always the case with albergues in Spain. You could strike some cold weather in April so you probably do need a sleeping bag. All the best for your Camino prep.
Margaret
 
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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,-
Many thanks Tyrrek, Marg and Arn
Looking forward to being in the group of 2012. Will take a sleeping bag. Looked up the clothes site and am rethinking my gear Arn.
Amanda :D
 

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