Driest Camino route in October?

[jennifrp]

A few friends and I are looking to do the Camino mid to the end of October. I know there will be likely some rain on each route but which route will likely have the least amount of rain at this time? Thank you!

 

[trecile]

It would be helpful if you let us know how many days you have available, and if there are certain routes that you are considering. Also, will you carry all of your own gear, or will you require pack transport? And when during October, as the beginning of the month is likely to be much warmer and drier than the end of the month.

This site has information that should be useful:

Camino de Santiago - forecast and historical weather

Get a personal daily weather forecast for the Camino de Santiago for the exact dates you're planning to go. Or browse to pick the best time of year.

caminoweather.com

 

[jennifrp]

I'm open to all routes, thus wondering which is the driest. And I'm available for about two weeks - as I mentioned, I'll be there mid- to late october. I'm not sure about gear yet. I think it depends which route I take and how rainy it might be.

 

[Robo]

That's a really tough question. I suppose there are a couple of potential ways to get some kind of direction on this.

A - Feedback.

I'm sure lots of members will jump in say I walked Route X in October and it was dry, or I walked Route Z in October and it was wet. Maybe someone who has walked lots of different routes at that time of year will chime in with a view. Hopefully that will provide some guidance.

B - Research

This is my 'over planner' coming to the fore.

I'd start by eliminating some routes with some simple criteria.

1. Do you want to finish in Santiago?
2. How far do you expect to walk in 2 weeks, therefore likely start points.
3. What 'type' of route you want to walk. Busy, Social, Quiet, Remote.......

Maybe try to get it down to 3 or 4 routes?

Then I'd start to look at climate and historical weather data.
If ending in Santiago, one would expect most routes would have similar weather?
As they'll all be in a radius of 2 weeks walk from Santiago.

Where weather may play a greater role, will be in routes or sections of routes, that will not end in Santiago. That would open up routes in the South for example, which 'might' be drier at that time of year.

I kind of tackled a similar question from a different angle when planning my last Camino.

I knew the route I wanted to walk, the VdlP, but needed to research the best start date to avoid the the rain and the very hot periods. I managed to slot neatly between the two, more by luck than judgement I'm sure!

 

[jungleboy]

General truths:

Andalucía - dry.
Galicia - wet.

Routes like the Mozárabe, Vía de la Plata, Vía Serrana etc would be good bets for being dry in Oct.

 

[Former member 104756]

I'm not sure about gear yet. I think it depends which route I take and how rainy it might be.

Just to note about this … bag transport is only available on certain routes - typically the most popular routes, mostly in the north. So if you feel you or any of your companions will or may need it, that will eliminate some routes including I think all of those mentioned by @jungleboy If you can all carry your packs, you have more options.

So it could be worth having the gear discussion with the group so you know whether you need to eliminate any routes from your considerations.

Best wishes, whatever you decide

 

[dick bird]

A few friends and I are looking to do the Camino mid to the end of October. I know there will be likely some rain on each route but which route will likely have the least amount of rain at this time? Thank you!

To be blunt, the chances of rain are about equal whichever route you take: North West Spain (Galicia) and the North of Portugal are very rainy regions. October is autumn and unpredictable. You might be lucky and get no rain at all, you might be unlucky and get a lot. Sorry if this is unhelpful but that is the most honest answer I can give you.

 

[Robo]

As they say........."The rain in Spain falls mainly on the Plain Galicia"!

 

[J Willhaus]

I believe last fall there were heavy rains all along the CF in the late season. I remember photos of heavy rain and paths resembling streams. That was last year.

 

[Bradypus]

I believe last fall there were heavy rains all along the CF in the late season. I remember photos of heavy rain and paths resembling streams. That was last year.

I waded through fast running water knee high on the Camino Frances last September. Flash flooding after a thunderstorm and prolonged rain. It can happen any time.

 

[NLS]

I believe last fall there were heavy rains all along the CF in the late season. I remember photos of heavy rain and paths resembling streams. That was last year.

Torrential downpours almost daily!

 

[David Tallan]

A few friends and I are looking to do the Camino mid to the end of October. I know there will be likely some rain on each route but which route will likely have the least amount of rain at this time? Thank you!

The route that doesn't make it all the way to Galicia, he says somewhat facetiously.

 

[HKim]

I'm from Seattle, where many of us natives enjoy the rain. The Galician climate somewhat matches that of northwest Washington State. In the autumn at times we can go through three seasons in one day. The Seattle area rarely gets torrential rains such as I have experienced in Spain (mainly in the plains to the south of Madrid, and in the hills around El Escorial about 45km NW of Madrid - for I have only been in Galicia through the eyes of my friends so far).

I think trecile's link - caminoweather dot com - is the closest you'll come to an Old Farmer's Almanac for predicting the weather on your way to visit St. James the Great (or 'Big James' as the streaming serial 'The Chosen' styles him).

When it rains, some of us from my neck of the woods look to the cloudy skies as they share their moisture with us and say, "Keep Washington Green!"