May - June Camino Questions

[Brad Chatellier]

Hello all,

I'm planning on walking the Camino Frances from May 13 - June 19, and was wondering a few things.

1) Should a light weight Goretex fleece be enough?
2) What should the temperature range be like?
3) How crowded is the Camino during this time?
4) Anything else I don't know that I need to know during that time?

Thanks much,
Brad

 

[alan_hogarth]

Hello All and particularly Brad

I'm planning to walk the Camino in May June 2007. Nobody replied to Brad's questions, is there anyone who will have a go at answering the same questions for me. Brad should certainly be able to by now!
Alan :wink:

Hello all,

I'm planning on walking the Camino Frances from May 13 - June 19, and was wondering a few things.

1) Should a light weight Goretex fleece be enough?
2) What should the temperature range be like?
3) How crowded is the Camino during this time?
4) Anything else I don't know that I need to know during that time?

Thanks much,
Brad

 

[WolverineDG]

Allow me to jump on the "Me Too" train. I'm hoping to start my Camino around May 5 & walk until the early part of June. Dawn just did her Camino this year in May & I think she said it started out cold & got warmer (which is to be expected). Not sure if just a fleece will suffice though, but I would hate to take anything heavier (although you can mail it to yourself once it warms up too much).

 

[Deborah]

Two Seasons

Yup, my problem is the opposite. It will be HOT when we start September 1 and then probably COLD by the time we reach Finesterre mid October.

I've just got a few more days before I leave for europe and am torn about what to take. Will my lightweight Goretex jacket be enough if I layer or should I take my lightweight polyfill coat? Do I need silk longjohns or not? Will it be too cold in the evenings to wear shorts or do I need to take some fleece.

I think doing the Camino in Fall is more complex now that I think about it. You can't mail stuff home.. you have to start out carrying it. And there's no way to know where you'll need it so you can't mail it ahead.

My nice, light backpack may have just gotten heavier as I fear being cold in the higher elevations. :::crying:::

 

[WolverineDG]

I have cousins who live in Seattle & they swear up & down that fleece & layers are your friends. I live in extreme South Texas where it is HOT HOT HOT & I can make it up in Seattle with just fleece & layers except when it really gets cold & starts snowing. This past year, there wasn't snow at Christmas, so I made it just fine without a coat except when we went out after dark.

I can also speak from experience that silk long johns are not only light-weight, but necessary! Maybe you should come with me & the others in May.

 

[spursfan]

I walked in April/May and found that a single Merino wool garment was all I needed apart from rainproofs - Have a look at the expected temperature range when you will be walking but unless it's really chilly I'd go for Helly Hansen thermal long johns and top and silk balaclava just in case rather than a fleece

 

[marktqm]

I walked the Camino Frances 28 April to 31 May 2006. I brought a North Face waterproof jacket with a removable fleece. Being a tropical person, I almost always wore the jacket without the fleece when I set out every morning and when the sun comes out I take it off. The fleece was only useful when I crossed the Pyrenees in fog and in the mountains of Leon at Foncebadon to El Acebo where we unexpectedly encountered rain, sleet and snow in the 3rd week of May. It only rained on me twice along the camino.

And not a single drop of rain in Galicia!

As to the question of how crowded the camino is, well it's a relative thing depending on your definition of crowded. The road itself is not that very crowded (yet) in May, unless you don't like people routinely overtaking you on the walk. It can be unnerving at first ("Oh my god, 50 people have already overtaken me and there are only 50 beds in the next refugio!") and the temptation to join the Amazing Race for beds is very strong. As for the refuges, yes, they are almost filled up by the end of the day during this month, so at night it IS pretty crowded in the dormitories. I don't have a problem with snoring concerts at night (there's always the earplug) unless it is the one beside me who's doing the recital (earplugs won't work, you'll feel the vibrations). My problems are the pilgrim to bathroom ratio, and lack of ventilation -- there are very few/small windows and most of them closed.

Mark TQM

 

[alan_hogarth]

I'm finding the comments from other pilgrims very useful thanks to everyone who has contributed. I think my kit will include silk long johns and a silk long sleeve top, a lightweight windproof jackets with useful pockets. a light sleeveless fleece and a poncho.

Incidentally the best source of silk products I have found is http://www.nznature.co.nz very reasonable prices, good products and excellent service. They will post the products to the UK and charge nothing extra for postage.

Alan