May/June vs Sept/Oct

[DeadFred]

Reading the forum for some time now , I find there are the two popular starting months for the Camino Frances. May or Sept .

May is the most popular . We selected Sept as my wife & I would like a more contemplative less busy environment. It seems to that Sept/Oct are ,on average, drier then May/June .

What do you think .. what Months have you started your Camino( or planning to start) and why did you select that month ?

Joe from Arkansas

 

[mralisn]

Hi Joe,

I started 3 times at the beginning of June. Due to my schedule, it is what I have. I quite enjoy the energy of the Camino. The amount of others doesn't really bother me. A bit annoying in the last few days before SdC w/many school groups, but I think this is what it must be like for those who walk from Le Puy for example when they see all the people starting in SJPdP.

I love the heat of June to mid-July. I enjoy the long days of daylight.

On the other hand, I think I'd quite like a walk in the spring or autumn.

For me, every day is a great day to be on the Camino.

Enjoy,
Simeon

 

[nreyn12]

Hi Joe,
I have walked in both seasons, and both have their charms. I prefer late September, as the days are warm but not as hot, and the nights have that lovely fall chill. Also, many parts of the trail are lined with berry bushes, and if you are lucky you will have a lovely snack available on many days.

The later you start in September, the fewer people will be on the trail. That means that albergues will be less full, which is nice.

Here is a photo I took at the SJPP Pilgrim's Office of the 2011 statistics. It shows how many people started from or walked through SJPP each week throughout that year, with the peak weeks marked. (The left axis is number of people and the bottom axis is weeks of the year.) I would expect that the graph for 2012 looks similar, although October was quite busy last year.
Nancy

 

[Buckeroo]

Last year I weighed up the weather against the smaller numbers of walkers and came up with September. I forgot to factor in the time it took to get permission from my wife and ended up going in October. It was a beautiful time with only a few rainy days although one wet period was for three days straight. The days were warm and the nights were cool. Next time I will probably aim for mid September as some cafes and albergues were starting to close in late October. Just have to ask for permission earlier.

 

[zammy]

May June= GREEN landscape , more sun hours
Sept Oct= brown yellow landscape

 

[julie]

Thanks for the photo Nancy. I was quite surprised to see the peak in September.

Joe, I've walked the Camino in both June and September and both were wonderful. The colours of Spring are stunningly vibrant yet those in Autumn also appeal with their muted mauves and pinks.

In June I walked into Burgos in 37C, in September I walked into Burgos in 37C. Either the temperature sign outside the pharmacy was broken or it is regularly 37C in Burgos. It certainly felt like 37C each time.

September was my first Camino and that was simply because, after thinking about it for a couple of years, I only decided a few months before that it was time to go.

June was chosen the second time just because I wanted to experience it under different light.

There were a lot of people both times but this did not hinder my contemplative experience. For the most part, I walked alone yet was able to enjoy the company of other pilgrims for an hour or so at a time and also at dinner time. If I felt the need to be alone, I simply said so and that wish was always honoured.

 

[fortview]

Hi Joe,
We chose September as we thought the school holidays would be over and things would have quietened down ! Not a bit of it ! However, it was so beautiful, and amazing weather. It was too hot to walk after 2 pm to start off with, and later we had those beautiful cool , misty morning starts. We always found somewhere to stay , but at times it felt like a rush to get to the next place.
In future we'd probably start a bit later , or earlier in the year.
Buen camino

 

[Deleted member 3000]

things would have quietened down ! Not a bit of it !

Compared to June, July, and August, the Camino is a ghost town in September! There are plenty of beds, so any "bed race" is in the mind. That said, September has become busy because so many are avoiding the summer crowd. You have to wait until November these days for the really sparse crowd, by which time many of the small places have closed for the season.

 

[DeadFred]

What wonderful responses ! Great chart Nancy , thank you . Hope the responses continue from my soon to be fellow "walked the walked" pilgrims . So far I have only "Talked the Walk " . Looks like we might shift to late from Mid Sept to get away from some hot afternoons. Although planning is essential I prefer not to over plan our Camino and rather let this experience guide us some .

Joe , Arkansas

 

[reuben79]

That chart is fascinating in hindsight. Saw a couple along the trail but never mattered much to me at the time. I started at the beginning of October and it was not very busy and was still quite hot for the first week or ten days. But got really cool by the beginning of November and a lot of albergues and restaurants were starting to shut down. Can't speak for May but if you go in the fall I would suggest maybe Sep 23 or 24 to miss the worst of the crowds but finish by the end of October. Can't go too far wrong at any time, though, I'm sure. I'd love to try spring someday.

 

[nreyn12]

Another tip is to start on a weekday, rather than a weekend or holiday, if you'd like to avoid the crowds. It doesn't always work, especially in early May and early September, but generally more people start on Sat/Sun.