New here...Looking at starting the Camino in Feb 2014.

[KarliMc]

Hi,

I am looking at starting the Camino in Feb of 2014. I am Canadian and from my reading I see that there is quite a bit of snow in the mountains. Are they completely impassable at this time? My understanding is that there are many routes to get to Santiago so I would like to take the best one for that time. I have yet to book flights as well and would like to know the easiest way/city to get to a start point, and the best way to leave Santiago after I finish. (I am waiting for seat sales after Christmas)

I do have lots of hiking experience as I grew up in Northern Ontario, both summer and winter but I have never been overseas before so I want to make sure I am as prepared as possible. I am bilingual in French and English and I recently purchased Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish as I feel it is my responsibility to learn the language of the place I am going to. Plus it will make my life easier.

If there is any other tips or things you can suggest that would be great.

Thank you.

 

[Gyrovagus]

Hi,

I am looking at starting the Camino in Feb of 2014. I am Canadian and from my reading I see that there is quite a bit of snow in the mountains. Are they completely impassable at this time? My understanding is that there are many routes to get to Santiago so I would like to take the best one for that time. I have yet to book flights as well and would like to know the easiest way/city to get to a start point, and the best way to leave Santiago after I finish. (I am waiting for seat sales after Christmas)

I do have lots of hiking experience as I grew up in Northern Ontario, both summer and winter but I have never been overseas before so I want to make sure I am as prepared as possible. I am bilingual in French and English and I recently purchased Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish as I feel it is my responsibility to learn the language of the place I am going to. Plus it will make my life easier.

If there is any other tips or things you can suggest that would be great.

Thank you.

With fluent French for good communication, you'd love the beautiful chemins through France. Wonderful landscapes. Le Puy and Vezelay routes are especially rewarding.

Please research the issue of albergues being open in winter. I've seen this discussed here, with good info.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

If you start in Pamplona, the snow will never be an obstacle to starting. If you want to start in France, then the weather can be a consideration. Unless it is actively snowing, crossing the Pyrenees on the road route through Valcarlos is possible at all times after the road is plowed. The Napolean Route can be lethal in bad weather, and even dangerous for some time after a snow.

Buen camino!

 

[KarliMc]

Thanks everyone. I pretty novice at all this, so I am just researching into all my options. I have had two relatives go over but one went in summer and the other went in fall. I am unfamiliar with Valcarlos, and am having trouble finding it on a map.

 

[wayfarer]

Welcome Karli, if you find St Jean on Google maps and follow the main road to Roncavelles you will find Valcarlos. It is an excellent and beautiful walk if the Napoleon route is closed.
Enjoy your preperation and Buen Camino.

 

[robertt]

Yes, the Valcarlos route is great. Don't have to follow that Napoleon guy. I'm a winter walker and got to enjoy the Cruz and O Ceb in perfect conditions. Of course, you can be unlucky with all that, at any time of year - and very unlucky in winter.

The Portugues is a camino you can complete in all weathers. Worth keeping in mind, since it can be extended to Fisterra and Muxia to make quite a nice all-season trudge. I have a soft spot for Le Puy, but the Aubrac plateau at the start could be a prob in winter. Even in early spring it was rugged the year I did it. Rugged but wonderful.

One of our members, Margaret Meredith, is something of an annual cold season pilg. She's just done it again! You may want to check out her posts and blogs.

Really, winter caminos are great. They're just different.

Buen camino

Rob

 

[KarliMc]

Yes, I know about the Napoleon route and its dangerous in the winter. I remember not that long ago a Canadian died on that route, it made our national news. What are the average temperatures in winter there? I am currently living in a place where it has been minus 40 with the windchill for over a week.

And thanks for the blog recommendation. I will be sure to check it out.

 

[NiniSum]

Hi Karli, I am not personally familiar with walking the Camino in the winter but I have followed an excellent blog by a couple who have done the Camino in Dec/January/February several times. Reading through their posts & pictures will provide you with a better idea of what to expect.

http://agoodwalkunspoiled.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/dec-30-2012-taxi-ride-pamplona-to-st.html

I would also heed advice above on checking out which Albergues will be open during that time of year.

Buen Camino,
Maureen

 

[KarliMc]

Awesome thank you so much.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Another perspective:

http://kaybeetravels.blogspot.com/2009/01/friday-16thalbergue-closed-camp-in.html

 

[piogaw]

Hi,

I am looking at starting the Camino in Feb of 2014. I am Canadian and from my reading I see that there is quite a bit of snow in the mountains. Are they completely impassable at this time? My understanding is that there are many routes to get to Santiago so I would like to take the best one for that time. I have yet to book flights as well and would like to know the easiest way/city to get to a start point, and the best way to leave Santiago after I finish. (I am waiting for seat sales after Christmas)

I do have lots of hiking experience as I grew up in Northern Ontario, both summer and winter but I have never been overseas before so I want to make sure I am as prepared as possible. I am bilingual in French and English and I recently purchased Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish as I feel it is my responsibility to learn the language of the place I am going to. Plus it will make my life easier.

If there is any other tips or things you can suggest that would be great.

Thank you.

Hello karlimc,

Welcome to the forum.

Have you considered doing the caminho portugues or via de la plata. With these two routes you wouldn't have to worry about snow or paths closing down due to heavy snow in the northern camino routes.

I will be doing my third camino, caminho portugues, either february or march of next year. This is the second time i am walking the caminos in winter.

Whatever you decide, buen camino.

 

[Stellere]

I recently purchased Rosetta Stone to learn Spanish as I feel it is my responsibility to learn the language of the place I am going to. Plus it will make my life easier.

I have yet to walk the Camino, but I can speak to language learning! Rosetta Stone will not have you speaking Spanish by February. (In the long run, it might be helpful, but you won't get very far in the program in 2 months. Even under the best circumstances, RS has to be heavily supplemented in order to work.)

With the time that you have, what are your goals? You have about two months. Is your aim to be able to have simple "tourist conversations"? (greetings, asking for directions, paying for services, etc)

If so, then I recommend:

Coffee Break Spanish

It won't get you fluent in Spanish by any means, but it will give you some basic tools. There are 80 free 15-minute podcasts in the series.

I also recommend:

Destinos

Destinos is a 52-episode telecourse. It's dated and cheesy, but it really works!

A good phrase book is your friend. I like the Lonely Planet phrasebooks. Mine it for the sentences that you think you might need when walking. Add a few extra sentences that might be specific to the camino (ex: asking for blister care in a pharmacy). You can use a free flashcard app to practice saying what you want to say. For instance, take a look at anki:

anki

Anki uses spaced repetition so that you practice more difficult cards more often than easier ones. You could put the English sentence on one side of the card, and the Spanish on the other.

If you have any money to invest in learning Spanish (although RS is very expensive, so you might have tapped out your language learning budget for now), I *highly* recommend getting a one-on-one tutor from Spain over Skype. There are some fabulous teachers on italki, some of whom cost as little as 10 dollars an hour. I think that an individual tutor is by far the best use of money when looking to learn a language quickly.

italki

Good luck and have fun learning Spanish!

 

[KarliMc]

Hello karlimc,

Welcome to the forum.

Have you considered doing the caminho portugues or via de la plata. With these two routes you wouldn't have to worry about snow or paths closing down due to heavy snow in the northern camino routes.

I will be doing my third camino, caminho portugues, either february or march of next year. This is the second time i am walking the caminos in winter.

Whatever you decide, buen camino.

I would prefer to do the Camino Frances. I have looked into doing the Camino Portugues, and still keeping it an option.

But I have been being discouraged left right and centre from going period so I currently having mixed feelings about even going now. :/ I thought I was prepared. maybe I am not.

 

[TMcA]

A big change from your first post. Positive at first and now discouraged. ???

You say you have not been overseas before. I would just comment that this forum and its very helpful contributors will not only help you feel comfortable with planning your camino, they will make it easy in virtually all aspects of the logistics.

So, if you decide to go, just search the forum for the info you need and post any question for which you haven't found an answer.

One more thing...I commend you for your intention to study Spanish. If you speak French half decently, learning some Spanish isn't that difficult. I speak French fairly well and have studied it again in my retirement. It gave me enormous pleasure to chat with French-speaking hikers on the Camino Frances.

Buen camino / bon chemin!

 

[hampshire!tim]

Hi Karlimc

Only you can judge whether to go or not, and I'm sure if your inner voice wants to, you'll find all the encouragement you need here on the forum.

You didn't say if the discouragement was from here or elsewhere, but I suspect you mean elsewhere. That's ok, not everyone gets it and maybe people worry on your behalf.

If it helps, I went with little preparation other than 2 weeks boot wearing, same period reading this forum and getting kit ready. I went from SJPP starting on 3Nov over the top of col lepoeder. I was 53, 15kgs overweight, diabetic and fairly high blood pressure, and relatively sedentary as I work in an office and generally only walk a relatively old dog who ambles rather than walks. But I made it. I had various challenges, and my understanding is almost everyone has some challenges, regardless of how fit or prepared they are.

You are planning to leave at a challenging time of year, but if that is what is appropriate or necessary for you, I'm sure you will handle it - just take the caution you need to.

I'm not going to encourage you to go regardless, listen to your heart and your instincts. But if they are urging you, then I do encourage you, it's a wonderful experience, I learnt a lot about myself, had lots of time to think and make decisions, and came back changed in a substantial but gentle way. I have many plans and renewed energies, but if it came to pass, I could pass on serenely from this life with a smile knowing that despite the cynicism, disbelief and doubts I faced from others when I said I was going, I had a wonderful, not always pleasant but definitely transformational experience.

Hope this helps

Tim

 

[hampshire!tim]

Oh and as TMcA says, great to learn some Spanish. Being able to speak French will get you through a lot too. The local people you meet will likely have enough smattering of French and English to get through the basics, but they sure appreciate peregrinos speaking Spanish. I learnt 40 yrs ago, had lost a lot of my vocabulary and grammar, but retained a decent accent, and my less than perfect efforts were definitely appreciated on various occasions.

 

[KarliMc]

Thanks everyone.

Yeah, I have some naysayers around me and passport issues in the mix don't help but thanks for everyone's encouraging words.

I am actually finding Rosetta Stone is helping me along with the other internet resources. I hope to be a fluent speaker someday but not on this trip.

I feel better now that the holidays are behind me. I feel such a need to go. I think the discouragement comes from fear because I have never been overseas before.

 

[KarliMc]

Oh and as TMcA says, great to learn some Spanish. Being able to speak French will get you through a lot too. The local people you meet will likely have enough smattering of French and English to get through the basics, but they sure appreciate peregrinos speaking Spanish. I learnt 40 yrs ago, had lost a lot of my vocabulary and grammar, but retained a decent accent, and my less than perfect efforts were definitely appreciated on various occasions.

You have no idea how helpful and positive your comments are to me. Thank you so much.

 

[piogaw]

Thanks everyone.

Yeah, I have some naysayers around me and passport issues in the mix don't help but thanks for everyone's encouraging words.

I am actually finding Rosetta Stone is helping me along with the other internet resources. I hope to be a fluent speaker someday but not on this trip.

I feel better now that the holidays are behind me. I feel such a need to go. I think the discouragement comes from fear because I have never been overseas before.

hello karlime,

you have already taken quite a few steps toward the camino de santiago. go for it, you will feel a lot better once you set your foot on the start of your camino. do not let anybody else discourage you from doing it. this is your camino. don´t worry about the language barrier, many peregrinos started the camino with no knowledg of the spanish language and ended up with quite a bit of spanish at the end of the camino.

there is nothing to fear but fear itself. maybe this will be your first time overseas, but i can assure you you will meet peregrinos from all over the world and they will become part of your camino families. you will not walked alone unless you choose to do so.

good luck and buen camino. god bless. hope to see you in sdc either at the oficina del peregrinos or at my hostel where i volunteered.

 

[KarliMc]

Leaving for Paris Feb 7th!!!

 

[Pei2spain]

Leaving for Paris Feb 7th!!!

Bravo, KarliMc! Way to go. I wish you Buen Camino.