Opinions on starting date to Camino Primitivo

[VictorL]

Hello.

I've been thinking about doing the Camino Primitivo this year as my first camino ever. I've been reading sites, some guides and especially this forum.

I would have about 16 days of walking to do the Primitivo, possibly including the Camino Verde which i just discovered thanks to the community of this forum!

Because of my work I have two options for the starting days:

- Going on 4 september - returning 22 of the same month.

- Going on 25 september - returning 12 of october.

My doubt is:
Which one of the two dates options is better in your opinion/experinece? Camino right in the middle of september ou late september to middle october?

For what i read the Primitivo has become quite popular in recent years, even has some "bed racing", and september is one of the most popular months.
So i'm inclined to go in late september/october as apparently there is less people in the camino and I want a more quiet experience.
But also it seems the weather would be more rainy in late september-early october than mid september, but i dont know how bad in comparison.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Peligro]

Welcome Victor!
Sounds like a coin toss to me. Pick whichever has cheaper flights or suits your work/life better. The weather and number of pilgrims can’t be predicted that precisely. For instance, last January on the Frances I was one day behind about 12-15 pilgrims. Every night one other Pilgrim and I were either by ourselves or with four others at most but the hospitaleros would show us the ledger of the relatively high number (for January) just ahead of us. I haven’t been on the Primitivo yet (going in May) but I suspect my observation would apply - a lot of it is just luck.
I think you have two fantastic options and you are in for the adventure of a lifetime. It won’t be your last either - I’m sure your research on this forum has shown you we all go back again and again.
Buen Camino!

 

[MikeJS]

I walked the Primitivo last year starting in Ovideo 3 Oct and finishing on 10 Oct and had no problem with beds. That said the wonderful Albergue at Samblismo was full by the end of the day. I do know that a few weeks before that some people were saying that some of the albergues were full.

 

[peregrina2000]

Yes, September is now a very popular month on the Primitivo. I once walked the Salvador/Primitivo with a very late September start date in León. It was cold (I remember the pharmacy was flashing 6 degrees when we left León) and I saw snow in the mountains near Tineo (nothing fell on me, though, it was all at higher elevations). This was years before the “Primitivo boom”, but even then there was a handful of people in the albergues every night. It was a great time to walk, IMO, and the blackberries, oh the blackberries. I think they added an hour or two to our walk to Pola de Gordón on the Salvador because we stopped every two steps to pick and eat some.

 

[lt56ny]

I would walk later. Things are really heating up globally. Personally I would like things a little cooler or even cold rather that warmer or hot. Having said that you never know. Also Caminos are getting more crowded each year it seems. The later you go the quieter it may be but you know it is all speculation.

 

[VictorL]

I walked the Primitivo last year starting in Ovideo 3 Oct and finishing on 10 Oct and had no problem with beds. That said the wonderful Albergue at Samblismo was full by the end of the day. I do know that a few weeks before that some people were saying that some of the albergues were full.

Thanks for the reply Mike.

How was the weather?

And the camino itself, how it was in terms of people doing it? Lots of people, few people...?

 

[MikeJS]

The weather was fine but a little misty on a few days with some rain. I mostly wore my shorts and tee shirt. I met a few people at some of the albergues but not very many. You can see details here - https://mikesroaming.blogspot.com ignore my comments about 3 times more pilgrims from Ovideo as I had walked from Bilbao on the Olvidado (where I saw no other pilgrims) and then the San Salvador (where I saw about 12!)

 

[LesBrass]

We walked from 26 September last year... we started on the Norte and walked into Santiago on the 12 October. It was glorious... a bit damp some days but not in spirit.

Here’s my blog...

https://caminobrassblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/26/honeysuckle/

 

[Wandalina]

I started the 16th Sept last year and got to Santiago on the 28th. I had thought it would take me two full weeks but once I bumped into a few other walkers we got a good pace going. Weather was good. Not super hot at all but pleasant days. We did encounter a bed race from hospitales on. The day we did that we hadn't booked and couldn't get anything at the first town we got to at 3pm. There were 7 of us though but we had to walk another 4km to next hostel. Probably best to book the morning for that evening once we did that we didn't encounter problems