MJB
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances (in sections 2004, 2012, 2015); Portugues (from Oporto 2013); Primitivo (from Castroverde) 2012; Invierno (2016)
General notes after a short winter Camino (11-21 Dec 2014, Hornillos del Camino to Villafranca del Bierzo)
Sleeping bag. All those lists that suggest a sleeping bag good to 30 degrees are not recommending that you camp out. They are recognizing that quite a few albergues shut off the heat at 10:00 pm or midnight. You may be able to get by with a light sleep sack and borrowed blankets, but it's a better idea to borrow or buy a lightweight sleeping bag that fits conveniently in your pack.
Clothing. It's colder and you need to bring warm shirts and should probably bring polyester or wool long underwear. But it's not brutally cold. (Today, 21 December at Villafranca del Bierzo, at the base of O Cebreiro, red, yellow and white roses were still in bloom.) I brought a nice, heavy fleece and regretted it. (Good at night, but too heavy to wear walking most days or to dry overnight. If you want a second outer layer, consider a light jacket or vest of artificial material that is light and thin like down, but washable. You may want to bring a couple of weights of gloves and hats: you will likely use the lightest ones most, but you or a compañero may appreciate the warmer pair at some point. I also recommend extra shirts, underwear and socks, especially if you prefer wool to synthetics. Every day is short, some walks will be longer because of closed albergues and hotels, and unless you grab a radiator (and it's not shut off at ten o'clock), your clothes will not dry by morning.
Shoes. I brought heavy, leather boots and regretted it. They had worked well through snowy and muddy New England hikes. However, 20-40 kms when it's wet turns out to be a whole different ball game. My feet were trashed, and I would have been better off with Merrell, Vasque or similar low or medium height breathable trail shoes, which is what pretty much everyone else used. One reason I brought the heavy boots was because it snows (like December 2013 from Foncebadon to Triacastela). However, as it turns out, most people just wait for the plow, and hop over to the road when this happens.
Many, many things are closed. You need to be flexible in the winter. The zillion private albergues in your guide are virtually all closed. A few will be open, as will most (but definitely not all) public albergues. Same for specialist peregrino restaurants. You can get great, moderately-priced Spanish food, but if your diet is vegan, you will have many challenges. The shortness of the days, limited number of places open, and corresponding late arrivals in some cities may limit cooking up giant pasta dinners for your Camino family. Visiting museums and churches without spending extra days is even harder in the winter, when afternoon hours are frequently as little as two hours.
You will still meet people, but not so many. I was "filling a gap" from my prior caminos, began walking in Hornillos del Camino, and spent my first two nights alone in albergues in Castrojeriz and Frómista. The next day I made a point of hustling when I saw two peregrinos whom I had seen in restaurants the day before. I caught up to them a kilometer or two before Carrion de Los Condes, and although we hardly spoke at first, we became very friendly and spent the rest of the walk together. As we got to Leon and Astorga we met some new, shorter-haul Spanish pilgrims on vacation as well as a few longer-term pilgrims.
Because so few people are out, you may be more likely to spend days walking and nights sleeping with a group. Short, cold, misty, rainy or snowy days and the need to lean to planning rather than spontaneity will all push you together. I think that will be even truer if you don't speak much Spanish. My couple of days alone were quieter, lonelier and more spiritual, but I enjoyed my little group very much in both its operative languages. I listened more than I do in "real life," which turned out to be a nice change.
Cold can be comfortable. If you layer and de-layer well (often just a matter of adjusting hats, gloves, collars and zippers), a winter walk will be very comfortable. With a little care, you can be warm without overheating. If you do get wet because of rain or overheating, be careful to avoid standing still outside. Be still in a warm bar. If your wool socks are wet, change them.
Sleeping bag. All those lists that suggest a sleeping bag good to 30 degrees are not recommending that you camp out. They are recognizing that quite a few albergues shut off the heat at 10:00 pm or midnight. You may be able to get by with a light sleep sack and borrowed blankets, but it's a better idea to borrow or buy a lightweight sleeping bag that fits conveniently in your pack.
Clothing. It's colder and you need to bring warm shirts and should probably bring polyester or wool long underwear. But it's not brutally cold. (Today, 21 December at Villafranca del Bierzo, at the base of O Cebreiro, red, yellow and white roses were still in bloom.) I brought a nice, heavy fleece and regretted it. (Good at night, but too heavy to wear walking most days or to dry overnight. If you want a second outer layer, consider a light jacket or vest of artificial material that is light and thin like down, but washable. You may want to bring a couple of weights of gloves and hats: you will likely use the lightest ones most, but you or a compañero may appreciate the warmer pair at some point. I also recommend extra shirts, underwear and socks, especially if you prefer wool to synthetics. Every day is short, some walks will be longer because of closed albergues and hotels, and unless you grab a radiator (and it's not shut off at ten o'clock), your clothes will not dry by morning.
Shoes. I brought heavy, leather boots and regretted it. They had worked well through snowy and muddy New England hikes. However, 20-40 kms when it's wet turns out to be a whole different ball game. My feet were trashed, and I would have been better off with Merrell, Vasque or similar low or medium height breathable trail shoes, which is what pretty much everyone else used. One reason I brought the heavy boots was because it snows (like December 2013 from Foncebadon to Triacastela). However, as it turns out, most people just wait for the plow, and hop over to the road when this happens.
Many, many things are closed. You need to be flexible in the winter. The zillion private albergues in your guide are virtually all closed. A few will be open, as will most (but definitely not all) public albergues. Same for specialist peregrino restaurants. You can get great, moderately-priced Spanish food, but if your diet is vegan, you will have many challenges. The shortness of the days, limited number of places open, and corresponding late arrivals in some cities may limit cooking up giant pasta dinners for your Camino family. Visiting museums and churches without spending extra days is even harder in the winter, when afternoon hours are frequently as little as two hours.
You will still meet people, but not so many. I was "filling a gap" from my prior caminos, began walking in Hornillos del Camino, and spent my first two nights alone in albergues in Castrojeriz and Frómista. The next day I made a point of hustling when I saw two peregrinos whom I had seen in restaurants the day before. I caught up to them a kilometer or two before Carrion de Los Condes, and although we hardly spoke at first, we became very friendly and spent the rest of the walk together. As we got to Leon and Astorga we met some new, shorter-haul Spanish pilgrims on vacation as well as a few longer-term pilgrims.
Because so few people are out, you may be more likely to spend days walking and nights sleeping with a group. Short, cold, misty, rainy or snowy days and the need to lean to planning rather than spontaneity will all push you together. I think that will be even truer if you don't speak much Spanish. My couple of days alone were quieter, lonelier and more spiritual, but I enjoyed my little group very much in both its operative languages. I listened more than I do in "real life," which turned out to be a nice change.
Cold can be comfortable. If you layer and de-layer well (often just a matter of adjusting hats, gloves, collars and zippers), a winter walk will be very comfortable. With a little care, you can be warm without overheating. If you do get wet because of rain or overheating, be careful to avoid standing still outside. Be still in a warm bar. If your wool socks are wet, change them.
