The Arles route in January

[Andy Givens]

I am considering a Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in the next 12 to 18 months, and will be getting in shape for it. As it happens, I may have an unusual opportunity to be near Arles late December and early January, and would like to know if it is reasonable to try a 3 or 4 day trip along the Arles route at that time. My questions concern things like, the weather - Is it reasonable plan to hike here in January? The number of other travelers - Will there be others along the way? And the availability of places to stay and eat in winter, and the language difficulty since I am the typical American that does not know French. I would appreciate any thoughts about this as a first test pilgrimage.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I would appreciate any thoughts about this as a first test pilgrimage.

The Via Tolosana is quiet even in the busy months. You will have to call ahead to find a place that is open, and will need to deal with voice mail, recordings, and live people, all in French. January weather may be wet and cold. All the guidebooks are in French.

In my opinion, it would be a very bad choice for a test pilgrimage. (I have done it twice in other months.)

 

[Andy Givens]

The Via Tolosana is quiet even in the busy months. You will have to call ahead to find a place that is open, and will need to deal with voice mail, recordings, and live people, all in French. January weather may be wet and cold. All the guidebooks are in French.

In my opinion, it would be a very bad choice for a test pilgrimage. (I have done it twice in other months.)

Thanks for the information. That is just what I was concerned about since I have seen little about Camino during the winter months. I am beginning to prepare here in North Carolina for a pilgramage, but it happenes that I may be with my wife and 2 others in southern France for about 10 days, and I may be interested in a short period on the trail in that area. Possibly from Arles or Montpelier. If I expected that the early January weather in the area was in the 10 to 15c temps with little freezing weather, the weather was typically dry, and the overnight facilities available, I would bring a pack and the clothes for this, and work around the language. I would not have chosen this time for a test trip, but since it looks like I will be in the area, I may want to spent 4 days on the Camino, rather than the other activities. I have a few months to work on this and certainly appreciate the insight of this board.