Thoughts on walking Camino Sanabrés in June

[Babyboomergirl]

Happy new year !

New Year, new camino dreaming and planning. We will hopefully resume the Vdlp/ Sanabrés that we started in April last year . We walked from Seville to Zamora and due to a knee injury stopped there.

This year we will start in Zamora and continue along the Camino Sanabrés to Santiago, all going well.

Any tips and comments from those that have walked the Sanabrés in June would be helpful.
Is it likely to be very hot and/ or busy during that time ?
Our alternative travel time could be April if not too cold then ?

Buen camino to everyone walking this year.

 

[krystianw]

I was on the Sanabres in May last year. Honestly, it was a bit too hot for me already, so I'd be wary of June. On the other hand, April could mean the temperature dropping down to freezing at night, which wouldn't make for very fun mornings. But given how hot 2023 was in Spain, and how 2024 is starting out so far, I don't think that's going to be a real issue this year. So my pick would be April. You can compare the two over on CaminoWeather, here's April and June.

As far as the camino being busy, I wouldn't worry about that. In May, I didn't have any major issues with finding a place to sleep. And apparently the VldP had a drop in pilgrims in 2023, relative to historical averages.

 

[Babyboomergirl]

I was on the Sanabres in May last year. Honestly, it was a bit too hot for me already, so I'd be wary of June. On the other hand, April could mean the temperature dropping down to freezing at night, which wouldn't make for very fun mornings. But given how hot 2023 was in Spain, and how 2024 is starting out so far, I don't think that's going to be a real issue this year. So my pick would be April. You can compare the two over on CaminoWeather, here's April and June.

As far as the camino being busy, I wouldn't worry about that. In May, I didn't have any major issues with finding a place to sleep. And apparently the VldP had a drop in pilgrims in 2023, relative to historical averages.

Thank you for your response. I found the VdlP that we walked last year too hot in April/ May but thought it might get cooler in Galicia.
Seems April might be a better decision.

 

[NadineK]

I walked from Salamanca to Santiago in July/August last summer... and honestly, it wasn't that bad! The first couple of days were hot, and maybe I was in a good "pocket" of weather overall. My morning into Ourense was okay but the afternoon was HOT and I took a true siesta in the albergue because it was simply too hot to be out and about. Otherwise, I found that as I moved north and into Galicia, the weather cooled off a bit. I'm used to walking in the summer, however, so my tolerance for heat may be different than others.

One drawback could be the lack of pilgrims- I did see some other pilgrims, and more in the last few stages to Santiago, but many nights I was alone in the albergues (I also think I hit a quiet pocket and my stages were a bit different from others, so that could be a factor- but I would think June could also be a quiet month overall in terms of pilgrim numbers).

In any case, I thought it was a beautiful route and really loved it, even in the summer! Good luck deciding

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi @NadineK , I recently followed your vlog on the Sanabres portion of your VdlP Camino to get an idea of the terrain and infrastructure.
I will be walking it from April 24th into mid-May. I'm hoping the weather will be decent overall as I know it can go either way, especially with elevation changes, but I always come prepared with layering options and rain gear.
Did you happen to take a swim or soak in the thermal baths in Ourense? I don't recall if you mentioned it or not.

 

[NadineK]

Hi @NadineK , I recently followed your vlog on the Sanabres portion of your VdlP Camino to get an idea of the terrain and infrastructure.
I will be walking it from April 24th into mid-May. I'm hoping the weather will be decent overall as I know it can go either way, especially with elevation changes, but I always come prepared with layering options and rain gear.
Did you happen to take a swim or soak in the thermal baths in Ourense? I don't recall if you mentioned it or not.

I wanted to visit a thermal bath in Ourense, but it was so, so hot the afternoon I was there that I just couldn't pull myself together enough to do it! But I know many pilgrims do and I don't think it will be too hard to figure out... the hospitalero at the albergue in Ourense gave me maps and talked through some options on how to visit the thermal baths, and I'm sure the tourism office would help too!

 

[geraldkelly]

I walked from Zamora to Santiago last June and July. The weather was absolutely fine, not too hot, no rain. There was a good mix of other pilgrims but never a problem with accommodation.

The Camino Sanabrés is a great summer Camino with good infrastructure and weather similar to the Camino Francés.

Buen Camino!
Gerald

 

[Lindsay53]

Hi BBG. I walked the Sanabres in May and found the weather excellent. Cool, even cold mornings that turned into fine and mild to warm days. I imagine April would be cooler and June warmer, but as far as crowds go there were a few more pilgrims after Ourense but finding a bed was never a problem.

Buen Camino!

 

[Babyboomergirl]

I walked from Salamanca to Santiago in July/August last summer... and honestly, it wasn't that bad! The first couple of days were hot, and maybe I was in a good "pocket" of weather overall. My morning into Ourense was okay but the afternoon was HOT and I took a true siesta in the albergue because it was simply too hot to be out and about. Otherwise, I found that as I moved north and into Galicia, the weather cooled off a bit. I'm used to walking in the summer, however, so my tolerance for heat may be different than others.

One drawback could be the lack of pilgrims- I did see some other pilgrims, and more in the last few stages to Santiago, but many nights I was alone in the albergues (I also think I hit a quiet pocket and my stages were a bit different from others, so that could be a factor- but I would think June could also be a quiet month overall in terms of pilgrim numbers).

In any case, I thought it was a beautiful route and really loved it, even in the summer! Good luck deciding

Thank you @NadineK . I have been using an exercise bike for my knee rehab and recently finished watching your videos of the Camino Sanabrés.
It is forecast to be 41’C here in Perth today so I’m definitely used to the heat , although I don’t go out hiking in the heatwave conditions.
I’m glad you enjoyed the route and I’m still considering a June start.

 

[Babyboomergirl]

I walked from Zamora to Santiago last June and July. The weather was absolutely fine, not too hot, no rain. There was a good mix of other pilgrims but never a problem with accommodation.

The Camino Sanabrés is a great summer Camino with good infrastructure and weather similar to the Camino Francés.

Buen Camino!
Gerald

Thank you @geraldkelly . I have read your guidebook and used the app last year walking the VdlP which was very helpful .
I have just found your forum posts from the walk last year so I will read them to get a first hand account of what to expect in June.

 

[Babyboomergirl]

Hi BBG. I walked the Sanabres in May and found the weather excellent. Cool, even cold mornings that turned into fine and mild to warm days. I imagine April would be cooler and June warmer, but as far as crowds go there were a few more pilgrims after Ourense but finding a bed was never a problem.

Buen Camino!

Thank you @Lindsay53 . Had we continued last year we would have been leaving Zamora at the end of May so timing wise June this year is almost following the same dates, just a year later. I’m glad to hear there was never an issue finding a bed as I was concerned it might become busy for the last 100km.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

One things for sure, a response to your question will never earn a green ‘SOLUTION’ banner! I’ve been on the Sanabres 3 times in June, and every one was different weather-wise. One was definitely hot, but I’m from your part of the world and I enjoyed the conditions. In 2018 I had to endure the effects of one of those nasty weather systems coming in from the Atlantic, and some days were hell. I remember coming down into A Gudina, my body trembling so violently that I could hardly control the bike. I holed up in a hotel room for 2 days hoping for improvement. Here’s the forecast for 9th June on that occasion.

The weather cleared after Ourense. On my third Sanabres, I don’t recall any weather extremes. Just pleasant.
When I go again, it will be in June, but I’ll have better waterproofing just in case!

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Is it likely to be very hot and/ or busy during that time ?

I forgot to quote.
I do recognise that heat is a different ball game for a walker. Riding a bike, you create your own breeze which makes a big difference.

 

[Babyboomergirl]

One things for sure, a response to your question will never earn a green ‘SOLUTION’ banner! I’ve been on the Sanabres 3 times in June, and every one was different weather-wise. One was definitely hot, but I’m from your part of the world and I enjoyed the conditions. In 2018 I had to endure the effects of one of those nasty weather systems coming in from the Atlantic, and some days were hell. I remember coming down into A Gudina, my body trembling so violently that I could hardly control the bike. I holed up in a hotel room for 2 days hoping for improvement. Here’s the forecast for 9th June on that occasion.
View attachment 162046
The weather cleared after Ourense. On my third Sanabres, I don’t recall any weather extremes. Just pleasant.
When I go again, it will be in June, but I’ll have better waterproofing just in case!

Yes I realise there are no guarantees with weather and whilst I found the heatwave conditions in Spain last year unpleasant for walking it was manageable with very early starts and I was thankful I had a sun umbrella and that was in April . The upside was only a few hours of rain one day.
I much prefer mild heat to cold weather so I’m still wavering
Riding in the storm must have been very challenging .

I think my preference is an April start but there are several advantages to a June start.
We have a family celebration in Singapore at the end of May and as anyone travelling from Australia knows the flight to Spain is long in terms of distance and time and leaving from Singapore would make the journey there much easier.
Also my knee recovery has not been ideal and I might be looking at knee replacement surgery sometime in the future so the extra few months of training and strengthening would be good.

So it’s very encouraging that you’ve chosen June for your caminos, albeit on a bike and thank you for responding.

 

[geraldkelly]

Thank you @geraldkelly . I have read your guidebook and used the app last year walking the VdlP which was very helpful .
I have just found your forum posts from the walk last year so I will read them to get a first hand account of what to expect in June.

You're very welcome.

Thinking about this last night I realised I made a mistake, it did rain when I was there but it was always heavy thunder storms in the evening. So I never got wet. So I suppose I forgot about it!