Timing of pilgrimage

[Michael Garver]

Is the first Camino done in mid April to May reasonable for weather and trekking conditions - what is the climate like? I am hoping to get to the halfway point around May 3 .
Comments
Thank you

 

[SYates]

April/May will be normally warm, but not too hot, rain being always a possibility and perfectly feasible to do. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Michael Garver]

Thanks! I will be leaving from Montana and it will be nice to escape the wind and cold! There is so much preparation and the commeradere alone on this site is amazing! Thanks in advance to all experienced peregrinos for advice and inspiration

 

[C clearly]

Is the first Camino done in mid April to May reasonable for weather and trekking conditions - what is the climate like? I am hoping to get to the halfway point around May 3 . Comments. Thank you

You never know what weather you will have, but that period is probably your best bet! You still need to go prepared for the full range of weather from freezing to hot, almost certain rain, and a good possibility for mud. This means taking several light layers plus rain gear.

 

[Older Guy]

There are lots of sources of climate data on the internet. Can't find the one I used right now, but you can find one you like and use it.

What I did was I figured out the cities in Spain that my Camino was going to go through and printed out a page on temperatures, days with measurable precipitation, amount of monthly rainfall, and wind for each major city.

For example the following tells you a lot about about weather in Pamplona. http://www.worldweatheronline.com/pamplona-weather-averages/navarra/es.aspx
Use this or other sources for as many cities as you can find along your route.

Then I trained and packed gear accordingly. When I say that I mean that I trained in a number of days with rainfall to see how I and my gear worked in typical temperature and rain conditions. I got a few surprises as to some gear working well and other gear needing to be replaced or upgraded.

Next I figured out how many "weather flex-days" I wanted. I figured out how many "rest-days" I wanted. Then I figured out how many "tourist-days" I wanted.

 

[Rick M]

Is the first Camino done in mid April to May reasonable for weather and trekking conditions - what is the climate like? I am hoping to get to the halfway point around May 3 .
Comments
Thank you

The time you are talking is exactly when we went. We picked it because I would rather have cooler temperatures than hot conditions, and I can tolerate the rain. That is exactly what we got this spring, and I would probably do it at the same time of year again. Every year is different of course, but we saw fairly average weather, a little cooler than the normals. Typical temperature early were 40's in the morning, and 60's in the middle of the day. It got warmer as we got closer of course. Make sure that you are comfortable in temperatures down close to the freezing mark for a few hours, because you are likely to see this on the high roads during the early weeks. A long sleeved merino, my fleece, and a wind/rain shell did the trick just fine. Try out your rain gear before you go, because you will get rained on. If you're lucky, it might be five days. If unlucky, it might be 20! We had ten rainy days, but only two (out of 35) where it rained more or less all day. For us, we used a poncho and gaitors, and it was no problem at all.....if not exactly delightful. All that said, for every day that was cool or rainy, we had two that were pleasant, sunny, and warm. And nobody can predict your weather a year in advance. Buen Camino!

 

[spursfan]

For me, as C clearly mentions, mud is the inherent worry - as far as the rest goes, there's no need to prepare for everything - instead look at the 15 day forecast just before you leave and only prepare for the most likely weather conditions

 

[Michael Garver]

The time you are talking is exactly when we went. We picked it because I would rather have cooler temperatures than hot conditions, and I can tolerate the rain. That is exactly what we got this spring, and I would probably do it at the same time of year again. Every year is different of course, but we saw fairly average weather, a little cooler than the normals. Typical temperature early were 40's in the morning, and 60's in the middle of the day. It got warmer as we got closer of course. Make sure that you are comfortable in temperatures down close to the freezing mark for a few hours, because you are likely to see this on the high roads during the early weeks. A long sleeved merino, my fleece, and a wind/rain shell did the trick just fine. Try out your rain gear before you go, because you will get rained on. If you're lucky, it might be five days. If unlucky, it might be 20! We had ten rainy days, but only two (out of 35) where it rained more or less all day. For us, we used a poncho and gaitors, and it was no problem at all.....if not exactly delightful. All that said, for every day that was cool or rainy, we had two that were pleasant, sunny, and warm. And nobody can predict your weather a year in advance. Buen Camino!

 

[Michael Garver]

Rick,

Thanks for the advice! The temperature is not an issue coming from the wind and cold of Montana. I will have to prepare for the rain- I hope to be somewhere on the Camino on May 3rd to celebrate my 59th birthday.
All my best and thanks again
Michael