Walking in September/October/November

[tsetsgee]

We are planning to walk the Camino now sometime late 2013. We are undecided whether to go september/october or october/november. How busy is the Camino during these times, and how is the weather? Autumn is a nice time of year here in australia, I hope it is just as nice over there

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Crowds lessen throughout September and October, and the number of pilgrims arriving in Santiago is well below 100 by mid-November (yesterday had more than 100 for the first time in a couple of weeks, and 105 today). Some places close at the end of October, reducing your choices, but there will still be accommodation and food! It snowed fairly heavily at the end of November this year, but last year had little measurable snow the entire winter in Galicia.

 

[MeganG22]

There are definitely no concrete answers for you, as it depends on how many people feel the call next year, and there's no predicting the weather! However, that being said, I just walked from Oct 3rd to Nov 3rd and was extremely happy with this time frame. It was not crowded, there was no fighting for beds (some nights there were only a couple other people in the albergue- a few nights only one other person!) When you get your pilgrim passport in St Jean they also give you a breakdown of the "stages" to walk- but we usually stayed off that schedule and stayed in smaller towns (it seems a lot of people follow that schedule, but of course many people don't too.)

We only had a few days of rain in total- two on the Meseta after Burgos and then lots of drizzle the last couple days before Santiago, so I think that's pretty lucky. Just bring some good rain gear- I prefer a jacket and pants over a poncho, but everyone is different.

I think either of those time frames for you should be fine. It might be more rainy in November, or at least colder, but the country is beautiful and I definitely think it's easier to walk in colder weather than hot!

I'm sure you'll get some other good responses too. Have fun planning and don't stress about all the details too much, that would be my advice. Things tend to work out, and if you don't have all the things you need, they can be acquired along the way.

 

[rafadamian]

I also intend to do the camino starting mid-September through October (I´ll try to do it in 35 days), adn have a lot of questions about this planning. I´m trying to escape the overcrowding and the heat, and I think this topic will be quite helpful! Thanks for all the contribution...

 

[Milepost99]

I also plan a mid-September start from SJPDP . Crowds and temperature were part of my reasoning.

 

[siseale94]

I walked the Camino Frances during the month of Oct. 2012. Early Oct. was cool in the early morning and warmed considerably during the day so layer so you can de-layer as the day wears on. Really did not have a great deal of rain until the meseta when it rained for two and a half days straight, also very windy and cold on the meseta so good rain system is a must. Rain outside of O'Cebbeirro but it didn't last all day. It gets cooler and wetter the closer you get to November and the deeper you get into Galicia, but it was beautiful and still very green in Galicia. All in all it is a great time to walk and there are plenty of others but not crowded. I will walk the same time next year.

 

[tsetsgee]

Thank you all for your responses. I don't mind the cool weather especially when I am walking and also favour the less crowded walking. Reading everyones posts are getting me pretty excited. We are planning for between 30-40 days so we can stop and enjoy some time along the way, reading up about some of the towns they sound like a day or two could be spent at times

 

[kathrynwb]

I'll be there too! Probably late Sept. to first week of Nov. Hope to see some of you there.

 

[fraluchi]

[...]go september/october or october/november. How busy is the Camino during these times, and how is the weather?

My wife and I have walked the Camino Francés various times from mid-September to end of October (2008, 2011, 2012) and never had a problem to find a bed in an albergue. We didn't get up early to rush to the next one to get a nice spot, and this year stayed in some off-the-classic-track albergues with very few other pilgrims :lol:
The weather is always unpredictable :| . During our walk in 2011, between Roncesvalles and Santiago we didn't have single drop of rain and very high temperatures :roll: This year the situation was quite different, with various days of fog, cold, too much rain particularly in October. :evil:

 

[angel_kas]

Definitely October

I started the 1st of October from SJPDP and I arrived to Fisterra on the 6th of November... The first 15 days were hot... From 11 to 15 the fight with the sun was hard... but in the evening was ok... then I had days with rain... A lot of rain... I was well prepared (poncho) so it was ok... But the one thing that I must admit is that during the way on October you can beautiful colors... And I must say that there wasn't to many... ok November you will see less people.. But you have to consider the fact that you probably have problems with the albergues... you won't find many of them open...

if you need more informations please feel free to visit my blog

http://thewaymyway.wordpress.com/

Buen Camino

Angel

 

[tsetsgee]

Thank you again for all the responses. I am currently enjoying reading all the blogs that everyone is sending me links for and I am learning so much. I am sure that by the time we are ready to go we will be well informed and ready for adventure.

 

[Cejanus]

I too am starting around 11-13 Sept depending on flights from Australia. I am going to take it slowly starting in SJDP, taking about 6 weeks. It will depend on how I go and I ant to find my stride and just meander along.

 

[tendigrino]

I arrived in Santiago on October 29, 2011 and only had cold in O'cebreiro. Rain is another thing. It can rain 3 days straight or not. Autumn in Northern Spain is beautiful. In Navarra have a beech. In Galicia have oak, crabapples.
Buen Camino to Santiago.

 

[tsetsgee]

Well thanks again for all the advice and opinions, it all makes interesting reading.

We have our dates set, leaving Australia 8th Oct and I have allowed 36 days for us to walk SJPDP to Santiago. it is a bit of an overestimation, but I enjoy having the extra days up my sleeve when I do long walks.

Anyway, I will have my badges on my pack so hopefully I will see some other forum members out there. It is good to have a date though, so now I can start the counting down. And now to get my packing list organised.... Yeeha

Buen Camino

 

[whariwharangi]

I started 25 October in St Jean Pied de Port. I finished in Finisterre 12 December.

The weather got cool in the second half of November. Frost was often on the ground in the mornings. Snow was encountered from O'Cebreiro to Triacastela. It never got really cold. Gloves and scarf with a fleece jacket provided enough warmth.

By mid December the sunrise at the west end of the time zone was at 0845. If you left early you were walking in the dark, often on unlit roads.

The main problem was planning where to stop. The pilgrim office in St Jean gave a sheet listing all the municipal and aligned albergues showing dates of being open. The list was not 100% correct. Many of the private albergues were closed by mid November. Some of the municipal albergues didn't open till 3 PM due to reduced staff.

Some of the albergues were challenged to provide heat leaving you shivering while others roasted you alive. I was glad I brought a good sleeping bag though the -10C bag was more than necessary.

I think I got lucky. It started raining as I arrived at Finisterre. It squalled frequently over the next five days, often filling the streets with water in about 10 minutes. I would not have enjoyed walking in that sort of weather and pilgrims that arrived during that time arrived soaked. Apparently the year before the rains started earlier ...

 

[mgolby]

I will be leaving Brooklyn, NY on September first. I plant to sleep in Pomplona on the second, SJPP on the third, Orisson on the fourth and Ronconvalles the fifth. I am 67 and my return flight from Santiago is on the 19th of October. Walking the Comino is something I have dreamed of doing for more than twenty years.

I would like to offer the following poem to those who read this post:

Ithaca

When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
such as these you will never find
as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare
emotion touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long.
At many a Summer dawn to enter
with what gratitude, what joy -
ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;
to visit many Egyptian cities,
to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.

Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don't in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn't anything else to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean.

Constantine P. Cavafy

 

[Highheelcollector7]

I also intend to do the camino starting mid-September through October (I´ll try to do it in 35 days), adn have a lot of questions about this planning. I´m trying to escape the overcrowding and the heat, and I think this topic will be quite helpful! Thanks for all the contribution...

See you there. My friend and I leave from Florida on September 24th, arrive on the 25th, will take train to Pamploma then a bus to Roncesvalles.

 

[camino-david]

I have walked the Frances twice in Sept and Oct in 2010 and 2011 and this year in May. Weather is completely unpredictable, almost no rain in 2010, lots of rain and some snow in 2011, and snow and much rain in May this year. But usually Sept and Oct are more settled. The Camino is much quieter and accommodation easy, but at the end of Oct albergues start closing for the winter, and winter weather is starting.
I live close to Sydney so if any Aussies are interested in meeting up with others who have walked many of the various routes and others who are planning to go, send me a PM.

 

[jstorybook]

I will be leaving SJPdP on Oct 9--I have also been concerned about the weather and towards Nov. finding open albergues. I am having trouble keeping my backpack to 20 pounds due to taking warmer clothing and preparation for unexpected weather condition particularly in the mountains. Though I don't want to carry the extra weight I think I will need to do so for risk of cold and rain and need for emergency shelter.

 

[mspath]

James,

Don't over burden yourself with either worry or extra bulk!
Generally albergue hospitaleros know who is open on the next stage; often lists are posted on the doors. During all my caminos in late autumn/winter I have NEVER had to walk more than 5 extra kilometers to find an open albergue even in snow in January. Carry a lightweight emergency blanket if it eases your mind, but there should be no need for a temporary shelter.
Many pilgrims who walk regularly during these months wear lightweight but warm thermal layers which can be easily added or removed as the temperature changes. Of course what gear works for me may not work for you, but here are my tried and true kit choices. I'll be carrying the same gear once again on my 9th CF starting October 15. Hopefully the weather will be GREAT for all pilgrims walking then.

Buen Camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[jstorybook]

My problem is that everything that is in my pack is everything I think I will or might need lol

 

[Deleted member 3000]

"or might need"

Toss all of that!!

(Except rain gear and first aid...)

 

[jstorybook]

It was that might need stuff that saved my life and some others some years ago

 

[CaminoGen]

But you're in Spain, not in the jungle or deep forest. You'll come across plenty of bars to warm up or get away from heavy rain or a sports store if you need a warmer t-shirt.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

A cell phone and dialing 112 are all you need for a real emergency, except maybe some CPR and direct pressure on a wound. All that weighs very little.

 

[SYates]

We are planning to walk the Camino now sometime late 2013. We are undecided whether to go september/october or october/november. How busy is the Camino during these times, and how is the weather? Autumn is a nice time of year here in australia, I hope it is just as nice over there

Check out http://peregrinossantiago.es/esp/servicios-al-peregrino/informes-estadisticos/ It shows the pilgrims that arrived in Santiago (and asked for their Compostela) for any given month. Said pilgrims were, roughly, the previous month on the Camino.

As for the weather: What would you answer, if I asked you to describe the weather in Australia during a certain month whilst walking cross country? Really difficult to answer, isn't it?! In short, the biggest heat is over in September / October and winter can make its first appearance with the odd snowflake (or more!) in October / November and rain is, at least in Galicia, always a near certainty ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[Cheryl M]

I will be leaving Brooklyn, NY on September first. I plant to sleep in Pomplona on the second, SJPP on the third, Orisson on the fourth and Ronconvalles the fifth. I am 67 and my return flight from Santiago is on the 19th of October. Walking the Comino is something I have dreamed of doing for more than twenty years.

I would like to offer the following poem to those who read this post:

Ithaca

When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
such as these you will never find
as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare
emotion touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long.
At many a Summer dawn to enter
with what gratitude, what joy -
ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;
to visit many Egyptian cities,
to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.

Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don't in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn't anything else to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean.

Constantine P. Cavafy

 

[Cheryl M]

Just saw your post from 2013. I hope you are still replying to inquires. We are planning to do the Camino next fall and found your dates and time frame corresponded to ours exactly. We will be 66 when we go to Spain and would like to know how your Camino went two years ago. What advice can you give us mature would be pilgrims?

 

[JMac56]

Just saw your post from 2013. I hope you are still replying to inquires. We are planning to do the Camino next fall and found your dates and time frame corresponded to ours exactly. We will be 66 when we go to Spain and would like to know how your Camino went two years ago. What advice can you give us mature would be pilgrims?

Hi Cheryl, Heaps of great advice on this forum about clothing, gear, accommodation, etc. My only advice is to strongly consider a good pair of walking sticks with wrist straps, and learn to use them properly (Google it). You won't be sorry. Buen Camino.

 

[Cheryl M]

Hi Cheryl, Heaps of great advice on this forum about clothing, gear, accommodation, etc. My only advice is to strongly consider a good pair of walking sticks with wrist straps, and learn to use them properly (Google it). You won't be sorry. Buen Camino.

Thanks! We have the sticks...it's the knees I have to have replaced before we go...

 

[JMac56]

Thanks! We have the sticks...it's the knees I have to have replaced before we go...

I hope that goes well for you Cheryl! All the more reason to be sure you learn the correct technique for using the sticks before setting off on the Camino. You will hear some hard core hikers say that the CF is a "walk in the park" but I can assure you that your legs, and your balance, will be thoroughly tested on some sections. Bon chance!

 

[Buz Radican]

Hi Cheryl, The Old Guy here. Walked the CF this past May-June, going again Oct-Nov 2016, God willing. I am 71 and didn't have any difficulties. I second the suggestion about walking sticks. I take them on all my hikes, and firmly believe they are indespensible. Others would go without them, but I would not, will not. Buen Camino.