Weather and Difficulty Questions

[dromoreboy]

Hi all,
I’ve walked the Francés twice and I’d love to have a go at Del Norte. I’m thinking of starting from Irun in the last week of September. Given that it’s the north of Spain, is this a bad time of year with the high risk of rain? Also, I haven’t done any hill training yet and I believe the first day from Irun is very difficult!
Thanks in advance.

 

[trecile]

Also, I haven’t done any hill training yet and I believe the first day from Irun is very difficult!

I think lack of hill training would be the biggest concern. It's more than just the first day that has lots of climbs - there are a lot of ups and downs through to Bilbao. The WeatherSpark website is a good place to look for historical weather patterns. It looks like the end of September - October isn't any worse for rain than May when I walked this year. I was probably lucky, but I only had less than one day of rain on the Norte.

Santander Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Spain) - Weather Spark

In Santander, the summers are comfortable and dry; the winters are long, cold, wet, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 42°F to 74°F and is rarely below 34°F or above 79°F.

weatherspark.com

Here's a screen shot of the precipitation in Santander

 

[sistalivingthed]

Hi all,
I’ve walked the Francés twice and I’d love to have a go at Del Norte. I’m thinking of starting from Irun in the last week of September. Given that it’s the north of Spain, is this a bad time of year with the high risk of rain? Also, I haven’t done any hill training yet and I believe the first day from Irun is very difficult!
Thanks in advance.

Hi there. I'm currently in the camino del norte on day 5. From Australia we dont have hills like this, however what has helped is walking sticks , walking at your own pace and taking regular breaks. There a lots of hills and very steep ones but it has been worth it. And yes it has rained but it doesn't take away the beauty of this walk.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Hi all,
I’ve walked the Francés twice and I’d love to have a go at Del Norte. I’m thinking of starting from Irun in the last week of September. Given that it’s the north of Spain, is this a bad time of year with the high risk of rain? Also, I haven’t done any hill training yet and I believe the first day from Irun is very difficult!
Thanks in advance.

I think it depends on how generally fit you are. We are all different. I did the Norte a couple of years back and it felt fine, even the first day. No one I met had done training. I am at best of average fitness, 57 years old, with dodgy knees. I do a lot of walking everyday 15-20k steps just walking around, and I don’t drive a car so maybe that helps.

It was dry the vast majority of time so I won’t comment on weather.

 

[davejsy]

Weather is like Russian roulette at the moment, however, I normally spend several weeks in NW Spain including the coast in Sept/Oct over the past 10 years and have generally been very lucky with the weather with no prolonged periods of rubbish weather - quite the contrary really in that it's generally been still beach weather at end of October!

 

[NLS]

Hi all,
I’ve walked the Francés twice and I’d love to have a go at Del Norte. I’m thinking of starting from Irun in the last week of September. Given that it’s the north of Spain, is this a bad time of year with the high risk of rain? Also, I haven’t done any hill training yet and I believe the first day from Irun is very difficult!
Thanks in advance.

The first week is rough as hell. I’m doing it now.

 

[JerryStroebele]

Yes, the first week is tough but if you make it to Santiago you may be able to avoid the real Hell. You still have a lot of up and down ahead of you but also spectacular coastal scenery. Buen Camino

 

[Jim Michie]

I describe the Norte as 30 days on the Stairmaster. After the first week, it's just another hill. The Norte is a walk where you meet the local people, I wouldn't take anything for my experience.

Jim Michie

 

[Patterson]

Hi all,
I’ve walked the Francés twice and I’d love to have a go at Del Norte. I’m thinking of starting from Irun in the last week of September. Given that it’s the north of Spain, is this a bad time of year with the high risk of rain? Also, I haven’t done any hill training yet and I believe the first day from Irun is very difficult!
Thanks in advance.

Completed del Norte mid June, used Strava most days to record progress. To give an indication of hill climbing, overall we walked up and down nearly two Mt Everests! Poles are essential. Read any weather forecast with a grain of salt! Would we do it again? Absolutely!

 

[Phil Krenc]

Hi all,
I’ve walked the Francés twice and I’d love to have a go at Del Norte. I’m thinking of starting from Irun in the last week of September. Given that it’s the north of Spain, is this a bad time of year with the high risk of rain? Also, I haven’t done any hill training yet and I believe the first day from Irun is very difficult!
Thanks in advance.

I walked the Norte starting the last week in October 2019. That happened to be an extremely rainy year in northern Spain--mudslides on the trail, walking paths that were like stream beds, and areas of the trail that were under water. The locals were helpful by warning us of washed out trail ahead and recommending alternative routes. It took me 33 days from Irún to Santiago and it rained 31 of those days. I lived in my poncho almost the entire way. I had just turned 70 that year so the walk was a bit more strenuous for me that on a prior Camino four years earlier. While the weather and steep terrain made the trek more challenging, I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. Plenty of time for dry shoes when I returned home!

 

[JerryStroebele]

I was a week or two ahead of you. WET!!! Made friends for life from Germany and Spain who just visited me in Alaska this summer. Buen Camino

 

[Verbacious]

It's less about the uphills you can power through and more about the downhills. There were a few downhills, fortunately without too much traffic, that I serpentined down to save my knees! At least 1 pole is a must if you haven't trained.

 

[Mycroft]

It's less about the uphills you can power through and more about the downhills. There were a few downhills, fortunately without too much traffic, that I serpentined down to save my knees! At least 1 pole is a must if you haven't trained.

View attachment 156530

After my time on the Portugués, my blood still turns to ice when I even think of cobblestones!!!

 

[Henriettagal]

I walked the Norte starting the last week in October 2019. That happened to be an extremely rainy year in northern Spain--mudslides on the trail, walking paths that were like stream beds, and areas of the trail that were under water. The locals were helpful by warning us of washed out trail ahead and recommending alternative routes. It took me 33 days from Irún to Santiago and it rained 31 of those days. I lived in my poncho almost the entire way. I had just turned 70 that year so the walk was a bit more strenuous for me that on a prior Camino four years earlier. While the weather and steep terrain made the trek more challenging, I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. Plenty of time for dry shoes when I returned home!

Wow! This is my worst nightmare (LOTS of rain) but I love your positive attitude. My husband and I are 71 and start in Irun Sept 30. We've done several long distance hikes around the world but this is a long one. (I walked the full Camino Frances in 2017 solo). We've planned 42 days with 3 rest days for this hike. There will be a few 19-20 mile days which we had hoped to break up but....it's a tough plan. I'm looking forward to our reward at the end of each day...being outside, eating great food, meeting new people and drinking wonderful wine.
Any other tips you have will be welcome. Buen Camino.

 

[davejsy]

Wow! This is my worst nightmare (LOTS of rain) but I love your positive attitude. My husband and I are 71 and start in Irun Sept 30. We've done several long distance hikes around the world but this is a long one. (I walked the full Camino Frances in 2017 solo). We've planned 42 days with 3 rest days for this hike. There will be a few 19-20 mile days which we had hoped to break up but....it's a tough plan. I'm looking forward to our reward at the end of each day...being outside, eating great food, meeting new people and drinking wonderful wine.
Any other tips you have will be welcome. Buen Camino.

I don't think you need any other tips - your attitude is perfect for what I hope will be an amazing adventure for you both.