F
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
I am thinking of a camino in January/February
Enjoyingthejourney,
To further your research re Walking in Winter see these earlier recent threads filled with useful links and tips.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/logrono-to-burgos-in-january.50991/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/november-december-cf.50932/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/walking-the-camino-in-december-january.37261/
Sillydoll who is a Forum member has in her blog compiled encyclopedic information on Winter Walking.
http://amawalker.blogspot.fr/2009/10/walking-in-winter.html?m=1
Twice during winter caminos I have sat out true blizzards; in Villafranca Montes de Oca, February 25, 26, 2006 and Foncebadón, March 5,6, 2009. Even late November 2012 the climb up to O Cebreiro was packed with snow. You can see the snow and read my blog accounts of these three memorable storms here. http://mermore.blogspot.fr/p/memories.html
Luckily open albergues offered welcoming shelter, heat and companionship.
Most of us who walk in late autumn and winter wear and carry lightweight but warm layers which can easily be added or removed while walking. Each pilgrim develops a favorite combo. Scan the Forum's Equipment topic http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/equipment-questions.30/
to see a multitude of varied approaches. Here's mine
http://mermore.blogspot.fr/p/kit-and-tips.html
Remember winter is a great time to walk, but you must be PREPARED!
Happy planning, stay safe and Buen camino!
No way for me! BRRRR! I live on sunny beaches all of the time. I have survived winters in Biarritz when the sleet came down in buckets and I watched out the window as the mountains south of me took heavy, heavy snow. It is very dangerous and the paths and markers get buried under a heavy covering of snow.
Go for it! I’ve walked the Camino Frances in February. There were quite a number of others walking too, so you won’t be alone in the albergues. All the municipals are open, so there are enough places to stay in the main towns. (Have a look on Gronze for which albergues are open in winter.) I had one and a half days of rain, otherwise very cold mornings and evenings, but full sun during the day. Some snow in the higher elevations. Buen camino!
TrueI think the experience of walking the CF right now would be quite similar to winter Camino in previous years re solitude
Buen Camino!
So many great reason to walk in winter: solitude, no heat waves, no bed races, shorter (or no) lines to pick up your Compostela and zero mosquitoes
There are a few challenges however: open all year Albergues can be closed without notice, you may need to navigate (rather than following the herd), lots of small stores and bars are closed, water fountains are often turned off making the search for water ‘fun’ and can be lots of the slippery white stuff on the ground.
However, given the choice, I will always pick winter to walk. If you prepare properly it is a wonderful experience!
I am thinking of a camino in January/February said:I walked Sarria-Santiago mid January this year to celebrate a significant birthday (had planned SJPDP-Santiago May/June also) and it was a wonderful experience. Met an average of 15-20 pilgrims each day, some had started in SJPDP, others in Pamplona and a few in Leon and Sarria. Accommodation was limited and not all albergues listed were open. Bars and cafes were limited too and had to walk up to 15k for the first cafe con leche most daysWorth stocking up on snacks the evening before. Mornings were around 0°C and most days max 10°C. No snow! Magical moons up to 8:30am. ¡Buen Camino!
I walked last year in November/December so not quite winter. It was not too cold but on cold days that were below 0 with proper layering and hat, gloves and buff there was never a problem and never felt cold after about 15 minutes even with strong winds. Nature turned on us after about a week and threw every type of weather at us. We had very strong winds early, as high as gusts to 75-80k on a few days and seemed to walk in a constant headwind about 2 days out of Pamplona to about 2 days after Logrono. Then we had lots of rain and wind but thankfully the wind was less intense and then snow in Galicia turning back to rain. Having said that I was prepared and did ok but I did get pretty sick with Bronchial Spasms and lots of others got various respiratory illnesses too. Some had to cut their caminos short. BUT having said that I do not think anyone regretted going at all. There were wonderful people of course. There seems to be a little more of an independent spirit with less "camino families". If there were they tended to be just 3 or 4 people at most. But because in many places there were limited albergues do to the time of year you saw lots of the same people every night. We also made alot more very large communal meals. I would say there were at least 15 or so meals that sometimes had as many as 20 of us preparing and eating together. It was really wonderful. If people were going to dinner or preparing dinner everyone was always invited to go. In a way there was a really large but loose camino family. Mostly wonderful young people your age. They never not included the 4 or 5 of us who were retired and old enough to be their parents and in lots of cases grandparents.Hi everyone, I hope you are healthy and happy during these times. My camino del Norte this year was canceled of course.I am longing to walk as you can imagine. I have been thinking about next year and yes it will be a holy year, so for me may-September will not be an option. I did walk a little camino in Germany, just before COVID rushed into our lives and everything got shut down. I thought I was crazy (and my family did too) to walk in the snow with 0 degrees, but who would have thought: I LOVED it. It was a magical little Camino. So long story short, I am thinking of a camino in January/February, when we hopefully know more about the virus and it is not too busy because of the holy year. Does anybody have any experience? Would January or February be better weather wise? Is there an other camino you would recommend for these two months?
thank you in advanced, ultreia Miriam
P.S. if you want to check out my winter adventure, you can here on YouTube: eifelcamino English version
MSPATH!!! I love your blog!! Saludos and buen camino!!Enjoyingthejourney,
To further your research re Walking in Winter see these earlier recent threads filled with useful links and tips.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/logrono-to-burgos-in-january.50991/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/november-december-cf.50932/
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/walking-the-camino-in-december-january.37261/
Sillydoll who is a Forum member has in her blog compiled encyclopedic information on Winter Walking.
http://amawalker.blogspot.fr/2009/10/walking-in-winter.html?m=1
Twice during winter caminos I have sat out true blizzards; in Villafranca Montes de Oca, February 25, 26, 2006 and Foncebadón, March 5,6, 2009. Even late November 2012 the climb up to O Cebreiro was packed with snow. You can see the snow and read my blog accounts of these three memorable storms here. http://mermore.blogspot.fr/p/memories.html
Luckily open albergues offered welcoming shelter, heat and companionship.
Most of us who walk in late autumn and winter wear and carry lightweight but warm layers which can easily be added or removed while walking. Each pilgrim develops a favorite combo. Scan the Forum's Equipment topic http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/equipment-questions.30/
to see a multitude of varied approaches. Here's mine
http://mermore.blogspot.fr/p/kit-and-tips.html
Remember winter is a great time to walk, but you must be PREPARED!
Happy planning, stay safe and Buen camino!
Hi Miriam for the past 2 winters i have walked the camino Frances and Portuguese. The first year in March, last year in Feb. They were heavenly. Not crowded, It was a lot of fun and very peaceful. I was very lucky with weather. I brought snow clothes i didnt ever use. The only issue is wether the albergues are open. Lots are closed, so you need a phone app or recent guidebook to call ahead so you know where to sleep that night. Also lots of cafes and restaurants are closed. So you need to carry a little food. The official season doesn't start till Easter i think. And course this coming year who knows what will happen. But if Covid permits it i plan to walk in JanuaryHi everyone, I hope you are healthy and happy during these times. My camino del Norte this year was canceled of course.I am longing to walk as you can imagine. I have been thinking about next year and yes it will be a holy year, so for me may-September will not be an option. I did walk a little camino in Germany, just before COVID rushed into our lives and everything got shut down. I thought I was crazy (and my family did too) to walk in the snow with 0 degrees, but who would have thought: I LOVED it. It was a magical little Camino. So long story short, I am thinking of a camino in January/February, when we hopefully know more about the virus and it is not too busy because of the holy year. Does anybody have any experience? Would January or February be better weather wise? Is there an other camino you would recommend for these two months?
thank you in advanced, ultreia Miriam
P.S. if you want to check out my winter adventure, you can here on YouTube: eifelcamino English version
I walked last year in November/December so not quite winter. It was not too cold but on cold days that were below 0 with proper layering and hat, gloves and buff there was never a problem and never felt cold after about 15 minutes even with strong winds. Nature turned on us after about a week and threw every type of weather at us. We had very strong winds early, as high as gusts to 75-80k on a few days and seemed to walk in a constant headwind about 2 days out of Pamplona to about 2 days after Logrono. Then we had lots of rain and wind but thankfully the wind was less intense and then snow in Galicia turning back to rain. Having said that I was prepared and did ok but I did get pretty sick with Bronchial Spasms and lots of others got various respiratory illnesses too. Some had to cut their caminos short. BUT having said that I do not think anyone regretted going at all. There were wonderful people of course. There seems to be a little more of an independent spirit with less "camino families". If there were they tended to be just 3 or 4 people at most. But because in many places there were limited albergues do to the time of year you saw lots of the same people every night. We also made alot more very large communal meals. I would say there were at least 15 or so meals that sometimes had as many as 20 of us preparing and eating together. It was really wonderful. If people were going to dinner or preparing dinner everyone was always invited to go. In a way there was a really large but loose camino family. Mostly wonderful young people your age. They never not included the 4 or 5 of us who were retired and old enough to be their parents and in lots of cases grandparents.
My only suggestion would be to download the Buen Camino and Wise Pilgrim apps and to check the Gronze.com website for albergues and when they are open. I say this especially if you tend to walk shorter or really long distances. I would say between the apps and the website they were only about 60% accurate on which albergues were open or closed. After Covid hopefully things will settle and there will be a new normal but I am sure open/closed and permanently closed albergues will probably bring that accuracy number down.
Remember with all the challenges I faced health wise, it was a great experience and I loved it.
Hi Miriam for the past 2 winters i have walked the camino Frances and Portuguese. The first year in March, last year in Feb. They were heavenly. Not crowded, It was a lot of fun and very peaceful. I was very lucky with weather. I brought snow clothes i didnt ever use. The only issue is wether the albergues are open. Lots are closed, so you need a phone app or recent guidebook to call ahead so you know where to sleep that night. Also lots of cafes and restaurants are closed. So you need to carry a little food. The official season doesn't start till Easter i think. And course this coming year who knows what will happen. But if Covid permits it i plan to walk in January
Snow may cover the yellow arrows painted on rocks and pavement and wind-driven wet snow could obscure arrows painted on vertical surfaces. My suggestion is to download the Wikiloc app and sign up for membership on the website. If the app is running with a GPS trail selected it will notify you with beeps if you wander off the trail and again when you get back on. I used the app on a recent camino and it saved me a lot of time and trouble where I missed obscure arrows. To save batteries you can close the app when the trail looks easy to pick out and then start it back up with the same trail selected when things get difficult.
There is an oddity though if you do start up again anytime after you are past the halfway point. For a short period of time it will say you are going in the wrong direction even though the display will show you going in the correct direction. Apparently the developers thought that the correct way to walk a trail was in the direction that gave you the longest walk, not necessarily in the direction that it was recorded. They will agree to guide you in the shorter direction though if you continue that way after they give you notice. For more on this Wikiloc oddity and others see the thread here
The Wikiloc website will allow a visitor to find and examine trails uploaded by its members (many, many of which are Spanish) but you cannot download their GPS files unless you are a member (membership is free but a paid membership gives you extra benefits). The files can be downloaded in GPX, KML or KMZ formats.
Yes! Sure hope so!ahhh that sounds lovely. As much as I love my camino family and everyone I met, last September it was extremely busy and I was missing some solitude once in while. On the German caminos I was sometimes walking by myself for days. It really helped me to meet myself and work through stuff. of course if you meet another pilgrim then after a couple of days you just want to hug (before COVID) and throw a party haha. maybe see you in January buen Camino
For more safety and security you should download the AlertCops app. In an emergency it can put you in touch with the police. If you can’t speak Spanish you will be connected with someone who speaks English.. I am pretty sure other languages are available too. They can track where you are and send help to you. They also send alerts. It is a great app and service for all of us.good Suggestion! I will check that out! Maybe I also have a tip. I used camino places from the wise pilgrim series. This is just a GPS for the different caminos. You can chose Frances, del Norte etc. and it shows you the way, the alternatives and where the next albergues and bars are. You are a blue pilgrim dot, like in google maps. It does not make any noises. I checked it sometimes when I was not sure if I was walking right and it worked absolutely perfectly. It was about 1-2€ if I remember correctly.
I loved this GPS and it made me feel very safe as a woman
I will check out your suggestion though. Love the noise which keeps you on the way! Thanks!
For more safety and security you should download the AlertCops app. In an emergency it can put you in touch with the police. If you can’t speak Spanish you will be connected with someone who speaks English.. I am pretty sure other languages are available too. They can track where you are and send help to you. They also send alerts. It is a great app and service for all of us.
We walked late November 2019 from SJPDP. Only a small portion, as we intended to resume November 2020 (hmmm, from Australia, I don’t think so now). We walked in snow (see my profile picture). It was magical. A few issues, one of which was many shops were not open, and as we are vegans, we found that difficult, but managed. Very few people walking. Hopefully winter 2021.Hi everyone, I hope you are healthy and happy during these times. My camino del Norte this year was canceled of course.I am longing to walk as you can imagine. I have been thinking about next year and yes it will be a holy year, so for me may-September will not be an option. I did walk a little camino in Germany, just before COVID rushed into our lives and everything got shut down. I thought I was crazy (and my family did too) to walk in the snow with 0 degrees, but who would have thought: I LOVED it. It was a magical little Camino. So long story short, I am thinking of a camino in January/February, when we hopefully know more about the virus and it is not too busy because of the holy year. Does anybody have any experience? Would January or February be better weather wise? Is there an other camino you would recommend for these two months?
thank you in advanced, ultreia Miriam
P.S. if you want to check out my winter adventure, you can here on YouTube: eifelcamino English version
Same story here! I am leaving Amsterdam on the 1st of Feb.2021 an will start in Leon. Looking 4ward to it!Hi everyone, I hope you are healthy and happy during these times. My camino del Norte this year was canceled of course.I am longing to walk as you can imagine. I have been thinking about next year and yes it will be a holy year, so for me may-September will not be an option. I did walk a little camino in Germany, just before COVID rushed into our lives and everything got shut down. I thought I was crazy (and my family did too) to walk in the snow with 0 degrees, but who would have thought: I LOVED it. It was a magical little Camino. So long story short, I am thinking of a camino in January/February, when we hopefully know more about the virus and it is not too busy because of the holy year. Does anybody have any experience? Would January or February be better weather wise? Is there an other camino you would recommend for these two months?
thank you in advanced, ultreia Miriam
P.S. if you want to check out my winter adventure, you can here on YouTube: eifelcamino English version
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?