Winter Camino

[Donny]

I’m planning to walk the Portuguese in November. I would appreciate advice from anybody that has completed a winter Camino with regard to Albergue’s, weather conditions, how busy/quiet it will be…anything at all that would be of benefit to know.
Thanks,
Don.

 

[C clearly]

If you click on the tag "winter" placed under the title of this thread, you'll find some threads on the topic. They could be for any Camino, so you'll need to browse through them for information specific to the Portuguese. In any case, I'm sure others will respond here!

 

[Kanga]

@Donny in 2018 I walked from Lisbon starting in October and reached Viana de Costelo on 1 November, taking the coastal route out of Porto. It had been fine up til then, but from 4 November on there was constant cold hard rain, all the way to Santiago. A friend flew to meet me in Vigo, and each morning we would get up, don our rain gear, walk in rain for several hours, then repair to a warm bar. Once we were in Santiago we bought broaches featuring rain, to celebrate our survival!

That was in 2018. Each year is different. I liked it enough that I went back this year, and we had glorious weather (but it was in April). Good luck!

 

[nilesite]

My book might be useful. I love walking in winter. It's on Amazon.

 

[kiwicat]

I’m planning to walk the Portuguese in November. I would appreciate advice from anybody that has completed a winter Camino with regard to Albergue’s, weather conditions, how busy/quiet it will be…anything at all that would be of benefit to know.
Thanks,
Don.

I walked the Portugues from Porto to SDC (Coastal route) October 2018.. Started walking October 20 and had blistering hot weather all the way to SDC. Then walked the Camino Inglese from Oct 29 to Nov 3. Weather still hot there but on arriving in SDC the heavy rain started. October into November has always been my preferred walking time as it is quieter and the countryside has a sense of being ready to relax after all the tourists have gone. Also walked the CF in 2017 leaving SJPDP October 3 and arriving SDC November 6. Very very hot all the way. Its worth taking your chances!

 

[lt56ny]

I have walked my last 3 caminos in November December. No one can predict the weather. I take two quick dry shirts, long sleeve one with a hood. A very lightweight but warm down coat. One merino wool midlayer. I have a midlayer long under armor for my legs. One pair of pants and i buy a light pair of insulated pants at decathlon that I wear during the day. The pants at night. Gloves, beanie and a buff. One pair of merino socks and two pairs of mid warmth merino wool socks with a couple of pairs of thin synthetic socks under my socks. A poncho that covers me and my pack and a sleeping bag that is small and insulated to 15 Celsius. If it gets really cold I put some clothes on. When you start in the morning believe me within 20 minutes you will start to get warm and probably take clothes off. Check the weather every day and ask at a bar or where you are staying. Listen to what the locals tell you weather wise and I’d the say don’t walk then don’t walk. No one app or website has all the listings of places to stay. Use Gronze.com, wise pilgrim and buen camino. Call ahead to make sure where you want to stay is open. No one is more than about 65% correct on open/closed. Finally be flexible. If it looks bad and getting worse stop. Do not let yourself get too cold or sweat too much. That can cause hypothermia. I am doing the Aragones at the end of October and the. After Logroño switch to the Portuguese in Lisbon to do this route again. Maybe I will see you. Remember it may be rainy and windy but this isn’t Antártica by any means. The coldest it ever was for me was a few degrees below freezing.
But again no predictions please.

 

[DeansFamily]

Absolute words of wisdom from It56ny. Depending where you walk you can pick up extra clothing on the way. On October 10th 2019 we left Sevilla in 36C, bought those lightweight fleece lined pants in Zamora, walked over the mountain on the Castillo/Galicia border in ankle deep snow on the Sanabres and walked into Santiago just before the heavy rain hit six weeks later. Just resist the urge to take too much as every little bit adds to the weight you carry and it's surprising how little you'll end up using. Every Camino I take less and still say at the end I could have done with less. Because it's a quiet time on the Caminos, be adaptable and plan ahead / research. My favourite time walking into Santiago was on the VdlP in Winter. The bells welcomed us in while I munched on a tarte de santiago. It was like having the whole plaza and cathedral to ourselves. I walked straight up and gave St. James a hug and said a prayer on behalf of an old lady who asked me to when I reached the end. It really was the most memorable entry into the city. Looking forward to repeating it on the Invierno in mid October.Buen Camino and enjoy.

 

[JesperK]

I’m planning to walk the Portuguese in November. I would appreciate advice from anybody that has completed a winter Camino with regard to Albergue’s, weather conditions, how busy/quiet it will be…anything at all that would be of benefit to know.
Thanks,
Don.

I am planning a December camino in 2023, and plan on entering Santiago either on 24 or 31. December. I have not really decided yet.