Winter walk

[Wine and Faith]

Hello all,
I am starting my winter Camino Frances on January 10 at roncevilles or pamplona.
I live in the Rockies so snow travel is no problem.
Any advice?
average walking days?
pensions Vs alberques?
Covid precautions in albergues?
I have 45 days.
thanks

 

[J Willhaus]

Use the winter camino guide to help you find lodging.

Pagina nueva 1

It is updated regularly and will tell you if you need to phone ahead.

 

[mspath]

Wine and Faith,

Welcome to the Forum,

In the happy, easier past years
accommodation started to close mid October but some place was always open during winter. Hospitaleros usually could give advice on who/what was available on the next stage. There were no summer crowds and beds/bunks were available. I usually slept in an albergue, often the sole pilgrim, but also in back rooms of an open bar/restaurant.

Walking off-season in winter during those past years I rarely saw more than 20 pilgrims at one time. There usually was a strong sense of camaraderie amongst those on the route especially during storms or difficult stretches.

Helpful passing strangers also gave advice. Little was hectic; without the hordes of summer all had time to share info.

Nevertheless whatever the "season"
the weather can change quickly.
In March 2009 an unexpected 3 day blizzard struck Foncebadon.
Similarly November 2012 I was caught in a early white-out of snow climbing O Cebreiro.

You must be prepared whenever you walk.

See also this earlier thread re Winter Walking

Good luck with your new plans.

 

[Gumba]

A lot of places close down over winter and even more in January! Dont let this deter you though, there is always something open. Use the pagina nueva 1 linked above, and booking.com if you want something different. The website is by no means exhaustive. We found that mostly we needed to stick to the Brierley stages as a lot of the smaller places were closed.

Carry food/snacks as finding an open bar (cafe) is a blessing not an expectation in Winter.

As you have plenty of time to walk you will be able to have some nice rest/exploring days. Please note - My experiences are pre-covid

I have walked 2 winter Caminos with my family and am planning our third for next year. It is a magical time of year to walk.

 

[jsalt]

I also found I had to stick with the Brierley stages in winter (Feb 2019), as most albergues are closed in the small villages in-between. If you find a café open in any of these villages then make use of it, as very many are closed for the season, and you don’t know when or where the next café con leche or cerveza will be, so carry a few snacks with you.

The weather may be good, or it may be bad. I had one and a half days of rain in the whole month, and my jacket faded on the shoulders from the sun!

There were maybe 20 or so other pilgrims walking, so there are others to socialize with in the evenings (if you want to). A great time of year to walk!

 

[Wine and Faith]

Thanks folks for the great replies, I’m heading out the 10th of january, and figure 40 days, 34 stages, should do it from roncevalles.
looking forward to what maybe my hardest Camino yet.
thanks again.