2. When to walk is a tricky question!
The best time to walk or bike the Camino de Santiago is the one
that best suits our own needs. If we depend on our vacation, we are probably
short of options and will walk whenever it is possible… period!
But if we are blessed with flexibility there are
several variables to consider, being the weather only one of them. Then there is
the question of which Camino we decide on taking, if we’ll walk the whole way or
only some stages and then which ones. Spain is big, and the weather conditions
change according to where we are!
There is a general conception about the best
time to do the Camino de Santiago being during either spring (April / May) or autumn
(September / October). Some people
consider it to be a good idea to walk around Easter when there are fewer pilgrims
than in the middle of the summer. Nevertheless, these months are all usually
cold and rainy, sometimes in some places, you could even have snow!
July and August are the most common vacation months
for everybody, and many have no option other than to walk the Camino during the
summer, nonetheless the Spaniards! So parts of the Camino will be crowded but
if we must walk during summer, it would be a good idea to choose the first
weeks of June if possible. Finding accommodation and facing the worst weather
will not yet be big issues. Planning ahead is the best you can do, especially if
you're planning on walking the last 100km on the more popular Camino Francés from Sarria or from Samos.
However, and according to my own experience of running a B&B in Samos, because
of many avoiding the summer months, the Camino in Leon and in Galicia have turned
out to be less crowded than expected, even in July and August, offering a really
nice weather and plenty of accommodation from León and at least all the way to
Sarria.
If we walk the Camino on a winter vacation, we will
most definitely need to plan ahead, since many albergues and hostels remain closed
from November to February, opening as late as a couple of weeks before Easter. We
must also keep in mind that the weather can be really harsh, even on the Spanish
Meseta and it will be especially difficult to cross the mountains in Galicia. The
path over the Pyrenees is usually closed and we should consider taking either
the Camino de Invierno or any of the other paths. They are all beautiful!
It is all your own choice!! Buen Camino
