camino in october

[johnnywalky]

greetings, i plan on starting my walk in Saint Jean Pied on october 1 2008, im hoping to complete the journey in 35 days. Where and will i encounter strong rain and storms? Maby leaving on september 20th or so is wiser? Blessings to all Walkers

[Sheens]

JOhnny, i am just back today from doing 12 days (st jean to burgos) and i can tell you we got rain EVERY DAY except 1 day!! in MAY!! it was awful. Dont get me wrong, i had the most amazing 2 weeks, but i was NOT prepared for the weather. The countryside is SO green up there, and there's one reason why- they get a lot of rain! In October you will get similar weather, so invest in waterproof rucksack cover, waterproof everything, believe me you will need it. I think we were very unlucky with the weather, but it will be similar to Oct weather.. Day 1 from st jean to roncesvalles it rained for 8 hours non stop, driving rain, i had a light rain jacket and that was it! my bag was soaked through, my sleeping bag, everything was wet. It was a nightmare, so please be prepared.. !

[johnnywalky]

thanks Sheens for the info....what i have been doing is reading journals on line of people who have walked the camino on different months in different years. i was in spain in april but in malaga, granada and in malaga I felt some of the power of the rain! ....but i think......should i say ...i pray...the fall will be a bit more warmer...harvest season...long summer......maby im just seeing this in my vision of my walk. i read one journal where a brother had only one day of rain for 20 days in october! I am going to pack for rain, no doubt.......but i keep seeing, beautiful orange and blue skies for this walk. I was going to spend time in france first, but i have already changed my plans, and will possibly begin as soon as september 20th, giving myself 32-40 days for the walk......and of course....i repeat over and over to myself.....this is the season of Sun....this is the Season...of Warmth....this is the October of Harvest.........i orignally was going to walk when you did, but after research i felt, i stood more of a chance of open sky in early to mid october.......only time will tell...but thanks for the heads up.....peace from San Francisco....

[larryphd]

Hello fellow pilgrim!! Myself, my girlfriend and 28 year old daughter are traveling the camino from the beginning in early Oct. We are also wondering about Oct. weather. We are from LA. Please let us know anything you think would be helful, it sounds like you have already done quite a bit of research. Any info. would be appreciated!! Where are you starting from? Are you traveling with anyone? We think end of Sept., first week of Oct. We just began our research and are new to all of this, including using this means of communication!! It's so cool!!!!!!!!!
Thanks,
Larry

[johnnywalky]

hi larry, im starting in st jean in france, to walk the entire comino francis route, 480 miles or so, thinking allowing 32-40 days, in case i wish to relax in an area, my experience tells me the weather will be way more pleasant during this time of the year, as of yesterday, spain broke records for the month of may rainfall!!! so that tells me, the summer will be a little late, and other than occasional heavy rain, i think this will be the best time to walk. I am reading many peoples journals to get insight into gear, conditions etc, and have found some pilgrims having as little as 2 days rain in october! i too, am looking at starting around the 19th of september now, to possibly enjoy more wonderful harvest weather. Im in San Fran painting a house now to buy my ticket, my last two trips, i have flown with air lingus, directly into dublin, then take ryan air out to my destination, which would be madrid, or paris, rest 2 days, than train it to st jean.....lets keep contact! peace, johnny

[Stephen_Belfast]

Late September/early October is one of the best times to walk the Camino. There are fewer pilgrims on the trail. But as it's overcrowded in the summer months that's no bad thing.
The days are beginning to shorten so you can't make a really early start. Walking in darkness along a rocky path isn't recommended.
The weather's milder. You might get some rain, but I wouldn't go overboard with the rain-proof gear. A big poncho which covers you and your pack should be enough. If it has been raining then you're going to be walking on some muddy stretches. Good waterproof boots are a must.
Buen Camino!

[Sheens]

Johnny, if you are flying via Dublin, bear in mind you can fly Dublin- Biarritz with Ryanair.. you could do your resting there- it's only 1hr from St Jean, and Biarritz is absolutely beautiful too.. of course if you havent been to Paris or Madrid already both are awesome cities too..

My flight from dublin - biarritz was only ?19.99 and then i took the bus to bayonne and the train from there to SJPP.. in hindsight, i would have been better sharing a taxi with other pilgrims direclty from biarritz airport- that's what everyone seemed to have been doing- but i was a bit shy at that stage, i hadnt quite gotten to the stage of talking to random pilgrims that you do after 2 hours on the road!!

[larryphd]

Thanks for the info.
Larry

[John Hussey]

greetings, i plan on starting my walk in Saint Jean Pied on october 1 2008, im hoping to complete the journey in 35 days. Where and will i encounter strong rain and storms? Maby leaving on september 20th or so is wiser? Blessings to all Walkers

I walked from SJPdP to Finisterre Oct, Nov, 2005 in 6 weeks beginning the 1st week of October. I am planning on doing it again this October but will add an additional week as I wish to have more spare time in some larger cities and would like to walk on from Finisterre to Muxia and back to SdC this time.

One certainly can complete the walk in 35 days but your spare time for exploring would be limited

[John Hussey]

I forgot to add that October is the harvest time for all those beautiful, lush vineyards one passes through in the provinces of Rioja & Navarra. The vines will be loaded with amazingly delicious grapes you can breakfast upon (or lunch upon, or whatever) until you get to the plowed wheat fields of Burgos. Remember to pluck yours from the lower branches of the vine as these are usually just dropped to the ground to rot since the sugar content of these are not as high as those on the upper tier of the vine-or, at least that was how it was explained to me when i walked through that area.

There was a fair amount of rain then too, but it was quite manageable with adequate rain gear protecting the upper torso. I walked in shorts and sandals the entire way and only used 1 longer trousers for the evenings in towns, cities, albergues, when I was not walking.

[larryphd]

so what was it like weather wise in october. We will be walking from sarria to santiago. is it generally cold, hot , sunny, wet ? All info welcome.
Larry

[John Hussey]

I started in SJPdP so it was in the month of November when I arrived at Sarria but even then I found the weather to be quite pleasant and only colder at the higher elevation of O'Cebreiro. Plus it was, to me at least, quite cold during the night at Finisterre when we all celebrated our Camino's end outside into the early hours, but next day warmed up quite pleasantly with the sun. I am from the subtropics (28 degree latitude)so my tolerance to cold is less than for those more accustomed to the higher latitudes so, if I found it pleasant, likely most would too.

So, I suppose you would be in shorts and short sleeves walking during the day and perhaps long pants and an additional lightweight but warmer layer added to your torso in the evening. That is as I remember it