Walking in April CAmino Frances

[Suzanne]

Hi,
I am walking in April (my 2nd walk) and am wondering if anyone has walked it in April (starting 13th) and are familiar with the weather at that time?

also -- anyone else beginning at that time?

[Glori]

Hi,

I will be making the journey sometime in April as well....Not quite sure when exactly I will be leaving...between the 1st and 2nd weeks. I am also interested to know of the weather....april and the pyrenees?!?!? If you get any helpful responses and would like to share them that would be great. If i may ask you where you are flying into and how you will be getting to st. jean....that would also be helpful as I am looking for the best way right now...I believe there is a train from bayonne...and the closest airport is at biarritz. I am living and leaving from Brooklyn, NY.

Thank you so much

Glori

[Kathy Crandall]

Hi,
I am walking in April (my 2nd walk) and am wondering if anyone has walked it in April (starting 13th) and are familiar with the weather at that time?

also -- anyone else beginning at that time?

Hi Suzanne,
I am also thinking about walking the Camino in April. I have never walked it before but I do hike on the west coast of Canada. I was wondering if you are planning to start from St Jean Port de Pied in France. And what do you know about footwear for the Camino. Are hiking boots best or walking shoes?
P.S. I have spent quite a bit of time in the last winters in Guanajuato and love it there.
Kathy from Vancouver Island kathyecrandall@shaw.ca

[Roland]

Hi Suzanne, Glori, Kathy
I have a flight to Biarriz on March 28 and should be in in Saint Jean Pied de Port on March 29. There is a train leaving from Bayonne (close to the Biarriz aerport) at 8:24 and arriving at Saint Jean Pied de Port on 9:37. If the weather is fine I would start the same day the camino to Santiago de Campostella. It is my first time, at the moment I am in Munich where it is snowing, but on Friday the weather should change and hopefully there comes a sunny period.
If I find an Internet Access Point on the way I could tell you my experiences.

Roland from Italy

[toledo]

For those of you intending to leave soon, I have to tell you that on another Forum there are pictures of Roncesvalles and the snow is about four foot deep at the moment after heavy snowstorms.

[Glori]

Hi Roland....

That would be wonderful....As I am a bit curious for the weather at that time....I hear there is still a bit of snow.

Thank you

Glori

[Glori]

Hi Suzanne,
I am also thinking about walking the Camino in April. I have never walked it before but I do hike on the west coast of Canada. I was wondering if you are planning to start from St Jean Port de Pied in France. And what do you know about footwear for the Camino. Are hiking boots best or walking shoes?
P.S. I have spent quite a bit of time in the last winters in Guanajuato and love it there.
Kathy from Vancouver Island kathyecrandall@shaw.ca

Hi Suzanne and Kathy,

Since reading more about the weather in April in the Pyrenees, would either or both of you be interested in beginning together for that leg of the journey. I am flexible with my travel dates, and because of what I have heard of visibility and weather concerns it might be nice to begin in a small group and then go on our separate ways.

Let me know if this interests any of you,

Take care

Glori

[Kathy Crandall]

Hi there,
I think that I will wait until the weather on the Camino improves. I have heard that mid-May is a good time so I will begin then. Good Luck on your camino Roland.
From Kathy

Hi Suzanne, Glori, Kathy
I have a flight to Biarriz on March 28 and should be in in Saint Jean Pied de Port on March 29. There is a train leaving from Bayonne (close to the Biarriz aerport) at 8:24 and arriving at Saint Jean Pied de Port on 9:37. If the weather is fine I would start the same day the camino to Santiago de Campostella. It is my first time, at the moment I am in Munich where it is snowing, but on Friday the weather should change and hopefully there comes a sunny period.
If I find an Internet Access Point on the way I could tell you my experiences.

Roland from Italy

[Kathy Crandall]

Hi Glori,
I am flexible about my time line as well. I am thinking about beginning around May 20 as I would like to walk in better weather. I would be happy to meet up with you in St. Jean Port de Pied and start off together. Then we could go our own ways once we felt comfortable with the route and once the part over the Pyrenees was done.
from Kathy

Hi Suzanne and Kathy,

Since reading more about the weather in April in the Pyrenees, would either or both of you be interested in beginning together for that leg of the journey. I am flexible with my travel dates, and because of what I have heard of visibility and weather concerns it might be nice to begin in a small group and then go on our separate ways.

Let me know if this interests any of you,

Take care

Glori

[Glori]

Hi Kathy...

I still haven't made up my mind, but I think I am going to try to go in mid-late April. There is a chance I might meet up with a friend from Cyprus and go at the end of May, after I attend a wedding near Barcelona. I really like the thought of leaving sooner than later, though...but I will let you know if I decide to leave in May and then perhaps we can all begin together,

Take care

Glori

[Kathy Crandall]

Hi Glori,
I could go in late April - say the 20, 21 - as well. If you keep me posted we might still be able to start off together.
Thanks,
Kathy

Hi Kathy...

I still haven't made up my mind, but I think I am going to try to go in mid-late April. There is a chance I might meet up with a friend from Cyprus and go at the end of May, after I attend a wedding near Barcelona. I really like the thought of leaving sooner than later, though...but I will let you know if I decide to leave in May and then perhaps we can all begin together,

Take care

Glori

[annie]

Hi... I walked the Camino Frances in April last year. Be prepared for everything from snow to heat. A pilgrim had died coming over the Pyrenees in a blizzard by himself a couple of weeks before I left, so I decided (because I was walking by myself and its not so very busy in early April & the weather was iffy) that I would start in Pamplona instead... and I actually backtracked to Pamplona when I'd arrived in Finisterre... after Santiago... & walked back over the pyrenees into St Jean to 'fill the gap' ...

At one point (1st May 07) the weather was desparate, & it snowed and was miserable... and I thought for a couple of weeks I'd never be warm ever again! Yet it was very warm in mid April (except at night) but it was also very wet at one point, and can be very slippery just after Pamplona, and sticks are an absolute necessity really... specially if your backpack is heavy (which do try to avoid at all costs... so many folk struggle with a heavy backpack and its possible these days to travel so light)

I also carried a good pair of sandals which I often used. Like many others who have a pronation I tend to get very deep side blisters (where I roll) if I'm not careful... and the good walking sandals I have I've always found a godsend as they are 'heel-less' and I can walk in comfort when the blisters start up... which... because of my pronation they always do for the first couple of weeks.

Enjoy! Its a wonderful experience. I hope you have a wonderful time... God Bless.

[Glori]

Hi Kathy,

Because of time constraints and because of the possible increase in pilgrims come May, I bought my ticket so that I should arrive in St-Jean around the 10th or so. I figure if the weather in the pyrenees is that bad I could just get some transportation to Roncesvalles, and begin from there. If you wanted to leave around this time too, I would be more than happy to do that first part with you. Let me know what you end up doing....

Take care,

glori

Hi Glori,
I could go in late April - say the 20, 21 - as well. If you keep me posted we might still be able to start off together.
Thanks,
Kathy

[Glori]

Thank you Annie,

That was really helpful. Because of time I will be arriving around April 10th, and if it seems the weather is too bad for crossing the Pyrenees, I will just skip ahead to Roncesvalles. I have heard now from a couple people that live in that part of Spain that it is really impossible to predict the weather, so I realize I am taking my chances and hopefully I don't have to miss that beautiful part.

Did you have any difficultly finding places to stay or eat? How much food would you recommend carrying for the start of the journey? And, if you remember, what was the lowest temperature you experienced. I will be traveling alone, is there anything else you would recommend?

Thank you so much,

Glori

Hi... I walked the Camino Frances in April last year. Be prepared for everything from snow to heat. A pilgrim had died coming over the Pyrenees in a blizzard by himself a couple of weeks before I left, so I decided (because I was walking by myself and its not so very busy in early April & the weather was iffy) that I would start in Pamplona instead... and I actually backtracked to Pamplona when I'd arrived in Finisterre... after Santiago... & walked back over the pyrenees into St Jean to 'fill the gap' ...

At one point (1st May 07) the weather was desparate, & it snowed and was miserable... and I thought for a couple of weeks I'd never be warm ever again! Yet it was very warm in mid April (except at night) but it was also very wet at one point, and can be very slippery just after Pamplona, and sticks are an absolute necessity really... specially if your backpack is heavy (which do try to avoid at all costs... so many folk struggle with a heavy backpack and its possible these days to travel so light)

I also carried a good pair of sandals which I often used. Like many others who have a pronation I tend to get very deep side blisters (where I roll) if I'm not careful... and the good walking sandals I have I've always found a godsend as they are 'heel-less' and I can walk in comfort when the blisters start up... which... because of my pronation they always do for the first couple of weeks.

Enjoy! Its a wonderful experience. I hope you have a wonderful time... God Bless.

[annie]

Hi Glori... I think you are sounding sensible... for those of us walking on our own you got to calculate the risks with thought... and St Jean is a pretty enough little place to 'hole up' for a day or two if necessary to wait for a better 'weather window' ... & no matter how beautiful the views you're not going to see them/see them at their best in low cloud / rain/ snow anyway. So your plan to get transport to Roncesvalles 'if necessary' is sound.

I actually walked from Roncesvalles to St Jean in a most terrible rainstorm and so used the road. I have to say, it was pretty scary because the corners are very tight & bends 'blind'and the traffic comes up very close & I needed all my wits about me, and I never want to repeat that section on the road again! I think in April it pays to be cautious.

To tell the truth I'm not sure what the lowest temperature was... when walking it certainly felt bitter some days with the wind chill factor. Enough to make your nose red and your hands gently purple! I always carried a big bar of chocolate for emergencies and some nuts. You'll need food for that long trek upto Roncesvalles from St Jean , but in Roncesvalles there are 2 restaurants where you can get a decent meal which aren't too expensive. I never carried huge amounts of food... just enough 'calories' to 'keep me going' if needs be. Just be careful on Sundays... I used to take a decent lunch in the middle of the day on Sundays in case I didn't find places open on Sunday evenings in the smaller places. From memory I think shops closed by late morning on Sundays too... but its never as much of a problem as France can be where there are sometimes no shops on Sundays or Mondays either!

Take some 'under gear' to help keep warm. Decent gloves and warm hat. (And having told you all this you'll probably meet up with great weather and never see a snowflake!) One woman was so convinced the 3rd week of April that summer had arrived last year she posted back home her cold weather clothes and a week later couldn't continue without them. You jsut don't know... and the Pyrenees aren't your last mountain range either.

Don't worry about travelling alone... someone is never too far behind you! The ways are well marked. Accommodation in Spain is no problem as long as you're flexible about arrangements... some places are far from luxurious. Little bars are frequent. Like you I wondered how it was going to be before I started... the minute i Got started it was absolutely no problem and everything sort of fell into place!

Sometimes I think its easier walking by yourself anyway... no one to slow down for... no one to have to try and keep up with... you can walk your own pace and keep your own agenda. Some days you'll find you walk alongside the same folk for a few days which is lovely. People who are friendly are never far away.

Have a simply great time!! Wish I was starting out all over again but my daughter's getting married in June so I must keep on baking wedding cakes!! Hope the sun smiles upon you. Gently. Annie.

[Roland]

Hi, I just arrived at Roncesvalles, the weather is perfect, sunny nice temperature, not to hot not to cold, a little wind.
There are only some traces of snow. On the way from SJPDP to Roncesvalles there was no snow at all. Only the Route Napoleon is closed, it might be to dangerous for non experienced people. So everything is fine, I encourage everyone to start in April.

[Glori]

Annie,

It really helps to hear of your experiences...esp since I will be traveling during the same time you had. I will bring as little as possible and hope that if I need anything I can get it out there. I am still going to head SJPP, and am hoping that the pilgrims office will be able to advise me on the safety of weather conditions. Again, Thank you for sharing with us....

peace

Glori

Hi... I walked the Camino Frances in April last year. Be prepared for everything from snow to heat. A pilgrim had died coming over the Pyrenees in a blizzard by himself a couple of weeks before I left, so I decided (because I was walking by myself and its not so very busy in early April & the weather was iffy) that I would start in Pamplona instead... and I actually backtracked to Pamplona when I'd arrived in Finisterre... after Santiago... & walked back over the pyrenees into St Jean to 'fill the gap' ...

At one point (1st May 07) the weather was desparate, & it snowed and was miserable... and I thought for a couple of weeks I'd never be warm ever again! Yet it was very warm in mid April (except at night) but it was also very wet at one point, and can be very slippery just after Pamplona, and sticks are an absolute necessity really... specially if your backpack is heavy (which do try to avoid at all costs... so many folk struggle with a heavy backpack and its possible these days to travel so light)

I also carried a good pair of sandals which I often used. Like many others who have a pronation I tend to get very deep side blisters (where I roll) if I'm not careful... and the good walking sandals I have I've always found a godsend as they are 'heel-less' and I can walk in comfort when the blisters start up... which... because of my pronation they always do for the first couple of weeks.

Enjoy! Its a wonderful experience. I hope you have a wonderful time... God Bless.

[Glori]

Roland that is wonderful news!!!! May I ask you how long it took you from SJPP to Roncessvalles?

Many Thanks...and what a wonderfully appropriate name you have for having made that crossing

Glori

[Roland]

Hi Glori,

I vent by train from Bayonne to SJPDP, arrived at around 9:30, vent to the pilgrim reception, got the credencial, had a second breakfast , visited the church, got gods blessing and startet at 11 from the bridge in SJPDP. At 1:00 I had lunch, break for at least 1 hour, did some shopping, got bread, water and some fruit and went up to the pass where I arrived at 17:30.
Unfortionatly it was a little windy so I didnt look for the Roland monument. Anyway, to see the place where Roland died , I was not to keen.
At the Refugo, which is run by very nice people from Holland I arrived at 18:00. Got to church, at the end of the mis, the priest asked the Pilgrims to come foreward and gave them the blessings for the camino.
I would recomend to stay over night in SJPDP and get up early, so you have more time for resting. It gets dark around 20:00.
Good luck or "mucha suerte"

Roland

[Kathy Crandall]

Hi Glori,
Thanks for letting me know that you are going on april 10. I will probably go the first of May. I wish you good luck and a great walk.
Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Because of time constraints and because of the possible increase in pilgrims come May, I bought my ticket so that I should arrive in St-Jean around the 10th or so. I figure if the weather in the pyrenees is that bad I could just get some transportation to Roncesvalles, and begin from there. If you wanted to leave around this time too, I would be more than happy to do that first part with you. Let me know what you end up doing....

Take care,

glori

[camino76]

I will be heading out to Orissin from SJPDP on April 12th and would love a walking buddy over the mountains. Since it is such a volitile part of the year (weather wise) i would feel safer doing it with soem else...

I am female 32 and would love to hear from you!!
angie_scrub@yahoo.ca

[Glori]

Hi again Roland


Thank you so much for all your insight. One other question I had was how frequently do you come across banks or ATM's. I wasn't really worried about finding them along the way, but one of my friends said I should ask.

I will be missing the last train into SJPP from Bayonne, so I think I will have to spend the night in Bayonne and then get an early train in the following morning.

I hope the weather is still treating you well and I think we all look forward to hearing more of your travels soon.

Cheers

Glori

Hi Glori,

I vent by train from Bayonne to SJPDP, arrived at around 9:30, vent to the pilgrim reception, got the credencial, had a second breakfast , visited the church, got gods blessing and startet at 11 from the bridge in SJPDP. At 1:00 I had lunch, break for at least 1 hour, did some shopping, got bread, water and some fruit and went up to the pass where I arrived at 17:30.
Unfortionatly it was a little windy so I didnt look for the Roland monument. Anyway, to see the place where Roland died , I was not to keen.
At the Refugo, which is run by very nice people from Holland I arrived at 18:00. Got to church, at the end of the mis, the priest asked the Pilgrims to come foreward and gave them the blessings for the camino.
I would recomend to stay over night in SJPDP and get up early, so you have more time for resting. It gets dark around 20:00.
Good luck or "mucha suerte"

Roland

[ziggywigs]

Good luck all! Just back from the Camino....I wouldn't worry too much about company i arrived in February on my own and the the pass was just open and quickly found a travelling companion for this part of the journey....others did too. It's essential you find someone to walk with who matches your fitness level and walking pace otherwise you will not enjoy the experience...for example i only average 20km per day and two chaps in the group setting off would walk 40km per day.

Pack enough food for two days over the top it won't go amiss....accommodation is a doddle in SJPDP and along the route as the busy times are June, July and August. There are ATM's in SJPDP and all the big places but you need to plan this as i found myself running low a couple of times and Albergues don't tend to take cards or have ATM's. I would suggest topping up when you come across an ATM.

Albergue's average 7euros but can be up to 10euro's and i found offer good value...most Bars offer Pilgrim menus for 10euros and are good value...that includes wine too - by the bottle unless otherwise stated!

I travelled from Bayonne to SJPDP by train and it's a really nice start to the trip!

Whilst over there they had two freak snow storms so be prepared as the weather can change up high and there was snow at 1400m....walking poles can help.

If the weather is bad there is an alternative route using the National but not as nice and you can get a taxi to Ronscavalles if necessary.

I just know you WILL have the most amazing experience - whatever the weather does.

[wandererkm]

Hey all,

we are from Toronto Canada we will be arriving on April 15 in Paris and then heading down to StJPdeP and heading out on the 16th. We would like to take the high road but am fearing that snow may keep us to the low ground.... But I am hopeful as I have heard the high road is a MUST. anyway if anyone knows what the chances of taking the high road are during mid april post away and offer as much advice as you can ;0)

[Covey]

Taking the "High Road" is all very well if you can see anything!!

Last July I went up from SJPDP and from just outside St Jean to about 2kms short of Roncesvalles, the visability was 5-10 meters max with mist and low cloud.

In 2008 in August, there was not a cloud in the sky and the views were spectacular.

The only advice you need to listen to is from the staff in the Pilgrim Office in St Jean. If they tell you to take the lower road BELIEVE THEM!! Others have not and paid with their lives.

[wandererkm]

THanks for the advice we shall wait and see what road we are meant to take.

[BenedettoCAN]

Hi Wandererkm,

I just saw here that you are from Toronto. I was born and raised in Stratford, Ontario but after high school I moved to Toronto. Now, I live in Montreal. See you on the camino!

[wandererkm]

Hey, BenedettoCAN

Stratford, Ontario is beautiful my partner and I like to take a drive there whenever we can :0). Are you spending the night in StJPdP? figure out where you will be staying? I haven't even looked yet. Doing so much research my eyes are bogged out. But in the end it will all be worth it :0). see ya there!

[BenedettoCAN]

I've booked 'esprit du chemin' hostel. You can find information here; www.espritduchemin.org It's right across from the pilgrims' office.

The research and preparing is part of the fun. Enjoy!

[wandererkm]

Thanks for the info I will check it out.