information wanted.. winter walking

[kare]

im planning a trip in february to walk some to the trail i only have about 5-6 days but would love to know where is the best weatherwise? probably not the pyrennes .... also how far apart are the hostels ? are they usually full at that time of year? i am a farmer so seeing farm land would be lovely. what is the weatherlike ? we live in vermont, and i work outside, so im used to cold winter weather would love to hear others experiences kare

[Covey]

Your best bet would be to walk from Sarria to Santiago. You can fly into and out of Santiago airport and on completion will be able to collect your Compostella.

The weather will be milder than over on the Pyrenees side, but will probably be quite wet, so good wet weather gear is essential, as is warm clothing for winter use. Boots are essential!

[kare]

thank you for info what about bikes on the trail. i will be going with a friend that is afraid walking too far she thinks it will hurt her back cycling for some reason is easier on her back.. also will we have a hard time finding space in hostels? how far do you have to travel everyday to get to the next hostel? also where can you fly into from barcelona? are there buses from the airports to the trail or taxis i am so excited karen

[Covey]

You will have no problem in winter finding a bed from Sarria to Santiago. There are lots of albergues both official and private and you will not have to walk more than 10kms between places to stay.

Your best bet is to fly into and out of Santiago. From Santiago airport you catch the coach from just outside the terminal door to Lugo and then change to a local bus to Sarria. The journey takes about 3.5hrs.

[geraldkelly]

I don't know Covey! Personally I wouldn't go near Galicia in winter. It'll probably rain the whole bloody time!

Why not Navarra? Starting in Pamplona and walking to Logorño. That would take about a week and you have a much better chance of decent weather.

Ger

[Covey]

The Pamplona region was apparantly knee deep in snow in Feburary last year!! I think Sil put up some very nice photo's of life on the Camino in the snow! Whilst I appreciate there ain't much to choose between cold rain in Galecia or snow in Pamplona, Kare did not mention where he/she is actually arriving in Spain from.

If transiting via the UK from the States, then Santiago is a direct flight from London Stansted. To get from the States to Pamplona is somewhat more difficult.