Camino in winter

[Carlos Mentley]

I fear that I must respectfully disagree with Howard regarding walking
in the winter.  I have walked in January and in June, and I find myself
preferring January.

I walked with 11 college students last winter.  We departed on December
26 and arrived in Madrid the next day.  We arrived in Roncesvalles on
the 28th, after dark in a chilly rain, but in time found our way to
obtaining our credenciales, bought scallop shells and walking sticks for
those who wanted them, received the pilgrim's blessing, got rooms at the
albergue, and had supper at the hotel just up the road.  The next
morning--the 29th--we started walking.

In general, the weather was really quite good.  Early on (in Navarra and
La Rioja) we had either sun or clouds (with an occasional rain shower)
with temperatures reaching into the 50s during the day, and dipping into
the 20s and 30s at night.  After about a week, right around when we
crossed into Castilla y Leon, we got more rain and lower temperatures.
The rain went away after Burgos, but the temperatures stayed low until
after Leon.  I have to admit, though, that walking on the meseta in 30
degree temperatures with a bright sun shining was, for me, one of the
real highlights of the entire Camino.  The rain returned after Rabanal
del Camino.  El Cebreiro was just like it is reputed to be--cold and
snowy.  The first couple days in Galicia were mild but rainy.  After
Portomarin the rain and clouds disappeared, and we had sunshine and 50
to 60 degrees through our arrival in Santiago on the 25th of January.

The Camino was literally deserted.  More days than not, we were the only
ones in our albergue, and even when there were others, it would only be
one or two additional people, at least until Galicia.

In almost all of the albergues in which we stayed, there were blankets
and/or heat, so I had to use my sleeping bag only four times in 27
walking days. *However* there were a few places that did not have heat
(Atapuerca, Población de Campo, Calzadilla de la Cueza, Calzada del
Coto, Hospital del Orbigo--and they got really cold!) or blankets
(Viana, Población de Campo, Calzada del Coto, Portomarín).  In general I
found my sleeping bag way too warm even in unheated albergues, so next
time I am going to use a very light one (40-50 degree, with just a
little bit of insulation); that will keep the weight and bulk down, and
I can supplement it with a blanket for added insulation if necessary.

One more note on the cold in the refugios--when we ran into that
situation, we would almost always go out to a local cafe or bar and
spend our time there, where it was always a lot warmer and livelier; it
was *so* easy to talk to people, since we were something of an anomaly,
walking in the dead of winter.  If you go in the winter--and I
enthusiastically recommend it--you will find yourself with company when
you want it or need it, but you will also find solitude in abundant
supply.  For me, it was absolutely ideal.

Carlos Mentley

PS: I am taking another small group this winter as well.  This being a
Holy Year, it may be the only time that the Camino will not be crowded
with peregrinos.