I started in St Jean on Jan 24th of 2023. There were eight pilgrims that started that day and two more who came in from La Puy. So ten of us total. We stayed together for most of the way. Picked up some stragglers. Some would take off to be leap frogged after a few days. It was easy to walk alone but comforting knowing friends would be in the Albergue end of day.
I hear of the crowds that come in the busy season and think it would be a very different Camiño than winter and probably not for me. The closer you get to Santiago the more peregrinos you’ll find of course and the morning you leave Sarria you’ll likely realize how different the next several days will be after the quiet you left behind.
I feel I was very very fortunate with the weather. 35 days and I only got rained on 2-3 times. One day it was rainy in the morning then turned to heavy snow on the climb then dropping down into rain. And that was in Galicia. I heard a couple days after I left León the city got snowed in and two days after O Ceiribo they got half a meter of snow so I think people just a few days behind me had a different experience.
Mostly the weather was beautiful blue sky. But for the first four weeks it was below freezing every morning. Usually it warmed up into the fifties but the cold wind may not allow you to realize that. What mostly surprised me is how cold the Albergues were. Not many turned on the heat though there was most always a warm shower. Torres del Rio was exceptionally cold
I started walking expecting a lot of rain and snow and was geared up for it. I brought stuff I ended up not needing but don’t regret it because it’s better to be prepared. And again, I don’t know what the normal weather usually is, but I suspect I was very lucky. The days were beautiful and the Meseta is especially powerful under blue skies with bright sun and a strong wind blowing. And climbing hills in the rain then turns to snow is a special time to walk