Questions about a winter Camino del Salvador

[Gonçalo Mota]

Hi.

Thanks for the fast response. I can write in the Forum, no worries for me. I just didn't want to bother all the users with my doubts and questions. Anyway, actually they aren't that many, as they basically relate to the fact that I'm up to do the Camino Salvador in the winter (end of december). But first somethings about me to give some context. As I said before I've walked the Camino Frances also in the winter. By that time, I did got some snow, and short blizzards, mainly in Cruz de Hierro and Cebreiro (not in the Pyrenees, though). I'm not the most experienced hiker, but at this time, despite being older, I'm in better shape than I was back then. Moving on to the questions related to the Camino Salvador:
1) Is it doable for a person travelling alone?
2) Are there Albergues that might be closed?
3) What "level of coldness" should I expect, comparing with Camino Frances?
4) Can the mountain routes be closed, and if so, what would be the alternatives?

I guess that's it. At least for now. Some more advices are always welcome

Cheers

 

[trecile]

It's a mountainous route - I wouldn't want to attempt it solo in the winter, especially not for an inexperienced hiker.
But some of the other Salvador aficionados may feel differently.

According to Gronze, most of the municipal albergues are open all year, but even during warmer months some of them require advance notification.

Camino del Salvador | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino del Salvador o de San Salvador enlaza León con Oviedo, cruzando la Cordillera Cantábrica. Numerosos peregrinos devotos del medievo se desviaban para visitar la catedral de San Salvador y sus reliquias. Como reza un viejo refrán: “Quien va a Santiago y no va al Salvador, honra al criado...

www.gronze.com

 

[peregrina2000]

As you can see, I moved your post to a new thread. Since I haven’t walked in winter, I‘m hoping that there will be others who chime in. Some responses to get the ball rolling:

1) Doable alone? I have walked the Salvador several times alone without a problem. Those walks were in summer or fall, though. Walking in wiinter would probably change my comfort level with that.

2) Closed albergues? The municipal albergues will not close in winter, at least I am pretty sure about that. One exception is the La Robla albergue, which closed during covid and has not reopened. I have not heard any promising news about a re-opening. So you have Cabanillas, Buiza, Poladura, Pola de Gordón, and Mieres. Am I remembering them all? Private albergues, such as Sandra’s in Bendueños, will be closed. I think that the private albergue in Llanos de Somerón also closes in winter.

3) Cold temperatures? I would be prepared for serious winter temperatures, even if snow is unlikely.

4) Closing of mountain routes? The Salvador is not like the Francés, with an official “closing date” for the Napoleon route. So that means it is up to you to decide if and when to walk. I would make sure to get advice from people on the ground before setting out if it has snowed. This past fall, I walked in Portugal and met a cyclist out for a daily ride. He told me he had walked the Salvador last winter and that Ender had gone out and walked the route before they started out in the morning, so that they would see the path. But I wouldn’t count on that! If there is a lot of snow it would be impossible to follow any markings, so I would suggest a GPS in case you get in a difficult situation. I remember @jpflavin1 walked in April and had very high snow drifts, so you just never know. I personally would not walk with a lot of snow, because snow drifts in mountainous areas can be dangerous.

For current information, I would check out the facebook group. There is someone who posted that he was starting the Salvador today.

So my bottom line is that I don’t have a recommendation one way or another, but I do think that anyone walking the Salvador in winter has to assume responsibility for their own safety. I know that’s always true, but in this case, it’s a bit trickier. And that means at a minimum making sure to get the most up to date information you can before starting out on any particular day. The stretch between Buiza and Poladura has some very remote stretches.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[jungleboy]

@hiking_theway (Instagram link) walked the Salvador this past February. He shared some amazing winter photos such as this one at the Cruz del Salvador.

 

[Colette Z]

Hi.

Thanks for the fast response. I can write in the Forum, no worries for me. I just didn't want to bother all the users with my doubts and questions. Anyway, actually they aren't that many, as they basically relate to the fact that I'm up to do the Camino Salvador in the winter (end of december). But first somethings about me to give some context. As I said before I've walked the Camino Frances also in the winter. By that time, I did got some snow, and short blizzards, mainly in Cruz de Hierro and Cebreiro (not in the Pyrenees, though). I'm not the most experienced hiker, but at this time, despite being older, I'm in better shape than I was back then. Moving on to the questions related to the Camino Salvador:
1) Is it doable for a person travelling alone?
2) Are there Albergues that might be closed?
3) What "level of coldness" should I expect, comparing with Camino Frances?
4) Can the mountain routes be closed, and if so, what would be the alternatives?

I guess that's it. At least for now. Some more advices are always welcome

Cheers

My personal approach is: Will I risk the life of anyone who has to rescue me if it goes very bad? I walked it in October in hurricane conditions. I’m Canadian and used to -25C regularly and lots of snow. This is NOT a Camino for the winter unless you are a mountaineer or you ask Jose Antonio Cunaro to take you over the 2 peaks between Buiza and Pola de Lena. I also continued in the Primitivo and would also not attempt it in winter.

 

[peregrina2000]

I think we can all agree that up-to-date information on the weather is crucial. Anyone who hopes to walk this route in winter should be very flexible and able to pivot to adapt to bad conditions. For me, the crucial components would be: very warm clothing, GPS tracks, and regular frequent contact with Ender. Ender/Cuñarro tells me there are many periods every winter when the Salvador is perfectly safe. Of course that’s totally unpredictable, which is why flexibility is key.