Arles to Puente-la-Reina: May to mid-June or September to mid- October?

[Walkingthere]

Hello,
Having walked the camino frances and the chemin du Puy-en-Velay, I am planning to walk the Chemin d'Arles in 2025. I am having trouble deciding on time of departure. I love spring wild flowers and days that get longer but have read that it is significantly more likely to be rainy and muddy. In September, the heat worries me as does a later crossing of the Somport pass. Any thoughts from those who have walked this route? I thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
C.

 

[Vacajoe]

There are often snow flurries through the first week of April and then at the end of October, so the “season” for walking across the Somport Pass would roughly be April 7-Oct 24. Of course, weather is always unpredictable!!!!!

Spring on the French side will be quite wet with meting snow which means soggy meadows and muddy trails. However, it’s gloriously green and the Spanish side won’t be a furnace. Fall is easier to time the weather perhaps and things will be much drier (even with the occasional storm or snow) and the harvest season in Spain is always interesting. In short, you can’t go wrong!

Personally? Been there several times in different months and would pick late April to cross from the Arles to the Aragon route - no real chance of snow, trails are drying a bit, but the wildflowers and grasses are still in full display.

 

[Susan Maria]

Hi, I walked to the col from Arles last year, May to June, later than you are intending. No snow, it was sometimes cold in the evenings especially higher altitude sections, and there was rain. A lot was in shade so I only had a couple of days I'd call hot. Can't compare with Autumn, no experience.

 

[JerryStroebele]

My French son-in-law Julien and I started walking south from Pau this past October 7. It was HOT. Except, much of the Chemin Arles here is walking in the shade. Delightful. But, so much shade this time of year we were glad to have Gore-tex boots. The long grass stayed very wet from heavy dew most of the day. There was a price to pay for the shade -- we were bedeviled by flies, gnats and tiny mosquitos for several days. Take DEET. We were also glad to have sturdy, lug sole boots on the eroding trail along the upper river. After Col Somport, no problema. The albergue at Somport was closed but the albergue at Canfranc Pueblo was fantastic. Bon Chemin

 

[jouffroy47]

Hello,
Having walked the camino frances and the chemin du Puy-en-Velay, I am planning to walk the Chemin d'Arles in 2025. I am having trouble deciding on time of departure. I love spring wild flowers and days that get longer but have read that it is significantly more likely to be rainy and muddy. In September, the heat worries me as does a later crossing of the Somport pass. Any thoughts from those who have walked this route? I thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences.
C.

Of course every year is different, but I walked last September from Pau to Sangüesa via Somport (Arles/Aragones) and the weather was glorious. It poured on the way to Lescar, but after that I had no real rain at all and it wasn't terribly hot. The narrow ridge above the Gave d'Aspe before and after Sarrance would have been scary had it rain there. I think I started the second week of September from Pau/Morlaàs.