Back to the Camino

[StevenT]

I walked the Camino Frances in April and had such a fantastic time, adventure and experience that I'm wanting to go again already. This time I will walk the Camino Portuguese, either the central or coastal routes, I haven't decided yet.
I walked in April to avoid the mid year heat, which I don't do well in. We had some snow and a little rain.
Does anyone know how does walking the CP in October compare to CF in April. How will the weather be and what about the sights and experiences.

Thanks

Steve

 

[cronnik]

Hi @StevenT

6 years ago I walked the Portuguese Camino in November during thanksgiving with a buddy. It was his second Camino and my first. We decided on the central route not so much because it was November, but because as NYers we spend a good amount of the summer at the beach on Long Island and get our fill from that. We also thought that the central part would open opportunities to experience the rural Iberian cultural aspects that we were looking for - food, people, topography, culture, architecture - not as built up/developed. It was the right choice for us - we loved it. It was fairly empty in late November (no surprise) but we did find albergues that were open and inviting.

We started in Porto. I hadn't been there in @ 15 years. I had forgotten how charming and beautiful it is. We flew in on an overnight so started from there that day after a quick tour of the city. We both regretted not taking a night before to explore this precious city. We also skipped the suburban walk out with the lovely light rail (don't tell Santiago, but I think he knows ) and started at a beach town that had a lovely boardwalk along the ocean in the afternoon. I should say that looking to our left across the dunes to the sun setting in the atlantic was lovely, but looking to the right at the typical development was uninspiring. As the sun came down fairly early (November) we doglegged into the mainland and were greeted by the hillside castle walls of a medieval town on a river's ocean estuary that was our home for the night.

So we got our 1 beach walk in and the rest of the time was spent in the lovely countryside and small villages with the wonderful portuguese. The food had much improved in those 15 years and I actually loved it (and I'm a 'foodie').

November Weather: It rained a bit. Mostly light rain. It could pass in the day and then layers would come off. I brought lightweight hiking gloves and barely used them. Temps in 40sF in the am and climbing to low 60sF, maybe even a low 70F. We had one day of really constant heavy cold rain. My friend had a cold so we had a long brunch in the old town square, walked around the saturday market and then took a bus to the next town (sorry Santiago) and were glad for it.

Not all albergues had heat, nor blankets so bring whatever you need to sleep warm. Im a warm sleeper so my 50F bag was plenty for me and I slept on top of it a few times but you did the Frances so you know what to bring for the shoulder seasons for yourself.

October seems like a great month to go. I would have rather gone then myself if I had the time window. You *should* have better weather than we did. I've done 3 other camino since, just getting back from del Norte with a shift to the Primitivo. Given that - I would definitely do the Portuguese again.

Buen Camino and keep us posted!

 

[Vince Rollason]

I walked the Camino Frances in April and had such a fantastic time, adventure and experience that I'm wanting to go again already. This time I will walk the Camino Portuguese, either the central or coastal routes, I haven't decided yet.
I walked in April to avoid the mid year heat, which I don't do well in. We had some snow and a little rain.
Does anyone know how does walking the CP in October compare to CF in April. How will the weather be and what about the sights and experiences.

Thanks

Steve

Hi Steve
I walked Camino da Costa in April 2019. On sunny clear days it is a beautiful and not too demanding a walk. While there are some climbs there is nothing like the Pyrenees or O Cebreiro there are some climbs but nothing to worry about. It was the wettest Camino I have walked as when the storms come in of the Atlantic they are powerful. However with the right rain gear there is no problem. I am sure you will enjoyb it.
Buen Camino
Vince.

 

[Vagabonder]

I’m glad to read your posting, we’re starting the CP central mid-October and hoping for cool weather and not too much rain. We walked the Primitivo in May and it was a little warmer than desirable but overall very nice weather.

 

[StevenT]

Hi All, thanks for the wonderful replies and encouragement.
Its amazing how quickly the Camino gets in your system and won't leave. Once you've done one there seems no stopping it.
O Cebreiro was a tough climb and I wasn't feeling my best on that day, but it makes a great memory.

I going to start in Porto and have at least one full day there just to look around. I really hate to miss it, since it looks amazing.

I'm going to plan a bit differently for this Camino. So what will I change.
1) Slow down and stop at towns and explore them properly where it makes sense. Sometimes on the CF I was just too focused on getting to my next stop, so I missed things on the way that could've been very enjoyable.
3) Cut down my total carry weight by 25-30% - not sure how easy this will be

Okay, off to book some flights!!

Thanks and really appreciated.

Steve

 

[Wyvernsridge]

about the weight you carry - I would suggest to think carefully about what is essential rather than set an arbitrary weigh saving. A third pair of socks, the sleeping bag, or a second water battle can mean the difference between completing the Camino and falling short because of blisters, illness or injury.

 

[cronnik]

Hi All, thanks for the wonderful replies and encouragement.
Its amazing how quickly the Camino gets in your system and won't leave. Once you've done one there seems no stopping it.
O Cebreiro was a tough climb and I wasn't feeling my best on that day, but it makes a great memory.

I going to start in Porto and have at least one full day there just to look around. I really hate to miss it, since it looks amazing.

I'm going to plan a bit differently for this Camino. So what will I change.
1) Slow down and stop at towns and explore them properly where it makes sense. Sometimes on the CF I was just too focused on getting to my next stop, so I missed things on the way that could've been very enjoyable.
3) Cut down my total carry weight by 25-30% - not sure how easy this will be

Okay, off to book some flights!!

Thanks and really appreciated.

Steve

I agree with slowing down and exploring the towns. I just couldn’t fly Al the way to this beautiful country and nap all afternoon- I had to poke around the town, meet for drinks/coffee with other pilgrims. And towns in between albergues were great for long lunch breaks with pilgrims, getting to know them, taking in the vibes of these places, felling the locals’ live their life around me, imagining I’m part of that if just for an hour.
For me the experience wasn’t ‘completing’ the Camino, it was taking it in during the journey.

 

[StevenT]

I was always pretty good about taking a decent look around the towns where I stayed once I got there. More of the issue for me is I tend to just want to knock out the walk and get to where I'm going. I enjoyed the walking, the scenery and the chance to reflect. I do need to stop at some of the towns and villages during each day just to soak those up a bit more. I'm particularly interested in Roman History and Middle Ages History, so I'm going to see what is available to see and experience on the way.