Camino in December

[Douglas.Franklin]

I've got some time in December and I thought I'd walk from Porto to Santiago. What should I expect from the weather and lodging? Thanks, Doug

 

[lettinggo]

Hola and welcome to the forum.

Do a search, at top of screen, for 'portugal winter'.
Several threads will appear with information you may find useful.
Else try 'winter' and get a general idea about things that needs to be thought of for doing a winter camino.
Walking in winter is fantastic, but some of the challenges are heavier backpack, fewer albergues are open, weather and temperature.
With some good planning, especially equipment wise, the real challenge is the weather.
Low sub-zero degrees and potential snow storm has to be taken very serious, but again, with a wise approach it should be no problem for most.
Some of the positive about winter walks are solitude, fewer (but maybe stronger) pilgrim relationships, very friendly locals.

Good luck planning your camino and do ask further, as this forum is filled with experienced and sharing members.

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[Douglas.Franklin]

Thanks for the helpful information.

Hola and welcome to the forum.

Do a search, at top of screen, for 'portugal winter'.
Several threads will appear with information you may find useful.
Else try 'winter' and get a general idea about things that needs to be thought of for doing a winter camino.
Walking in winter is fantastic, but some of the challenges are heavier backpack, fewer albergues are open, weather and temperature.
With some good planning, especially equipment wise, the real challenge is the weather.
Low sub-zero degrees and potential snow storm has to be taken very serious, but again, with a wise approach it should be no problem for most.
Some of the positive about winter walks are solitude, fewer (but maybe stronger) pilgrim relationships, very friendly locals.

Good luck planning your camino and do ask further, as this forum is filled with experienced and sharing members.

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[amorfati1]

I've got some time in December and I thought I'd walk from Porto to Santiago. What should I expect from the weather and lodging? Thanks, Doug

http://blueponykorea.blogspot.com/2013/01/day-1-lisbon-moscavide-9-km.html
this chap, his wife and her teenage nephew, walked the caminho portuguese in jan/feb 2013 on the caminho. brave souls.
you will get a GOOD idea about the caminho during wintertime from his blog.
best wishes!
Bom Caminho

 

[whariwharangi]

I've got some time in December and I thought I'd walk from Porto to Santiago. What should I expect from the weather and lodging? Thanks, Doug

I walked from SJPdP to Finisterre 25 Oct to 12 Dec 2012. Probably the weather from Santiago to Finisterre would be similar to Portuguese route that you are proposing.

Weather on the Finisterre route was usually cool in the morning but warm enough by afternoon to walk with only a shirt. I was lucky enough to have sunny days. It started squalling when I got to Fisterra and didn't stop squalling for the 4 days I stayed there. Squalling meant big black clouds would roll in dumping rain in bathtub sized raindrops that filled the streets to overflowing in 5 minutes. 10 minutes later the rain would stop ... till the next squall arrived. People who arrived after I did were completely soaked. I was told the rains had arrived late that year.

I wouldn't worry too much about cold and snow; I had but one day snow near O Cebreiro ... near one of the highest points on Camino Frances and it wasn't much below freezing. Its rain and potential for hypothermia that is the main concern.

 

[Former member 22438]

About lodgings. You probably rely on hostals and pensions in wintertime.
I do not know if all albergues are open But read the blog of our blue pony friend it gives you most of the answers
Bom caminho

 

[peregrina2000]

I can't imagine you'll encounter snow anywhere in Portugal other than in a few places in the Serra da Estrela, which is not near the Caminho. But rain is a different story. I've spent two academic years in Portugal over the last 15 years. One winter had virtually no rain, it was sunny and cool and cloudless, beautiful weather but terrible for the land. The other winter I think it rained non-stop from December to May. Great wildflowers at the end of it, but we were all ready to pull our hair out. Unfortunately you won't get to choose, but the odds are probably that it'll be somewhere in between.

 

[amsimoes]

This year will seem to be a year of "El Niño", which means a lot of rain, no snow, no cold.
Last week and this (even summer) already raining a lot. On Monday there was flooding in Lisbon.

 

[Former member 22438]

This year will seem to be a year of "El Niño", which means a lot of rain, no snow, no cold.
Last week and this (even summer) already raining a lot. On Monday there was flooding in Lisbon.

if heaven comes down we all will have a blue hat !

 

[Iarica]

I've got some time in December and I thought I'd walk from Porto to Santiago. What should I expect from the weather and lodging? Thanks, Doug

Hallo everyone! I am an italian pilgrim and my english is basic.
I walked on the Camino Portugues in december of 2012. About the weather I can say that it wasn't cold at all, but it rained almost every day. About the lodging, the albergues were all open, exept the one of Pontevedra. Some of them (2 or 3) were not heated and this was a problem only once when I got soaking wet.
This Camino in winter was amazing despite the rain. I remember the landscape so green, orange and mandarin trees full of fruit, wonderful camellias in bloom, Portuguese People very friendly and the few but awesome Pilgrims.
I spent Christmas day in Santiago and went on to Finisterre/Muxia to celebrate New Year's Eve. There, I had a lot of sunny days, as a gift.
Thanks for the helpful information I always find in this forum.
Greetings
Iarica

 

[Iarica]

Hallo everyone! I am an italian pilgrim and my english is basic.
I walked on the Camino Portugues in december of 2012. About the weather I can say that it wasn't cold at all, but it rained almost every day. About the lodging, the albergues were all open, exept the one of Pontevedra. Some of them (2 or 3) were not heated and this was a problem only once when I got soaking wet.
This Camino in winter was amazing despite the rain. I remember the landscape so green, orange and mandarin trees full of fruit, wonderful camellias in bloom, Portuguese People very friendly and the few but awesome Pilgrims.
I spent Christmas day in Santiago and went on to Finisterre/Muxia to celebrate New Year's Eve. There, I had a lot of sunny days, as a gift.
Thanks for the helpful information I always find in this forum.
Greetings
Iarica

P.S. Sorry, I would like to point out that when I say the albergues were all open I mean that were accessible. In fact at times I had to call or ask for the key. Exept the one of Pontevedra which was closed for Christmas season.
Buen Camino to everyone!
Iarica

 

[Diogo92]

I

if heaven comes down we all will have a blue hat !

And a boat!

 

[Former member 22438]

And a boat!

Why a boat ?

 

[Diogo92]

Why a boat ?

Floods > Boat

 

[Former member 22438]

Floods > Boat

The sky is blue ! When it comes down..when..your hat will be coloured blue.
It is a Dutch saying

 

[Diogo92]

The sky is blue ! When it comes down..when..your hat will be coloured blue.
It is a Dutch saying

The sky it's not blue!

 

[Former member 22438]

Maybe not in Portugal but here yes ! Anyway what kind of colour the Portugese sky is, it colours your hat when the sky comes down...when !
Don't tell me you haven't a hat !

 

[Diogo92]

Maybe not in Portugal but here yes ! Anyway what kind of colour the Portugese sky is, it colours your hat when the sky comes down...when !
Don't tell me you haven't a hat !

You know what I mean