France Camino winter

[marko_zilkovski]

Hey guys! Need your tips! I am planning my Camino this January with bicycles from León to Finisterre. What do you think about? Is this possible? Some peoples says it’s not, has anyone done it before?thanx

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hey guys! Need your tips! I am planning my Camino this January with bicycles from León to Finisterre. What do you think about? Is this possible? Some peoples says it’s not, has anyone done it before?thanx

Hi Marko and welcome to the forum! Bicycling in winter would certainly not be my cup of "iced" tea!
If you are determined though, I'm sure you will get a few positive replies from others who will cheer you on.
Good luck and...Buen bicycle Camino!

 

[Pilgrim_95]

A friend of mine started the Camino Frances in January (walking) last year and based on her photos and comments some parts of the route were covered in light snow. She always found some accommodation but her options were more limited. If you have a bike you have more mobility and extra 10km is not that problematic.

What I could see as a problem is those two high points (Foncebaton and o Cebreiro) which are at 1200+ meters. So its gonna be cold there.

Yet, if you are an experienced MTB biker who has done a few of winter trails it will be doable.

It always depends on the weather. For instance, some parts of the Camino Primitivo are covered in snow these days.

If you hit a wormer winter around 5-10 degrees the roads should be OK

 

[trecile]

Check out the Biking the Camino subforum. Perhaps someone has posted about a winter Camino there.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/biking-the-camino.24/

 

[roving_rufus]

I walked chunks of the camino in winter and you will be up against snow at times but more widespread is ice and frost. Also you can have heavy rain and winds. Accommodation needs a bit more planning but is workable. But it is the state of roads with slippy conditions that cause issues not even thinking about the mountains crossed with snow. So it depends how comfortable you are with wintery cold or wet conditions. There are a few questions in the biking the camino subforum like https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...o-frances-december-january.43504/#post-449599

 

[SYates]

Also keep an eye on http://www.aprinca.com/alberguesinvierno/ to see which albergues are open.
BC SY

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Would mud be a problem?

 

[SYates]

Would mud be a problem?

Unfortunately yes, most likely. Winter in Northern Spain tends to come with a lot of rain, not only snow. I remember walking the stretch between Villamayor and Los Arcos one winter with mud 15cm or deeper ...

BC SY

 

[jl]

When I walked the Camino Frances in winter (Dec / Jan) I found the bonus was that the mud was frozen! It was not until I reached Galicia that I struck waterlogged soil.

 

[Felipe]

There is always the paved road...

 

[wildrover]

There is always the paved road...

Hi mate, I've cycled down the coast from girona to alicante. I've been been blessed with perfect weather.... until I decided to cycle the lana /sureste. I'll go as far north as toledo and head back down south towards granada and then along the coast to cadiz and up to seville. Aye, I'm wimping out regards the weather! The camino Frances, on a bike during the winter is very doable. Don't listen to the sceptics, like the T¬shirt say..... Just do it. And enjoy. J

 

[Helen1]

Doable [assuming you ride on the road if it gets super muddy/snowy], but definitely not my idea of enjoyable! Is there a reason why it has to be the CF in Jan? I reckon we're in for a cold winter this year. I'm with wildrover, I would wimp out and head somewhere warmer!

 

[SYates]

The Via de la Plata, at least until shortly before the mountains at the end, might be indeed a better option.
BC SY

 

[Former member 2537]

Ignore the comments about "I walked it two years ago and…" That's history. And you can't talk about weather any further out than about a week. See:
https://americanpilgrims.org/online-resources/#weather-climate

 

[SYates]

Ignore the comments about "I walked it two years ago and…" That's history. And you can't talk about weather any further out than about a week. See:
https://americanpilgrims.org/online-resources/#weather-climate

Or, as I like to say:

Climate is what you can expect, weather is what you get!
Any weather forecast more then three days in the future is --- prophesy.

BC SY

 

[wildrover]

Hey guys! Need your tips! I am planning my Camino this January with bicycles from León to Finisterre. What do you think about? Is this possible? Some peoples says it’s not, has anyone done it before?thanx

Hi mate, my initial reply to your post may have been a bit flippant as opposed to informative! Yes, you can cycle the France's in January. Everyone on this forum differs, regarding age,fitness etc. I'm also cycling in Dec/Jan from Seville to Santiago, which will be part of my current trip. People cycle in every type of terrain in every season. If you're relatively fit, it's more about your expectations. it's possible, it could rain for a week...are you ok with this? or will you go home? So, regarding the actual requirements of a winter cycle trip, ask away. I'm talking about cycling gear, tools, clothing etc. Today, I'd planned to cycle 80k. I awoke to gale force winds. The wind was so severe, at times, I got off and pushed. This, was actually physically tougher..... but safer ! The last 10k took me two hrs. I'm no masochist, but I enjoyed every second. If, I didn't know, what to expect, I'd have gone home. By the way I only cycled 35k today. Not because, I couldn't do the 80k. I'd nothing to prove, I'm here to have an enjoyable time! That means as much beer as I can consume during the course of this evening. Aw the best. Wild

 

[lt56ny]

Or, as I like to say:

Climate is what you can expect, weather is what you get!
Any weather forecast more then three days in the future is --- prophesy.

BC SY

I would like to revise that as I think just about any weather forecast that we got on the Camino that predicted anything more than a general forecast was usually wrong. I walked last month. There were three of us with three different weather apps. Although I didn't see my friends every morning usually there was never a completely accurate or close to completely accurate forecast for the day's journey. One would say light rain and high winds in the afternoon, another heavy rains in morning etc, etc and we would have light rain, colder than predicted, maybe some fog with heavy winds and steady rain later in the morning and not too much wind and really heavy rain late in the afternoon. The moral of the story is Ms. Yates is correct. The only thing you can predict is it will be colder in the winter, probably alot more rain in Galicia. Hot on the Meseta in the summer and I think you get the idea.