Mozarabe in Winter?

[Lisakline]

Hello all i am considering begunnig a Mozárabe camino in the winter of 2021/22. Anyone have info on whether albergues are open on the Mozárabe in January/ Febuary?

 

[C clearly]

The Almeria Amigos association is very active, and they regularly update their guide - they were updating it monthly or even twice/month, before the pandemic. They are the best source of information for the Mozarabe. The guide (updated May 15, 2021) is available on their website (along with GPS tracks and more) and also on their Facebook page.

The volunteers are extremely friendly and helpful. They would love to hear from you and meet you when you start.

Send them an email or Facebook question, and I'm sure they'll try to answer your question about January/February, although that is still quite far away, given the various uncertainties.

 

[Lisakline]

Thanks very much!

 

[alexwalker]

I walked there in April 2018. It was quite cold at that time of year at high altitudes. Remember, you are going up into the Sierra Nevadas, a mountain range up to 3.500 m. (11.400 ft.) with snow. You will walk alongside this range, not crossing it.

Climate:

Almeria climate: Average Temperature by month, Almeria water temperature

As for albergues, at least when I walked, you have to call beforehand, as some of them are not staffed. This is a very low-traffic route.

FWIW, It would not be my first choice for a Winter Camino, IMHO.

Sierra Nevada (Spain) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Buen Camino!

 

[Lisakline]

I walked there in April 2018. It was quite cold at that time of year at high altitudes. Remember, you are going up into the Sierra Nevadas, a mountain range up to 3.500 m. (11.400 ft.) with snow. You will walk alongside this range, not crossing it.

Climate:

Almeria climate: Average Temperature by month, Almeria water temperature

As for albergues, at least when I walked, you have to call beforehand, as some of them are not staffed. This is a very low-traffic route.

FWIW, It would not be my first choice for a Winter Camino, IMHO.

Sierra Nevada (Spain) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Buen Camino!

Thank you,
i need to do more research!

 

[Deleted member 73526]

The route of the camino in the SIerra Nevada mountain range climbs as high as 1,400m. As Alex said, you will meet winter conditions at that altitude, despite the southerly latitude.

That said, people have walked and enjoyed the route in winter - even January - and the association will give excellent support and advice. In the past, the association's albergues have been open pretty much year round, but they are closed right now as the association needs volunteer hospitaler@s to enable them to meet the current requirements (e.g. sanitary requirements).

This is just a guess, but I expect that the sanitary requirements for albergues will not be relaxed this year, so, the municipal albergues will probably be closed over the winter months, when there will be no hospitaler@s in residence. That means that you will need to rely on private accommodations and there may be a couple of long, mountain, stages. If you're used to wilderness hikes in snowy conditions, have at it. If not, maybe wait a year and see if the municipal albergue network is available again.

 

[filly]

I was planning this hike for June.... now set for June’22, courtesy of Easyjet’s flight amendment programme.

May I recommend you read George Brennan's excellent short memoir of his time living near Guadix in the 20’s, South from Granada. Available as a Penguin paperback.

 

[Lavdrum]

I walked the Mozarábe in Oct./Nov. 2018. I stayed in municipal Albergues whenever possible. The Amigos in Almeria were really helpful and welcoming.
I would think that this route would be snowy in winter, I saw references in visitor books in some Albergues to that effect.
With regard to a June start, I would not advise it. There are long stretches with no shade or services whatsoever. Autumn is a good time to walk as the temperature was fine and there was little rain.
buen camino,
John.

 

[koknesis]

Walked Mozarabe in June 2019. Neli and Mercedes from Amigos provided excellent guidance regarding use of albergues. The one in Rioja had even a decent swimming pool! I do not think the mountain stretches would be problematic in winter. Of course appropriate gear required for winter anyway. In contrast torrential rains like in September 2019 would most likely make the stages including usually dry riverbeds unpassable.

 

[Colette Z]

Hello all i am considering begunnig a Mozárabe camino in the winter of 2021/22. Anyone have info on whether albergues are open on the Mozárabe in January/ Febuary?

I am interested to hear info you obtained as I too look at walking sometime between Dec ‘21 and March ‘22

 

[Madrood]

Hi all

I followed up this topic and emailed the Almeria association. Here is the response (reposted with permission)

Me:
Could you please give me an indication if the stage between Almeria and Granada is hazardous during the winter, particularly in January/Feburary? I hear mixed things from other pilgrims.

Mercedes:
The weather is amazing in this momento and i Hope It Will be the same on january . The second stage is a bit difficult between Santa Fe and Alhabia and the third at the exit of Alboloduy and from km 50 to Nacimiento There is a little water for 4 km so you will have to change your footwear for one that does not get wet since the water wets your foot.
In the other stages there is no problem. All hostels and private accommodation are open. Our association has 9 pilgrim hostels in the towns of Rioja, Santa Cruz, Alboloduy,Abla, hueneja, la peza and Tocón de quéntar. You can see it in our guide of which I send you the link.
The snow is on the mountain, at the foot of the camino it is not normal to find snow or ice unless there is a storm. Climate change has also reached the Sierra Nevada. Now, It's cold on the early morning and on the night but a middle day the temperature is near 18-20 grades celsius and it has barely rained .

 

[H R]

Hi Madrood, thank you for the update on the Mozarabe. I intend walking Almeria to Granada starting the 1st March. I have tried to contact the Amigos by email and Whats App but have not got a response. (Not sure if I have the right contact details) Could You forward on the Amigo contact you used. Best wishes for 2023.

 

[Madrood]

Hi Madrood, thank you for the update on the Mozarabe. I intend walking Almeria to Granada starting the 1st March. I have tried to contact the Amigos by email and Whats App but have not got a response. (Not sure if I have the right contact details) Could You forward on the Amigo contact you used. Best wishes for 2023.

Happy to, here;s the email address:
caminomozarabedealmeria@gmail.com

We are coming up to Epiphany so they might be slow to respond these days.

Could I please get a ruling from the mods on publicly posting mobile phone numbers? Mercedes from the association was happy to have hers posted but I didn't since it seemed like the kind of thing that violated GDPR or could be abused.

 

[philleethomas]

I'm starting from Almería 7th February and going as far as Granada, then hope to do the Córdoba section in April or May. Anyone doing the Mozarabe then?

 

[H R]

Happy to, here;s the email address:
caminomozarabedealmeria@gmail.com

We are coming up to Epiphany so they might be slow to respond these days.

Could I please get a ruling from the mods on publicly posting mobile phone numbers? Mercedes from the association was happy to have hers posted but I didn't since it seemed like the kind of thing that violated GDPR or could be abused.

Happy to, here;s the email address:
caminomozarabedealmeria@gmail.com

We are coming up to Epiphany so they might be slow to respond these days.

Could I please get a ruling from the mods on publicly posting mobile phone numbers? Mercedes from the association was happy to have hers posted but I didn't since it seemed like the kind of thing that violated GDPR or could be abused.

Thanks Madrood, you are right maybe the time of year isn't good. Will wait until next week. Best wishes for 2023.

 

[Colette Z]

I'm starting from Almería 7th February and going as far as Granada, then hope to do the Córdoba section in April or May. Anyone doing the Mozarabe then?

The weather near Malaga has been amazing since early December so I’m sure you’ll have stable weather.