matt toy
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances
When to Go?
This is such an important question to ponder for a variety of personal and practical reasons. Below I’ve listed the most important factors for each season. The transitional seasons, spring and fall, are great times to walk to Santiago. It’s not too cold, but not too hot and not too crowded. The spring is vibrantly green, while the fall is wildly colorful. Read more below:
SPRING
Spring marks the start of a new pilgrimage season. It’s a new year and the trickle of pilgrims turns to a more continuous flow. While it’s a bit colder than autumn, spring is still a beautiful time to walk to Santiago. The days are getting longer, the flowers are budding and the hills are thriving. A pilgrim can experience the impulsiveness of nature in spring. One day might be warm, sunny and clear while the next could be dark, stormy, and gloomy. Expect rain, some snow, wind and sun.
SUMMER
Summer is peak pilgrim time. It’s fun and in some cases feels like a party. And like most really great fiestas (that’s Spanish for parties) it’s crowded, competitive and hot. I’m not trying to say that the Camino de Santiago has turned into one big hot exclusive nightclub (although that sounds pretty enticing), but it can feel that way, especially for those pilgrims looking for introspection. There are just so many people that finding resources like water, beds, food, and the like can make your experience a bit more challenging. It’s estimated that around 50% of all pilgrims who walk over the course of an entire year do so during the summer months, with the highest numbers in July and August. I find this statistic so interesting because July and August are also two of the hottest months along The Way. There is a saying to describe just how punishing the weather is across the meseta region, which is the longest stretch for those pilgrims who started east of the Pyrenees. The ciudadanos (citizens/inhabitants) say they endure nine months of bitter cold and three months of H-E-double L. If you don’t like the heat, avoid summer.
AUTUMN
Autumn marks the culmination of the pilgrimage season. The party is over and the large numbers from summer start to drop after August and into October. This is a special time to walk. The days shorten, but the Spanish countryside glows gold to compensate. The weather is warm and you’re unlikely to encounter rain or snow. While the afternoons can be just as hot as in summer, the mornings and evenings tend to be cool and refreshing. Finding a bed is no longer as much of a concern, but discovering bed bugs is. Don’t worry, it’s not like every albergue is infested with them. Overall, the vibe is genuinely slower paced making self-reflection a bit easier to access.
WINTER
Winter is cold and solitary. The infrastructure and albergues that serve pilgrims in other seasons are largely inactive. The weather will be physically harsh, along with the lack of amenities. If you’re looking for a truly meditative experience winter might be your time. You won’t hear the voices or walking stick clicks coming up from behind you as you normally would in other seasons. This might help a pilgrim to look inward and become less competitive, less anxious. The only voices you’ll likely hear while walking in the snow are your own.
SYMBOLISM (HIPPIES READ BELOW)
If you are the new age type or find meaning in nature (as you all should), spend time to contemplate the symbolism of each season and how that might influence your experience.
SPRING SYMBOLISM
Spring is the time for renewal. Nature is waking herself up again and everyone and everything knows it. We endured the winter and the sun is warming up our souls. Energy and vitality return to us. The great representation of spring is reinvention. Starting projects, a new job, or even starting to look at life in a different way are themes of spring. During this time we are able to plant creative ideas in the fertile soil of our consciousness and witness them grow. We begin to open up emotionally and spiritually as the body wakes up. It is a time to reflect on our health and well-being. Spring is very fitting for pilgrims looking for rejuvenation.
SUMMER SYMBOLISM
Summer is fun under the sun. Life is easy and energetic. Summer doesn’t allow much room for reclusiveness. It is a time to rejoice and live freely. Light penetrates even the most well hidden shelters of darkness. Everything is revealed. Even secrets that you keep deep inside you become difficult to corral, or maybe it’s that they just fade away as a result of all the beauty surrounding you. Summer is the time for carefree exploration and action. It is easy to be expressive and open hearted during summer.
AUTUMN SYMBOLISM
Autumn is the time for reflection. Even the angle of the sun changes to reflect against the hills creating a fire glow of light. This is nature’s last attempt to show us just how capable and beautiful she really is. We are blessed with the bounty that nature provides us with and this cannot be more evident in the grape fields that you’ll pass through when walking in autumn.
We take stock of our own bounty in the fall—where we’ve been, where we’re going and most importantly where we are right now. The change of color reminds us that life is short and transitory, but that it is also beautiful. Autumn allows us to pause and reflect on that which is most important in our lives.
WINTER SYMBOLISM
Winter symbolizes dormancy. Contemplation, purity and clarification are all themes of winter. Nature sleeps as cold and darkness take over. What remains visible is only the structure. That’s what you see. Everything else is hidden and sheltered underneath. But the source of life is protected. It’s quiet and still. Learn from winter by listening carefully to what’s unseen. It’s inside of you.
This is such an important question to ponder for a variety of personal and practical reasons. Below I’ve listed the most important factors for each season. The transitional seasons, spring and fall, are great times to walk to Santiago. It’s not too cold, but not too hot and not too crowded. The spring is vibrantly green, while the fall is wildly colorful. Read more below:
SPRING
Spring marks the start of a new pilgrimage season. It’s a new year and the trickle of pilgrims turns to a more continuous flow. While it’s a bit colder than autumn, spring is still a beautiful time to walk to Santiago. The days are getting longer, the flowers are budding and the hills are thriving. A pilgrim can experience the impulsiveness of nature in spring. One day might be warm, sunny and clear while the next could be dark, stormy, and gloomy. Expect rain, some snow, wind and sun.
SUMMER
Summer is peak pilgrim time. It’s fun and in some cases feels like a party. And like most really great fiestas (that’s Spanish for parties) it’s crowded, competitive and hot. I’m not trying to say that the Camino de Santiago has turned into one big hot exclusive nightclub (although that sounds pretty enticing), but it can feel that way, especially for those pilgrims looking for introspection. There are just so many people that finding resources like water, beds, food, and the like can make your experience a bit more challenging. It’s estimated that around 50% of all pilgrims who walk over the course of an entire year do so during the summer months, with the highest numbers in July and August. I find this statistic so interesting because July and August are also two of the hottest months along The Way. There is a saying to describe just how punishing the weather is across the meseta region, which is the longest stretch for those pilgrims who started east of the Pyrenees. The ciudadanos (citizens/inhabitants) say they endure nine months of bitter cold and three months of H-E-double L. If you don’t like the heat, avoid summer.
AUTUMN
Autumn marks the culmination of the pilgrimage season. The party is over and the large numbers from summer start to drop after August and into October. This is a special time to walk. The days shorten, but the Spanish countryside glows gold to compensate. The weather is warm and you’re unlikely to encounter rain or snow. While the afternoons can be just as hot as in summer, the mornings and evenings tend to be cool and refreshing. Finding a bed is no longer as much of a concern, but discovering bed bugs is. Don’t worry, it’s not like every albergue is infested with them. Overall, the vibe is genuinely slower paced making self-reflection a bit easier to access.
WINTER
Winter is cold and solitary. The infrastructure and albergues that serve pilgrims in other seasons are largely inactive. The weather will be physically harsh, along with the lack of amenities. If you’re looking for a truly meditative experience winter might be your time. You won’t hear the voices or walking stick clicks coming up from behind you as you normally would in other seasons. This might help a pilgrim to look inward and become less competitive, less anxious. The only voices you’ll likely hear while walking in the snow are your own.
SYMBOLISM (HIPPIES READ BELOW)
If you are the new age type or find meaning in nature (as you all should), spend time to contemplate the symbolism of each season and how that might influence your experience.
SPRING SYMBOLISM
Spring is the time for renewal. Nature is waking herself up again and everyone and everything knows it. We endured the winter and the sun is warming up our souls. Energy and vitality return to us. The great representation of spring is reinvention. Starting projects, a new job, or even starting to look at life in a different way are themes of spring. During this time we are able to plant creative ideas in the fertile soil of our consciousness and witness them grow. We begin to open up emotionally and spiritually as the body wakes up. It is a time to reflect on our health and well-being. Spring is very fitting for pilgrims looking for rejuvenation.
SUMMER SYMBOLISM
Summer is fun under the sun. Life is easy and energetic. Summer doesn’t allow much room for reclusiveness. It is a time to rejoice and live freely. Light penetrates even the most well hidden shelters of darkness. Everything is revealed. Even secrets that you keep deep inside you become difficult to corral, or maybe it’s that they just fade away as a result of all the beauty surrounding you. Summer is the time for carefree exploration and action. It is easy to be expressive and open hearted during summer.
AUTUMN SYMBOLISM
Autumn is the time for reflection. Even the angle of the sun changes to reflect against the hills creating a fire glow of light. This is nature’s last attempt to show us just how capable and beautiful she really is. We are blessed with the bounty that nature provides us with and this cannot be more evident in the grape fields that you’ll pass through when walking in autumn.
We take stock of our own bounty in the fall—where we’ve been, where we’re going and most importantly where we are right now. The change of color reminds us that life is short and transitory, but that it is also beautiful. Autumn allows us to pause and reflect on that which is most important in our lives.
WINTER SYMBOLISM
Winter symbolizes dormancy. Contemplation, purity and clarification are all themes of winter. Nature sleeps as cold and darkness take over. What remains visible is only the structure. That’s what you see. Everything else is hidden and sheltered underneath. But the source of life is protected. It’s quiet and still. Learn from winter by listening carefully to what’s unseen. It’s inside of you.
