Random Questions - Starting del Norte on Sept 4!

[Nick Meador]

I'll be walking the Camino del Norte and onto Finisterre in two parts, roughly from Sept 4-28 and Oct 15-Nov 8. (I'm attending a seminar in Barcelona in the middle, and taking a slower pace overall due to a health condition.)

I'm pretty sure I'm going to leave my light inflatable sleeping pad at home to save weight for more cold gear, since it probably wouldn't make sense to sleep outside at that time of year. I've also heard the Norte can get wetter after the summer. Do you think rain pants are worth carrying? I'll definitely have a poncho, shell jacket, and pack cover.

I heard about the pilgrim post to Santiago. But is it possible to mail things to a point on the Camino before Santiago and have them held for you? There's a big gap between when I start and when I would arrive in Santiago. I'm not sure how long they would hold my things if I do need to send something ahead. Is it much more expensive to ship things elsewhere in Spain? I will see my friend in Bilbao at the end, so sending something to him could be an alternative.

Any domestic Spanish SIM card recommendations? I'll have an unlocked smartphone. I'm planning to just pop into a Vodafone or Movistar shop when I arrive. I want mobile data, domestic calls, and texting. I tried to have a card shipped to the U.S. in advance, but it didn't work out.

Thanks very much!

 

[Marc S.]

Hello Nick. I can only give feedback on your first question. Although I am not a weather forecaster, you will definitely get rain on the Norte & in Galicia you are bound to get rain whenever you walk. I usually take rain pants on my camino, but I hardly wear them. My rain jacket usually keeps me dry enough and I actually do not mind that much if my legs get wet as I am wearing short trousers anyway. I only wear my rain pants when it is really pouring down extremely or when it is raining & cold at the same time. On each Camino that I walked between September and November I was actually happy I brought my rain pants, although I wore them for just a few cold rainy days. For me it was worth carrying the extra weight. I never wear a poncho but somehow it seems to me that carrying both a poncho and a pair of rainpants is a bit too much. Hope this is helpfull, Buen camino, Marc.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I walked part of the Norte last year and only saw 1 day of rain but it poured! Record rainfall! The fact that it only raines that day was very unusual. Bring the pants.

 

[Nick Meador]

Thanks for both of these replies. Now I'm finding more reliable climate info for the Norte (like here). It seems average temps won't go below 45 F even in November. Though the number of rainy days per month ranges from 12-16 in the fall months. I'll take the rain pants, indeed. I don't mind my legs getting wet either, but if it's in the 50s that could get very chilly and uncomfortable.

 

[AlanSykes]

is it possible to mail things to a point on the Camino before Santiago and have them held for you?

Any domestic Spanish SIM card recommendations?

hi there,

I'll be following in your footsteps in November. You can send packages to any post office in Spain and they'll hold them for you for a month. Just mark the envelope "Nick Meador, Lista de Correos, Oviedo [or Llanes, or where-ever], and the post code".

I've got a vodafone.es sim card. €15 gets you a month's worth of data and calls; you can buy one from most medium-large sized towns. It worked fine for me, although I expect other providers are just as good.

Buen camino, Alan

 

[jesben1]

I'll be walking the Camino del Norte and onto Finisterre in two parts, roughly from Sept 4-28 and Oct 15-Nov 8. (I'm attending a seminar in Barcelona in the middle, and taking a slower pace overall due to a health condition.)

I'm pretty sure I'm going to leave my light inflatable sleeping pad at home to save weight for more cold gear, since it probably wouldn't make sense to sleep outside at that time of year. I've also heard the Norte can get wetter after the summer. Do you think rain pants are worth carrying? I'll definitely have a poncho, shell jacket, and pack cover.

I heard about the pilgrim post to Santiago. But is it possible to mail things to a point on the Camino before Santiago and have them held for you? There's a big gap between when I start and when I would arrive in Santiago. I'm not sure how long they would hold my things if I do need to send something ahead. Is it much more expensive to ship things elsewhere in Spain? I will see my friend in Bilbao at the end, so sending something to him could be an alternative.

Any domestic Spanish SIM card recommendations? I'll have an unlocked smartphone. I'm planning to just pop into a Vodafone or Movistar shop when I arrive. I want mobile data, domestic calls, and texting. I tried to have a card shipped to the U.S. in advance, but it didn't work out.

Thanks very much!

Despite hearing about the rain and preparing for it, I only put my rain jacket on once for three minutes haha, other than that it never rained! I couldn't believe it, I"m not sure if bringing an extra set of rain pants is needed, maybe some water resistant hiking pants? Also yes, the "Correos" in spain will send your things wherever you choose and they will hold it for 10 days, for example we sent some things from santander to Gijon, then picked up in Gijon and sent ahead to Santiago, not expensive either.