5 Camino de Santiago Winter Hiking Tips
Hiking the Camino de Santiago can be a magical experience for any pilgrim who decides to take on this nearly 500 mile journey through Spain. An ancient path, worn into the ground by millions of previous peregrinos, The Way of Saint James is a beautiful route that begins in the French Pyrenees and ends near the Spanish coast line in the city of Compostela (or if you’re a real go-getter, Cape Finisterre).
Along the entire trail you’ll find previous peregrinos living tidbits of wisdom. Some of it can be really positive and enlightening. Some of it is junk. Mostly it’s pretty interesting to read.
The last time Justin and I experienced that Camino was in the Summer of 2017. We started in St. Jean Pied de Port which is the traditional starting point of the Camino. It can be pretty trying as you spend the entire day ascending into the mountains. It was a huge wake up call. I had never walked so far, for so long in my entire life. However, I became addicted. Hiking long miles does something to you. All of your previous pressures and stresses head into the background. You become concerned with such basic needs: sleeping, eating, taking care of your body. It’s so amazing. People say that the Camino is broken up into three parts. The beginning is for your body, the middle is for your mind and the end is for your soul. Having done the beginning and the end and now, in 2019, having completed a portion of the middle, I can definitely attest to that.
Just a naive pilgrim starting in St. Jean in 2017 with no hiking knowledge.
We just came back from hiking 115 miles from Burgos to Leon in December. The Camino experience in the winter is SUPER different than when we first did it in the summer. So, I started thinking that compiling a list of things you might need to know if you too want to experience a winter Camino would be useful because it was definitely a learning experience for us. A very cold learning experience.
A beautiful Camino morning. Leaving from Burgos heading into Hornillos.
1.) In the summer you’re fighting for places to stay in the local municipals. There are exponentially more pilgrims on the trail so you’re waking up before dawn (usually around 5am) to get ahead of the pack and to beat the heat. However, in the winter you might not see another pilgrim all day. Here we were waking up before the sun like we were summer pilgrims! In our first albergue we were putting on our shoes and were out the door by the time the other pilgrims were stumbling into the lukewarm shower. I looked at Justin and said, “there is a reason they’re not waking up early..” The reason being that you’re fighting maybe a dozen other people that might stop before you or after you on the trail so you are pretty much guaranteed a bed. So, give yourself some time to sleep and let the sun come up at bit so that you’re at least a little more warm as you hike. We ended up getting up around 7 or 7:30. The albergues are typically cleaned around 8:00 or 8:30 so you do need to be out by then.
Chilly pilgrims!
2.) In the summer you can really (if you get there early enough) get your pick of the municpals or albergues because they’re all open. Everything is open! Bars, restaurants, little shops, everything! Often you’ll see musicians or artists on the side of trail asking for some change in exchange for a unique stamp in your credencial (a pilgrim’s passport). There is trail magic everywhere. Coolers full of juice or snacks are stashed everywhere along the trail. Previous pilgrims will be waiting at the top of a heinous mountain with an icy bucket of San Miguels just waiting for you. However, in the winter there is no one. The trail is empty. The bars and restaurants are closed. We did find it a bit sad in the beginning but it really gave us time to be together and talk. We did miss the connections and friendships we forged with other pilgrims during the summer but if you’re looking for a more solitary experience, then the winter Camino will definitely give that to you. So, with that being said, pack some food and stock up on your water because most likely the towns that you go through will not have any cafes open for you to re-up your food bag.
Some Camino wisdom.
3.) Speaking of places being closed, definitely keep a printed out list of the Albergues de Invierno list located on http://www.aprinca.com/alberguesinvierno/ It’s a constantly updated list of albergues that are open, albergues that are open but need a reservation and of others that are totally closed from November to February. We found a lot of places to be closed during the time that we were there so it was a super helpful list. There would often be only one albergue open in a town or none at all which would change up our schedule leading to higher mileage days. However, the albergues and municipals that were open were pretty cool and oftentimes we were the only pilgrims there. While that can be nice for showering and having privacy, it can be lonely sometimes when you really want to share the Camino experience with someone else.
A monastery that would have normally held upwards of 100 pilgrims now housed 5 cold peregrinos.
Another nearly empty Camino town. A lot of these towns empty out in the winter with many of the residents moving to the bigger cities. During the “camino season” they come back. However, the population can dwindle from several hundred to under a dozen people. We were in towns with less than ten people at multiple points on the Camino.
4.) When you stay in big cities like Leon, Burgos or Logrono, request to be put in a room in the back of the building. You’ll be happy to give up the view when you realize that you can actually sleep. In the bigger cities the locals (and sometimes ill-advised pilgrims) will party hard until the sun comes up. There have been many times where I had a room with a beautiful view but unfortunately laid awake all night long because of the bumping music and crashing glasses going on until 5am. This isn’t necessarily a winter Camino tip but just a general Camino tip you’ll be glad to have in your back pocket. From one tired peregrino to another, get the back room.
The only open municipal in town with the only other pilgrims in town. All of us cold and tired but happy to be pilgrims!
5.) Bring a sleeping bag or some type of sleeping sack. You’ll be so glad you did. During the winter the albergues and monasteries can get so cold. They don’t leave the radiators on for very long and often they don’t seem to be turned on at all. The municipals run on a very slim skeleton crew so the likelihood of being able to find someone in the middle of the night to ask about the radiator is probably not going to happen. I brought my sleeping sack and I felt pretty warm and cozy but if I hadn’t had it (like Justin) I would have been freezing. Sometimes they don’t offer blankets and if they do they might of dubious cleanliness. I personally haven’t had a run-in with bed bugs but I’ve definitely known other pilgrims who have.
A happy peregrino.
Above all though, the Camino is a magical and life changing experience. The seasons definitely change the way you do your own Camino, so consider that as you begin to plan. If you’re wanting a more populated and, albeit, very warm experience than shoot for the summer. if you wanting a more solitary and pensive experience and you don’t mind the cold, the winter Camino is for you. But whatever you do, be open to the experience and take it fully in. You’ll be so glad you did.
Check out our previous summer Camino day-by-day posts from 2017 if you’re interested in the St. Jean to Burgos trek.
-Tiffany
