Yes it’s true, this winter, I (Gary) will be heading back to Spain for the seventh time. I will again be starting in early January for the walk from Saint Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago. This is a much quieter walk as there are a fraction of the number of pilgrims compared to the spring, summer and fall. In early May there can be 300 pilgrims starting a day from St Jean. In the month of February 2025 (when I finished) only 150 other people finished their walk (5 per day), having started in St Jean in January. I was one of only 10 Americans. I only met one other pilgrim from an English speaking country. Over half (77 of the 151) of the walkers were from Korea. It will be interesting to see what 2026 brings.
Northern Spain does have winter. I only encountered accumulating snow in O Cebreiro. The nice thing about the Camino (compared to the AT) is that I am inside every night. Last year several people commented on “hope your weather improves”. I honestly look forward to having “some weather” to deal with. It certainly adds to the adventure.
I really enjoyed the winter walk last year. The small community definitely fits my personality type. It is mostly single, young adventures – very similar to the Appalachian trail. Most of the travelers do speak some English, but not all.
I will post every few days, just like previous walks.
Click on the links below to read about my adventures as I walk across Spain. I plan to leave St Jean Pied de Port on January 3, 2026 and be in Pamplona for the Three Kings Day parade on January 5th.
St Jean to Pamplona
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Gary and Elizabeth's Adventures 