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Cycling El Camino in February
Posted by: vitamind239
Date: January 29, 2010 02:09AM

Friends, I am setting out of Pamplona to Santiago on my bike Parcival in early February 2010.
If anybody can help with several questions - it would be great, thanks in advance.
1. What's the easiest way to get from Barcelona to Pamplona? Train? Bus? I checked the webcites for both: renfe is difficult to follow, bus website is pretty straight forward but it takes longer and requires bus change. Should I buy tickets in advance on line or at the terminal?
2. Same for traveling from Santiago to Bilbao: train? bus? tickets?
3. Is it typical/warm/cold winter in Northern Spain?
4. How likely will I get .25m of snow :-(ouch!) on the ground along the rout in February?
5. May one camp in the tent while biking along El Camino? Campsites? In the trees?
6. Any other practical/winter considerations.
I know it's sort of a lot - please share your thoughts/experience if you have time/energy.
Thanks, cheers and happy days,
Dmitry

Re: Cycling El Camino in February
Posted by: Paul In Canada
Date: January 29, 2010 08:37PM

I've walked the Camino twice. I give classes at home on how to prepare, and have written a Planning Guide (for walking not cycling). I am a long distance cyclist, but haven't brought a bike to the Camino. So these are thoughts and suggestions only...

I connected from Madrid to Pamplona in September to start my second Camino. Don't know about the bus service but trains are an effective way to travel. I would say this is especially true with a bike. Others may have different experience.

Average daily temp in February is around 5-10 degrees C. It can range up or down considerably from there. For example, in September the average temp is around 20 degrees C. It was mid 30s for my first two weeks, then dropped to near 0 as I went over the Mountains of Leon in early morning. There are three mountain passes on the Camino Frances (two if you start in Pamplona) where it is somewhere between very likely and guaranteed there will be snow in February. Elsewhere along the trail, it's weather dependent for any given year.

Many people camp during the summer months on the Camino. In February, you better have a very, very warm sleeping bag.

I hope you're at least planning to use a mountain bike...


Paul in Canada

Re: Cycling El Camino in February
Posted by: vitamind239
Date: January 29, 2010 08:52PM

Hey Paul thanks for the note. I am using mount bike and I have a warm sleeping bag too. Did you buy your Madrid-Pamplona train ticket on line or at the station?
Thanks and cheers,
Dmitry

Re: Cycling El Camino in February
Posted by: Paul In Canada
Date: February 01, 2010 02:51PM

Either is usually fine, but as a pre-caution, buy in advance.

Re: Cycling El Camino in February
Posted by: Paul Gallagher
Date: April 27, 2010 12:22AM

Dmitry,

If you have experience of cycling in snow and cold weather then you might be ok. In the summer if something goes wrong on the path then another pilgrim will most likely stumble accross you and your never too far from help. If you cycle in the winter this is not the case. You could meet people along the way but equally you could be on your own alot of the time. I cycled it before in two weeks coming from a very low level of fitness. This was in the summer with long days. I took my time near the end, but found it hard in Galicia. It was easy to wash clothes and the accomadation although basic meant I was clean. If you go camping in winter I doubt there would be many camp sites open with showers. Do you know the cost of accomadation? It is quite cheap but will be cold in winter. I had a four season bag. It kept me warm even down to -8 centigrade but in a tent I duno you'll feel it more I'd say. Sounds like an adventure camping but. You need a fairly good mountain bike if you want to go on the trail. Front suspension important. ability to fix spokes, spare spokes, spare tube, small spanners to tighten loose nuts, spanner to take off wheel and pedal if required for flight, good quality pump, double action. able to adjust breaks, some spare screws, nuts and bolts. The bike I had got so santiago but the back wheel buckled a bit and I lost three spokes heading down a hill. I had to walk 15 miles to the nearest bike shop. Bikes in spain may have different size components to your bike but they can usually patch them up. If you opted for on road then with a hybrid or racer it would be possible to do it in a week, but apart from cheaper accomadation of which plenty would be available you might as well cycle anwhere really. There are only two 2 in one decents I can remember. Scary a bit but you could walk the bike down them.

Re: Cycling El Camino in February
Posted by: Paul Gallagher
Date: April 27, 2010 12:23AM

just noticed this is in the past!! Oh well.