Spain… land of eternal sunshine. Maybe in the tourist literature or some memory of a long ago holiday. But in truth, the climate of the Camino Francés will exhibit all four seasons of weather, from the heavy snows which smothered Burgos, driving rains and muddy trails come springtime in Navarra, the parched lands near Hornillos del Camino in the blazing August sun or the glory of a Galician autumn when the rains hold off for weeks and the countryside is bathed in golden sunshine. Hard to say that one is preferable to the other. The wildflowers and luminescent green fields of northern Spain are so beautiful from the spring rains. The less busy pathways and the long drawn out evenings of a Spanish summer are the reward after the heat of a summer’s camino. Winter is the reflective season and will always be a more solitary affair, with many lodgings closed, awaiting to reopen and greet all the new pilgrims after Semana Santa. (end of March 2018) Future posts will take a look at how the seasons reveal themselves along the Camino Francés throughout the year. Whatever the weather brings, it is always a good day to wish your fellow pilgrim «buen camino».
