Travelling alone on the Camino!

[roxy.munteanu]

Hii!!Im planning to walk the Camino alone- is it dangerous for a girl!?? :shock:

 

[sillydoll]

No - not at all.
Be sensible - as you would at home - especially in the cities. Don't drink too much and then walk alone to the albergue. Be aware of your surroundings. You can always find someone to walk with if you are feeling uncomfortable.
Hundreds - thousands of women walk the Camino on their own.
You'll be fine!

 

[tyrrek]

Hi! Travelling alone is the way to go. You have more freedom. Sillydoll as (almost) always is right that you just have to be sensible and aware. As a pilgrim you have a kind of 'status' in a country which is still culturally religious even though the number of people who practise it is declining. You'll have drivers pipping their horns at you; not because you're a woman and they're letcherous, but because you're a pilgrim and they're offering encouragement and respect. Buen Camino!

 

[Thomas Hugues]

You should think twice about going alone.

 

[sillydoll]

Hape Kerkeling wrote his best seller "OK I'm Off Then" that there were luscious senoritas on the Camino just waiting for a blond, Ayrian man to sweep them off their feet. Nearly every, hot-blooded young stud from Germany hit the trail in 2010.

Thomas - are those out of work, aggressive young men from France by any chance? Don't be too sure that the women are easier prey than young men. There are a lot of lonely, female preadators out there just waiting to hit on a fresh young Frenchman on the Camino!

 

[tyrrek]

There are a lot of lonely, female preadators out there just waiting to hit on a fresh young Frenchman on the Camino!

Are there any looking for a Scotsman?

I can't relate to the risks Thomas refers to. OK, I'm a man, but I've never heard of women feeling threatened or intimidated on my Caminos. 'Walking alone' tends to mean leaving home alone, but the reality is that you're unlikely to be alone once you've hit the Camino and meet other pilgrims unless it's the depths of winter or on a quiet route.

Yes take precautions especially in significant towns and cities, but I think you're probably more at risk passing through Paris or Madrid rather than anywhere on the route.

Buen Camino!

 

[sillydoll]

I think this was an irreverent post by a Frenchman with his tongue firmly in his cheek!

 

[tyrrek]

I think this was an irreverent post by a Frenchman with his tongue firmly in his cheek!

Doh! I hope it was. :lol: Buen Camino!

 

[grayland]

This whole post is the opposite of what is the normal opinion of well experienced Pilgrims who post on this forum.
In three Caminos, I can't think that I have seen or heard of any case of .."agressive young men in Spain who are out of work and spend their time sitting around smoking cigarettes, spitting and looking for easy targets to rob".
Let alone attacked and raped. :roll:

The Camino is a safer place for women alone than almost any place I know.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

You should think twice about going alone. Girls are more likely to be hit on, attacked or even raped along the camino.

This is scaremongering in the extreme with absolutely no evidence to back up these false claims.

There are a lot of agressive young men in Spain who are out of work and spend their time sitting around smoking cigarettes, spitting and looking for easy targets to rob.

Wow - talk about racial stereotyping. This is just nonsense. Yes there is a problem with youth unemployment in Spain as in other European countries but this does not mean that young people are hanging around (spitting!!!) waiting for people to rob.

If I were a girl, I'd think about asking a friend to go with me. It might be a good idea to make a friend early and walk with them the whole way. Protection in numbers.
Buen Camino ! :

Many people form friendships and walk with others on the camino. They do this spontaneously and not out of the kind of fear this post might engender.

Now France...don't get me started about the French

 

[julie]

I've walked in Spain and in France by myself and don't have any hesitation in doing so on any of the pilgrim routes. You just exercise the same caution that you would at home.

You will very quickly meet others and there will be no shortage of companions if you feel at any stage that you don't want to walk alone.

 

[vagabondette]

You should think twice about going alone. Girls are more likely to be hit on, attacked or even raped along the camino. There are a lot of agressive young men in Spain who are out of work and spend their time sitting around smoking cigarettes, spitting and looking for easy targets to rob. If I were a girl, I'd think about asking a friend to go with me. It might be a good idea to make a friend early and walk with them the whole way. Protection in numbers. Buen Camino ! :

Quite possibly one of the dumbest things I have ever read...

Single female currently walking lone with no issues having met many others like me. Just do it

 

[sillydoll]

Thomas - I honestly thought you were kidding when you posted those comments about "agressive young men in Spain who are out of work spending their time sitting around smoking cigarettes, spitting and looking for easy targets to rob."

It was such an outrageous thing to say that I really, honestly thought you were taking the Mickey out of the Forum!!

 

[gittiharre]

I am shocked at the fear mongering, after 4000 km on pilgrim trails I have not encountered serious issues, important to have the right vibes around you and take basic precautions, but I have found respect and good will all along the routes I have walked, I don't think it is constructive to install fear, gitti

 

[Gilespenn]

Hi Everyone,

This is only a story, but I think it is very typical of what happens:
When I arrived at the albergue in Portugalate a little late, I met a young French woman who had started her Camino that day in Bilbao. We talked in the dormitory for quite a while and she expressed her concerns about being alone on the Camino. Her fears were not only about any kind of harassment, she was worried over whether she could navigate The Way without help. I told her not to worry and that she'd soon find many friends her age if she wished walking companions. Two days later I met her again and she was walking with two young Dutch women and having a fine time. Two more days later I met her and she was walking alone. I asked her about walking alone and she said that, after the first few days, she much preferred the solitude and wasn't afraid at all.

I believe this is pretty typical. However, one caveat. Walking alone on the Norte can be a challenge for anyone of any age because, in places, you are really isolated on a mountain trail that can be hazardous in wet weather. But for me, the rewards far outweighed any kind of risk.

So do walk alone if you want to and Buen Camino,
Giles

 

[Maka]

I lived in northern Spain for ten years and never once felt threatened or intimidated by anyone. I am not a woman and would obviously recommend being sensible but there is absolutely nothing to fear.