An observation

Calisteve · Jul 14, 2019

On the Ingles currently at Sigueiro and it occurred to me while walking this morning that, whilst being comparatively quiet, I've seen a lot more women walking the route than men. Not scientific and a limited sample, but by the end of today I've seen around 30 women and only 10 men. The numbers are 'skewed' by the women walking in pairs and groups of 3 (no similar groups of men) but still the disparity has been noticeable.

Bad Pilgrim · Jul 14, 2019

On the other hand... On the Ruta de la Lana, between Alicante and Burgos, 100% of pilgrims were male !!

All three of us!

Calisteve · Jul 14, 2019

Ha - lies, damn lies and statistics, especially when based on a small sample. Did get me thinking though that experience on previous caminos supports the impression of more cases of women than men walking in pairs and threes. Almost guaranteed therefore thst i will see nothing but men tomorrow and then on to Muxia and Finisterre!

Singingheart · Jul 15, 2019

Calisteve said:
Ha - lies, damn lies and statistics, especially when based on a small sample. Did get me thinking though that experience on previous caminos supports the impression of more cases of women than men walking in pairs and threes. Almost guaranteed therefore thst i will see nothing but men tomorrow and then on to Muxia and Finisterre!

Aside from the shorter length, how did you find the difficulty of the Ingles compared with the CF and PC?

Calisteve · Jul 15, 2019

Singingheart said:
Aside from the shorter length, how did you find the difficulty of the Ingles compared with the CF and PC?

Wouldn't say any of it was 'difficult' - although the climb out of Pontedeume was pretty challenging in that it is so steep. I did it last thing in the day and would hate to do it first thing in the morning but thats just me. It seemed to me that there were a lot fewer bars/cafes and water fountains. So the main challenge was ensuring coffee in the mornings and carrying plenty of water during the day. One morning I didn't find a bar until I'd walked 10 kms which dragged and dragged. The next day I made sure I got my Americano first thing and I flew along.

LTfit · Jul 15, 2019

Calisteve said:
Ha - lies, damn lies and statistics, especially when based on a small sample. Did get me thinking though that experience on previous caminos supports the impression of more cases of women than men walking in pairs and threes. Almost guaranteed therefore thst i will see nothing but men tomorrow and then on to Muxia and Finisterre!

Well when I walked from Alicante to Cuenca this past March it was 50/50. Me being the female 50% contingent and one French male who I met one evening the other 50%

Singingheart · Jul 15, 2019

Calisteve said:
Wouldn't say any of it was 'difficult' - although the climb out of Pontedeume was pretty challenging in that it is so steep. I did it last thing in the day and would hate to do it first thing in the morning but thats just me. It seemed to me that there were a lot fewer bars/cafes and water fountains. So the main challenge was ensuring coffee in the mornings and carrying plenty of water during the day. One morning I didn't find a bar until I'd walked 10 kms which dragged and dragged. The next day I made sure I got my Americano first thing and I flew along.

Thanks. I will be leaving Pontedeume in the morning, so I'm forewarned. Is the climb on a path or a road?

willydp · Jul 15, 2019

Singingheart said:
Thanks. I will be leaving Pontedeume in the morning, so I'm forewarned. Is the climb on a path or a road?

@Singingheart It is al on the road and is not quite an ordeal. Depends on your training
Take a rest and drink
Look at the stages -->
Buen Camino

Calisteve · Jul 15, 2019

Good advice - take it slowly. Maybe it seemed so bad to me because it was at the end of the day. Anyway it will soon be over!

Calisteve · Jul 15, 2019

and watch out for this chap (although it would be hard to miss him).

Bruce and Margaret · Jul 16, 2019

Calisteve said:
Wouldn't say any of it was 'difficult' - although the climb out of Pontedeume was pretty challenging in that it is so steep. I did it last thing in the day and would hate to do it first thing in the morning but thats just me. It seemed to me that there were a lot fewer bars/cafes and water fountains. So the main challenge was ensuring coffee in the mornings and carrying plenty of water during the day. One morning I didn't find a bar until I'd walked 10 kms which dragged and dragged. The next day I made sure I got my Americano first thing and I flew along.

Thank you for the info about the climb out of Pontedeume. My wife and I are doing the Ingles in September and that hill is in our mind. How long is the climb in time and distance. Regards Bruce and Margaret.

Calisteve · Jul 16, 2019

Bruce & Margaret - probably short and not long but it seemed a lot worse! It's all in town through narrow streets which seemed to make it a bit of a struggle. But that's me being a bit of a woos. You'll be fine although I'd recommend having a rest and drink before beginning!

Calisteve · Jul 17, 2019

No longer on the Ingles (I'm now walking to Muxia and then Finisterre) but on the same theme as my original observation. I'm in Dumbria at the amazing municipal albergue funded by the owner of Zara. It's full (the guidebook says 26 places) and there's a guy sleeping on the floor in the communal area. A quick count as I wander around suggests a ratio of something in the order of 20 women to 6 men. The added issue that there are 4 toilets - 2 for men and 2 for the ladies. So looks like the girls may well be queuing in the morning.

Marcus-UK · Jul 20, 2019

Calisteve said:
On the Ingles currently at Sigueiro and it occurred to me while walking this morning that, whilst being comparatively quiet, I've seen a lot more women walking the route than men. Not scientific and a limited sample, but by the end of today I've seen around 30 women and only 10 men. The numbers are 'skewed' by the women walking in pairs and groups of 3 (no similar groups of men) but still the disparity has been noticeable.

When I did the Ingles there did seem to be more women walking. However the thing I noticed was the large amount of Polish pilgrims.. Leaving at first light from Hospital De Bruma (Also a big hill), a large group of Polish pilgrims were walking and chanting. It felt a little weird in the dawn light in Late September.

Canche · Jul 21, 2019

Bad Pilgrim said:
On the other hand... On the Ruta de la Lana, between Alicante and Burgos, 100% of pilgrims were male !!

All three of us!

On my way!

NorthernLight · Jul 21, 2019

Calisteve said:
No longer on the Ingles (I'm now walking to Muxia and then Finisterre) but on the same theme as my original observation. I'm in Dumbria at the amazing municipal albergue funded by the owner of Zara. It's full (the guidebook says 26 places) and there's a guy sleeping on the floor in the communal area. A quick count as I wander around suggests a ratio of something in the order of 20 women to 6 men. The added issue that there are 4 toilets - 2 for men and 2 for the ladies. So looks like the girls may well be queuing in the morning.

I'd be invading the men's room. That's a great albergue.

Bruce and Margaret · Jul 21, 2019

Calisteve said:
Bruce & Margaret - probably short and not long but it seemed a lot worse! It's all in town through narrow streets which seemed to make it a bit of a struggle. But that's me being a bit of a woos. You'll be fine although I'd recommend having a rest and drink before beginning!

Thank you.

lovetoread3 · Jul 22, 2019

Calisteve said:
No longer on the Ingles (I'm now walking to Muxia and then Finisterre) but on the same theme as my original observation. I'm in Dumbria at the amazing municipal albergue funded by the owner of Zara. It's full (the guidebook says 26 places) and there's a guy sleeping on the floor in the communal area. A quick count as I wander around suggests a ratio of something in the order of 20 women to 6 men. The added issue that there are 4 toilets - 2 for men and 2 for the ladies. So looks like the girls may well be queuing in the morning.

Seriously, aren't the women ALWAYS queueing for los aseos?

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