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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Any suggestions for walking alone?

Herbst

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
9/9/2019 Camino de Santiago
I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
 
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Good for you, setting off again! My first thought? Book your first few places, and by then you might have found someone who will be happy to join you in a shared room setting. If not, just keep going with booking, till your money runs out!
Don't fret about it, though. You might be one of those people for whom brick walls fall down to let you pass unscathed. Buen camino!
 
Good for you, setting off again! My first thought? Book your first few places, and by then you might have found someone who will be happy to join you in a shared room setting. If not, just keep going with booking, till your money runs out!
Don't fret about it, though. You might be one of those people for whom brick walls fall down to let you pass unscathed. Buen camino!
Thank you
 
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I see you are referring to C. Frances, so is it Logrono you mean? In 2018 I arrived to an almost full house too. There was a huge festival in town and a marathon the next day. I was told I got the last (very pricey) room in town. Next time i’ll do some homework when approaching a city on a weekend. 😉. I don't think You need to walk with someone from a safety standpoint, but if you meet someone and pitch the idea of sharing private accommodations I’m sure you’ll both be glad for the chance to share costs.
 
I was rarely alone walking on the Frances. There was almost always someone in sight and I was making no effort to actually walk with others. I was walking at my own pace and using break times (lunch, snack, drink, etc) as times to socialize. If I made the least effort, I would have never been alone. There are a lot of walkers in September and October. I hope that reassures you.

PS. I like the Herbst moniker for a Autumn Camino
 
I was rarely alone walking on the Frances. There was almost always someone in sight and I was making no effort to actually walk with others. I was walking at my own pace and using break times (lunch, snack, drink, etc) as times to socialize. If I made the least effort, I would have never been alone. There are a lot of walkers in September and October. I hope that reassures you.

PS. I like the Herbst moniker for a Autumn Camino
Thanks so…..
 
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I hope you have a wonderful time and an amazing birthday!
I used the Camino Ninja app to keep me on the trail, just plug in where you are starting and ending the day and follow the red line. It was a godsend for getting out of some cities in the mornings (Burgos was very confusing to navigate out of - at least I found it was). Booking.com was also very useful for finding rooms. If using that, pay attention to the distance the hostal/pensione/posada is from the centre of town, I made the mistake of booking a place that was 4km north of the trail once. That was a disheartening afternoon finding out I had another 40 minutes walk to get to my shower.

Logrono had the most generous gelato scoops on Camino!
Buen Camino!
 
I am starting from in early Oct Longorno ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
On both of my Camino Frances, we lost lot of walkers who stayed in Longorno because it has a reputation as a "Party Town". Apparently it has a reputation among young walkers as 'the place" to stop and they take up a lot of beds.

Walking alone? The ONLY Way to do it! It is VERY difficult to walk with others! People walk at much different speeds and also want to stop to look at things. My best example is a guy from NYC who got a call in Burgoes from his wife--She was already in finisterre and would sit on the beach waiting for him to catch up to her. Guy had a microphone attached to his walking stick and sang Karaoke while he walked. Nice guy--worked as a Mortician.
 
I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
For safety download the AlertCops app. If you are in trouble, feel threatened, hurt or in need of any help activate the app and you will be put in touch with an English speaker who can assist you. It is free and it is run by the Spanish government. There is a gps that can track you if you need to be found.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
I’m a frequent solo female camino hiker in my late 60’s and have used technology to advise my family at home of my whereabouts without my having to constantly contact everyone. I use an IPhone, perhaps others can advise how this can be done on an Android phone. The first three tips do not require data or a local sim card.

1. My husband & I have shared calendars on our IPhones so I enter my destination/accommodation each day & he instantly knows where I will be staying. (a an use local WIFI)
2. We both share the ‘where’s my’ feature on our phones so we both know where each other’s phones are & he knows where I am at any time along the way. ( no data or local sim required)
3. When I arrive at my destination, I send an iMessage to him to tell him of my arrival. ( can use local WIFI)
4. As well I have the Alert Cops app downloaded should I ever need to report/call the authorities.

Buen Camino
 
I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
I am 74 and have started alone from Saint-Jean a couple of times. (My husband is also not interested) and always made friends along the way, but mostly it is easy to meet other pilgrims in albergues. I would suggest you do that the first night or so. I know... we all suffer from insomnia and that is not easy in a dorm but it is well worth it if you want to connect. Alone in a hotel room can be terribly lonely.
Stay in an albergue. Don't be shy. Reach out to people. I have never had to walk alone unless I wanted to. Btw I will be around Logroño early October... A friend and I are going together but I explained to her that we will not be together 24/7 because we make friends along the way. If you want, feel free to connect with me directly. I can keep you updated as to our progress. We plan to start in St. Jean on Oct 1st.
 
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I know you said you wanted to stay alone, but one of the nicest places I stayed was in Logrono: Winederful.
Dorm room for 6 women, with our own bathroom. Beds had linens, plus curtains, own plug and light, and there was a breakfast buffet included in the 25€ per night. Only place I stayed that had delicious, crusty WW bread.
Have walked alone 3 times since turning 60, and hope to do so again. Just finished my last one in May and am 66.
 
I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
I walked alone this summer. It’s amazing how quickly you will meet people and build friendships along the walk. I started out by myself self every morning (preferred way for myself) and by my first coffee break I would start bumping into and walking with a variety of people I became friends with. By night, I would meet up with people and have dinner and drinks. This way I would meet more people and keep myself very fluid. But I set out that way, I did not want just one core Camino family on my walk. I loved seeing young people hanging with older people in the squares. It was pretty amazing.
Buen Camino!
 
I know you said you wanted to stay alone, but one of the nicest places I stayed was in Logrono: Winederful.
Dorm room for 6 women, with our own bathroom. Beds had linens, plus curtains, own plug and light, and there was a breakfast buffet included in the 25€ per night. Only place I stayed that had delicious, crusty WW bread.
Have walked alone 3 times since turning 60, and hope to do so again. Just finished my last one in May and am 66.
Thank you so very much!!!
 
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I started alone at 68 from SJPDP. Wasn't alone for long. Many hostels have single or double rooms which are cheaper than hotels

I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
 
I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
Don't, and at the very least keep fellow pilgrims in view.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
For safety download the AlertCops app. If you are in trouble, feel threatened, hurt or in need of any help activate the app and you will be put in touch with an English speaker who can assist you. It is free and it is run by the Spanish government. There is a gps that can track you if you need to be found.
Great tip about the AlertCops app @It56ny. Thank you!
 
I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
Looks like I'll be about 16 days ahead of you, but otherwise, I'd be all in! Like others said, I'm sure you'll find some people enroute who would be happy to share a room with you - at least from time to time.
 
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I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
I bet you will meet people along the Way. I was 65 when I hiked the entire Camino Frances alone. It was amazing to me that I would run into folks all along the Way that I had met previously en route. This gave me folks to have dinner with and spend evenings with. At times I ran into folks for lunch as well. I stayed in Albergues... no pre-booking of accommodations after the second night. I enjoyed walking on my own at my own pace. I met many people that met good walking partners and stayed with them the whole time. I NEVER felt lonely. I never felt unsafe. Same rules for safety on El Camino as when alone anywhere in the world. Buen Camino.
 
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I am starting from in early Oct Logroño ( where I ended before) . I will stay in hotels and am turning 70 during trip.
Looking for suggestions for safety in female walking or wondering if anyone is interested in joining with hotels and private rooms.
In 9/2019 I walked with my sister, but had to stop… not a single bed to be had. My husband sadly does not wish to join me.
Any thoughts?
Yes, there is a HUGE wine festival in Logroño where there are no beds available Sept 21-25. Sounds like you’ll be there after that.

Walking alone. As a single person who has walked the CF 3 times solo I’d say get out there and go for it! If you are on the Camino between 8 am and 3 pm you will always have plenty of company. Walking solo allows you to reach out to others and make new friends. A couple of hints: 1. stay in albergues that offer communal meals. That’s a great way to make friends. 2. greet others first rather than wait for them to greet you. Identify yourself as a comfortable, warm, friendly person and… as the song goes….you’ll never walk alone. Buen Camino!
 
I see you are referring to C. Frances, so is it Logrono you mean? In 2018 I arrived to an almost full house too. There was a huge festival in town and a marathon the next day. I was told I got the last (very pricey) room in town. Next time i’ll do some homework when approaching a city on a weekend. 😉. I don't think You need to walk with someone from a safety standpoint, but if you meet someone and pitch the idea of sharing private accommodations I’m sure you’ll both be glad for the chance to share costs.
I agree with the comment about not having to walk with someone to be safe. I have walked three times, mostly alone, never felt unsafe. I met people a long the way, walked pieces on and off with others and enjoyed those hours as well. Of course something could go wrong but I worried more about falling and having to wait for help more than personal safety against crime. (I feel much safer in Spain than I ever feel in the US.)
 
"Any thoughts for walking alone"? - - - Have fun doing it. While it is fantastic to have a loving spouse, it is not absolutely necessary to have them connected to one's hip at all hours of the day.
You will meet many people along the way, make new friendships and share experiences, both good and bad along the way.
And at the end of each day pick up the cell phone and give that special person a call and re-connect.

Go enjoy yourself !
 
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