Female 53 walking alone May/June 2015 safety and lodging question

[Dutchwalk53]

I am planning on walking 2 parts of the Camino (due to time restrictions, I have about 32/35 days but don't want to be rushed and enjoy all as much as possible and walk 15/22 km daily) section 1 Pamplona to Burgos (in 12 days), section 2 Leon to Santiago (in 16/17 days)
1) Is it safe for an (older) woman to do this alone?
2) any tips on sleeping in regular hostales/pensions /private rooms? I am a VERY poor sleeper so decided to get a private room as often as possible but am nervous that during May/June I may have trouble finding one due to crowds. Also what is the average price for these private rooms? I am fine with sharing bathrooms.
3)will 12 days be enough to walk from Pamplona to Burgos at a fairly "relaxed" pace and 17 days enough for Leon to Santiago? Thank you

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Both times should be adequate. It is quite safe. You will find private accommodations all along the way for 25-30E for a single. Some albergues have private rooms in that price range or less. While it is rare for hostales to be full, calling a day ahead will save you the time of walking around town looking for a vacancy.

Buen camino.

 

[MichaelSG]

53 is old??????

 

[GerryDel]

I just finished in July and had no problem finding private accommodations. For my son and I, it ran 30 euro - 40 euro. Not sure what it was for individual.

 

[Dutchwalk53]

53 is old??????

ha ha no......I should have said "slightly older" Michael! However that being said......I am sure 10 years ago 25/30 km would have been no problem....but for now just to be on the safe side I'll stick to 15/22 km....if it turns out I can walk longer....GREAT!
and Thanks Falcon for the reply

 

[xin loi]

My novia is a "poor sleeper" at home but never once woke up in an albergue until I woke her up in the morning! She was ready for bed before 2100 and wanted to sleep until 0800--but I made her get out of bed. She never heard anything! Safety--you should have no problems as there will be hikers scattered along the trail for kilometers. You have plenty of time.

 

[PANO]

The Camino is as safe as you want it to be, really no need to worry. As you plan to start in Pamplona (excellent choice!) I'd recommend you to stay the first night at the Casa Paderborn albergue. (You cannot book ahead but drop in after arrival, if they are full, you can easily get a private room in one of the numerous hostals, pensions and hotels in town without booking) This place is neatly run and will give you a first-hand albergue experience; they also will provide you with the credencial.
Walking alone in September, one of the busier month, I encountered "full albergue" only once along the way and "up-grading" to private without reservation was never a problem. (Others here are more familiar with conditions in May-June)
Your target of 15/22 km/day is very sensible but the daily exercise will make you stronger all the time; you'll be surprised at what your body is able to achieve after the initial "running in"!
Buen Camino!

 

[MichaelSG]

ha ha no......I should have said "slightly older" Michael! However that being said......I am sure 10 years ago 25/30 km would have been no problem....but for now just to be on the safe side I'll stick to 15/22 km....if it turns out I can walk longer....GREAT!
and Thanks Falcon for the reply

I can live with that. By the way, my wife was 58 when she walked the French route from St Jean Pied de Port. We managed an average of 25km per day. Some days I had trouble keeping up with her. You might be surprised how much stronger you get as you walk along but just remember to do your own Camino, at the pace you want. Buen Camino!

 

[Olivares]

I am 53 y/o and just came back from my 5th time on the Camino, only once I had company from home. Never felt unsafe, never. The closest I came to be concerned was taking the Calzada Romana path towards Calzadilla de los Hermanillos and not seeing one more soul for 4 hours and 15 Kms. Even then, I was reassured by the well placed Camino markings. My preferred lodging was private, paid average 30-35 Euros/night, that was with private bathroom, wi-fi, and breakfast in the morning,but I did my share of albergues as well. I paid many times 20-25 Euros for a private room, shared bathroom. There were days of 32-34 Kms but these were very, very few. I found that a max of 25 Kms/day was my comfort level. I had never hike a day in my life before going on the Camino. Seriously.

If you make reservations at a Hostal ask for a room away from the street if you are concerned by noise. Overall, I felt safe.

 

[Dutchwalk53]

I am 53 y/o and just came back from my 5th time on the Camino, only once I had company from home. Never felt unsafe, never. The closest I came to be concerned was taking the Calzada Romana path towards Calzadilla de los Hermanillos and not seeing one more soul for 4 hours and 15 Kms. Even then, I was reassured by the well placed Camino markings. My preferred lodging was private, paid average 30-35 Euros/night, that was with private bathroom, wi-fi, and breakfast in the morning,but I did my share of albergues as well. I paid many times 20-25 Euros for a private room, shared bathroom. There were days of 32-34 Kms but these were very, very few. I found that a max of 25 Kms/day was my comfort level. I had never hike a day in my life before going on the Camino. Seriously.

If you make reservations at a Hostal ask for a room away from the street if you are concerned by noise. Overall, I felt safe.

Wow you walked 5 times!!! amazing. Thank you for all the great tips

 

[Kathy F.]

Dutchwalk53, a youngster like you shouldn't have any trouble on the CF. I walked it solo last year and had the adventure of a lifetime. I stayed in albergues just about every night. Consider doing it at least a few nights for the FULL pilgrim experience. You may be surprised at how much easier it is to fall asleep after a full day of walking.

 

[Dutchwalk53]

Dutchwalk53, a youngster like you shouldn't have any trouble on the CF. I walked it solo last year and had the adventure of a lifetime. I stayed in albergues just about every night. Consider doing it at least a few nights for the FULL pilgrim experience. You may be surprised at how much easier it is to fall asleep after a full day of walking.

Thanks FooteK,
I may consider albergues for a few nights but only the nicer ones (I seriously can't see myself sleeping with 20+ people in a room) Thanks for attaching the blog....as you may understand I LOVE reading about the Camino as much as possible . I'll start reading it today

 

[Brendaparrish]

I am planning on walking 2 parts of the Camino (due to time restrictions, I have about 32/35 days but don't want to be rushed and enjoy all as much as possible and walk 15/22 km daily) section 1 Pamplona to Burgos (in 12 days), section 2 Leon to Santiago (in 16/17 days)
1) Is it safe for an (older) woman to do this alone?
2) any tips on sleeping in regular hostales/pensions /private rooms? I am a VERY poor sleeper so decided to get a private room as often as possible but am nervous that during May/June I may have trouble finding one due to crowds. Also what is the average price for these private rooms? I am fine with sharing bathrooms.
3)will 12 days be enough to walk from Pamplona to Burgos at a fairly "relaxed" pace and 17 days enough for Leon to Santiago? Thank you

I am on camino now...O'Cebreiro tomorrow...am 61, alone and a big "scaredy cat"....had a beautiful discussion with four other"alone" women one night about our absolute lack of fear here - I leave in the dark alone with a headlamp, have walked alone through short forested areas and the Pyrenees, wandered down paths to fish when I find a place just too enchanting....hired a complete stranger fishing guide and tramped all over the hills out of Leon with him..am wondering if I will have been set free from the "boogie man" when I return home...I also need a good rest every few days so stay in a private room - from Albergues to paradores, but my recommendation is to stay with others as often as you can, as that's where you meet the people and they are what make the camino experience so grand

 

[Dutchwalk53]

I am on camino now...O'Cebreiro tomorrow...am 61, alone and a big "scaredy cat"....had a beautiful discussion with four other"alone" women one night about our absolute lack of fear here - I leave in the dark alone with a headlamp, have walked alone through short forested areas and the Pyrenees, wandered down paths to fish when I find a place just too enchanting....hired a complete stranger fishing guide and tramped all over the hills out of Leon with him..am wondering if I will have been set free from the "boogie man" when I return home...I also need a good rest every few days so stay in a private room - from Albergues to paradores, but my recommendation is to stay with others as often as you can, as that's where you meet the people and they are what make the camino experience so grand

Wow Brenda! Good for you ! I'm jealous......I will still have to wait till May to get started. Thanks for the reassurance in regards to safety. I do understand more and more that I should try at least a few times a regular albergue. I will try a few that have a tiny bit more space between the beds etc and maybe fewer beds in one space. Me too want to stay at least 1 or 2 times in a Parador and then very simple pensions etc. Enjoy the remainder of your Camino

 

[Olivares]

Wow you walked 5 times!!! amazing. Thank you for all the great tips

My First Camino plans were in 1988 and my cousin Maria dropped off, so I cancelled. For years I hold off plans because I could not get anybody to go with me. Finally, I decided not to wait for anybody and go at it alone. The best decision I have ever made. I loved it when my nephew accompanied me, but I LOVED it also when I was by myself. Have no worries, even when it gets tough the Camino ALWAYS provides; saw it first-hand dozens of times.....

 

[AudTrekker]

I walked from St Jean to Estella the last week in May this year with 3 of my sisters. I hope to go back next year to do another section. If none of my sisters can go with me I am willing to go alone now I know what to expect. It's nice to have someone with you for reassurance but we all walked at different speeds which didn't work too well. We've agreed that if we went together again we would split up during the day and meet up later.
I do most of my walking in Ireland solo ( if I had to wait for other peoples schedules to fit in with mine I'd end up never going anywhere) so walking alone doesn't bother me. You notice and enjoy nature more.

 

[k1ypp]

As a male, my views of safety are no doubt very different. When I hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail, I encountered 38 black bears and three rattlesnakes, yet I felt safe enough. It is all perspective I suppose. I would posit that the Camino has to be one of the safest places on earth. You're surrounded by like-minded people and I would venture that it is FAR safer than walking around anywhere in my own country's cities, especially at night.

As anywhere, take the usual precautions, but go out there and just enjoy the walk, the people, scenery and atmosphere, there is little to fear. My wife, Jane Blanchard, wrote on the safety topic in her book Women Of The Way (and blogs): http://womenoftheway2011.com/ That was a question she asked all 38 women in the book, how they felt about their safety along the Camino.

Go out there, have an experience of a lifetime, and do report back.

 

[Olivares]

I often had the opportunity to talked to locals while on the Camino as I love to start conversations with strangers (and if in Spanish (my first language), even better). Safety for a female solo walker was often a question I posed to locals. While they expressed that one ALWAYS have to be cautious, they also consistently mentioned how "special" and "protective" the average Spaniard felt towards the Pilgrims on the Camino. Most had never heard of issues within their local news range and felt that Pilgrims have little to nothing to worry about when it comes to being the target of criminal activity. Maybe I was a fool, but everytime I stepped on the Camino I always felt very safe.

 

[Dutchwalk53]

I walked from St Jean to Estella the last week in May this year with 3 of my sisters. I hope to go back next year to do another section. If none of my sisters can go with me I am willing to go alone now I know what to expect. It's nice to have someone with you for reassurance but we all walked at different speeds which didn't work too well. We've agreed that if we went together again we would split up during the day and meet up later.
I do most of my walking in Ireland solo ( if I had to wait for other peoples schedules to fit in with mine I'd end up never going anywhere) so walking alone doesn't bother me. You notice and enjoy nature more.

Thanks. My reason for wanting to go alone (at least for the biggest part...one of my kids may join me for a week ) is indeed walking y own pace, enjoying and taking in all my own way.

 

[Dutchwalk53]

As a male, my views of safety are no doubt very different. When I hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail, I encountered 38 black bears and three rattlesnakes, yet I felt safe enough. It is all perspective I suppose. I would posit that the Camino has to be one of the safest places on earth. You're surrounded by like-minded people and I would venture that it is FAR safer than walking around anywhere in my own country's cities, especially at night.

As anywhere, take the usual precautions, but go out there and just enjoy the walk, the people, scenery and atmosphere, there is little to fear. My wife, Jane Blanchard, wrote on the safety topic in her book Women Of The Way (and blogs): http://womenoftheway2011.com/ That was a question she asked all 38 women in the book, how they felt about their safety along the Camino.

Go out there, have an experience of a lifetime, and do report back.

Thanks. I'll certainly will check out the book and I see you are from FL too.....we even had 7 black bears roaming our community the last 8 weeks and obviously snakes are common here. My worries are more walking alone on a quiet path/road and coming across "the wrong people" ...but the more I read it looks like May/June won;t be that quiet and that with some common sense I should be fine!

 

[angie T]

Thanks. I'll certainly will check out the book and I see you are from FL too.....we even had 7 black bears roaming our community the last 8 weeks and obviously snakes are common here. My worries are more walking alone on a quiet path/road and coming across "the wrong people" ...but the more I read it looks like May/June won;t be that quiet and that with some common sense I should be fine!

hi there , I too am a bit nervous about walking alone , Im going mid May , starting from SPJJ , doing the whole thing , maybe we can start off together ?

 

[Dutchwalk53]

Hi

hi there , I too am a bit nervous about walking alone , Im going mid May , starting from SPJJ , doing the whole thing , maybe we can start off together ?

....well I can't commit yet because right now i'm still struggling with "time off from work" restrictions. So due to that I may have to condense the walk to a shorter version....or ....wait a while longer until I can actually take enough time off.
However I understand how you feel...i had the same feeling....i guess fear of the unknown I'll keep ypu posted when i have more concrete plans

 

[angie T]

yes let me know when you can go , maybe we can start together and you can do half if you have to get home , the most important thing to me is to start at SPJJ, I can go anytime in may

 

[angie T]

Hi

....well I can't commit yet because right now i'm still struggling with "time off from work" restrictions. So due to that I may have to condense the walk to a shorter version....or ....wait a while longer until I can actually take enough time off.
However I understand how you feel...i had the same feeling....i guess fear of the unknown I'll keep ypu posted when i have more concrete plans

everyone is saying its safe and we wont be alone , im starting to feel a bit better . im in florida most winters 6-7 times , love it !

 

[angie T]

I am planning on walking 2 parts of the Camino (due to time restrictions, I have about 32/35 days but don't want to be rushed and enjoy all as much as possible and walk 15/22 km daily) section 1 Pamplona to Burgos (in 12 days), section 2 Leon to Santiago (in 16/17 days)
1) Is it safe for an (older) woman to do this alone?
2) any tips on sleeping in regular hostales/pensions /private rooms? I am a VERY poor sleeper so decided to get a private room as often as possible but am nervous that during May/June I may have trouble finding one due to crowds. Also what is the average price for these private rooms? I am fine with sharing bathrooms.
3)will 12 days be enough to walk from Pamplona to Burgos at a fairly "relaxed" pace and 17 days enough for Leon to Santiago? Thank you

you can do the whole thing from SJPP in 33 days ! lets go!! gotta do the whole thing !

 

[Olivares]

Walking solo has a lot of advantages, so don't knocked it till you try it . I often talked to very strong walkers who actually got hurt while walking with others BECAUSE they were either trying to keep up, adjust the pace (which could be just as risky), or simply constantly sharing the path and getting on each other's way. This last time on the Camino, I got lost twice; both of which were while walking and talking with others. On one ocassion, I was the only one with a compass, but was overuled by the majority, and it cost everybody 5 extra kms. There are also towns that I was loking forward to explore which ended up going by because the group did not want to stopped. Of course this is all on me, but the point is had I be walking by myself, all that would had "probably" been avoided. I did get in return wonderful conversations, met awesome folks, and overall, it was a great time, but do not EVER think that walking solo is necesarily a bad thing and to be avoided.

My advice to you is to not walk the Camino before you walk the Camino . Start at SJPDP and walk at your own pace. As you walk on, you will get a sense if and when you need to move forward. After 5X on the Camino, I totally advocate people doing the Camino in sections. You will: 1) have the opportunity to get more in tune with the trail, history, and towns, 2) take in Lessons Learned and apply them, 3) let your body rest and recover and, 4) try different seasons. Even with time available, I would not take in a whole month of walking. That's just me.