Looking for a Group to Walk the French Way with in May 2022

[mph]

Hello! I am a newbie with all of this. I am wanting to do the French Way starting sometime at the end of May, 2022. I would love to find a group of women to walk with. Can anyone recommend to me how to find others wanting to form a group?

Thanks
mpk

 

[Walkerooni]

Don’t. Be bold. Strike out on your own. Walk. After a week or two, you will come across people walking approximately your pace that you repeatedly run into. Then, and likely not before, you will find those you may want to walk with. I think that will give you a much better experience than seeking out random people beforehand, who left to normal circumstances, you would not cross paths with for more than an hour on the Camino.

 

[Former member 99290]

Hi @mph How exciting that you are planning your first camino

Once you know your exact starting date and place you can write a brief post here (on the link below) to have one of the moderators add you to the May Calendar. As time goes by you will see other names of people planning to leave your departure point (SJPP?). May is a popular month so there will be many more people than are noted on the calendar and, for that matter, than are active on this forum

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/may-2022-start-check-in-here.72050/

I can understand that you may feel daunted about setting off alone but on the Camino Frances there will be many many opportunities to meet and walk with others for an hour, a day, a few days etc. And to have time to yourself as well.

That said, by putting it out there that you’d like to ‘start off’ with one or more female walkers, someone may get in touch directly, but don’t worry if that doesn’t happen.

I don’t know what accommodation you’re planning to stay in but if you book into one of the Albergues for your first few stages - particularly ones that offer a communal meal - you will be surrounded by pilgrims! And you’ll be on your way.

 

[trecile]

If you are on Facebook you can join the Camigas group.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/CaminoBuddySystemForWomen/about/

But I think that it's really better to wait until you are on the Camino. There will be plenty of other pilgrims to walk with with no strings attached.

 

[C clearly]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. @jenny@zen has pointed you to the thread where May starters are putting their names, and @trecile has given you another avenue to follow-up.

Here on the forum, people might make arrangements through private Conversations, but it is probably more common to recommend that you start out on your own in order to maintain your independence. The last thing you want is to be obligated to someone you hardly know. In May there will be many people starting at SJPP and other points along the Camino. By going "alone" you can get to know people a little bit, make day by day arrangements - just leave the albergue with others in the morning and chat at the first coffee stop. Walk together or spread out a little bit, say hello again at the next rest stop, walk for 10 minutes with someone, and then with someone else. Everybody chats in the albergues and dinner places. Groups form very easily but can be very flexible too.

I have added a tag at the top of this thread, under the title - "companions/family/friends". Click on it and you will find other threads with that tag.

 

[mph]

Don’t. Be bold. Strike out on your own. Walk. After a week or two, you will come across people walking approximately your pace that you repeatedly run into. Then, and likely not before, you will find those you may want to walk with. I think that will give you a much better experience than seeking out random people beforehand, who left to normal circumstances, you would not cross paths with for more than an hour on the Camino.

Thank you for this encouragement! I would much prefer starting on my own but my children are asking if it is safe for a single women? I have read mixed responses to this question. What are your thoughts? And any recommendations of where to stay along the way would be wonderful!

 

[mph]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. @jenny@zen has pointed you to the thread where May starters are putting their names, and @trecile has given you another avenue to follow-up.

Here on the forum, people might make arrangements through private Conversations, but it is probably more common to recommend that you start out on your own in order to maintain your independence. The last thing you want is to be obligated to someone you hardly know. In May there will be many people starting at SJPP and other points along the Camino. By going "alone" you can get to know people a little bit, make day by day arrangements - just leave the albergue with others in the morning and chat at the first coffee stop. Walk together or spread out a little bit, say hello again at the next rest stop, walk for 10 minutes with someone, and then with someone else. Everybody chats in the albergues and dinner places. Groups form very easily but can be very flexible too.

I have added a tag at the top of this thread, under the title - "camino family/friends". Click on it and you will find other threads with that tag.

Thank you so much for this! I am incredibly grateful for these responses! What encouragement it gives! I would much rather strike out on my own, but as I told someone above, my children are worried about my safety. Obviously there have been MANY single women embark on this pilgrimage!

 

[mph]

Hi @mph How exciting that you are planning your first camino

Once you know your exact starting date and place you can write a brief post here (on the link below) to have one of the moderators add you to the May Calendar. As time goes by you will see other names of people planning to leave your departure point (SJPP?). May is a popular month so there will be many more people than are noted on the calendar and, for that matter, than are active on this forum

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/may-2022-start-check-in-here.72050/

I can understand that you may feel daunted about setting off alone but on the Camino Frances there will be many many opportunities to meet and walk with others for an hour, a day, a few days etc. And to have time to yourself as well.

That said, by putting it out there that you’d like to ‘start off’ with one or more female walkers, someone may get in touch directly, but don’t worry if that doesn’t happen.

I don’t know what accommodation you’re planning to stay in but if you book into one of the Albergues for your first few stages - particularly ones that offer a communal meal - you will be surrounded by pilgrims! And you’ll be on your way.

Thank you! I am incredibly grateful for this guidance. I will take any and all recommendations from those who have journeyed before me!

 

[frida1]

I’ve walked several sola caminos since reaching age 60. (Now 67). There are lots of advantages to being alone. First and foremost, your pace is your own. I’ve seen many injuries caused by someone trying to keep another’s pace. It’s pretty natural to meet up with others and you can choose when you want to join another walker(s) for awhile or not. I often meet people that I see all along the way, but I don’t feel pressured to join them every day. I’ve never experienced a safety problem over 5 walks in Spain, France or Italy.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I also suggest walking solo at first. Early on you can attach yourself to people on the way when nearing an end of your stage to pick up tips. Later on you may find others that you want to spend more time with. I would definitely recommend NOT talking a friend into joining you.

my children are worried about my safety

There is a sub-forum here for discussing safety issues and there must be stuff there on how to reassure family members.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/%E2%9A%A0%EF%B8%8F-safety-security-on-the-camino.162/

 

[trecile]

! I would much prefer starting on my own but my children are asking if it is safe for a single women? I have read mixed responses to this question

Where have you read mixed responses? I've walked 5 Caminos mostly solo, and I've met many other women walking solo. I never felt unsafe, and on the Camino Francés it's always been easy to find others to walk with.

 

[C clearly]

Where have you read mixed responses?

Good question. Of course there will always be differences in opinion and occasional incidents, but I think the overwhelming opinion among women who have walked would be that the Camino is quite safe.

 

[Holly Mitchem]

I second trecile's recommendation of joining the Camigas private FB group. This is a large international group of women who are committed to walking (or have walked) various Camino routes. It was formed after the murder of Denise Thiem as a network for women walking alone to find support, information, etc. In the files section of the group there is an excel spreadsheet where you can input your start date and starting point. Quite a few women have found walking companions through this group, or met up friends for dinner, etc. There is no obligation of course to commit to walking with anyone that is on your schedule. Everyone understands that you walk your own pace. Buen Camino!

 

[mph]

I second trecile's recommendation of joining the Camigas private FB group. This is a large international group of women who are committed to walking (or have walked) various Camino routes. It was formed after the murder of Denise Thiem as a network for women walking alone to find support, information, etc. In the files section of the group there is an excel spreadsheet where you can input your start date and starting point. Quite a few women have found walking companions through this group, or met up friends for dinner, etc. There is no obligation of course to commit to walking with anyone that is on your schedule. Everyone understands that you walk your own pace. Buen Camino!

thank you, Holly! I am amazed and grateful for all the wonderful feedback. I am going to going the Camigas facebook group. Any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Walkerooni]

Thank you for this encouragement! I would much prefer starting on my own but my children are asking if it is safe for a single women? I have read mixed responses to this question. What are your thoughts? And any recommendations of where to stay along the way would be wonderful!

I went on my own in 2018. I was 64. Travelled 4 days to get to SJPdP, due to where I live and a train strike in France. At no point on the entireCamino did I feel unsafe. I stayed in a mixture of albergues, and threw in a pension or hotel room maybe once a week. The only places I booked were in Orisson, Burgos and Leon (spent an extra night in each of those places), and my arrival night in Santiago. Other than that I winged it and never had a problem. COVID May have made pre-booking more of a necessity? Regardless of how you do it, tell your kids to chill—you’ll be fine. . And buen Camino!

 

[mph]

I went on my own in 2018. I was 64. Travelled 4 days to get to SJPdP, due to where I live and a train strike in France. At no point on the entireCamino did I feel unsafe. I stayed in a mixture of albergues, and threw in a pension or hotel room maybe once a week. The only places I booked were in Orisson, Burgos and Leon (spent an extra night in each of those places), and my arrival night in Santiago. Other than that I winged it and never had a problem. COVID May have made pre-booking more of a necessity? Regardless of how you do it, tell your kids to chill—you’ll be fine. . And buen Camino!

Thank you!