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looking for walking companions Leon to Santiago de Compostela

Maria Gil

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Leon to Santiago de Compostela
Hi there,

this is my first camino walk and I am very excited and nervous. I start my journey on May 28th from Leon to Santiago de Compostela and hoping to catch up with some fellow pilgrims and walk the journey together.
I fly out of San Francisco to Madrid and plan to take the train to Leon. I arrive in Leon on May 27th and hope to begin the walk on the 28th.

looking forward to meeting some wonderful people along the way

Buen Camino

Maria Gil
 
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Welcome Maria, you will meet many pilgrims leaving Leon in late May and if you spend your first night in an albergue you can check if you can walk with someone until you find your own rhythm.
Have a great Camino.
Buen Camino.
 

Hi Maria. And welcome. You are going to have such a fantastic time

I think this is a common concern for many first time Pilgrims. Wanting to 'arrange' to meet people on Day 1 and then hoping to walk into the 'unknown' together for mutual support.

I have only walked the Frances. In May 2015. But in reality you need not worry about pre-arranging walking partners. You will have more than you need!

I will bet you within the first hour you have made some new friends! Probably even the night before you start walking!

The reality is:

  • That you are walking the most popular route.
  • At a popular time of year.
  • Other Pilgrims 'stand out' like a sore thumb. You will see them everywhere, in the cafes, your lodgings. So it is easy to 'fall in' with others along the way.
  • There will probably be 'hundreds' of people departing Leon on the same day as you. Coming from lodgings all over the city at various times of the day to set out along the same path.

It's rather like some kind of gigantic School Outing! Hundreds of Pilgrims heading down the 'yellow brick road' together. You honestly can't get lost. Unless you try really hard! Just follow those in front. And you'll get used to scanning around for the shells and yellow arrows to follow. There are lots of them.

Set out with a smile and an open heart, and you will meet some amazing people. No need to plan
 
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Late May walking out of Leon? Oh, yeah. You will meet beaucoup pilgrims. Don't forget to obtain a pilgrim's passport before you arrive there, or while you are there.
cheers and ultreia
 
Hey Maria,
Did my first camino 2006. every step from St Jean in France to Santiago in 4 weeks. My advice is to do it alone.You will meet more wonderful people that way. Still have close friends from Germany and Spain I met the first time. If you have everything on your back ( not too heavy ) the only thing that matters is: sleep when tired, eat when hungry and drink a lot of water. Detailed plans and schedule is just a stress factor. Use Albergues when available. They tend to fill up early on that route. First day out from Leon is not that exiting, but the rest through North West Spain is fantastic. I am planning Camino Portuguese in May ( alone) Can recommend the guide book by John Brierley.
Buen Camino !
 
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Maria, You will have a great time, meet many pilgrims and have a really wonderful experience. Buen Camino Caesar
 
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Hi Maria,you will meet plenty of pilgrims and sometimes mabe more than you want.
Wish you a wonderful time and a Buen Camino, Peter.
 
My husband and I started in Leon when we walked a couple years ago - we made friends with fellow pilgrims before we had even left Leon. We arrived in Leon in the afternoon, got to our lodging, and went to a bar with an outside terrace to get a beer, watch the world go by, and figure out where to go for dinner. There was a group of pilgrims at the next table, so we introduced ourselves, hung out a bit with them, and soon had an invitation to join them for dinner that night. We walked with some of those people off and on the rest of the time, along with other people we met at various places along the way.
 
wayfarer said:
Welcome Maria, you will meet many pilgrims leaving Leon in late May and if you spend your first night in an albergue you can check if you can walk with someone until you find your own rhythm.
Have a great Camino.
Buen Camino.
Click to expand...
Hi Wayfarer

Thank you for your recommendation, I look forward to meeting and making new friends
 
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Hi there
I am looking forward to making new friends along the way
Thanks for sharing your experience
 
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Hi there, thank you for sharing the good advice, I am hoping to meet and make new friends along the way. I purchased John Brierley's book a few months ago and have been reading it.
I look forward to my walk
Take care
 
Mark Lee said:
Late May walking out of Leon? Oh, yeah. You will meet beaucoup pilgrims. Don't forget to obtain a pilgrim's passport before you arrive there, or while you are there.
cheers and ultreia
Click to expand...
Hi mark, great advice will do that, thank you can't wait to start my walk
 
Hi Robo, thank you for the comforting words, as you can tell I am a little nervous about beginning this journey on my own so it's nice to hear from fellow pilgrims by that I will have plenty of coming along the way. My other concern since I have a bad sense of direction is it really well marked along the way?
Thank you
 
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You cannot believe how well marked it is! You will get very good at spotting the yellow arrows at junctions and along the way.

If you come to a junction and don't see an arrow. Stop And look around for the arrows. They WILL be there. Normally they are obvious. On the road, on a tree trunk, on a fence post, on a building, on a kerbstone. And the shells are often seen in towns set into the sidewalk.

If there are a horde of Pilgrims heading down a road/path, you can be 99% sure that it's the right way. Though I did follow a couple of Korean girls up a hillside for a few hundred metres once, along with 12 other Pilgrims. We were all too busy chatting.......... When they got out their guidebook, we all stopped for a huddle. I suggested the two girls buy the coffees at the next stop

You have to try real hard to get lost! It's a bit like following the blue line for the Marathon at the Olympics

Whilst some sections are along the side of roads, much of the CF is along the 'Camino footpaths'. You kind of 'know' you are heading in the right direction anyway.......
 
Oh yeah, it is well marked. Don't worry about that. We had a guidebook with maps, but rarely used it for actual navigating - more for just having an idea of what was coming up - about how far apart the towns were, would there be hills or mountains, etc. The most difficult part of navigation is through cities since you have so many things competing for your attention, it is easier to miss the arrows. Chances are there will be other pilgrims walking too, so you can follow them - and you can always ask local people if you are unsure - everybody who lives or works near the Camino knows where it is. Sometimes you don't even have to ask - someone sees a person with a backpack who looks a bit perplexed and they know what you are looking for.
 
Maria Gil said:
Thank you Caesar
Click to expand...
Maria, you're welcome. You won't just make FRIENDS... you'd make friends for a life time. Buen Camino Caesar
 
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