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You had nothing to worry about. The driver glared at you because you were BREAKING THE LAW. When walking in most parts of Spain you MUST walk facing the oncoming traffic. I have known police cars pull up and move pedestrians across the road so they're facing oncoming traffic.He fully looked us up and down and then slowly drove away. It really made me weak-kneed. So much so that I had my son (we argued) call the Albergue that we were headed to.
I agree. But I would add that the one exception here is when one encounters the blind corner while walking on the correct side (in Spain this would be the left side). We encountered one such blind corner on the Francés where there was no shoulder on the road. It would have been sheer lunacy trying to negotiate that corner on the left side. We crossed over to the righthand side of the road (the 'wrong' side) to negotiate the corner. Then, when it was safe to do so, we crossed back to the left side to continue.Walking on the 'wrong' side is madness - especially on blind bends.
Absolutely correct! But, as you say Icacos, stay on the 'wrong' side only until you've cleared the blind cornerI agree. But I would add that the one exception here is when one encounters the blind corner while walking on the correct side (in Spain this would be the left side). We encountered one such blind corner on the Francés where there was no shoulder on the road. It would have been sheer lunacy trying to negotiate that corner on the left side. We crossed over to the righthand side of the road (the 'wrong' side) to negotiate the corner. Then, when it was safe to do so, we crossed back to the left side to continue.
Actually we were Very Much Facing Traffic! I know you are trying to tell me without reading what I said! It was a small road and we were on the left. What are you saying we are doing wrong?You had nothing to worry about. The driver glared at you because you were BREAKING THE LAW. When walking in most parts of Spain you MUST walk facing the oncoming traffic. I have known police cars pull up and move pedestrians across the road so they're facing oncoming traffic.
Walking on the 'wrong' side is madness - especially on blind bends. Traffic will be on top of you before you - or they - know it.
And the same principle applies when walking in the UK.
Buen camino - and be safe!
Hi Stephen, it's the same in Holland. Walking facing on coming traffic.You had nothing to worry about. The driver glared at you because you were BREAKING THE LAW. When walking in most parts of Spain you MUST walk facing the oncoming traffic. I have known police cars pull up and move pedestrians across the road so they're facing oncoming traffic.
Walking on the 'wrong' side is madness - especially on blind bends. Traffic will be on top of you before you - or they - know it.
And the same principle applies when walking in the UK.
Buen camino - and be safe!
I think you are one of the few that gets this. Thanks for listening! Our Camino has been great and continues to be so.Teresa, while it may not have been something ominous such as someone considering an abduction, my experience in rural areas in the U.S. is that now and again males do this slowing down/cruising to have a look at you to determine if they want to approach you (as in street harrassment or, as happened several times when I was younger - to press you to get in their car - regardless of which side of the road you're walking on). It is frightening and anger-inducing and you were right to be concerned about this behavior. It may have been about walking on the wrong side of the road, but if so, why would this person not have said that to you? As someone else said, I wouldn't go with a 13 year old (or maybe even a male's) interpretation of this.
Glad you got on the phone and made a call. I keep my cell phone in hand in isolated areas and carry pepper spray as well - and don't care if it's only legal for use on dogs in Spain. I think it helps send a message when you're actively viewing or responding on your phone that you're in connection with someone else who could track them down if need be. Glad you're safe and have a good rest of your Camino!
I am not sure that is clear in your original post. Perhaps now new comments can illuminate.Actually we were Very Much Facing Traffic!
I have and continue to meet great and kind and frindly people to the max on both the Norte and Primitivo routes. I am sure I was putting my note out there as a "Be Aware". It really was a one car road so there wasn't much to do. In walking to Santiago one walks on the left unless there is a trail on the right. And this part was trail-less. As you said, when and if we've done something that needed correcting, it was done kindly ( as in a word or grammar correction!). As I have known for many miles that we were doing nothing wrong in terms our path/method of road use, we can put that whole thread to bed!Teresa, I also didn’t understand the replies you got from your post. You did nothing wrong! You never once said which side of the road you were walking on. The point was that there was a possible abductor on the camino, and you were understandably concerned. You did the right thing! Jill
I hear you and wish you and your son well, Teresa. I was out hiking the very rural/isolated mountain roads around here after reading your post and wondering why people on here were assuming that you were an inexperiennced hiker and were not facing traffic.......In fact, on all smaller backroads when you're walking on the side of the road that faces traffic the lane you're in, cars coming from the other direction are ALWAYS coming up from behind you - it's kind of how the physical world works.I think you are one of the few that gets this. Thanks for listening! Our Camino has been great and continues to be so.
This really is self-evident and what I wrote is based on watching this Forum for quite awhile. Your response is offensive. Thanks to everyone who has helped. I'm done here.I too assumed (wrongly) that Teresa was walking on the wrong side of the road but in none of the post above have I seen anyone minimizing or dismissing Teresa's fears, I saw people offering a simple explanation for the incident. Teresa was right to post this but I see no reason for any other poster to assume what others are thinking when they read this post nor are they trying to put any rosy gloss on the incident. There are safety issues on the Camino especially for women but accusing posters of piling on the OP is not helpful to anyone.
I then send you back to your original post in which you said: "Anyway, this one time this car comes zooming from behind and then slows eerily as driver passes us." If the car is comming zooming from behind you were not facing it.Actually we were Very Much Facing Traffic! I know you are trying to tell me without reading what I said! It was a small road and we were on the left. What are you saying we are doing wrong?
I'm not sure I agree with you @Anemone del Camino. If one is walking on a very narrow road - and many of the Camino roads are narrow - one can be walking on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic, and still a car coming from the opposite direction can come zooming up from behind. The OP did say it was a small road; perhaps she meant a narrow road.......If the car is comming zooming from behind you were not facing it.
Wait, if I am walking on a one way street and a car comes from behind, how could I be facing it, no matter what 'side' of the road I'm on? "Comming from behind" is the key statement here, no? And as someone who has just walked the Primitivo, I can tell you there are spots where when you are on the left side facing traffic you do risk getting killed by oncoming trafic (up the hill as you are nearing Esclampero comes to mind, but that is one of the very few spots I remember, but this is a different matter, the Norte has a lot of these turns in the road). As long as you don't have eyes behind the head you cannot have a car zoom from behind while you are facing it. I think ;0)I'm not sure I agree with you @Anemone del Camino. If one is walking on a very narrow road - and many of the Camino roads are narrow - one can be walking on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic, and still a car coming from the opposite direction can come zooming up from behind. The OP did say it was a small road; perhaps she meant a narrow road.
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