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Trying to put my mind at rest about safety

Rain Forest

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances (2015)
I know the boards are abuzz with conversation about safety and security. I've read over and over again that the Camino is a safe place, safer than any city but what recently happened, did happen (with Denise Thiem), so just trying a ask a few questions so I can try and choose the best route for me.
I'm planning to travel the last 115km from Sarria to Santiago sometime in July. This is not too strenuous a walk and something I think someone not in great shape like me can manage. But I haven't heard of anyone else trying to do the walk at this time of the year...so I worry about finding people to walk with. Most of the pictures of the Camino that I see are wide expansive and lonely stretches where one doesn't see another hiker anywhere near. I must admit the recent happenings have me imagining what it will be like to walk along those stretches all by myself...I worry about finding people who will start out from the same hotels I'll be starting out of. (not planning on staying at albergues) and about finding people to walk with everyday. I checked out the towns on the way and the neighborhoods near the hotels/hostals I'll stay at...as per Google Maps street view, every place looks so deserted...

I have a choice of joining a self-guided tour group of 3-4 people starting from O'Cebreiro instead...but it will be a longer, much tougher walk and if I take that I will miss time to travel to Porto after. I'm torn :-(
 
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You will find yourself in the middle of a people train stretching out before and behind you! Have an open approach to life. Ask others at cafe stops and albergues if you can join them for a drink or meal. You will almost always be welcomed with open arms. You will soon find companions to walk with or meet up with at day's end. Relax. Enjoy. Just a simple sense of awareness will be sufficient. I assume you are a woman. What woman would leave her handbag unattended? What woman would choose to walk down a empty dark alley at night in a strange neighbourhood when there is a familiar well lit populated road? The Camino is the later, especially after Sarria during the July days! Buen Camino. Let us know how much you enjoy your walk.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
That section was extremely busy April of last year when me and my friend walked it. I don't recall ever been alone, it's the section a lot of people choose if they just decide to go on a whim, or at least that was me when I went, my brother when he went and a friend when she went. Don't worry and the Denise Thiem case revolves around stage 23 I think in the Brierly guide you are many Km away from here at your start point of Sarria.
Rita
 
You will find yourself in the middle of a people train stretching out before and behind you! Have an open approach to life. Ask others at cafe stops and albergues if you can join them for a drink or meal. You will almost always be welcomed with open arms. You will soon find companions to walk with or meet up with at day's end. Relax. Enjoy. Just a simple sense of awareness will be sufficient. I assume you are a woman. What woman would leave her handbag unattended? What woman would choose to walk down a empty dark alley at night in a strange neighbourhood when there is a familiar well lit populated road? The Camino is the later, especially after Sarria during the July days! Buen Camino. Let us know how much you enjoy your walk.

Thank you for saying that...that is exactly what I wanted to hear. I want to be right in between that people train!! Not exactly what you might expect from someone who wants to walk 100km in the countryside...but I want to feel comfortable with my surroundings first and then I can start enjoying myself :)
 
I think you will see as many people on the road as there are sheep in the Pyrenees. You might actually wish for some alone time.

You are smart to think of this ahead of time. I tend to practice the old adage "hope for the best, prepare for the worst."

I hope you have a wonderful camino!
 
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I am walking from Sarria to Finisterre, alone, in June and this worries me too greatly...
 
@Veena, as responses above suggest you will be walking at a very popular time of year on a very busy stretch of the caminos. You will find company easily, you may find that being alone at any time is unachievable even if you would desire it.

Buen, safe, Camino
that is comforting to hear. thank you very much.
 
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Statistically speaking, you are at least 100 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime in the United States than on the Camino. Life is a constant set of risks. Your drive to the airport will be way more dangerous than your walk from Monte de Gozo into Santiago. Get past the fear. Go walk the Camino.
 
Veena, I will be waiting to hear from you about your experience...since I will walk after you do. Please post your thoughts as you go :)
 
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My husband and I walked together, so a different experience, but we were amazed at how quickly we made friends.

We started in Leon in June last year - arrived by train mid-afternoon and checked into a hotel. After a bit, we went to have a beer on the terrace bar at the hotel. Some pilgrims sat down at a table next to us. I overheard one of them say something about being from a town not far from mine (what luck), so I used that as an opening to introduce myself. The group immediately welcomed us in. We had drinks with them and then were invited to go to dinner. Within a few hours of arriving on the Camino, we had met about 10 people.

The next day we started to walk - and fell in line with all the other pilgrims. Sometimes we walked near others, sometimes we were sort of out by ourselves, but we either passed people or were passed by people on a regular basis so not too much time ever passed without people coming along. We said Buen Camino to everyone. Everyone said Buen Camino to us.

That night at dinner, we made a couple new friends and walked with them the next day. And on it went. We were always meeting new people. Some we interacted with for 15 minutes and never saw again, some have become post-Camino friends. There were some days where we felt that we were very alone while walking, but we knew that there were people not far behind us.
 
I have concerns too about safety... I start my Camino May 30.. Traveling solo from St. Jean Pied until I meet my daughter and BFF in Sarria
 
I know the boards are abuzz with conversation about safety and security. I've read over and over again that the Camino is a safe place, safer than any city but what recently happened, did happen (with Denise Thiem), so just trying a ask a few questions so I can try and choose the best route for me.
I'm planning to travel the last 115km from Sarria to Santiago sometime in July. This is not too strenuous a walk and something I think someone not in great shape like me can manage. But I haven't heard of anyone else trying to do the walk at this time of the year...so I worry about finding people to walk with. Most of the pictures of the Camino that I see are wide expansive and lonely stretches where one doesn't see another hiker anywhere near. I must admit the recent happenings have me imagining what it will be like to walk along those stretches all by myself...I worry about finding people who will start out from the same hotels I'll be starting out of. (not planning on staying at albergues) and about finding people to walk with everyday. I checked out the towns on the way and the neighborhoods near the hotels/hostals I'll stay at...as per Google Maps street view, every place looks so deserted...

I have a choice of joining a self-guided tour group of 3-4 people starting from O'Cebreiro instead...but it will be a longer, much tougher walk and if I take that I will miss time to travel to Porto after. I'm torn :-(
Hallo! I can understand how you feel because with what I am reading a have the same feeling,although I walked the camino Frances last year and there were moments that I walked alone but I wasn't not even a bit afraid.... From Sarria to santiago ,even if you haven't found people here to reply that the will be walking the same dates , you will have a lot around you!trust me last year at the end of July there were soooooo many people between sarria and santiago that for us that have started in sjpp it seemed weird because we were justed to walk in smaller groups....many people walk just the end of the camino so don't be afraid.
I am walking the camino north in three weeks and I was also concerned about safety after reading what has happened.you will find for sure people on your way..,the way provides trust me....we just have to be more careful and try to be around people....
Even if you don't stay at the albergue you will meet the people on the way....its a wonderful and magical way so we shouldn't let anything destroy that feeling...
I am nervous and worried after those incidents but I am trying to think positive and after walking the camino I know that you can be safe and you can be around people.
Buen camino!
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
One of my nicer memories of our last day on the outskirts of Santiago ...... We needed a bit of a breather and decided to head off the beaten track to get away from the crowds. We found a bar/cafe that I guess didn't see many peregrinos, and were given the warmest welcome. The food offerings were different too, and good!
 
On the Portuguese route last year we started passing the word to meet in front of the Cathedral so those of us who were going straight home could say good-bye to those who were continuing to the coast. When I got to the meeting spot I was greeted by people I had never talked with more than exchanging "Buen Camino" or a nod as we passed each other on the trail. Several of them told me that other pilgrims had been asking about me, concerned about whether or not I had finished because I had been walking solo.

You will be surprised by how many people are walking with you. We thought we would have maybe ten pilgrims gathering in front of the cathedral, but more than 25 were there and we counted ten more who didn't show up.

If you are concerned about walking solo then make an effort to talk with someone new at each albergue or at meals. Everyone is going the same place. If you get too nervous, slow down until the next pilgrim to catches up.
 
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in my experience it is more difficult to be alone on this part of the Camino than it is to find walking companions. You will indeed join a human train (excellent visual Al) that leaves the Sarria station and chugs along all the way to Santiago.
You will also encounter bus loads of day walkers who are dropped at locations by bus then picked up further on by the same bus to be driven to their hotels. A form of Camino participation that adds population to this stretch of the Camino.
Also, I have been told that University Students who present a Compostella to a Spanish University are given a Cultural Activity Credit so expect to see some pilgrims of university age here as well.
Finally the only place that I had trouble as a walk-in at albergues/hostels/pensions/hotels was on this stretch so being flexible and or prompt in your search for accommodation may be important depending on your expectations and physical conditioning. ( I never failed to find something suitable to my needs)
Buen Camino
 
Hi Rain Forest,

I'm planning on walking the Camino mid-June by myself starting in Irun or St. Jean Pied. The reason I'm not sure yet which point to start from is because, given the most recent news you mention, I'm a bit concerned about travelling by myself on a less frequented path as is the Camino del Norte. It's my first Camino after all!

I agree with what others have posted before - even though these incidents are worrisome, you have to stay positive and not let one incident "ruin" it for you (that's what I'm telling myself, too). Just make sure to take normal precautions, like, not walking with earplugs, being aware of your surroundings or talking to a group/someone else walking the Camino if you start to feel uneasy. I've been told many times that between June - August it's actually hard to be by yourself on a path (it's high season!).

Buen Camino
 
Veena, I will be waiting to hear from you about your experience...since I will walk after you do. Please post your thoughts as you go :)
Hi, So I'm just back home after my Camino. The stretch from Sarria to Santiago was full of pilgrims. If you leave between 7.30 and 8 am, you will start by walking with large clusters of people. I noticed that around 11 or so, as people made cafe stops, there were often less people around. But at no point in time did I feel afraid for my safety or think that I was at risk walking alone. I was more worried about my Santiage-Finisterre walk, but even though there were far fewer people on the trail, again, I felt very safe. My bigger worry was getting lost, and as many people pointed out, it's pretty difficult to do that. The trail gets a bit confusing when you reach towns/cities, but then there are always people you can ask for help. Based on my experience, I would say, you have nothing to fear at all in your stretch of the walk. Buen Camino!
 
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Thank you Veena for the update! Glad that you felt safe and comfortable and I hope you had a wonderful walk!
 
Hi, So I'm just back home after my Camino. The stretch from Sarria to Santiago was full of pilgrims. If you leave between 7.30 and 8 am, you will start by walking with large clusters of people. I noticed that around 11 or so, as people made cafe stops, there were often less people around. But at no point in time did I feel afraid for my safety or think that I was at risk walking alone. I was more worried about my Santiage-Finisterre walk, but even though there were far fewer people on the trail, again, I felt very safe. My bigger worry was getting lost, and as many people pointed out, it's pretty difficult to do that. The trail gets a bit confusing when you reach towns/cities, but then there are always people you can ask for help. Based on my experience, I would say, you have nothing to fear at all in your stretch of the walk. Buen Camino!


Thank you for updating us! I'm leaving in 2 days to walk from Sarria to Santiago and your post made me feel much better!
 

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