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Yes it can be a very bonding experienceWe, the Baztan 4 , walked together last year. 6 days on The Camino del Baztan.
I knew everyone in the group but they didn't know each other. We bonded and got on famously. Sharing rooms it very useful being a foursome sharing costs of twin room share. Albergues we had to ourselves. We cooked meals together. No problem. Each person had their strengths. As we never met anyone else we were glad of each other's company. There were no other pilgrims that we met apart from the 3 Spaniards whom we met briefly at Lanz.
Ditto for the Baztan 5 the year before.We, the Baztan 4 , walked together last year. We bonded and got on famously.
I walked the first and a number of subsequent Caminos essentially alone, after a few days with a friend, which wasn't right, as we were too different.I have two lady friends who are walking CF France in May. I have walked with both and believe they have the endurance,mental strength and determination to complete this magical spiritual walk through the finest country in the world, however......
If I was a betting man I would wager they will not walk in together.
I found on the Camino that you find soulmates of either sex and that your pace, conversation and reasons for doing the camino seems to draw you together and you end up as lifelong friends.
My question to to pilgrims of experience is how did your relationship endure the walk to SDC and this includes married couples as well.
I witnessed many spats on the CF which included Jealousy of flirtation, stress under physical pressure, housing arrangements, money,hygiene ( you get to know your friends on the Camino) alcohol, taking a bus on a wet day,snoring and the big one taking the wrong route ( blame game)
I’m sure most mended their friendships on return but am interested in the writers experiences, I for one will walk alone and walk into SDC with a group in the last week.
I have two lady friends who are walking CF France in May. I have walked with both and believe they have the endurance,mental strength and determination to complete this magical spiritual walk through the finest country in the world, however......
If I was a betting man I would wager they will not walk in together.
I found on the Camino that you find soulmates of either sex and that your pace, conversation and reasons for doing the camino seems to draw you together and you end up as lifelong friends.
My question to to pilgrims of experience is how did your relationship endure the walk to SDC and this includes married couples as well.
I witnessed many spats on the CF which included Jealousy of flirtation, stress under physical pressure, housing arrangements, money,hygiene ( you get to know your friends on the Camino) alcohol, taking a bus on a wet day,snoring and the big one taking the wrong route ( blame game)
I’m sure most mended their friendships on return but am interested in the writers experiences, I for one will walk alone and walk into SDC with a group in the last week.
I started walking the CF in 2017 with a friend but holes started to show in the friendship very early on. My preference had always been to walk on my own but as my friend and I had always done a walk each year here in Australia and she also wanted to do the CF, we made our plans. Our walking paces were always different, as well as our levels of endurance (mine has always been greater than hers as she would agree). We would wait for each other or agree to meet at the start of a town if we didn’t walk in together. We changed the schedule to ease it for her (less km per day). After around 400-500km my friend started developing ailments which initially could be attributed to specific matters and she started getting her pack transported. But after an osteopath appointment one afternoon in Ponferrada, my friend said she may have to slow right down. Early next morning in the dark she left ahead of me and we missed each other in the dark. I walked on asking people I knew if they had seen her and 25 or so km later I got to my next destination and wifi zone where I received her message that she had turned around in Ponferrada and was going to stay there a few days. She virtually blamed me in the text that we had missed each other but I let that go. She also messaged that I should continue and hopefully we would reconnect in a few days’ time. Wifi was poor at the Albergues and area where I was headed and I ultimately received a message that she was hospitalised with Bells Palsy. She messaged I should forget about her and continue!!! By now I had walked over 50km and it was tough to know what to do, especially since I was meeting an old school friend in Santiago on a certain date! Obviously I wasn’t going to forget about her but as she messaged she had family support, I continued to message her every day once I got into wifi. My Australian mobile plan didn’t allow me to make or send texts unless I was on wifi, I could receive but not make phone calls unless I was on wifi. Neither of us called until I reached Santiago and finally I called her. She was upset I hadn’t called her earlier but she hadn’t called me either when she was well enough to do so. She ended up travelling to London with her UK based sister and was hospitalised there as well before her husband flew to the UK to accompany her back home. Long story short, I have contacted her a few times since we returned to Australia but our friendship is well and truly over. Some may say it never was a true friendship in the first place and while I accept I could have done things differently, I think that goes both ways. However she was the one who got sick. That said, I am now planning on walking the Camino again next year but I will go alone!! The Camino can really test a relationship as I we’ll know.I have two lady friends who are walking CF France in May. I have walked with both and believe they have the endurance,mental strength and determination to complete this magical spiritual walk through the finest country in the world, however......
If I was a betting man I would wager they will not walk in together.
I found on the Camino that you find soulmates of either sex and that your pace, conversation and reasons for doing the camino seems to draw you together and you end up as lifelong friends.
My question to to pilgrims of experience is how did your relationship endure the walk to SDC and this includes married couples as well.
I witnessed many spats on the CF which included Jealousy of flirtation, stress under physical pressure, housing arrangements, money,hygiene ( you get to know your friends on the Camino) alcohol, taking a bus on a wet day,snoring and the big one taking the wrong route ( blame game)
I’m sure most mended their friendships on return but am interested in the writers experiences, I for one will walk alone and walk into SDC with a group in the last week.
Thanks for your feedback. Your wife and your plan sounds like a great idea, you’ll both have different experiences to share, then a joint experience from Astorga. Buen Camino!How a relationship impacts on your experience of the Camino and how the Camino experience affects your relationship is something that my wife and I have been discussing.
I cycled the CF in 2016 alone and found that a large part of the benefit I received was from undertaking the challenge by myself. Rediscovering my inner strength, resilience and openness to opportunity was a huge part of that wonderful experience.
There were many times though when I wished that I had an enduring companion along the way to build a deeper connection and shared experience with. Because I was cycling, often I would make wonderful connections which I would immediately outdistance!
I'm keen to walk a Camino and my wife is interested as well. We are both keen to share the experience yet find the benefits of doing it solo.
We have just come up with an intriguing idea of walking different Caminos. She will walk the CF and I will start earlier and walk the VdlP meeting in Astorga to share the last section of the CF into Santiago de Compostella.
Best of both worlds?
I walked with my dear friend of 40 years. We had a great time, our bond was even deeper after 500 miles, and we walked together everyday. We settled into a rhythm that worked for us. And...are better friends todayI have two lady friends who are walking CF France in May. I have walked with both and believe they have the endurance,mental strength and determination to complete this magical spiritual walk through the finest country in the world, however......
If I was a betting man I would wager they will not walk in together.
I found on the Camino that you find soulmates of either sex and that your pace, conversation and reasons for doing the camino seems to draw you together and you end up as lifelong friends.
My question to to pilgrims of experience is how did your relationship endure the walk to SDC and this includes married couples as well.
I witnessed many spats on the CF which included Jealousy of flirtation, stress under physical pressure, housing arrangements, money,hygiene ( you get to know your friends on the Camino) alcohol, taking a bus on a wet day,snoring and the big one taking the wrong route ( blame game)
I’m sure most mended their friendships on return but am interested in the writers experiences, I for one will walk alone and walk into SDC with a group in the last week.
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