Where people feel safe to walk (at night)

[ivar]

From Twitter. (To those worried about walking in Spain)

 

[Vacajoe]

Japan is 70%?!!? That must be from overly-cautious Japanese citizens because habingvlived there, it’s 100% safe 100% of the time! As for the point at hand, though, walking the Camino felt extremely safe and really shouldn’t keep one from going (though awareness is always your best defense)

 

[Shazenalan]

I wonder what it was that caused people in that poll to feel unsafe? I mean, one of the reasons I would feel unsafe at night would be not being able to see where I was going.setting out in the dark on the Camino felt safer in the cities but only because the pavement was predictable, contrariwise it felt unsafe in rural areas only because I didn’t take a good torch.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Japan is 70%?!!? That must be from overly-cautious Japanese citizens because habingvlived there, it’s 100% safe 100% of the time! As for the point at hand, though, walking the Camino felt extremely safe and really shouldn’t keep one from going (though awareness is always your best defense)

I agree...as a solo female walker, I experienced a sense & level of personal safety in Japan I have never known anywhere else in the world...including my home country. Of course I still took all the standard precautions which include trying to avoid walking alone at night...

 

[Tassie Kaz]

From Twitter. (To those worried about walking in Spain)

View attachment 51304

I wonder what the ratio of males to females was in this poll? Women have a totally different perspective to walking alone at night than men. That fact alone could skew the results. I'm a solo female walker & as a general rule, I try to avoid walking alone at night anywhere.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

The only times when I have felt nervous about my personal safety on Camino was the few times while walking very early morning, while it was still dark. That came about from hearing the barking of dogs ahead of me and knowing that many farmer's dogs are let off of their tie downs at night in order to patrol for predators. It would be a bit nerve wracking not being able to see clearly at distance, and my imagination would go on a wild joy-ride that only succumbed to loud humming and dawn.

 

[Anamya]

I wonder what the ratio of males to females was in this poll? Women have a totally different perspective to walking alone at night than men. That fact alone could skew the results. I'm a solo female walker & as a general rule, I try to avoid walking alone at night anywhere.

I was going to ask and comment EXACTLY the same.
I only walk in the dark if I have a companion.

 

[Finisterre]

Isn't it mainly night in Norway?

 

[Leibniz]

I walked “alone” in the dark on the Camino lots of times but felt safe because I could see the headlights of other pilgrims ahead or behind me. The only time I was completely on my own in the dark was leaving Ponferrada and I really, really didn’t like it. I almost turned back to the albergue to wait for sunrise.

 

[Icacos]

I wonder what it was that caused people in that poll to feel unsafe? I mean, one of the reasons I would feel unsafe at night would be not being able to see where I was going.setting out in the dark on the Camino felt safer in the cities but only because the pavement was predictable, contrariwise it felt unsafe in rural areas only because I didn’t take a good torch.

Feeling a bit mischievous, are you?

 

[Icacos]

Isn't it mainly night in Norway?

You too?

 

[Kanga]

Perhaps I would not choose to walk in certain parts of large cities and I don’t walk on the Camino in the dark (trip hazards, getting lost, can’t see the view) but I’ve never felt unsafe walking alone back to my albergue after the evening meal. Even in Madrid and Barcelona I felt quite safe in the areas in which I stayed.

 

[Albertagirl]

I think that whether I feel safe has little or nothing to do with whether I am safe. How good am I at evaluating the situations in which I find myself? That I have survived to the age of 70 may be largely a result of good genes, good luck and the country and era in which I was born. In fact, I think that my inclination to seldom feel afraid may well be a sign of insensitivity to the dangers around me. My feelings are not the measure of reality.

 

[Tulle]

Isn't it mainly night in Norway?

You should come and see the midnight sun!

 

[Finisterre]

I would love to. And the Fjords. And the wooden churches. Definitely the wooden churches. And the Troll Wall. Thankss. see you soon..

 

[howlsthunder]

You too?

That's right; the Equinox only affects winter.

I definitely felt safer walking pretty much anywhere in Spain than almost anywhere I've walked in the US. Then again, most of my walking here in Summer is amongst the densest population of brown bears in the world. O_O; Took me 2 weeks on the Camino before I stopped thinking I saw bears out my peripheral vision.

 

[HeidiL]

Time of day (or night) doesn't really matter much regarding when I feel safe walking here in Norway. Location, though, location is important. I feel much safer walking in cities than in woods.

 

[gns]

I would love to. And the Fjords. And the wooden churches. Definitely the wooden churches. And the Troll Wall. Thankss. see you soon..

"Including the majestic moose"

 

[Gary Martin]

Time of day (or night) doesn't really matter much regarding when I feel safe walking here in Norway. Location, though, location is important. I feel much safer walking in cities than in woods.

Time of day (or night) doesn't really matter much regarding when I feel safe walking here in Norway. Location, though, location is important. I feel much safer walking in cities than in woods.

Interesting. I’m exactly the opposite. The most common pedestrian hazards I hear reports of are from motor vehicles and falls. Robberies and assaults or feared but actually very uncommon in comparison. On the other hand I guess Highwinds lightning and blizzards are easier to cope with in the city.

 

[Mike Blackard]

Last September, first time peregrine from St. Jean to Santiago, I had several early morning in the dark starts by myself. First time was from Roncesvalles to Zubiri. I had worn my Merrel trail runners across the Pyrenees and dutifully left my 'dirty shoes' in the huge downstairs shoe storage closet (with lots of company). In the morning I was up early (adrenaline rush) and excited about trying out my other shoes- Keen sandals, which were with me on back of backpack. Skipped breakfast and headed out in dark with headlamp strapped to forehead. Nice level tree lined trail all to myself for about 2 kilometers until I came up to another peregrine in the distance with two white moving reflectors on his back which really intrigued me. As I got closer, I realized they were the soles of his spare walking shoes attached to the back of his pack- just like mine....oops, mine are still in the big basement shoe storage locker in the Roncesvalles Albergue. About face and walk back the two kilometers as the dawn was just breaking. Shoes retrieved, late breakfast consumed, and back on the trail in daylight an hour later. MUCH NICER EXPERIENCE. You get to see the countryside, faces and smiles of fellow trekers, birds, farm animals, flowers, rock outcroppings and roots on trail. I did walk a few other early mornings in the dark- but it was dumb. Won't make the same mistake this year on 2nd camino.

 

[WalkingJane]

Isn't it mainly night in Norway?