Winter Camino Safety

[SaraJenn-11]

Hi Guys,

I am planning my winter camino.. I leave in less than a month, and up until this point I was feeling very confident in going alone.. However as the date approaches quickly, as friends and family worry more, I have been looking closer into the safety of the Camino. There isn't too much information out there about Winter Caminos so I have not heard anything terrible happening to solo women travelers thus far. However I have been reading about sexual assaults, murders and theft in the summer months... Does anyone have any safety information on the more secluded months? Is anyone else under the impression that it might be safer/less safe during the winter months?

Any information or insight into this would be greatly appreciated as I am slightly worried (Not that that will stop me...), I would just like to ease my mind a little bit on the matter.

Thanks,

 

[C clearly]

I have been reading about sexual assaults, murders and theft in the summer months...

Welcome to the forum! If you focus on the sexual assaults, murder and theft in your home region, you might find that the Camino looks safer. My guess is that the opportunistic thefts and sexual harassment would be even lower in the winter. However, you should take all the precautions you would take when travelling anywhere alone!

Do you have a good set of layers for the variable weather?

 

[SaraJenn-11]

Welcome to the forum! If you focus on the sexual assaults, murder and theft in your home region, you might find that the Camino looks safer. My guess is that the opportunistic thefts and sexual harassment would be even lower in the winter. However, you should take all the precautions you would take when travelling anywhere alone!

Do you have a good set of layers for the variable weather?

I don't really worry about those kind of things.. I think my family has just put all these horrible situations in my mind, I'm fairly used to traveling alone, that being said I have never been on a long haul walk such as this one before.
I'm not fully prepared.. I still have a lot to buy before I head out, purchased good walking shoes, socks, raincoat and bag so far. Clearly I still have plenty to do before jetting off!

 

[C clearly]

I'm not fully prepared..

But it seems like you have the important stuff!

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

I think that weather is a bigger risk than anything else you have mentioned, but even that is manageable if you prepare correctly for the time you are walking. Which route are you planning on walking, and from what starting point?

as far as the other things you mentioned,I'd recommend you take the same precautions you would take at home (don't stagger back to the albergue/pension drunk, don't walk in a bad part of town at 2 am, don't accept drinks from strangers, don't flash a lot of money, or expensive belongings, etc)

 

[SYates]

The main danger being a pilgrim in winter (I assume you want to walk the Camino Francés?) is the weather and closed albergues.

You need clothing/equipment for cold, rain and snow, layers are best as the temperatures can vary widely during the day.

Keep also an eye on http://www.aprinca.com/alberguesinvierno/ regarding open/closed albergues and check it frequently as it gets updated.

And last and most importantly - use common sense and be prepared to either take an additional rest day or the bus when the weather is against you.

Buen Camino and welcome to the forum, SY

 

[onwayhome]

Hi Guys,

I am planning my winter camino.. I leave in less than a month, and up until this point I was feeling very confident in going alone.. However as the date approaches quickly, as friends and family worry more, I have been looking closer into the safety of the Camino. There isn't too much information out there about Winter Caminos so I have not heard anything terrible happening to solo women travelers thus far. However I have been reading about sexual assaults, murders and theft in the summer months... Does anyone have any safety information on the more secluded months? Is anyone else under the impression that it might be safer/less safe during the winter months?

Any information or insight into this would be greatly appreciated as I am slightly worried (Not that that will stop me...), I would just like to ease my mind a little bit on the matter.

Thanks,

In addition to the advice in other posts, remember to factor in the short daylight hours as we move towards the

Hi Guys,

I am planning my winter camino.. I leave in less than a month, and up until this point I was feeling very confident in going alone.. However as the date approaches quickly, as friends and family worry more, I have been looking closer into the safety of the Camino. There isn't too much information out there about Winter Caminos so I have not heard anything terrible happening to solo women travelers thus far. However I have been reading about sexual assaults, murders and theft in the summer months... Does anyone have any safety information on the more secluded months? Is anyone else under the impression that it might be safer/less safe during the winter months?

Any information or insight into this would be greatly appreciated as I am slightly worried (Not that that will stop me...), I would just like to ease my mind a little bit on the matter.

Thanks,

Hope you can reassure those around you and have a great winter camino. Daylight hours get noticeably shorter around the winter solstice, this might be a factor in planning how far you walk each day. A head torch would be handy too.

 

[poogeyejr]

SaraJenn - I had friends and family that expressed concerns as well. My choice was to carry a GPS tracker and let them 'follow' me on the Camino. I will be doing the same thing this time - when I return in February as my family enjoyed waking up and looking to see how far I had walked the previous day.

I used a Spot GPS in 2011 but this time I will use an app on my iPhone called FollowMee

I use it around town now, and I love it's fulsome GPS data!

Kathy

 

[poogeyejr]

I did have another thought - when sleeping in ANY hostel that is quite empty, I often sleep in clothes I could leave in. I was given this advice in Aikido - when you feel less vulnerable you can think and act from a place of confidence and strength. You may not look the best walking out the door in your leggings and long T-shirt, but you would have no hesitation to leave a situation if you felt uncomfortable.

Kathy

 

[Rainerbernd]

I don't really worry about those kind of things.. I think my family has just put all these horrible situations in my mind, I'm fairly used to traveling alone, that being said I have never been on a long haul walk such as this one before.
I'm not fully prepared.. I still have a lot to buy before I head out, purchased good walking shoes, socks, raincoat and bag so far. Clearly I still have plenty to do before jetting off!

Olá SaraJenn, as other pilgrims wrote the weather can change during the day. I always recommend to carry a bivy sack and a whistle in winter times. Why a whistle? I was in a Mountain Rescue team. When it´s very foggy you can hear a whistle from miles away - this cheap little thing can save lives. You lost power on your gps or cell phone? How to call for rescue? A whistle helps!

Welcome to the forum and have a save pilgrimage

 

[Rebekah Scott]

these are good ideas. The mornings are very frequently foggy in winter, I recommend you put reflective tape on the back of your poncho/jacket as well as your rucksack, or buy an inexpensive pull-over reflective vest once you arrive, at any "Chino" discount shop. I'm always amazed at the pilgrims who walk along the roadsides in the very early morning, invisible to oncoming traffic -- all a driver can see is that little headlamp bobbing along. It's a wonder more pilgrims are not flattened out there.

 

[Magnara]

We walked in January and the first two weeks of February. It was 2006, so the situation may have changed a bit, but I suspect not very much. We only saw a handful of pilgrims in Roncesvalles (about 10) at the pilgrim mass and then about that number from time to time along the whole way and again in Santiago. It is very isolated. Not to dissuade you, as you say you are used to walking alone. But you will be walking long stretches entirely alone. All day, every day, for days on end. So, I agree with all the posts so far - proper clothing so you don't freeze, common sense about stranger danger and a willingness to stop and rest or take a bus if you feel concerned or the going is just too hard somewhere along the way. Hardly any albergues were open when we went, so you might need to research if that is still the case, and if it is, you will need a bigger budget to be able to stay in little hotels or B&B accommodation. And even of those there is very little choice - lots of them close at that time because the hotel-keepers have a holiday between Christmas and 6 January. Now to the good bit: you feel as if you own the camino; you see the vistas as scenery, not as a line of people; you get to think a lot and sing as loudly as you want; and you will always remember how tough and proud you felt as you battled the elements and made it into that cathedral. It is definitely not a walk in the park, but we loved it, and far from turning us off, we have done two more other ones since.

 

[mspath]

The Napoleon route from SJPdP to Roncesvalles monastery is closed in winter thus necessitating the use of the Valcarlos alternate route.

Futhermore other difficult stretches after winter storms might be from Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada or across the Montes de Oca from Villafranca as well as Monte Irago and, of course, O Cebreiro.

Be sure to scan this recent Forum thread for posts/ links by many of us who have walked at this time to help you prepare a winter camino.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...forum-walking-this-dec-jan.42732/#post-437828

Stay safe and Buen camino!

 

[FrederickK77]

Hi all,
I have had a year from hell. God's way of reminding me there is more to life.
I walked in summer 2014, that felt like hell it was so hot. I am looking forward to walking in winter from beginning February to mid March 2017. Last time I didn't even have a guidebook or app, but I was truly blessed. I had infection on both feet but walked every step of the way. As a fellow pilgrim said: the pain keeps you in the moment.
I am scared about winter because we don't even know what cold means in Cape Town, but believe that this is part of the journey our Lord has planned for me. If anyone is walking around the same time please let me know.
Frederick
Cape Town
South Africa

 

[Daniel D.]

Hi Sara-Jenn,

If you think of it (and if it isn't too much of a break from your pilgrimage) could you post some updates as you go or maybe just one prior to Christmas

I ask because I'm planning to bike it starting in Pamploma and am a little worried about snow conditions, etc. I'm excited for the challenge though just as you I am sure are. Maybe I will see you out there at some point (I leave likely the 26th and will likely reach SdC in the second week of January if all goes well)

And thanks to all of the other members who commented! I will be buying a whistle and some reflective clothing before I leave!

Daniel

 

[nycwalking]

Be prepared to walk slightly longer days due to closed albergues. Take a warm sleeping bag because not all albergues turn on heat. There may be lots of ice and mud, mud, mud. And, I will say again, I never fail to be impressed at how safe I feel as a woman walking alone, even when I walked Feb-March 2014, and pilgrims were thin on the ground I felt very safe.

 

[SabsP]

http://m.noticiasdenavarra.com/2017...egrinos-en-ibaneta-con-sintomas-de-hipotermia

Another article for reminding us to stay stay vigilant about the weather.

 

[AnnaMary]

What I say is be prepared for everything. Don't trust any strangers completely. Enjoy the trip and take care of yourself.