Is it ok to walk on yor own????

[ella55]

Hi, im planning on doing 5 or 6 days walking this Sept. from Estella. I walked 5 days last year with a friend of mine from Saint jean & loved it & want to go back but this time it may be on my own & i'm a little apprehensive. Is it safe ? Are there many people on this route ??? Help!

[HuskyNerd]

There are many pilgrims who travel this route, and though you're alone you'll almost always have someone within a few hundred meters. There is one remote stretch a few days out of Estella -- from Villafranca de Montes de Oca to about Atapuerca -- that crosses a mountain ridge and goes through thick forests. That's a stretch where you may feel isolated, but if you feel insecure you can almost always hook up with another group for support. It's possible that last year, since you walked with a friend, you didn't experience the natural Camino routine of grouping together with folks who speak a common language. Singles frequently gather into groups on the Camino, and I'd have to say the experience of making new friends is even better than spending day after day with an old friend. FYI, I'm heading solo to the quieter Via de la Plata next week and I know I will soon be with a group of new friends.

Buen camino!

[adelphi]

Like Ella I am a little bit apprehensive walking on my own...am planning on starting in Oct...will there be still be lots of pilgrims around that time??

[Covey]

As Huskynerd said, you are never really alone on the Camino unless you want to be. There will still be a lot of pilgrims on the Camino Frances in October.

This year I am starting on the 4th Sept and will be back in London in late October. The age groups tend to change throughout the year and whereas in July/Aug it tends to be mostly the youngsters walking in the holidays from College/Universities, in September the age profile goes up a notch or two and the over 60's come out to play!

We ( I am over 60) tend to take life at a more steady and civilised pace with none of this "shall we do 40kms today" and the breaks for coffee and lunch tend to take on a more relaxed atmosphere as we proceed gently through the countryside, appreciating all that is around us.

The real trick is to empty your mind (not difficult in my case!) and just take each day as it comes. When I poke my nose outside the albergue doors in the morning, I have no idea where I will be sleeping that night. It depends on the weather, the company, how I feel etc etc and that way, I get to enjoy the Camino, as I hope you will.

[ella55]

Thanks for that - Im starting to feel a bit more confident . Another question.... What's the best way to get from Bilbao to Estella or Irache. That's where we finished last year & would love to pick up the Camino from there. Most likely I'll fly to Bilbao. I checked renfe.es without much luck..

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Ella ~
The Renfe website is notoriously difficult, so don't feel badly that you couldn't sort through it. The problem is that it shows only principal stations, not stations like Pamplona (or Estella)

Estella is roughly 1/2 way between Logrono and Pamplona (about 45 kms from each), so travel from Bilbao to either is doable. The easier by train seems to be from Bilbao to Logrono. There are 2ce daily departures (07:00 and 15:30) for a 2.5 hour trip. This is the line that runs from Bilbao through Zaragosa to Barcelona and only costs 12.80E for the trip. I believe (but haven't checked) that you'd have to go through Zaragosa or Vittoria to get to Pamplona, so the Logrono stop would be easier. A taxi would be a possibility there, through 45kms distance might be a little expensive.

Estella by bus seems to be a little more straightforward, with the journey going through Pamplona. Here's a link to a direction page via bus that might help: http://pptravel.com/pdf/SF-Public-Tr...to-Estella.pdf .

Buen camino!

[Maya2]

I'm going to be walking alone too, so thanks Covey and HuskyNerd for the encouragement and reassurance.

[terryp]

I plan to walk the St Francis route alone in November. Anyone have any advice or cautions? Is it still fairly well populated at that time? Have women alone had any problems?

[Leslie]

This is a link to sil's blog and post about her walks during the winter Amawalker: Walking in Winter hopefully this might help.