Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[Annam]

Hello, I've become obsessed with the thought of walking the camino next summer. Im not sure whether I'll be able to convince any of my friends to come along, so am thinking of doing it on my own if I have to. How safe is it for a (relatively) young female to walk on her own? Ive been reading different opinions about this, so I'd be really interested in what you think.

[GASpangler]

No te preocupes. Not to worry.

Spain is a safe place. The Camino is a safe place.
You may start the Road on your own, but you will soon acquire a Camino family.

I have seen many young females traveling the Continent solo with no ill effect. Spain in general has a very civil and genteel populace. The people throughout Spain are the most friendly and helpful lot I have ever happened to meet. Whilst navigating through large cities on the Camino, I have had people whistle and point the direction to go. Unsolicited help offered by total strangers. They seem to have a sense of shepherding the Peregrino flock on their way to Santiago. Go the Camino alone if you wish. You’ll do fine.

Buen Camino,

[Emily]

I just posted this today at caminosantiago.net....so I'll copy it here:

It's been six weeks since I've read the forum as I have just returned from walking the camino. Yes, it is as great ...or even better!....as everyone said it would be!!

However, I feel like I need to tell other people about safety on the trail and my experiences. I am sure this will depress many of you. I was attacked by a man on the trail in Galicia (not a pilgrim....he jumped out of the woods...nobody was around) and robbed. He covered my mouth and nose so that I could not breathe while he demanded money. Other than a bruised arm I was not really hurt. He just wanted my money. I gave it to him.

Of course the beautiful thing is that I was immediately lifted up by numerous fellow pilgrims. They helped me talk to the police. They comforted me and accompanied me for the rest of the trip. I talked many hours with a wonderful Spaniard, Juan, who made me realize it was not my problem--the problem is the thief's.

Unfortunately it was not the only incident. I was walking on a lonely road and a man in a car pulled up and asked if I would have sex for money. There was nobody around. Luckily he drove off when I refused, but I know of another woman who was very worried because a man (a different one) actually got out of the car and was urging her to get in.

I have to say that one of my favorite things was walking by myself, and I don't know if I could do it again. However, I did feel that each day was a complete blessing from God and I know he walked with me the whole time. Emily

[Peter Robins]

mundicamino.com reports a similar incident last month at Leboreiro near Melide. I also hear increased tales of things being stolen in refuges. I suppose it's inevitable that the more popular the Camino Frances becomes, the more attractive it becomes for thieves; and I suppose too they consider unaccompanied females to be the easiest target.

Perhaps a good way to avoid their attentions is to use another less popular route.

[Annam]

Thanks for your replies! I am wondering now whether to choose a less popular route, but then that might mean there is less help around as well if things go wrong?

[Peter Robins]

there will certainly be far fewer pilgrims around, but how many locals will be around depends on the route: the Portugues or Ingles for instance are generally quite densely populated. Galicia and Castille have entirely different settlement patterns: Galicia's is spread out with small hamlets every km or two, Castille's is concentrated with large distances between villages.

However, I don't think you should exaggerate the problems; as a %age of the total pilgrims the no of such attacks is tiny. In general, I would agree with Grant that the Camino is a safe place and the Spaniards are a friendly, courteous people.

[Shamanca]

Emily... I'm glad to read that you weren't really hurt, though I can imagine these are experiences that can stay with you for some while.
One question pops up my mind... why would you need this to happen to you??

I've also heard that people were stolen from in some refugios. Every time it weren't the private ones... since the "public" ones are easier to enter by local people (thieves) So always keep your money on you when you're in the refugios and while walking... put some in your backpack, not everything in your backpocket.

But Annam... I think that you will meet enough people along the way. Whether it is in a refugio or while walking, you're never alone and there are always people that will miss you and will look for you.
I've met many people who were walking alone and since they were walking to the same refugio / place that I was walking, we always kept an eye open... even reserved a bed when possible

[Annam]

I am becoming more and more convinced that I want to walk the Camino on my own. Its awful to hear of what happenned to you, Emily, and others as well, but as Peter said, its probably still a tiny percentage of pilgrims that experience these things. And I live in a pretty rough part of Manchester and have been robbed before, so Im prepared!
When I posted the question, I had not done much research and thought most people walked in groups, but now it seems the opposite is the case so I wont feel like the odd one out. Because that was another thing I was worried about!
Well, now I just need saving some money so I can afford taking some time off work...
Thanks all of you for your encouragement!

[ivar]

Please see:
http://www.santiago-today.com/santiago_ ... art_id=337

and

(Spanish)
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/08/3 ... 99724.html

Man accused of robbing and sexually harassing pilgrims caught

El Mundo, a national newspaper in Spain reports today that a 27 year old man has been caught accused of robbing and sexually harassing pilgrims. Most of the victims were foreign women walking alone.

The last few months it has been reported in out message board cases of robberies and sexual harassment towards women walking the camino.

The man caught today lives in Palas de Rei in the province of Lugo, and is identified as R. P. C. The man is accused of harassing and robbing pilgrims in the months of July and August on different points along the camino.

Among the incidents he is accused of is robbing 250 euros from a women from the USA in Mato-Casanova the 9th of July 2005. He is also supposedly involved in an incident related to a Hungarian woman August 19th. This latest incident also involved sexual abuse according to El Mundo.

Last Monday the man assaulted an Italian woman at the location of Portomarin in the province of Lugo and robbed her for 15 euros in addition to sexual assaulting her.

The last incident happened yesterday, related to a woman from Madrid and a local woman from Monterroso . It was after this incident that the man was arrested by the local police.

The man is now in jail pending his trial.

[Kerryman]

Ivar:
The capture of this criminal is very good news for all of us, thank you for letting us know about it.

But the danger is never really over. There have been many other criminals in the past, and there will be new ones again in the future. The long history of the Camino is full of crimes and crime stories.

Therefore it could be very useful if this forum would get a 'Camino Crime Watch' section, where new occurences can be logged and so be made public without much delay. It could be a great help for pilgrims hiking on their own, to be made aware what stages are maybe more dangerous than others, so they can look for company for those in particular.

By the way, as the spanish authorities do statistics on the Camino, they will probably also have numbers and locations of Camino crime. It would be understandable if they have no interest to see them splashed about on the WWW, bad for business, but they should still be asked to make them known. Informed pilgrims are safer.

Ivar, can you find out locally in Santiago who is in charge of Camino crime statistics?

Claus

[ivar]

Good idea regarding the 'Camino Crime Watch' section. As you can see I have created it and moved this message to this new section.

I will see if I can find out more regarding the crime statistics. I have never heard of any statistics like that, and I have a feeling that there is not much out there related to this, but I will ask at the pilgrim's office next time I am in old town.

The good thing is that this guy is caught, but as in any place there will always be bad people out there. In general Galicia is a very safe place.

Ivar

[Peter Robins]

more on this arrest in local press
http://www.elcorreogallego.es/index.php ... 7&Itemid=9

[Rebekah Scott]

I hope new people reading this thread aren't frightened away from walking the Camino.

Spain in general is much, much safer than anyplace in the USA. Only the police carry guns (except for the occasional hunter, who's always with his friends); common sense will keep you safe in the cities, where you can expect the usual run of pickpockets and creeps and drunks you'll find anywhere.

Violent crime, especially crimes against pilgrims, is so rare this particular criminal earned notariety enough to appear on international Web pages!

One previous poster fingered "locals" as the obvious albergue thieves, but I must question that: the only thief I ever ran across on the camino was a fellow pilgrim!

[ivar]

I have done some more research on this in Santiago (Pilgrims office + Xacobeo pilgrim’s office) the last few days, more on what I found here:

viewtopic.php?p=1355#1355

Un saludo desde Santiago,
Ivar

[Petteri Kauppinen]

I have to agree with Rebekah on this. During my latest Camino i noticed something that I really hadn't seen before. At least to that extent.

In various occations along the way I met a half a dozen 'fellow pilgrims' that I almost immediately felt a certain untrusty feeling. To my understanding they had a more 'professional' intrest for the people around them than an average pilgrim. Some spanish pilgrims even warned me directly, when they saw these guys around.

Few of them actually walked some of the stages, but with most a good warning sign was that you never saw them on the way - only in refugios and villages.

Of course there are also local thieves, but it is easier to guard your belongings against them. It is much harder with people staying with you in a refugio.

Anyway, a beautifull springtime to everybody! Even with all the hardship and other possible troubles, the Camino is still worth it!

[zeke00]

Women! If you are walking alone, get a whistle. No women alone should be without one, even in their own hometown.
Works both as getting help and to scare the villains away.


Zeke, male with a whistle

[emma]

zeke, the whistle is a fantastic tip. i'm walking alone and while i've never ever been robbed or harassed in any way (i've lived in a number of big cities that apparently have high crime rates so im guessing i'm just really lucky or i'm exuding enough confidence for creeps to stay away!). but, i think having a whistle will be enough to make me feel safe. i don't want to go overboard and worry that at every turn there's some nutter or robber out to get me - it'd ruin the experience.

[Rebekah Scott]

Dear fellows:
I'm responding to a couple of private posts I received re: an assault incident that happened along the camino a month ago.

Please know how isolated these incidents are, esp. when you take into account the crowds along this path. And please, when you're having an evening out with your pilgrim buds, remember that too much alcohol can turn even the nicest, most charming person into a raving paranoid loon.

Drink thoughtfully! Remember most of us are guests in this country, and one nutter drunk can make all pilgrims look bad.

Rebekah de Moratinos

[Guest]

I would say as safe as for a young or old male walking on his own.

Buen Camino

xm

[Guest]

I too love to walk alone 90% of the time in the Caminos.

Yet...

I've often wondered myself, a , venerable ancient peaceful man , as I've walked my Caminos alone in the middle of nowhere about this issue of safety.

I mean, anyone who may want anything I would carry could just pop up at any time, rob or kill me, and nobody may hear a thing or ever know what happened to me. All imaginable gory thoughts came to mind as I walked in solitude, and we know when you walk alone for days how disproportionate mental thoughts could get!

Historically, when you look into the history of the Camino-related "picaresque," crime and safety hundreds of years ago were serious problems. That is documented, fiction/non-fiction (please don't put me to work and provide titles, am on a well deserved couch potato binge!).

I do believe that things have changed for better through the ages for reasons mentioned in previous e-mails.

Still, would it be any different from the same thing happening in an urban setting, or close to home, place of work, and what not? Crime and violence are right there at our backyards, let alone Caminos. I may even venture to say that criminal statistics may be higher in most of our immediate or at-large communities, that in the Caminos.

I believe that fears, real or imagined, are an unfortunate part of every day living. We have to deal with them, not be obsessed and/or oppressed by them.

I would never be detered from doing something or going anywhere that my sense of intuition would tell me to do or not to, because of fear. Should I let fear rule my life I would never leave my home and get heavily into agorophobia. But then even at home, anything could happen, too.

Risks need to be taken in life if we want to grow, Camino settings or not.

In the end, when those thoughts assaulted my mind during my isolated Caminos, I would end them by concluding that when and if the worse might happen, I would know what to do.

Buen Camino

xm

[sillydoll]

We need to carry with us a Pilgrim's Prayer by St Gildas (5thC)

In health may I and all of my companions
Safely arrive with no harm or injury.
May my boat be safe in the waves of the ocean,
My horses safe on the highways of the earth,
Our money safe as we carry it with us
to pay due heed to our poor necessities.
May our enemies fail to do harm to us,
however evil the counsels which inspire them.
In the eternal name of Christ our Master
may my roads all lie plain before me,
whether I climb the rugged heights of mountains,
or descend the hollow depths of valleys,
Or trudge the lengthy roads on open country,
Or struggle through the thickets of dense forest:
May I walk always in straight ways and shining
To longed-for places . . .”

516 – 570

[Susan]

Bonjour, As a woman, i have walked alone the camino in the fall 2006.

During the night, in spain many pelgrims got their money stollen, always when they were sleeping.
I personnely got stolen during my sleep. A pilgrim a knew went to the bathroom during the night and he realised the next morning that there was nothing in his wallet that he kept in his sleeping bag.
Please, your sleeping bag is not a safe place to hide your money.
In Santiago (!) the monastery, in the middle of the night i woked up to see the night guard searching thru my friends belonging, I talk very loud and he runned away ! So, do not think only the pilgrims are responsibles.

With the Confraternity of St-James London guide I had learned not to stop in albergue closed to bars. I am very greatfull for that because many associations never talk about security. It is not a safe place for a woman that travel alone. I would like to had that you will meet to many wonderfull people on the road, that i forgot a safety tip : NEVER STOP in a albergue if noboby arrived. Please take my advised, i have learned the hard way that it was not safe. Only a bad man came. My story did end well, as i was able to leave and wait outside for day to come.

I meet another woman on the road who also was able to get safe from a man who followed her in his car before trying to get her.

My intention are not to scare you but to inform you.
The camino is the best thing that ever happen to me. I came back as a new woman. It helped me so much in my life and all i have done was walking. Its an unbelievable experience.
My dream is to go back, and yes i will be alone again.

[Javier Martin]

Hi everybody!!

What I have to say about, is: The Camino is a safety place, sure. Don't worry about because you are a young and lonely woman.

I've walked many caminos, not always the Camino Frances (Camino de Madrid, Camino portugués (in winter) Camino Sanabres (In winter, too) and I've never had any problem. And nothing stolen.

But, don't leave a mobile phone, or a digital camera alone. Nor your wallet. Be sure there's any persons near before leaving your backpack. So, don't tell anybody what you carry. And just the money enough, not more than the necessary.

Sometimes it's possible to find any thief, but not exactly on the Camino. Just on the cities where the Camino stops , because the city, not because the Camino.

Don't worry about and enjoy your Camino!!

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

[evacanada]

I travelled the camino from lourdes to burgos, then cut straight north to the coast, and back to france through san sebastien. We crossed into spain on october 01, 2005 after world youth day in cologne, germany. The camino was a piece of a 2 year camino around europe. DON'T BE NAIVE!

We constantly ran into trouble.

People would frequently try to steal our stuff when we were sleeping. One time I woke up in the morning all happy and normal and I discovered that all the zippers on my waist belt (the little purse/wallet type thing that you snap around your waist) were open. It was right beside my head when I was sleeping. They didn't get anything because I only had some old string and a sewing needle in it. I had just rearranged my packs and bags and it didn't have a more valuable use but I hadn't gotten rid of it yet. It was very eerie and creepy that someone had been that close to my face and had unzipped numerous zippers right beside my head while I was sleeping and I didn't hear a thing. It was strapped onto other bags so I know they didn't open it somewhee else.

Another common theme is 'friendly' people offering you food or drinks for no reason. Date rape drugs are tasteless and all it takes is a nice, friendly smile to get some into you. Trust your feelings. If the offer is coming from a nice group, a nice couple, a family, a group of youth, it is probably safe. If it is coming from someone that looks or feels a bit eerie, agressive, or sarcastically having fun, don't take the chance. If someone is sticking onto you and making you feel uncomfortable, don't hesitate to walk straight up to some nice looking/feeling people and say, 'That person is/those people are making me uncomfortable/scaring me. I'm going to walk with you for a while.' No one will say no.

My friend and I went through a bad region where we had to take turns eating so, if we got drugged, only one of us would be drugged and the other one would still be sensible.

It is best to travel with a group. If there are any food or drink offerings with the slightest feelings of uncertainty, designate one or two people to 'fast', depending on the size of the group.
If you like to travel alone (it's hard to pray with friendly chatter and irrelevant non-stop rumblings all around) still travel with the group but leave enough space between them and you to be comfortable but still in their sight. Explaining that you are practicing silence and solitude as virtues.

It doesn't matter if you are a male or female.

We saw a lot of beautiful people, places, churches, priests, said a lot of beautiful prayers that were heard by the heart and soul of god, turned a lot of heads with our 'non-traditional' lifestyle (living the camino lifestyle pulling shopping buggies behind us with our stuff), hitch-hiked, took trains, made and sold rosaries, laughed, cried, walked, climbed, (fought) ... and lived through it all full of god's grace and blessings. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm happy that god chose me.

The moral of the story is DON'T BE NAIVE. Be cautious, vigilant, care about others, don't forget to pray every day, keep smiling.

eva

[JohnnieWalker]

I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. Whilst walking in Spain is generally very safe - that doesn't mean that we can suspend common sense - all of the usual precautions we would take elsewhere apply - security of personal possessions and care meeting strangers.

But having taken normal precautions which reinforce the safety of the expereince - enjoy it!

Buen Camino a todo

John