Alert Safety Concern - Camino del Norte near Orio, July 5th ‘24

[nataliejoy]

Hi all and buen camino!

I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.

To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.

Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.

Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome

 

[trecile]

Download the AlertCops app on your phone. You can contact the police via the app

What is it? - Alertcops

alertcops.ses.mir.es

 

[steve392]

Hi all and buen camino!

I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.

To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.

Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.

Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome

Wow.
I am so sorry to hear about this.
I don't have advise on reporting the incident to the police, hopefully others can help with that.
As for the guy in the albergue, $*@? him. He obviously has a low opinion of himself and is just jealous of a strong, healthy and capable woman who intimidates him. Chances are you have left him in your rear view mirror.
As it's still early days on your camino, try to put this behind you, don't let it linger in your thoughts, and please try to remember that not all of us men are like what you have just experienced. Hopefully you will meet a camino family, if you already haven't, and will feel safer within the company of others when you feel the need. Embrace the love of other pilgrims and friends you meet on the way, those who genuinely care will be there for you.
Walk tall, stay strong and kick the ass out of life.
Good luck and Buen Camino.

 

[C clearly]

What a bad day! I sure hope this is the last such incident on your Camino!

It is very important that you report this incident - the earlier, the better. Any hospitalero should be able to direct you to the Guardia Civil, or as @trecile points out, you can do it with the Alert Cops app.

 

[Elis12]

As someone who went through the same
(On the Camino Portuguese), I’m so sorry to hear, my thoughts are with you.

Please report. Police in Spain takes it VERY serious.

I reported this incident and a month later, they even installed a mobile Guardia Civil caravan in the same area, as there were various reports of these sick people.

Stay safe. Buen camino and a big hug to you

 

[unaharty]

Thank you so much for reporting this. I will be passing through here soon

 

[Indi]

Hi all and buen camino!

I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.

To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.

Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.

Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be

I’m sorry that you had to experience this. I recently walked the Camino to Fisterra by myself, and I can imagine how you must have felt. I hope you don’t let that old guy and those creeps put you off. You can do this, and hopefully, there’ll be many great moments for you ahead (and no more creeps!). When I was doing the Camino, I had this app on my phone called ‘Alert Cops,’ managed by the Spanish police. You can quickly report incidents and contact the police immediately if needed through a chat service. It also shares your location with them, which can be handy if you’re in a remote area. It even has a Camino option for those doing the pilgrimage, so you may want to check it out. All the best on your Camino!

 

[WayWalker]

Hi all and buen camino!

I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.

To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.

Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.

Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome

I'm so glad you are safe. I hope you will have blessings and great experiences that will erase this bad day in your mind. I hope you can find some wonderful walking partners. I will be thinking of you and praying for your safety.

 

[Sue127]

So sorry you had such a disturbing day. I agree with those above who suggested Alert Cops. Maybe report to your hospitaleros thus evening, they could send a message back to your starting point yesterday. Try to put this behind you (not always Easy) and enjoy the rest of your çamino. Know there are others around who are supporting you from afar. Buen Camino.

 

[peregrina2000]

I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome

It is never fun to see one of these reports on the forum. Another woman with another disgusting experience. I echo the sentiments that we are so glad you escaped without physical harm, and urge you to contact the police. Alertcops is reported to be a great app, and is the way to go now that you are several days out. For other women going forward, in a situation like this, where an immediate police response would be most welcome, I would encocurage you to call 112 (emergency services) at the moment this happens.

My caminos go back to 2000, and I have lost count of the number of times I have experienced this. But I’m sure it’s more than 7 or 8. Back in earlier years, though I always reported to the hospitalero/a in the next town, I never had the sense that there was any concerted official effort to deal with these incidents. In later years, that sensation definitely changed, as the police came to talk to me, took down many details, and assured me that they would do their best to find the guy and help put an end to it. The Spanish police (all branches), in my experience, now take this very seriously and will do everything they can. The Spanish criminal code limits the amount that they can do via the judicial system, but I have had several officers tell me that with the information I gave them, they could identify the man and would bring pressure to bear on him and his family. Some administrative proceedings may also be possible depending on the region you are in. In any event, I hope that your report will add to those efforts.

I hope you can shake off the disgusting feeling that an incident like this produces and get back to the joy and self-discovery that the camino offers!

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

I’m sorry that you had to experience this.

With respect for the intent of the message (kind and encouraging)... I want to encourage all of us to stop saying that X,Y or Z experience had to happen. These kinds of things are choices on the part of the perpetrators, and the reasons they get away with it, or even think to do it in the first place are complex but they are tied to fatalist notions of things that 'have to happen' as much as they are to 'men will be men' ideas that have "given up"... None of this *has to happen*.... elderly people who are acting out their dementia in sexualised ways do so because 1) they grew up in a sexualised world and 2) there is inadequate supervision (for complex reasons that are political/resource matters so I won't address them here) and 3) because we live in a culture that tells those of us who have experienced such things that they were unavoidable and that we should just dust ourselves off and keep going.
And one of the most important things we can do to prevent future incidents from happening is to report them.

 

[alohaluv08]

Hi all and buen camino!

I had an unpleasant experience yesterday outside of Orio and wanted to share with any peregrinos still early on the Norte this year, especially any other solo women like myself. Basically, upon turning into a small, covered patch of woods near Orio, there was a man naked from the waist down immediately next to the Camino, maybe 3 meters from the path. He was watching the trail, and you can imagine what he was doing. He was staring directly at me from the moment I entered his eyeshot to the moment I left it—I wanted to tell him to get off of the path, but felt like the safest thing to do was avert my eyes and walk quickly past, as there was nobody else around. Grateful to have had my poles and the built-in safety whistle on my backpack, just in case.

To be more exact about location: after crossing the river and walking a ways on the N-634, the road curves and walking pilgrims head left into a small forested patch before some farms. Biking pilgrims stay on the pavement, which walkers rejoin after a very short time in the woods. He was *just* on the inside of those woods—his figure was visible from the road through the trees, but I didn’t think anything of it until I got a clearer view. If you see someone there before turning off, maybe just stick with the bikers’ route on the pavement.

Does anyone have advice on where to report this? Local police or any kind of local Camino authority? I meant to ask my hospitalero in Getaria last night but upon arrival I honestly just wanted to avoid thinking or talking about it for the evening. Don’t know if this is a habit of his or if he for some reason expected privacy in that area, but would feel better if someone who could maybe do something about it was informed.

Overall, yesterday was a rugged second day on the Camino—started off with an older guy from my albergue telling me I’d never make it to my goal destination (I knew Pasaia to Getaria would be long, but I am a strong, healthy 25-year-old with ample through hiking experience, and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), then this woods encounter, and finally a guy groping me while walking past in a crowded pintxo bar. In all of my solo travel, this is kind of a unique threefer in one day for icky men encounters! I’m feeling okay, but any words of encouragement would be welcome

Thank you for sharing. Let's all stay safe and vigilant on a glorious camino.

 

[Dani7]

I am totally impressed with how you handled yourself and the courage it took to keep walking and moving forward, while also having the foresight to ask members of this forum how to report….and say this « and I arrived no worse for wear to jump in the sea after a beautiful day of walking), ».

Wishing you the most amazing experience. Thankfully you will meet way more kind, thoughtful and respectful people than not.

Buen camino peregrina

 

[Indi]

With respect for the intent of the message (kind and encouraging)... I want to encourage all of us to stop saying that X,Y or Z experience had to happen. These kinds of things are choices on the part of the perpetrators, and the reasons they get away with it, or even think to do it in the first place are complex but they are tied to fatalist notions of things that 'have to happen' as much as they are to 'men will be men' ideas that have "given up"... None of this *has to happen*.... elderly people who are acting out their dementia in sexualised ways do so because 1) they grew up in a sexualised world and 2) there is inadequate supervision (for complex reasons that are political/resource matters so I won't address them here) and 3) because we live in a culture that tells those of us who have experienced such things that they were unavoidable and that we should just dust ourselves off and keep going.
And one of the most important things we can do to prevent future incidents from happening is to report them.

You’re right. It wasn’t my intention to relieve the perpetrators of their own responsibility on this at all, so thanks for flagging it as it made me realise it.