How do Your Camino Amigos influence your route?

[Robo]

In a recent post, a 'frequent flyer' Pilgrim mentioned that they would not want to plan on walking an alternative final 100kms on the Camino Frances, as it would mean separating from friends they might make along the way.

That got me thinking. And of course it's a very personal thing.

But it might be a topic that would interest those planning their first Camino, in that it illustrates how we build strong relationships fast on the Camino, and how that can influence our Camino day to day.

Q. How much do your 'Camino Amigos' influence your journey and in particular your route and daily stopping places?

I would say from a personal viewpoint, not at all.
But that would not be 100% true.

Camino #1 on the Frances. I was not really influenced by Camino Amigos at all. Basically because I was walking injured from Day 1. And so my daily distance 'ability' soon had me falling behind and making new friends on a regular basis. As I was walking alone (perhaps a factor) I made new friends easily. And we would often compare plans to see if we were staying in the same villages and arrange shared dinners etc. But after a few days they would again move on ahead.

Camino #2 and 3. I was walking with Pat. So we had our own company and were walking quite short daily distances. We tended to keep to ourselves more and were not so influenced in any way by others. Is that a 'thing' when walking as a couple?

Camino #4, Was a hybrid of 4 routes. And again alone. Bliss....... I did not expect my journey to be influenced by others much, but it was, a bit. It's nice when you really 'connect' with other Pilgrims along the way.

For 10 days or so I walked with 2 Pilgrims (a couple) and we generally stopped in the same places and stayed in the same accommodations, shared meals etc. Then they went left and I went right, on the route. And we parted company. I didn't consider changing my route plans to stick together. (our differing routes were known up front). We still catch up, as we live in the same City.

Then a few days later I buddied up with 2 guys walking together and we got on really well. Same thing. We generally walked to the same places, often stayed in the same accommodations, hung out for meals etc. That was great too.

But after 2 weeks they were headed one way and I was headed off on another route. Did we consider changing our plans to remain hanging out together? Not for a minute. Again, our differing route plans were known up front.

Though we did arrive in Santiago within a day of each other so we caught up for a lunch and dinner. Again, we still stay in touch. Though we are on different sides of the 'pond'.

So my Camino Amigos 'do' influence my Camino at times, in terms of how far I am walking and where I stop, and maybe what accommodation I might use. Particularly on a more remote route. But do they influence the actual route I am taking?
No.
Not so far, anyway.

But I'm sure for others, their Camino Amigos or Camino 'Family' is a very important part of their journey.
So I can understand how that might influence or alter plans along the way.
(maybe first time Pilgrims take note, and don't book too far ahead?)

What are your thoughts?

Is your Camino influenced in terms of time and distance and route, by those you befriend along the way?
Not at all?
A bit?

I have to confess to being a bit 'torn'
I love walking alone and the solitude.
15 days on the Invierno alone was magical.

But it's also a great experience walking with those with whom you have made a deep connection.

Maybe a bit of both is the best of both Worlds?

Afterthought.
For those who may be inclined to try to 'keep up' with pilgrim friends.
It can be sad to part from friends.
But every time I have done so, I have met other 'friends' fairly quickly.

Perhaps it's the nature and the magic of the Camino?

 

[Walkerooni]

For me, not at all. Have never fallen into the "Camino family " myth. I have a family, thanks. I walk as far as I want to walk in a day, at the pace I prefer. As such, I meet many people walking a similar pace, and similar distances, but don't feel the need to tie myself to them, nor have them tie themselves to me. It is very special when you meet like-minded people surreptitiously, maybe connecting every few days, or once a week, or... Those excited and awkward hugs while wearing backpacks hold a special place in my heart. I have made many dear friends I have kept in touch with over time. But I would say I am content to meet whoever I meet along the way while doing the walk I would like to do.

 

[isawtman]

In Sept 2022 I did the Camino Frances and I became really fond of my Camino Friends. I was hiking with a mixture of young people and older people. Hiking with the young people brought out my fatherly instincts again which I did not expect. We spent the night together in Riego De Ambrose after doing Cruz de Ferro. Then they decided to do bigger miles and I couldn't keep up. Before that I was getting my backpack transferred so I could keep up. They said I would catch up to them in Santiago, but here is what happened.
When I got to Santiago, I contacted them and they said they would be in Fisterra/Finnesterre the next night. So I took the bus out there and it was a great time. It was really the icing on the cake. You can see my young friends on this video of best moments on the Camino Frances here:

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I basically plan my first week of any camino, and I go to the places I want to go exclusively. (These are usually "favorite" stops arranged according to my distance/timing goals.)

But if I meet a compatible person or group, and my timing allows, I can adjust my pace and distance for the sake of camaraderie. I usually find compatible people means they speak English, they are cool, they think I'm cool, they have similar financial means and hopefully a similar "end date" in mind... most importantly, they want friends too...

Sometimes I have an aggressive agenda where I have strict distance and timing requirements. Sometimes I'm in "let's find friends" mode. I usually decide to commit to one or the other based on the people I meet.

If I am open to find friends but haven't really clicked with anyone yet, I do a thing I call "skipping the herd". That is basically doing 2 stages in one day or 3 stages in 2 days. I get to meet a whole new group of people that way,

I no longer expect every camino to mean meeting more forever friends... I have met so many out there, and it's rare... It just depends.

 

[Bradypus]

Not at all. Meeting up with familiar faces now and again happens of course but I do not plan my stages with that in mind.

 

[roving_rufus]

I tend to be quite independent in planning where I would stop (which probably explains some of my more crazy ideas like walking frm home). Though sometimes on busier routes like the CF the plans of others you meet can influence maybe the next day or two - if they have a particular albergue recommendation or somewhere to avoid.

However in June when I was finishing up the camino from home walking in sections I did my last section of Rabanal to Leon, I discovered I outwalked most folks I met - including doing that Sarria to SdeC in 4 days. This meant when I arrived in SdeC I didn't really see familiar faces - and hung out with 2 pilgrims who had walked the Primitivo I met the night before in A Calle de Ferrerios. (Both of whom were lovely in their own ways). It was 2 days later as I walked backwards on the CF for 12km that I met a good number of familiar faces.
It was a very different experience than my first arrival into SdeC in 2012 on the CF from Leon when I walked closer to the "normal" stages and saw many more familiar faces in 2 days in SdeC to celebrate with.

Then again my arrival on the CP was in January a few years back. I met so few pilgrims so I arrived in SdeC alone. But it was so quiet- there were no crowds of either tourists or pilgrims. I got one of the free tickets to tour the cathedral in the pilgrim office. And somehow I didn't feel I was missing familiar camino faces- but then I wasn't feeling lost in the crowd either.


So basically- in a "in season" SdeC full of pilgrims and tourists- I think I would be swayed by having some familiar faces to celebrate with- which would mean having some coordination in those last days. But I don't think I would plan my whole walk around others.

 

[Donna Sch]

On my first Camino which I did solo, I walked half of it with a fellow Pilgrim who walked the same speed as me and we shared a similar sense of humour and music. And he is a Spaniard who lives in the UK. The Camino provided!
I had a rest day in Galisteo when he caught up with his brother for a day. At one point we diverted onto the Southern variant of the VDLP because he needed to get to a bank.
And we joined up with a French guy along the Sanabres. It was so nice celebrating St James' Eve together and watching the fireworks before we all headed off in different directions.
Second Camino I did with my partner Barrie. The Levante and Invierno in Feb/Mar are pretty damn quiet. I probably would walk longer days by myself and the days I did walk solo as Barrie took a train or bus because his asthma flared up were a nice change.

 

[SabsP]

For me, not at all. Have never fallen into the "Camino family " myth. I have a family, thanks. I walk as far as I want to walk in a day, at the pace I prefer. As such, I meet many people walking a similar pace, and similar distances, but don't feel the need to tie myself to them, nor have them tie themselves to me. It is very special when you meet like-minded people surreptitiously, maybe connecting every few days, or once a week, or... Those excited and awkward hugs while wearing backpacks hold a special place in my heart. I have made many dear friends I have kept in touch with over time. But I would say I am content to meet whoever I meet along the way while doing the walk I would like to do.

Exactly! Family I have at home. Friends I may or not make on a Camino.

This is what I wrote earlier this year on another thread.

Yes, group dynamics.
It was in Obanos , on that first Camino for me that I met a Dutch lady ( the fact that we heard each other talking in English with a Lowlands accent made us laugh and we continued in Dutch ).
Anyway, we met daily ( did never walk together though ) and more or less chose the same albergues for the next weeks. But in Calzadilla de la Cueza she decided to slow down a bit ( partly because of kneeproblems ) and decided to do some shorter distances while I continued and we said goodbye to each other. Everything in a very friendly way ( we met in later years for local walks here ).
I remember how strange some of our fellow pilgrims found this. One even accused me of abandoning " my Camino sister ".

 

[Paul-CH]

What are your thoughts?

I do my camino planing at home from start to the end.
If there are holidays in it and I have doubts about getting a place to sleep, then I book in advance. Otherwise, I hike my 20 - 35 km and decide around midday whether I'll stick to my plan or continue hiking and then have to adjust my planning. For most people, I'm walking too fast anyway. I can adjust my pace a little, but never for very long. This means that I meet up with the people I know again in the evening when we are in the same place. I never actually deviate from the planned route unless a detour forces me to.

 

[davejsy]

Well for me yes, it did alter mine, but, I only have one under my belt for comparison!

I walked the first few days after Orisson with an Austrian girl, Sarah, both of us were trying to avoid other people so it was quite ironic we befriended each other and we got on really well. But, Sarah was on a mission to get to Santiago de C ASAP and I felt that wasn't how I wanted my Camino to be, so we parted ways in Pamplona. It was very difficult as Sarah had become a bit of a safety blanket for those first few days stepping out on this unknown adventure in a bit of a vulnerable state.

Then I was on my own for the next 10 days or so, but bumping into familiar faces as I went and sometimes spending hours talking to different people without feeling the need to stay with them. I then started crossing paths with 2 French people who I wrongly assumed were a couple, one of whom had a dog. As I was walking the Camino to try and help my grief of losing my dog this had an element of fate to it, and eventually we ended up walking the last two weeks together which altered the end of my Camino to a degree along with the worsening weather and the increased traffic from Sarria. It just felt a bit more rushed and focused than the early days when it seemed it would never end.

But, it makes me wonder, how do we know if it altered our Camino or not? I have an idea in my mind that mine might have been different, but maybe it wouldn't have been. I think unless you have set stops and you alter them directly because of someone else then that's more obvious than if you are already walking without any other plan but to arrive in Santiago de C at some point.

It's a very interesting subject and I guess greatly influenced by your original reason for walking the Camino.

 

[suseia]

I have always walked my three caminos (never entirely unlikely) wit my wife so in a couple..we have planned before our stages and we respected our plans also because they were adapted to our rytm of walking.. We really appreciated camino's cameraderie and in particolar the international atmosphere on the frances and on the portugaise. We didn't change our plans but at the some time i think that the pilgrimage is also a collective experience.. Istinctively i am not so attracted by other caminos with few pilgrims.. In any case very interisting and stimulating topic!!