Is the Camino the right thing for me?

[JustOneGuy]

Hello everyone,

I came here looking for information about the Camino. My idea was to do with my partner “the” camino next spring. Then I started reading and I must say that, thanks also to the courtesy and welcome found, unusual in a forum, I became very involved in the idea. Then for various reasons I decided to plan a tour of the island where I live, the Canary Islands, as a start.

However, I must say, the more I read and - can I tell you the truth? - the less passionate I get about the idea of doing a Camino. As I have already said I am not a believer, so for me from a religious point of view it would have little value. but this is not a problem at all: I am meditative and like to walk alone, with frugality and little impact. But I don't like to “follow” the crowd, and frankly both my partner/wife and I don't like crowded places (a problem also here and in general in Spain) and feeling like “a number.” And I wonder if instead we are not the sort of person who should do the Camino.

I have always had - suffered, I would say - from an independent spirit and to the iconic, famous place I have always preferred the chance to make my own little discovery in the less known but true place, my own little gem. We have been to Galicia, Cantabria Asturia and Portugal recently (by car though) and we loved them. It was April-May, it was raining (and we both like rain and cold!). We found some wonderful places and were therefore attracted by the beauty of some lighthouses, some “rias” and towns, some remote white beaches, just for us. Also, we do not like planning too much in advance, and feeling the stress of not finding accommodation for the night would be an additional burden for us.

Having said all this--sorry for the long introduction--do you think, put frankly, there are caminos/periods when one does not experience this feeling of tourist massification that seems to me to be expressed in many posts? And also whether you think that at different times of the year, perhaps without overdoing the rain you could plan a visit to places where you could find some recollection, some personal experience? Or whether, in your opinion, it is better to head to other shores, and leave the Camino experience to those who truly believe in it?

In the back of my mind lies a little dream: that, shortly after I retire, I will start to walk, stopping only when I can no longer physically do it. A former colleague of mine recently retired: he put all his things in a couple of containers and lives in a beautiful sailboat with his wife, planning to go around the world.

To sailing I would personally prefer walking. Maybe a “camino” from Finisterra to Nordkapp , or some other crazy cardinal point (but with my big cat, whom I would never leave alone for months!

Thanks as always to everyone who will have the courtesy and time to give me their honest opinion.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I’m not a believer either, I most definitely do not walk the Camino for religious purposes. I hate crowds, tours etc. Use a guide book etc purely for research, then find my own places, make my own memories etc. I’ve missed many famous places/ sites- because I just can’t deal with the crowds (or because I couldn’t care less).
So I get it. It’s not what I walk the Camino for, and it’s why I haven’t walked the Frances.

It’s also why I started from my doorstep. 370km so far and not a single fellow pilgrim. (Actually, one or two would have been nice!)

There are many quieter, less travelled Caminos, with several threads on them.
Hopefully someone more experienced than I will see your post and respond accordingly- or you could contact a moderator and ask them to move this to a new thread.

 

[woody66]

You can find peace even on the busiest Camino's; last year Leon to Sarria i met about 20 Pilgrims in 200km!
Then it got busy for 2 or 3 days and peace then returned again!
I am not religious but love to walk in nature and new places ; don't put imagined scenarios ahead of the reality you will find when your feet are on the ground!
No preconceived ideas just walk; open heart open mind and enjoy what the day brings.
Make a decision after you walk you will know the truth by then
Buen Camino
Woody

 

[Americanperegrino]

I posted this up on another thread, however, I believe it is also needed here:

Youre going to meet two people on the Camino of the greatest consequence. One will be the person you are, the other is the person you didnt know you are. Be kind to both.

 

[Bradypus]

I walked my first Camino - the Camino Frances - at a time when numbers were about 1% of the current crowds. I will return to Spain at the end of this week to join a friend for another week on the Frances. In the 30+ years since my first Camino I have walked many routes in Spain, the UK, Sweden, Norway, France, Italy and Japan. There are still many beautiful routes in Spain where you will find very little company but many opportunities for reflection. My own particular favourite is on your doorstep in the Canaries: the stunning Camino de Santiago on Gran Canaria. The Mozarabe from Málaga? The Via de la Plata? So many options. I had decided that I would never walk the Camino Frances again after a very mixed experience in September 2016 when I saw the full three-ring-circus in action. And yet I was drawn back to walk from SJPDP in January last year and discovered it was like stepping back two decades. The most obnoxious elements of the recent Camino Frances stripped away and a simple experience restored.

 

[eamackey]

I’m not a believer either, I most definitely do not walk the Camino for religious purposes. I hate crowds, tours etc. Use a guide book etc purely for research, then find my own places, make my own memories etc. I’ve missed many famous places/ sites- because I just can’t deal with the crowds (or because I couldn’t care less).
So I get it. It’s not what I walk the Camino for, and it’s why I haven’t walked the Frances.

It’s also why I started from my doorstep. 370km and not a single fellow pilgrim. (Actually, one or two would have been nice!)

There are many quieter, less travelled Caminos, with several threads on them.
Hopefully someone more experienced than I will see your post and respond accordingly- or you could contact a moderator and ask them to move this to a new thread.

Everyone seems to recommend the Frances for my first Camino. I do not like crowds, and like to make my own way. Which Camino (30ish) days would also be good for a wandering first timer?

 

[Bradypus]

I do not like crowds, and like to make my own way. Which Camino (30ish) days would also be good for a wandering first timer?

Aren't those two sentences a little contradictory? If you really prefer to make your own way then why not choose a place which is of personal significance to yourself, decide what is a reasonable daily distance for you, then plot a route which works? Unless you want to arrive in Santiago and claim a Compostela the route is entirely up to you.

 

[eamackey]

Aren't those two sentences a little contradictory? If you really prefer to make your own way then why not choose a place which is of personal significance to yourself, decide what is a reasonable daily distance for you, then plot a route which works? Unless you want to arrive in Santiago and claim a Compostela the route is entirely up to you.

That is the best recommendation I have received. There is plenty of information here, and elsewhere to make that possible. Sometimes TMI can lead to doubt and overthinking. Thank you.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

That is the best recommendation I have received. There is plenty of information here, and elsewhere to make that possible. Sometimes TMI can lead to doubt and overthinking. Thank you.

If you haven't already you could download one of the apps like mapy.cz , wikiloc etc. Personally I find the desktop version of mapy to be excellent for planning your own route. You can research on here, pick and choose places that you would like to visit or parts of routes that you would like to follow, then join them all up with mapy. Or of course simply put in point a point b etc, and let mapy connect to the dots for you. It'll always put you on a path if one exists.
Enjoy!

 

[David Tallan]

The challenge in providing the best advice lies in balancing the factors, some of which compete.

In general, I advise the Frances and Portugues for first time pilgrims. Those, you will have noticed, have the most pilgrims. But all of those pilgrims means that they have the most pilgrim infrastructure, which can be reassuring and supportive for first time pilgrims and can provide the flexibility to adjust your Camino to how you discover you are walking it. For those that want more solitude, the options are there to walk off season or stop "off stage" (although those can diminish a bit the benefits listed above). But neither of those is exactly walking the "untrod path".

As others have said there are plenty of other routes, most with far less people walking them. If fact, these routes vastly outnumber the popular Camino routes (it is a "long tail" sort of distribution). These will give you the solitude you desire, and the feeling of not following a crowd. But the trade off is that you may not be able to stop wherever you want because there won't be accommodations in every village. But if you are ready to pay more for accommodation, that can increase what's available and give you back some of the flexibility.

 

[dbier]

Hey, one question.

Weren't you the gentleman who told us on these boards about the pilgrims you met and the peace they demonstrated to you?

And now you don't want to walk where they did when they showed you that peace?

To be honest, you seem to have developed the same case of nerves we all have at some point on Camino.

Why not just come, walk, and see what you find?

Buen Camino!

 

[Liica]

Hello everyone,

I came here looking for information about the Camino. My idea was to do with my partner “the” camino next spring. Then I started reading and I must say that, thanks also to the courtesy and welcome found, unusual in a forum, I became very involved in the idea. Then for various reasons I decided to plan a tour of the island where I live, the Canary Islands, as a start.

However, I must say, the more I read and - can I tell you the truth? - the less passionate I get about the idea of doing a Camino. As I have already said I am not a believer, so for me from a religious point of view it would have little value. but this is not a problem at all: I am meditative and like to walk alone, with frugality and little impact. But I don't like to “follow” the crowd, and frankly both my partner/wife and I don't like crowded places (a problem also here and in general in Spain) and feeling like “a number.” And I wonder if instead we are not the sort of person who should do the Camino.

I have always had - suffered, I would say - from an independent spirit and to the iconic, famous place I have always preferred the chance to make my own little discovery in the less known but true place, my own little gem. We have been to Galicia, Cantabria Asturia and Portugal recently (by car though) and we loved them. It was April-May, it was raining (and we both like rain and cold!). We found some wonderful places and were therefore attracted by the beauty of some lighthouses, some “rias” and towns, some remote white beaches, just for us. Also, we do not like planning too much in advance, and feeling the stress of not finding accommodation for the night would be an additional burden for us.

Having said all this--sorry for the long introduction--do you think, put frankly, there are caminos/periods when one does not experience this feeling of tourist massification that seems to me to be expressed in many posts? And also whether you think that at different times of the year, perhaps without overdoing the rain you could plan a visit to places where you could find some recollection, some personal experience? Or whether, in your opinion, it is better to head to other shores, and leave the Camino experience to those who truly believe in it?

In the back of my mind lies a little dream: that, shortly after I retire, I will start to walk, stopping only when I can no longer physically do it. A former colleague of mine recently retired: he put all his things in a couple of containers and lives in a beautiful sailboat with his wife, planning to go around the world.

To sailing I would personally prefer walking. Maybe a “camino” from Finisterra to Nordkapp , or some other crazy cardinal point (but with my big cat, whom I would never leave alone for months!

Thanks as always to everyone who will have the courtesy and time to give me their honest opinion.

I am just like you.

 

[Liica]

I hate crowds and actually, I even can’t walk knowing someone is walking behind me. I never walked the Camino for religious purposes. Later, I discovered that maybe I did, after so many things that happened (people passing on my family), I realized that if I haven’t walked the Caminos I did, I would never have the peace of mind and soul it has provided.

Because I usually walk alone, I like to book a comfortable place to sleep and walk on my slow pace.

The Camino is very well marked and that’s another reason for someone to walk alone.

I like to do it during colder months and the less travelled ones… although recently I am a bit concerned about doing it alone in Spain.

Just find the right season, a not busy one and you will see that it’s a completely different situation.

Good luck

 

[TravellingMan22]

Hello everyone,

I came here looking for information about the Camino. My idea was to do with my partner “the” camino next spring. Then I started reading and I must say that, thanks also to the courtesy and welcome found, unusual in a forum, I became very involved in the idea. Then for various reasons I decided to plan a tour of the island where I live, the Canary Islands, as a start.

However, I must say, the more I read and - can I tell you the truth? - the less passionate I get about the idea of doing a Camino. As I have already said I am not a believer, so for me from a religious point of view it would have little value. but this is not a problem at all: I am meditative and like to walk alone, with frugality and little impact. But I don't like to “follow” the crowd, and frankly both my partner/wife and I don't like crowded places (a problem also here and in general in Spain) and feeling like “a number.” And I wonder if instead we are not the sort of person who should do the Camino.

I have always had - suffered, I would say - from an independent spirit and to the iconic, famous place I have always preferred the chance to make my own little discovery in the less known but true place, my own little gem. We have been to Galicia, Cantabria Asturia and Portugal recently (by car though) and we loved them. It was April-May, it was raining (and we both like rain and cold!). We found some wonderful places and were therefore attracted by the beauty of some lighthouses, some “rias” and towns, some remote white beaches, just for us. Also, we do not like planning too much in advance, and feeling the stress of not finding accommodation for the night would be an additional burden for us.

Having said all this--sorry for the long introduction--do you think, put frankly, there are caminos/periods when one does not experience this feeling of tourist massification that seems to me to be expressed in many posts? And also whether you think that at different times of the year, perhaps without overdoing the rain you could plan a visit to places where you could find some recollection, some personal experience? Or whether, in your opinion, it is better to head to other shores, and leave the Camino experience to those who truly believe in it?

In the back of my mind lies a little dream: that, shortly after I retire, I will start to walk, stopping only when I can no longer physically do it. A former colleague of mine recently retired: he put all his things in a couple of containers and lives in a beautiful sailboat with his wife, planning to go around the world.

To sailing I would personally prefer walking. Maybe a “camino” from Finisterra to Nordkapp , or some other crazy cardinal point (but with my big cat, whom I would never leave alone for months!

Thanks as always to everyone who will have the courtesy and time to give me their honest opinion.

Some great walking in the Canaries and fairly quiet if I remember. How about La Gomera? Close to home and not exotic for you but maybe a good starter?

 

[JustOneGuy]

Hi @TravellingMan22 , actually I am starting with the "Camino Real de la Costa y Mediania"... "soon" (compatibly with my work and home duties) - see here. La Gomera maybe my next (shorter), followed by every single island in the archipelago.

 

[JustOneGuy]

Hey, one question.

Weren't you the gentleman who told us on these boards about the pilgrims you met and the peace they demonstrated to you?

And now you don't want to walk where they did when they showed you that peace?

To be honest, you seem to have developed the same case of nerves we all have at some point on Camino.

Why not just come, walk, and see what you find?

Buen Camino!

Yes, you are right @dbier!

Complaints are always much louder than the praises. That's the nature of things. I once read that the average persone need 8 good reviews/praise/positive feeling and experience to compensate for 1 bad review/complaint/negative feeling or experience!

It's natural selection at work: in nature, if you do the right thing you survive a bit more, but if you do the wrong one you risk to... die!

 

[markie6]

IMHO most people would benefit walking a camino. Crowds are most places, home and abroad and I have always set off on my own , not always been on my own all the time. Just like my home life I guess

If I was truly pondering whether to do something... or whether it was for me ... ? then perhaps I would try walking a camino to unravel those questions

 

[TravellingMan22]

Hi @TravellingMan22 , actually I am starting with the "Camino Real de la Costa y Mediania"... "soon" (compatibly with my work and home duties) - see here. La Gomera maybe my next (shorter), followed by every single island in the archipelago.

Ah lovely! Spent a year in Canaries 2020/1 and stayed at least a month in each of the islands, though a bit more in Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Did some walking but nowhere near enough! Enjoy!

 

[JustOneGuy]

Ah lovely! Spent a year in Canaries 2020/1 and stayed at least a month in each of the islands, though a bit more in Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Did some walking but nowhere near enough! Enjoy!

Lucky guy! Nice.... but... that's bad! You wasted most of your time in the two islands that are considered the WORST here!

 

[William Garza]

Can you live with the choice of not having walked?because somewhere in between the pro and con...
The scales tipped one way, and the reason why was lost in a cacaphony of reasons not to.
Can you be near yourself enough to know it will haunt your thoughts when you hear the sighs of the wind in the trees and wonder if they sound the same somewhere along some shaded path in Spain

Wonder if the dried grass smells sweet under some sun over there, just over the horizon

I hope the reasons to go outweigh the reasons not to!