Tales of Being the Only Pilgrim in the Albergue

[BiggBlue]

Because I had to abandon my first Camino after 22 days because of shin splints, I returned the following year in late March to complete my journey.

Being early in the season, I often found myself as the only occupant of an Albergue. This ranged from feeling like the king of the castle, with the entire building to myself, a fully equipped kitchen, my pick of the beds, and luxurious, unhurried showers, to feeling like a contestant in a reality show set in a haunted building. There were times when I experienced exceptionally cold spots, a spooky sense and the odd very strange noises at one o'clock in the morning.

I’m sure many pilgrims have had similar experiences. It’s not unique. But given the choice of being alone in an Albergue or being the last person to arrive when it’s packed, I’d still choose the solitude.

However, the only thing I found more uncomfortable than being the sole resident was when I expected to be alone, only to have a second pilgrim arrive; if it was a fellow male, it was no problem; however, as a 64-year-old man, if it was a woman. I would worry about her potential natural discomfort at sharing a dormitory with a strange man, even if he was a genuine pilgrim. Having five sisters, I’ve heard countless stories about situations where they felt uneasy around men. I am acutely aware of not wanting to be a source of discomfort or worry for anyone. I would always try to speak in a friendly tone, hoping to reassure them. They chose not to stay on a few occasions, which I completely understood but felt terrible about.

There are countless stories from my Caminos, but one of my most memorable experiences happened in Lugo. I was the only person in the Albergue, a large dormitory with 20 beds. When I returned at 9:15 PM, the staff member had left the building. I read for a while and, around 10 PM, decided to go to bed. I quickly discovered I couldn’t find the light switch. No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t locate it, and the room remained brightly lit. At 10:10 PM, I heard a noise at the door. The staff member who was not staying at the Albergue returned and, fortunately, showed me the switch, hidden in a recessed area outside the room. (Which I would never have found) The room was pitch black once the lights were off, and I struggled to find my way back to bed.

As I lay there, I listened to the sounds of the night. In the morning, I woke up early and made my exit. As my father would say, “It was character-building.”

 

[Bradypus]

I do most of my Camino walking in winter and often on less-travelled routes. Quite often I find I have the albergue to myself. I've always considered it a luxury and I can't recall ever feeling any anxiety about it. My favourite experience was on the Via Francigena where I ended up having an entire medieval castle to myself when the manager handed me the keys at 6pm and told me where to leave them in the morning. The thunder and lightning alarm call at about 7am the next morning just added to the drama!

 

[JabbaPapa]

I have frequently been the only pilgrim -- and tell the truth, if it's the state of affairs over several days in a row, it does get boring, even IF you are a psychological loner.

When a second pilgrim turns up, it's extremely variable, I've found, from the unpredictable dynamic of two strangers meeting.

It can range between two people parked in the most opposite corners possible and keeping conversation down to the bare minimum of hello, buen camino, goodbye, and almost nothing else ; and some immediate warm affinity and sharing food and wine and stories and experiences.

Two stories.

On my 2005, on the Arles Way, in a tiny village free Refugio (calling it a Gîte would be very exaggerated) a peregrina started getting in my face about how I was a guy and bla-bla-bla which mystified me -- until it turned out that she was falsely supposing that I would expect her to do the cooking, which I most certainly didn't, and after it emerged that she wanted to do the washing-up after I did the cooking, which I definitely preferred too, everything became copacetic and we had a great evening.

Then almost the last time it happened this year, in a tiny actual Refuge (a bare-bones shelter) between SJPP and Saint-Palais, where one virtually always sleeps alone (in the cold), on my Way home a pilgrim I had met in Galicia and who was walking home too (I did not walk all of the way this year as I had already walked from Santiago to SJPP in 2022) came in, and we were both very pleased to encounter, for likely the final time on our Caminos, a pilgrim that we already knew.

Mostly though, either being alone or unexpectedly finding oneself in the company of another is simple and straightforward.

 

[roving_rufus]

I have had a few alone nights in albergues - whether in winter or on less travelled routes. This I don't mind as long as the door locks! (I am female). Some are very comfy solo, others feel a bit creepy.

But that 2 random pilgrim thing can be very weird. On the CP I was in an albergue in a village, when a slightly odd older women arrived after 6.30 and started spouting wild conspiracy theories - I was so happy when a German girl arrived late at 8.30ish, as I was considering leaving in the dark even with my bad ankle -I was that uncomfortable.
Last year on the Via Bayona/ Vasco Interior I was late arriving in Zegama and the male pilgrim had bolted the door and despite me having keys I couldn't get in but eventually he figured out someone was at the door - but we slept in separate dorms. He said next day he was going to one town, I said I was going to do a long day over mountains of 34km. So I arrived, made dinner and was settled in bed with lights off sleeping at nearly 10pm, and the front door opened and in came the local hospitalera with the same male pilgrim- with a shout of hola - I nearly jumped a foot off the bed! But he was really quiet and slept in one of the side alcoves trying not to disturb me.
Then on the Voie du Littoral down the coast of France - few pilgrims travel this route. I knew from one parish accommodation there were a couple of pilgrims recently through (inside a week!). So the next day I was doing a 35km day and in this forest in the middle of nowhere I could see someone sitting at the side of the track - I started to freak as a solo female- but it was a young guy with a rucksack with a shell! We walked the last bit together to village and the pilgrim accommodation at the mairie (townhall). The accomodation was a basic kitchen and a single bunkbed - he being gentlemanly offered me the bottom bunk. Having not seen another pilgrim on this entire trip until Bayonne - it was very exciting and fun!

 

[MikeJS]

I to have frequently stayed in places by myself and mostly rather like it. I had one memerable ‘experience “ in Petrola on the Sureste when the accommodation was in a spare room of a church. All very simple, no shower but adequate. It was dark and relatively cool and the room contained about 6 or so of the life size religious figures often used in procession and such like. Made for a slightly surreal night, especially when I needed to get up in the middle of the night…...

 

[Paladina]

Being alone in an albergue or billeted with an unknown other doesn’t normally disturb me. In a private albergue, I shared a dorm with a southern European I’d never seen before. We exchanged pleasantries and regrets about the unseasonable weather. Unfortunately, accustomed to higher temperatures than he found in Galicia, he turned the heating up to its maximum. It was like sleeping in a sauna. For once, I welcomed the next morning’s persistent rain.

 

[duncanwhyte]

On the mozarabes and vdlp I was the only occupant of the albergues a few times. Sometimes it was a casa rural at reduced price. It's a welcome break from the hubbub of a busy albergue.

 

[peregrina2000]

I can also add many stories about being the only one in an albergue, but only one story about being scared out of my wits. In Algemesí on the Levante, I got the key from the toy museum across the street. At about 11 pm that night, someone came into the dark albergue when I was asleep, and I screamed. He was just as terrified as I. He was a cyclist who had had a bike break-down somewhere along the way. He got the key from the police in Algemesí, who were unaware of the fact that the toy museum had already given out one key.

I’ve often seen on his vlogs that Álvaro Lazaga always bolts the doors of albergues when he is alone. I tried to do that once, in Castromonte, but it was more of a clown show than anything else, and I gave up. I don’t think I’m careless, but it just didn’t seem to me that it was necessary and I haven’t tried since.

I’d be interested in hearing from others — when you are alone, do you take care to block doors or otherwise impede the entrance of a potential intruder?

 

[Stivandrer]

Stayed in what looked like a tall seminary building close to Santa Eulalia church in Silleda. Had contacted and met with a person that gave me the key, told me to go into the tall stairwell and enter dormitory on the second floor. Long row of cubicles with doors that could lock and only light switches in either end.
I might as well undress and sleep in darkness...
That called for a long dark night and I parked myself close to the bathrooms in the middle of the long room, chose the room that had a nice scallop shell on the window sill.
It was an unremarkable night with good sleep as I hed been flat out tired and wet and only woke once when a water pipe somewhere contracted and gave a bump. I think I would´ve been more on edge if sb else was there and only in the morning I found out that lock, even when engaged, was not working.
Had it given me false sense of security..!
Anyway, I always sleep with my headlight on my head

 

[Bradypus]

I’d be interested in hearing from others — when you are alone, do you take care to block doors or otherwise impede the entrance of a potential intruder?

When it is late at night and I am ready for bed I usually lock the door but I wouldn't go out of my way to block any entrances otherwise. I am always aware that an albergue is a communal space and that there may be others with a key and legitimate reasons for entering the building.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I’d be interested in hearing from others — when you are alone, do you take care to block doors or otherwise impede the entrance of a potential intruder?

In Italy, that's just common sense against thieves.

 

[Paladina]

I’d be interested in hearing from others — when you are alone, do you take care to block doors or otherwise impede the entrance of a potential intruder?

No, I don’t. The potential intruder is more likely to be an exhausted pilgrim.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I’d be interested in hearing from others — when you are alone, do you take care to block doors or otherwise impede the entrance of a potential intruder?

In Linyola on the Camino Catalan I stayed at the agricultural compound that Josep Cabra had on the edge of town. He provided an albergue-like upper floor on one of the buildings surrounding a gated courtyard. The Catalan gets few walkers and so it was just me there. When it was time for me to sleep I debated with myself but then decided to bolt the door at the ground floor to keep the equipment and tools stored there safe. Sometime in the middle of the night I was awakened by someone coming up the stairs and, in a loud voice, I called out "Quien es?" A quite drunk young man started apologizing. He identified himself as my host's grandson and he eventually chose a bed and went to sleep. I have no idea how he managed to unbolt the door from the outside, especially in his condition.

In the morning on my way out of town I saw two cafes near each other. I peeked into the first and left to look at the second when some men having coffee outside told me that Señor Cabra was inside the first cafe. I found him with several friends sitting at the extreme back. I thanked him for his hospitality and I was given more as he invited me to sit down and have breakfast. I told him about my visitor and he and a friend sitting next to him looked at each other, grinned and both spoke his name at the same time. Apparently his grandson had used the room for peregrinos as a crash pad before.