Solitude is one of the great words that surround the Camino de Santiago.
Many fear her. Others look for it. And almost no one lives it exactly as they imagined it before starting to walk.
To talk about loneliness on the Camino is to talk about a very personal experience, but also a very shared one.
The fear of loneliness before starting
Before putting on your backpack, solitude usually gives you respect.
Questions appear like:
- What if I feel alone all the time?
- What if I don't connect with anyone?
- What if it becomes difficult for me emotionally?
It's normal. Especially on the first Camino. The head goes faster than the feet.
The reality of the Camino: you are never alone
One of the first surprises of the Camino is that, even if you start alone, you rarely feel isolated.
You share:
- Stages
- Hostels
- Tables
- Silences
- Fatigue
Sometimes all it takes is a greeting or a smile to break the ice. Other times, simply walking a few feet from another person is enough company.
The loneliness that does exist (and that also teaches)
There are times when you walk alone for hours.
The sound of your steps, your breathing, the landscape.
And there appears the other side of loneliness: the interior.
That loneliness is not always uncomfortable. Many times it is necessary.
It is when:
- You organize thoughts
- You listen to what you have been keeping quiet for a long time
- You give yourself permission to feel
The Camino does not cover up the interior noise. He lowers it.
Walking alone is not feeling alone
This is one of the great learnings of the Camino.
You can walk alone and feel accompanied.
And you can also be surrounded by people and feel alone.
On the Camino, solitude is usually a choice:
- You join when you feel like it
- You separate when you need to
- You share without obligation
That balance is part of its magic.
The meetings that are not planned
Many pilgrims agree on the same thing:
the most important encounters are not sought.
They emerge:
- At the end of a stage
- In a quiet conversation
- Sharing table
- In a shared silence
Sometimes they last an afternoon.
Sometimes several days.
Sometimes just that moment.
And that's enough.
So… myth or reality?
Solitude on the Camino de Santiago it's not a myth, but it is not what many fear.
It is not abandonment.
It is not constant sadness.
It is not isolation.
It is a mixture of:
- Silence
- Encounters
- Time for yourself
- Community without obligations
A final thought
On the Camino you can start alone,
but you almost never end the same as you started.
Loneliness, when it appears, does not come to empty you.
He's coming to get you high.
