My Thoughts on the Last 100km: How The Atmosphere Changes- Camino de Santiago

In this post-Camino de Santiago chat, I share my personal experience with the change of atmosphere upon reaching Sarria in an effort to help others to understand what they can potentially expect to encounter, and my tips to keep a level head and be able to stay 'in the zone'. Whether you're a seasoned pilgrim or planning your first Camino, this video provides valuable insights for anyone facing the unique dynamics of the final 100km.
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[@harrykey2448]

Hi again....I felt exactly the same as you at one time. Since then, I have completely changed my attitude. Whether we like it or not the majority of the Sarria newbies are Catholics walking their Camino in what for them has become tradition. They are not weather worn or exhausted. They are fresh and gleeful. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims walked in very large groups. They would have thought nothing wrong with breaking into song and having a good time. We modern perigrinos think we know how it should be done. There is the belief that the Frances is split into three sections...the physical, the mental and the spiritual. I have learned that that is BS. I can experience all three on any given day. On my first Camino, walking from Poitiers (84 days in total) I did not feel superior to people who merely walked from St Jean. In 2007 I met a young French woman on the Meseta who was walking home to Paris after arriving to Santiago. She was doing the Camino in the real traditional way. Last year I walked for a while with a man from Poland who had walked from his front door and intended to return on foot. I say all this to point out that however we choose to walk, that is okay. I now look forward to mixing with the shiny, happy people from Sarria. The Camino should be seen as a metaphor for life. Roll with it.Take it as it unfolds and embrace it. My advice to people who want solitude is don't walk a pilgrim route to Santiago. Last year there were more than 446000 people received their compostela at the pilgrim office and an estimated 600000 in total who walked....not everyone, myself included, gets a compostela. Stay home and walk a hiking trail if you have an issue with crowds of people.

[@FNDingMyWay]

The journey some people are able to make it so incredible to me! Walking from Poland and back!? Wow! Such an undertaking. You make many many valid points, I'll be honest, I hadn't considered that they would have walked in large groups historically, but I have read about how dangerous the Camino could have be at times with robbery etc and it does make sense that they would have walked in large groups back then. I can also see how the groups would have sung together as they walked. The Camino was not thick with pilgrims until recently, and singing as they walked would have probably been a fairly intimate setting. I do see the difference in a group of people singing together and the power song can have, however I stand by what i said in the video, though, that blasting loud music from a phone or radio, not just on the Camino, but on *any* trail with other people around is disrespectful to those around you. Especially when headphones exist. I agree that walking the Camino can be a metaphor for life, and I tried to tell myself that once I found myself leaving Sarria- I don't have control over anyone or anything around me, just like with life. I had a lot of peaceful and incredible days walking, but now I found myself being pulled out of that zone I had managed to get into. But that's life, isn't it? Which brings me to the whole point for making this video- for me, even during Autumn when there were fewer pilgrims, from Sarria on was a completely different rodeo, one i was not prepared for. Does that mean I should have stayed home and walked a trail here? Absolutely not. And as judgemental as I may have felt at the time towards the other pilgrims, whom I felt then, were ruining my vibe, I realized they belonged there too, doing their Camino their own way, and it was up to me to shift my mindset and not let them affect me any more than they already had, so I put in my headphones and carried on. I understand that everyones Camino looks different, but respecting one another should *always* come first. However, like I said, we have no control over anyone else or anything else in the world, all we can control is the very second we are personally living in and how we choose to face it. For me, facing the change in energy on the Camino shocked my system and I had to figure out how to proceed with myself mentally. I'm not the only one who has felt this bring down their spirit, and it is something I wish I had been more prepared to experience. I love that you have managed to find the beauty in mixing with the "shiny people from Sarria", hopefully one day I can have that same experience. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@harrykey2448]

For most of its existence the Frances has been extremely busy with pilgrims. In medieval times, even greater numbers than the present day. It remained very busy until the Spanish revolution when Franco effectively closed it down. The modern Camino, as we now know it, was resurrected in 1985 when Don Elias Valīna Sampedro decided to take his old car and trace the route painting yellow arrows as he went. He had been a pastor in O'Cobreiro, and he went to study in the Fonseca college in Salamanca. He studied the history of the Camino and decided that he would undertake the task of kickstarting it again. He gained the support of people along the way and encouraged the erection of signage and way markers. Unfortunately he died in 1989 at the age of sixty so he didn't see the results of his efforts. In the time that I have been walking I have seen massive changes in the Camino experience, especially the Frances. In 2007 when I arrived to the plaza in front of the cathedral, I was the only person there with a backpack. Last September there were thousands. There were fewer in May this year due to incredibly heavy rain. I think that the guidebooks have distorted things greatly. They have introduced the notion of stages. Then there is the contrived idea of the physical, mental and spiritual sections. Many perigrinos take this quite literally and feel cheated if they aren't getting the full whammy in the correct order. For the people who are disappointed about encountering groups in and beyond Sarria, all I can say is it's a good job they are not on the Hajj. Last year I walked into Santiago with an English woman and an American woman. About three miles out we began singing 500 miles by the Proclaimers. We walked past a middle-aged couple who were disapproving. Some people need to get a life. As we arrived to the arch, my Irish friend Carmen. was playing the bagpipes to welcome the pilgrims. I wonder if the disapproving couple showed their displeasure at the sound of the pipes.

[@harrykey2448]

0:43 ​​@@FNDingMyWayI'm not stalking you from afar. It's your fault....you were very honest about your feelings in a way that connected with me. The way that you dealt with your anxieties was great to see. I would go as far as to say that you are a very strong woman both physically and mentally. After your Camino experience, I think you should throw away your diagnostic labels and just accept your ups and downs as part of normal life. You proved that you can cope with adversities as good as, if not better than, most.

[@FNDingMyWay]

@harrykey2448 it would honestly a joy to meet you in person some day and talk about the Caminos history. You know so much about it and I feel like you would be an amazing person to learn about it from.

[@harrykey2448]

It would be good to meet you. Our paths could cross sometimes....stranger things have happened. I usually start walking the Frances around August 20th....after the rush but before the rains. ​@@FNDingMyWay

[@AmyDeerie]

Thank you for this video, I had heard that Sarria onwards is a circus and it didn’t appeal to me - but you’ve just reaffirmed my decision to take the Invierno route. I had doubts as I’ll arrive in Ponferrada in less than a week and so was running out of time to make this decision! So, Gracias!

[@FNDingMyWay]

So glad this could be of help! 😄😄 I'll be cheering you on!

[@dashelyc]

The large groups in the last 100km are school groups and other social groups and we need more and better connections to people so I both dislike and love them for three effects. But yes it does change the routine

[@Maureen.walkdontrun]

I missed the solitude from Sarria to Santiago and felt irritated. The school groups with music blasting was really unfair so I did what you did. Went faster or slower to lose the noise. A pilgrim that has walked for over a month is in a different mental zone once reaching Sarria.

[@FNDingMyWay]

Whats crazy is that for me, it wasn't the school groups blasting the music but the men in their 60s. 🤯 but yes, it can be a whole different mental zone reaching Sarria for sure!

[@somehappenings246]

I suspect many feel the same. I try not to judge in my life, but then I do. Doing my first Camino in 3 weeks. I work with children and teach a lot of social emotional learning,... I struggle with adults behaving badly. I expect them to be better, this is probably unfair of me sometimes. This will be a big learning of compassion for me, or I will just struggle lol Glad you shared

[@lanasotherland]

Thanks for sharing about this! I’m curious if you think staying “off stage” (not in the main cities recommended by the guidebooks or apps) would impact the last 100km and avoid some of those big groups?

[@FNDingMyWay]

I don't know how helpful it would be during the busy season as I've heard that it can be hard to get a bed when it's so busy, seems like the crowds may be unavoidable then. I did stay offstage and I wasn't there during the busy season, but I still had my share of groups. The best way I found was just to get passed them or let them pass me and then have my solitude again. I do think I probably had to deal with less big groups staying offstage than I would have otherwise but 🤷‍♀️ I'm not sure how absolutely avoidable the big groups are, I'd just go into it knowing that I need to be flexible with my plan for those few days in terms of making space for myself

[@lanasotherland]

That’s interesting and good advice for it! Thanks for responding! 😁 I’ve loved watching your series and am sad it’s almost finished! Any plans for another Camino?

[@FNDingMyWay]

I will absolutely be doing another camino at some point! I'd already be there if my passport hadn't just expired 🤣🤣 I miss it qith every fiber of my being. There are several long hikes here in the states I want to do too, so we will see what comes next!