Boy, Indy, that must have been some tour.
I'm a huge one about needing quiet when I sleep, which is big reason I like to stealth camp. Campgrounds aften suck for actually getting sleep--idiots with generators, blokes coming in at all hours, drunken slobs--arg.
I've had an experience recently where a very nice but kind of annoying older gentleman was doing a little riding with a group I was putting together. He was very slow compared to the rest on his recumbent trike, but on top of that, he was having constant troubles with his gear--this thing sticking, that thing loose, etc., etc. I just had a bad feeling how things would go days into the tour. I didn't invite him even though I knew he was keen. Ultimately he did a tour, and on reading about it, he ended up climbing the big grades in 100 yard segments with lots of resting in between. I admire his determination to finish, but holy cats! I would have wanted to push him over the edge had I been riding with him.
So partners matter a lot. If you don't get along, if the other guy/gal does stuff that annoys you, after a week or two on the trail, everything will be magnified. Solo for me meant some times when I would have liked to share some thoughts or exclaim over an event, but mostly it was fine. And there is an undeniable magnification of the experience, too, when riding solo. Everything seems a little more intense.
Mr. Bent