VDLP guidebook

[remotefishingvillage]

what is the best guidebook for the Via de la Plata?

 

[Cejanus]

what is the best guidebook for the Via de la Plata?

Hi, you want to check out an Ap by Melanie McManus which is listed in the resources section of this forum. I have found it particularly helpful in planning this very long journey. I am also including here a post from another forum member Camino David that I just received an alert from "How many days to walk the Via de la Plata.

"Re Guide Book. The best in my opinion is the one produced by Amigos del Camino de Santiago de Sevilla. It is produced in Spanish, French and English versions, shows the route to Santiago via Ourense (37 stages) and the alternative route to Astorga (28 stages). It is 45 pages long and has a plan of each stage with distances between towns, a profile of the route, a description of each stage and lists albergues, hotels etc, and restaurants, ATM's, shops, pharmacies, health centres with phone numbers for police and town hall. It is spirally bound and opens out so that each stage is shown with the plan on one half and description on the other half, all on water resistant paper. Weight is 170 gms. Cost in Spain in 2013 was 10 euros. The problem is getting it overseas as the Amigos do not have Visa/MasterCard. It can be purchased in Sevilla from the office of the Amigos, Calle San Jacinta, 25, 41010, Sevilla, Spain. www.viaplata.org.es" (copied from Camino Davids post today.)

Happy planning. When do you intend to walk the VDLP?

 

[remotefishingvillage]

many thanks this is awesome! i will be starting in merida on sept 3

 

[AlanB]

The Spanish guidebook is good but only for the layout and the maps. The written information it provides is poorly translated whimsical nonsense. It states where there facilities - Albergues, ATMs etc. but as it was published in 2010 for the Holy Year the info is likely circa 2009 so very dated. Still worth taking for the maps alone but best supplemented with something more up-to-date and relevant. Gerald Kelly's book was very useful.

 

[Luka]

I combined Melanie's app with the Spanish guide from the amigo and an app from independentrip.

 

[Deborah Williams]

VdlP was my first Camino, which I finished mid June this year. I agree with Alan, the Amigos book isn't much help, but it is a good visual source. For the most I actually found the fletchas were excellent and tried to purposely only follow these during each walking day, but my other fall back was finding a German friend, as they have the Outlook books. These detailed books are very handy when coming into bigger towns, but again the yellow fletchas are very good. I took one wrong turn and heard an old lady yelling ' peregrina' over her fence to attract my attention and point me in the right direction. I felt a fool because the arrows pointed that way. I had not been paying attention. So trust the Camino to show you the way, and believe that it is not out to fool you, just to take you the older routes off the highways of today. Good luck.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Outdoor series of books, actually:

http://www.amazon.de/dp/3866864051/

They are fantastic.

 

[Deborah Williams]

Outdoor series of books.... Sorry. Not Outlook.

 

[camino-david]

Re the guide book which is published by the Amigos de VDLP de Sevilla, it does come with an up to date list of amendments and additions. I walked it last year and the list is dated 2013. I agree the writing is somewhat whimsical in it's translation, but it is easily understandable, and it is in English, unlike several other guide books.
I met many Germans, and they mostly used the Outdoor guide which appeared to be good, but I do not understand German.
I also loaded an app, but it was wrong in many instances such as the route being shown on a busy highway instead a path through the countryside. I looked for and obeyed the yellow arrows.

 

[High Endeavours]

I used the Amigos guide this past May and June from Sevilla and frankly it provided little value...I've kept it as a souvenir because I just got use to carrying it in the side pocket of my shorts. It actually became the subject of friendly joking when my German and French amigos saw it I mostly walked alone and the few times I became lost the guide provided no real value. I used my compass to find my way back to the trail...which was quite entertaining and made for some pleasant interactions with local folks I would strongly recommend purchasing a German or French guide as they are excellent with very good maps, and with the other English resources available, it is mostly all one needs. In the German guides the albergues are rated with shells (more is better) and one can pull enough information from the guides without speaking the language. Many albergues have information pamphlets about the albergues in pueblos down the road and I found getting a bed wasn't usually a problem. Most nights I had a lower bunk and no one in the upper....just not that many people on the route.

An amazing, exceptional experience...I would walk it again in a heart beat. Long soulful, quiet days through beautiful country trails and wonderful peregrinos to share a meal with at the end most days. I didn't meet another peregrino from North America and only three others whose native language was English which was strangely very satisfying. In fact my French improved almost as much as my Spanish! The language issue is not usually a big a deal if you make an effort...everyone is prepared to come a long way to help and to be inclusive. After all...its Camino!

Simply special!

 

[tindora]

Call me challenged, but I can't see the Melanie McManus guide at all in the resource section! Can anyone point me in the right direction....

Remotefishingvillage, we will probably meet on the road. We are starting from Mérida around the 29th of August, but will be doing mostly very short stages so I am sure that you will overtake us. We are a family with two kids, a baby and a three year old, and will be pulling a stroller like donkeys....pretty hard to miss us!

 

[jirit]

You can find it here

http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/english-language-app-guidebook-to-the-vdlp.56/