Yellow arrows on Brierly alternatives for the cartographically challenged?

[Caminomary525]

In looking at Brierly's notes for my Logrono to Leon segment , I note that there are several places where Brierly suggests alternatives to the main route, mostly to avoid long stretches near highways. So, are these alternatives marked with yellow arrows or shells? I am severely cartographically challenged and worry about being dependent on Brierly maps and notes in the absence of route markers I'd i choose to try the alternate paths.

Thanks.

 

[Diefenbaker]

Back in 2010 I don't recall ever having problems with the little yellow markers on the alternative routes and I used most of them as they invariably lead to some interesting places, even if they were usually a few km's longer than the main route. Even if I hadn't seen the markers I doubt I'd have got lost as there was usually a backpack with legs bouncing around in front of me at varying distances. If you're worried though you could always walk with someone at these stages.

 

[dougfitz]

Where I took alternatives that were, they were waymarked. Sometimes I took alternatives that weren't. I was then both geographically and cartographically challenged!

 

[Al the optimist]

Where I took alternatives that were, they were waymarked. Sometimes I took alternatives that weren't. I was then both geographically and cartographically challenged!

Amen to that Doug

 

[nellpilgrim]

The alternative routes in Brierley are easy to follow for the most part and, if you have access to it, the French Miam miam dodo guide also has a number of additional route options worth checking out. For example en route to Carrion do los Condes when Brierley's suggested route (which by the way is a lot nicer than slogging along the main road) swings you back onto a main road at Ermita Virgin del rio to continue onto Carrion via Villasirga MMDD's suggested detour heads just a little further to the north of that road and follows a lovely farm track that runs sort of parallelish (well it does wind and wend a bit) to the main road. We saw some rusty old Camino signs on this track with the words 'Santiago de Compostela' rather than any shells so it has obviously had a larger purpose than just agricultural and it takes you gently and quietly through fields nearly all of the way into town.
Asking for a peek at a MMDD guide shouldn't be a problem as there are usually quite a few French pilgrims en route and they seem to get a kick out of English speaking pilgrims referencing their guides rather than Brierley (or indeed anything in English!).