Anyone have a list of 'off-guide' stages?

[thetravellingpen]

I quite like the idea of stopping between the guide book stages to avoid the crowds as I want to walk in July (don't do cold, and only month I can go).
I'm keen to hear from anyone else who's done this, with where they stayed, and how long each stage was for them, so I can ring these stops in my Brierley guide book, still using his path, but not his stages. I know there are many posts about what Albergues not to miss, but right now, it's all really a blur and very time consuming trying to find these spots on the route map. Probably asking a lot, but maybe someone out there walked off-guide stages and kept a record...

 

[grayland]

There may be a bit of misconception that stopping " between" the Brierley stages involves lesser organized facilities

The "stages" in the guide books are simply arbitrary points based on comfortable daily distances coupled with available albergues. The sleeping opportunities before, after and between the popular stops are a s good, or often, better than the "normal" stops.....just much less crowded.

The intermediate stops are also listed and described in Brierley and other guides. Simply stop short one day or walk past the listed stage point and then walk comfortable distances daily after that

Be aware that these albergues are also very popular and will fill up in the busy season.
Not everyone follows the guide book writers.

 

[mralisn]

Hello,

Once you get going, you'll find your own pace and find places to stay off the "main" stages. One of the best items I pick up is a simple photocopied paper many refugios may have available to share. These will give you great information on upcoming places to stay. You can also talk to the hospitaleros and get their opinion, extremely valuable and fun. I use the small pamphlet-like guide from the CSJ for my walks, and it has worked out perfectly for me. Going off what grayland writes above, not everyone uses a guide. I've never seen a Brierley book and would probably have no use for one. We all seem to find our way no matter.

When I get a bit of time, I'll try to find some "Camino maps" for you and send the you the links. Might that help?

Totally understand, it can be a blur if first time walking the Camino. It is all quite exciting though, isn't it? I bet you'll have the most incredible experience no matter if planned or not.

Trust in the arrows,
Simeon

 

[jmcarp]

My wife used the sample "slow" itinerary found here: http://www.hikingthecamino.com/plan/fast-and-slow-itineraries. This is a 40-day, 20km per day average, thereby automatically taking off the typical guidebook stages. Of course, it assumes that you have enough time to spend 40 days on the Camino. We used that itinerary as a rough guide, as we ended up walking a few longer or shorter days, which got us off that itinerary. You say you only have 30 days, so (assuming you're doing the Camino Frances), you would have two options:
1. Start at Logrono and do the rest from there.
2. Skip a few stages by occasionally taking a bus between some of the larger cities or towns.
But, if you want to do it all in 30-32 days at 25-30km per day, you have the option of stopping at the town or village just before or just after the guidebook stage destinations.

Buen Camino,
Jim

 

[billmclaughlin]

Once you get out of synch with Brierley's stages, it's easy to stay that way without trying very hard. Sometimes you'll be in phase again if you stay in one of his stage cities that merits some visiting like Burgos. So just walk a little more or less the next day, moved by how your body feels and the weather and who you're meeting.

You don't need a guide to a different stages. Just get Miam Miam Dodo and make it up as you go. Be your own synch.

Bill

 

[HalfDomeOrBust]

Once you get out of synch with Brierley's stages, it's easy to stay that way without trying very hard. Sometimes you'll be in phase again if you stay in one of his stage cities that merits some visiting like Burgos. So just walk a little more or less the next day, moved by how your body feels and the weather and who you're meeting.

You don't need a guide to a different stages. Just get Miam Miam Dodo and make it up as you go. Be your own synch.

Bill

Hi Bill,

I did a search for the Miam Miam Dodo for the CF and it looks like it is $110? This sound about correct? Thx....Ed

 

[whariwharangi]

The so called 'stages' are just a means of logical presentation. There are several guidebooks out there ... and every one of them is going to be organized in a different way. So you may think you are avoiding the stages according to your book but not according to someone elses book.

The guide books that are frequently updated will have the most recent information about all the albergues that are on the camino ... so its up to you to decide how far you want to walk. There are few if any unrecorded albergues 'off piste'.

I just decided at one point that I only wanted to walk 20km per day. If the guide book stage was 30km ... so what. There was nothing obliging me to any arbitrary stage except the possibility the albergue in the middle of nowhere wasn't open.

 

[Mentesimples]

I've used a online planner to figure out where to stay along the Camino Francés. You just need to choose how many kms you wanna travel every day, how much you'd like to pay for a bed, which time of the year you're walking and presto! Your own accommodation guide. Then you can print a copy of that list. I'm truly surprised I haven't seen this mentioned before on this forum.

Here goes the link: http://www.urcamino.com/

 

[amancio]

there are no set stages, follow your heart, do shorter, longer days as your body or your whim dictates you... in a whole month, you will have time to go through all stages of mind; excited, tired, melancholic, nostalgic, angry, even bored!

I would recommend printing this document

http://www.gronze.com/documents/pdf/005cas.pdf

it has a simple list of towns and villages along the way, with distances and services in each town, it will help you do things as you go.

 

[Al the optimist]

wariwarangi is right. While walking I found companions with different guides having different "end points". Some even had different paths! Just get a list of albergues and go with your own flow. Just be careful not to arrive late at some small place with limited beds too late in high season as you may have to travel on/back to get a bed. Hey it's not the end of the world is it? If tired you can always taxi shuffle? I found going "off piste" very rewarding, especially towards the end when creature comfort overwhelms sightseeing.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I did a search for the Miam Miam Dodo for the CF and it looks like it is $110?

That is high. Try:

http://www.amazon.fr/dp/2916446397/

You will find it in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port in a lot of stores if you want to save postage.

 

[jpflavin1]

I quite like the idea of stopping between the guide book stages to avoid the crowds as I want to walk in July (don't do cold, and only month I can go).
I'm keen to hear from anyone else who's done this, with where they stayed, and how long each stage was for them, so I can ring these stops in my Brierley guide book, still using his path, but not his stages. I know there are many posts about what Albergues not to miss, but right now, it's all really a blur and very time consuming trying to find these spots on the route map. Probably asking a lot, but maybe someone out there walked off-guide stages and kept a record...

Thetravelingpen:

I would recommend you pack light, start slow (let your body adjust) and the Camino will take care of the rest. Most Pilgrims walk 20-25km's a day. There is a town about every 6-10km's, with the exception of a couple of days. Just walk each day until you feel like stopping. I have walked as little as 15km's in a day and as long as 52km's. A lot of it, for me, depends on weather, how I feel and the options I have each day.

Enjoy your Camino,
Joe

 

[thetravellingpen]

I've used a online planner to figure out where to stay along the Camino Francés. You just need to choose how many kms you wanna travel every day, how much you'd like to pay for a bed, which time of the year you're walking and presto! Your own accommodation guide. Then you can print a copy of that list. I'm truly surprised I haven't seen this mentioned before on this forum.

Here goes the link: http://www.urcamino.com/

Wow, that is a good idea! Thank you so much!

 

[tpmchugh]

I quite like the idea of stopping between the guide book stages to avoid the crowds as I want to walk in July (don't do cold, and only month I can go).
I'm keen to hear from anyone else who's done this, with where they stayed, and how long each stage was for them, so I can ring these stops in my Brierley guide book, still using his path, but not his stages. I know there are many posts about what Albergues not to miss, but right now, it's all really a blur and very time consuming trying to find these spots on the route map. Probably asking a lot, but maybe someone out there walked off-guide stages and kept a record...

I walked from Burgos starting on Sept 7th finishing Oct 3rd. From length of time I took you might deduce that I seldom walked Brierly days as we came to call them. However, using his guide helped to decide which towns we would stop at in the middle of his stages. Bear in mind though that not all albergues are listed in his book though most are. I found a few not mentioned by him but listed in the Dutch guide. My walking companion was from the Netherlands by the way so more often than not we used his guide. If a town you are passing through has an albergue, you will know it. They are well signed.
A tip given to me by a seasoned Spanish pilgrim in Carrion was, start early between six or seven, walk for six to seven hours and stop at the next albergue you come to. He had done the Camino three times in Summer and using that schedule, had never had a problem getting a bed. It worked for me and also meant I was not walking in the heat of the afternoon sun

Buen Camino

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Brierley is not the only guide. It is just one guide in English. The pilgrim office in SJPdP offers itinerary information. Guidebooks in German and French offer itinerary information. The big crunch is when they all recommend the same place for stopping! To me, the ideal guidebook would be continuous without recommending a particular stopping point. If I recall, Miam Miam Dodo and the Raju books do that, and I think some of the German guidebooks do it as well.

 

[dougfitz]

@falcon269 - the Alison Raju guides I have used had a 'continuous' narrative - not broken into what could be inferred as daily stages. I rather like that approach. It requires a bit more thinking about how far one might plan to go each day, but not a lot. And, as you say, Brierley is only a guide. I did use it on the CF in 2010, but never felt that its stages were any more than useful subdivisions of a book.

@tpmchugh - I walked in spring, and only once or twice left before 7 am. My approach was to stop at the first albergue I came to after 2 pm. That gave me between six and seven hours walking. There were a couple of longer days, but I didn't do that regularly. It cut into the time available for any domestics, wandering around a town and shopping for the next day.

 

[nreyn12]

I think it's worth it to peruse the thread on albergues not to be missed because people often give you their reasons for selecting a place.

On my own list of preferred stops, I'd choose:

Zubiri over Larrasoana
Pamplona
Cirauqui (if it's still open)
Villatuerta
Logrono for the tapas scene *
Granon
Vilorio de Rioja *
Hontanas
Hospital San Nicholas *
Boadilla del Camino
Moratinos
Hospital de Orbigo - Albergue Verde *
Astorga - for the Palacio de Gaudi *
Trabadelo - for an upgrade at El Puente Peregrino after taking the high road out of Villafranc del Bierzo *
Ruitelan - for the shared meal
A Balsa - Albergue El Beso (after Triacastela) *
Ponte Campana

NOTE: this is not a complete list of stages; rather it lists places I'd choose over the place just before or after. Also note that I didn't have Brierley's guide in front of me when making the list, so he might also list some of these. The ones with the * are on my absolutely-don't-miss-it-list.

 

[Deleted member 12253]

I quite like the idea of stopping between the guide book stages to avoid the crowds as I want to walk in July (don't do cold, and only month I can go).
I'm keen to hear from anyone else who's done this, with where they stayed, and how long each stage was for them, so I can ring these stops in my Brierley guide book, still using his path, but not his stages. I know there are many posts about what Albergues not to miss, but right now, it's all really a blur and very time consuming trying to find these spots on the route map. Probably asking a lot, but maybe someone out there walked off-guide stages and kept a record...

Simply google godesalco.com. It gives you names and distances , it's a camino planner, bit of fun, but remember all the big cities , Pamplona , logrono , burges, Leon Ponnferada etc are end stages, you will have to start fresh and either walk 30 /40 km or 10/15 to get back on track, planning alone an be an adventure, Buen camino.

 

[thetravellingpen]

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Stefania13/14]

I've used a online planner to figure out where to stay along the Camino Francés. You just need to choose how many kms you wanna travel every day, how much you'd like to pay for a bed, which time of the year you're walking and presto! Your own accommodation guide. Then you can print a copy of that list. I'm truly surprised I haven't seen this mentioned before on this forum.

Here goes the link: http://www.urcamino.com/

Thanks for the web address. I just filled out the info and am happy with the results!
Stefania