Walkingboy
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- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino France
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Hi that seems a sensible solution and will save me spending out on another guide. Cheers. DaveI would continue to use the Brierley guide but not walk every day exactly as he laid out the guide. You can stop at any of the towns along the way, and the Brierley guide gives you the names and phone numbers of all the albergues in the different towns. I have used the guide and stopped at a town in the middle of the page, and the next day walk to the town in the middle of the next page. But I would expect that in March you won't have to be concerned about the albergues being crowded. You may need a list of which albergues are open before Easter. I don't have that link.
I would continue to use the Brierley guide but not walk every day exactly as he laid out the guide. You can stop at any of the towns along the way, and the Brierley guide gives you the names and phone numbers of all the albergues in the different towns. I have used the guide and stopped at a town in the middle of the page, and the next day walk to the town in the middle of the next page. But I would expect that in March you won't have to be concerned about the albergues being crowded. You may need a list of which albergues are open before Easter. I don't have that link.
None of the guides are perfect. My strategy was to take a bunch and cross-check them against each other, hoping that they wouldn't all make the same mistakes so where one was an outlier I could trust the rest. They way I did this was to take them on my phone. So, while my son had the physical Brierley book that I had bought (which he wanted to bring and carried, until it was left behind in one of the albergues partway along the way), I had:Hi, I start the camino on the 20th March and have been using the Brierley guide to plan my stages. However I have seen some posts that suggest there are other guides available and as good. Also suggesting that using the Brierley guide means you and all the others using it end at the same overnight stops and leading to overcrowding. Can any of you who have done the walk suggest the best guide to use to overcome this? Cheers. Dave
There is one distinct advantage to following St John's guide with precision. Every night, without fail, you will find a cabal of fellow pilgrims clutching their Brierley's; and you will be part of that Brethren. Whether you are cursing his "elevations" or praising his "short-cuts and by-ways" - well that will depend on the company you keep
I like the wise pulgrim app. The elevation guide is great, it weighs nothing, it would be great if the elevation would open to your current location..... I think it is all you need. NI prefer the Wise Pilgrim app. The albergue reviews were incredibly helpful in planning our next stop. I wouldn’t get too wedded to your plan. The Camino has a way of messing up any plans or preconceived ideas you might have started with.
I use the Buen Camino app, and it does show your location on the elevation guide. Their website is in Spanish, but the app will be in the language of your phone/choice https://www.editorialbuencamino.com/app-del-camino-de-santiago/The elevation guide is great, it weighs nothing, it would be great if the elevation would open to your current location.
lol "a brethren I am not" but used his maps only guide on my 1st.Camino in 2012 and remember how beefed I was in certain sections.There is one distinct advantage to following St John's guide with precision. Every night, without fail, you will find a cabal of fellow pilgrims clutching their Brierley's; and you will be part of that Brethren. Whether you are cursing his "elevations" or praising his "short-cuts and by-ways" - well that will depend on the company you keep
Remember that it is a guide. I prefer Brierley, but plan my own pace. Availability of beds depends on the time of year that you are walking the Camino and the time of day you stop. I walk the Camino in the Spring and stop between 1 and 2 in the afternoon. I have never encountered a problem finding a bed. I also average walking the entire Camino in 30 days and am 73 years old.Hi, I start the camino on the 20th March and have been using the Brierley guide to plan my stages. However I have seen some posts that suggest there are other guides available and as good. Also suggesting that using the Brierley guide means you and all the others using it end at the same overnight stops and leading to overcrowding. Can any of you who have done the walk suggest the best guide to use to overcome this? Cheers. Dave
In 2015 my husband and I used both Brierly and the Rother guide by Cordula Rabe on the CF. They worked well together, didn't add a lot of weight to our packs and gave the guidance we needed.Hi, I start the camino on the 20th March and have been using the Brierley guide to plan my stages. However I have seen some posts that suggest there are other guides available and as good. Also suggesting that using the Brierley guide means you and all the others using it end at the same overnight stops and leading to overcrowding. Can any of you who have done the walk suggest the best guide to use to overcome this? Cheers. Dave
I am a fellow Canadian, and live in northern British Columbia. I attend the Edmonton CCoP meetings in Edmonton and Vancouver whenever I can. I would love to attend one of the Brierly seminars but other plans will not make it possible to be in Toronto, Vancouver or Victoria at the right time! We had some complaints about Brierly on the CF in 2015 but I wished for his level of detail this fall when we did the Chemin d'Arles and Aragones! Have a splendid evening at the symposium!lol "a brethren I am not" but used his maps only guide on my 1st.Camino in 2012 and remember how beefed I was in certain sections.
Ironically on March 6th in Toronto I am part of the hosting team for an evening symposium of JB.
If you are walking in March there will be plenty of beds availableHi, I start the camino on the 20th March and have been using the Brierley guide to plan my stages. However I have seen some posts that suggest there are other guides available and as good. Also suggesting that using the Brierley guide means you and all the others using it end at the same overnight stops and leading to overcrowding. Can any of you who have done the walk suggest the best guide to use to overcome this? Cheers. Dave
Thanks, we are looking forward to it.I am a fellow Canadian, and live in northern British Columbia. I attend the Edmonton CCoP meetings in Edmonton and Vancouver whenever I can. I would love to attend one of the Brierly seminars but other plans will not make it possible to be in Toronto, Vancouver or Victoria at the right time! We had some complaints about Brierly on the CF in 2015 but I wished for his level of detail this fall when we did the Chemin d'Arles and Aragones! Have a splendid evening at the symposium!
Simple solution is to plan your stages as you want to do. So take your starting and ending points from the half way mark in the stages. Most guides I have seen more or less stick to the same stage concept you find in Brierley. I stick to the Brierley guide just to read about whats ahead rather than follow his advice. Generally his layout is in my opinion better than say, the Wise Pilgrim, where you have to flick back and forth between stage discription and the maps which are all at the start of the book. You can be fairly certain about albergue descriptions, locations and phone numbers in all of them. If you fancy, the Wise Pilgrim app for your phone is excellent. No book to carry with you. I like browsing it while at home just to revive memoriesHi, I start the camino on the 20th March and have been using the Brierley guide to plan my stages. However I have seen some posts that suggest there are other guides available and as good. Also suggesting that using the Brierley guide means you and all the others using it end at the same overnight stops and leading to overcrowding. Can any of you who have done the walk suggest the best guide to use to overcome this? Cheers. Dave
Exactly what I was intending to write ......John Brierl'ys guide, IS only a guide, not a user Bible which must be followed to the letter. Yes, a lot of his elevations and his distances are oft times, way out, but, the Spanish kilometre distances which are marked on poles and other signs, are often, also way out of line with the actual distance one has to walk......they too are only a Guide...Remember Guides are just that. Brierley Guide is good but sometimes we ignored the situation recommended albergues and stopped earlier or later depending on tiredness or energy. The visitor office have all kinds of local info on Albergues, Hostels and hotels.
Brierley guide is fine..heavy but fine. To avoid the crowds(which I'm pretty sure wont be an issue in March) just plan to spend your night before or after Brierley's recommended stop. Problem solved.Hi, I start the camino on the 20th March and have been using the Brierley guide to plan my stages. However I have seen some posts that suggest there are other guides available and as good. Also suggesting that using the Brierley guide means you and all the others using it end at the same overnight stops and leading to overcrowding. Can any of you who have done the walk suggest the best guide to use to overcome this? Cheers. Dave
Hi, I start the camino on the 20th March and have been using the Brierley guide to plan my stages. However I have seen some posts that suggest there are other guides available and as good. Also suggesting that using the Brierley guide means you and all the others using it end at the same overnight stops and leading to overcrowding. Can any of you who have done the walk suggest the best guide to use to overcome this? Cheers. Dave
Brierley's "New Age" comments are regularly offputting -- but his maps are simply mesmerizing. Love 'em!!! Wouldn't use anything else!!!
And the biggest problem with not using his stages (IMHO) is that his stages end - usually, but not always! - in the most interesting places to stay.
Hi, I start the camino on the 20th March and have been using the Brierley guide to plan my stages. However I have seen some posts that suggest there are other guides available and as good. Also suggesting that using the Brierley guide means you and all the others using it end at the same overnight stops and leading to overcrowding. Can any of you who have done the walk suggest the best guide to use to overcome this? Cheers. Dave
How do people feel about the Cicerone guidebooks?
I've said it before, maybe even on this thread, but except for maybe two pages early on Brierley's spiritual thoughts and places for notes are just fill and only add the weight of ink, not paper.Brierley is well researched and thorough, but also contains a lot of New Age philosophy and spirituality which won't appeal to everyone.
I prefer the Wise Pilgrim app. The albergue reviews were incredibly helpful in planning our next stop. I wouldn’t get too wedded to your plan. The Camino has a way of messing up any plans or preconceived ideas you might have started with.
Why burn it like something out of Fahrenheit 451? I am sure you quickly realized on the Camino you had no need for it. You could have left it on a donativo table at an albergue for someone who needed it. In 2017 I met a pilgrim near Pamplona who mentioned they didn't bring a guidebook and regretted it. That day when in the albergue I saw a slightly used Wise pilgrim guidebook on the donativo stack. I secured it, and the next day saw the pilgrim on the path and gave it to them. They were quite happy and appreciative for the gift from an unknown pilgrim somewhere who left it on that table.I had a ceremonial burning of the Brierley Guide upon my return home. I carried it all the way across Spain and didn't use it, not even once. Yellow signs, Gronze.com, Booking.com and Buen Camino App served me well. Would never carry a book again. Too much weight for too little value.
but why feel the need to have to stop in Larrasoana? Why not Zubiri?The only criticism of the Brierley guide is that he finishes the second stage (Roscesvalles to Larrasoana) in Larrasoana. The single hostel in Larrasoana was packed. The owner was critical of the guide. Lots of people had to sleep on the floor of the church.
A better option would have been Zubiri. Bigger town more hostels.
I have to note that was six years ago. The guide may be different now. I don't know. I understand that this is only relevant as there will always be a bit of a bottleneck at the start of a major route, as pilgrims try their best to keep pace with their plan. It also put two long stages together at the start.
That explains it then. He changed it. Good idea.Brierley's 2015 guide had stage 2 ending in Zubiri.
There are now several albergues and a few pensions in Larrasoaña https://www.gronze.com/navarra/larrasoana#alberguesThe single hostel in Larrasoana was packed
I'm pretty sure that the 2016 guide we had had it back in Larrasoaña. (We stopped in Zubiri.)Brierley's 2015 guide had stage 2 ending in Zubiri.
I do not like the municipal albergue in Larrasoana. We had one bathroom and one roll of TP for 47 people, the woman at the desk move all Spanish speaking people to the head of the line. I now stop at Zuribi each time I walk the Camino.but why feel the need to have to stop in Larrasoana? Why not Zubiri?
I don't understand.
I don't think age is the factor here, based on my experience on the Camino. There were plenty of seniors who outpaced myself and my teenage son.Those with less training and experience fall quickly behind the Brierley pace asfoot problems occurage takes its toll.
You didn't see the all the ones going slower than you because they didn't pass you.I don't think age is the factor here, based on my experience on the Camino. There were plenty of seniors who outpaced myself and my teenage son.
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