Digital Brierley Guide?

[Bob Howard]

I nosed around on the forums but didn't see the answer to this. Have there been any rumors or talk about the a digital Brierly Frances guide being available or in the works?

 

[Tincatinker]

No

 

[trecile]

The maps only version of the Brierly guide is available as a Kindle book, but that's it.
Or at least it was in 2016 when I bought it.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

The maps only version of the Brierly guide is available as a Kindle book, but that's it.
Or at least it was in 2016 when I bought it.

Also available electronically through Apple iBooks and would suggest that it is more than enough for most.

 

[linkster]

I cut the back binding off of mine, ran it through the scanner, and saved it as a PDF. I then saved the PDF to my Google Drive, and iBooks on my iPhone. A couple of steps, but not too difficult.

 

[henrythedog]

I cut the back binding off of mine, ran it through the scanner, and saved it as a PDF. I then saved the PDF to my Google Drive, and iBooks on my iPhone. A couple of steps, but not too difficult.

I’m still fairly analogue. I cut off the extraneous cover and pages from
JB’s ‘Maps only’ then throw away each page as it is used. I use my iPhone more than I should, but I’ve never had a book become inaccessible from lack of power or network coverage; not that a guide is really necessary on 90% of the CF for routefinding purposes.

 

[daveag]

I think there was one a few years back but it didn't generate enough traffic to make it worth it. Maybe I'm wrong, though.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I take screenshots of all my guidebooks before I go, complete with the notes I've added in beforehand. It sounds like quite a task, but is actually quite simple and only takes about 20 minutes. I delete the pages as I go along.

 

[Pilgrim_95]

To make the process easier you can use one of the countless scanner apps for both iPhone and Android devices. They can even convert you scans to pdf.

 

[malingerer]

I take screenshots of all my guidebooks before I go, complete with the notes I've added in beforehand. It sounds like quite a task, but is actually quite simple and only takes about 20 minutes. I delete the pages as I go along.

I think I am left behind in the techy race I like carving in stone And the astrolabe is a bit cumbersome for my rickety fingers! I think a fair amount of us back in the olden times bought TWO copies of Brierly, one to leave in the bookshelf and the other to drag about on the trail, calmly tearing out each page as we passed along. Sigh, if only the paper had been softer !

Samarkand.

 

[wjohnk]

I found that NOT having a smartphone is a blessing on a Camino. It gave me more time to meditate and interact with other pilgrims. The weight of a Brierly guide is not significant and I need not worry about a flat battery!

 

[FRM]

I’ve carried a guide on each of my trips. I make notes in it, mark starting and ending points each day, record email addresses of people I meet, daily expenses, etc. It becomes my journal and a record of my trip. I enjoy pulling them out every once in while and reading through them.

frm

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I’ve carried a guide on each of my trips. I make notes in it, mark starting and ending points each day, record email addresses of people I meet, daily expenses, etc. It becomes my journal and a record of my trip. I enjoy pulling them out every once in while and reading through them.

frm

I type up my daily musings in bed each night and print them out after I return home as my journal. Like you, I occasionally read through them to relive some of the details of my walk.

 

[David Tallan]

I think it was a conscious and deliberate decision by Brierley and/or the publisher not to offer the guide in an e-Book format, just the maps. There was talk a few years ago of adapting it into an app, but I could never get the app to work with my phone.

If you want to access Camino information from your phone, there are a number of apps that can be useful and are not too expensive (especially in the context of the overall costs and duration of a Camino!). These include: the Wisely + (Wise Pilgrim) series of apps, Buen Camino, Camino Ninja, and Camino Pilgrim. As well, many people have found the Gronze.com site invaluable in planning their Caminos.

 

[linkster]

I take screenshots of all my guidebooks before I go, complete with the notes I've added in beforehand. It sounds like quite a task, but is actually quite simple and only takes about 20 minutes. I delete the pages as I go along.

How much weight does deleting the pages as you go save?

 

[linkster]

FYI, How to Print to PDF from Almost Any App on Your iPhone or iPad

 

[Marbe2]

While the maps do not change much, I suggest if you are planning to walk in late 21 or early 22 (if we are so fortunate) that you do confirm the places you are planning to stop at or stay at. They may not be operating.

Most 2020 Guidebooks may be more than
slightly outdated in terms of information due to some of the caminos having been closed for most of a year, including to guide book writers. Some places are not open, others have changed names and operating hours.

As I have been reseaching the Invierno, I noticed that some places in the 2020 guides have closed or names of establishments have changed. Remember that that information was likely gathered in late 2019 or very early 2020, before the pandemic closures...so you may have some outdated information.

For the Invierno, I-will be using Brierleys Maps for Camino Invierno.....

as well as these two resources for Sights and most recent Invierno information thanks to @peregrina2000

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/invierno-forum-guide.535/download.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/planning-a-%E2%80%9C25-km-or-less%E2%80%9D-camino-on-the-invierno.69233/

 

[lt56ny]

The maps only version of the Brierly guide is available as a Kindle book, but that's it.
Or at least it was in 2016 when I bought it.

Here is the link to Amazon's Kindle Books for Brierley.

John Brierley: books, biography, latest update

Follow John Brierley and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's John Brierley Author Page.

www.amazon.com

The maps were last updated in 2018.

You can download the Buen Camino and or the Wisely apps. They both have downloadable GPS and maps as well as albergues and services.

But you knew that already Trecile but maybe Bob doesn't.

 

[verutum]

I’m still fairly analogue. I cut off the extraneous cover and pages from
JB’s ‘Maps only’ then throw away each page as it is used. I use my iPhone more than I should, but I’ve never had a book become inaccessible from lack of power or network coverage; not that a guide is really necessary on 90% of the CF for routefinding purposes.

Henry, I did the same thing. I tore out pages after I passed that point on The Camino. The guide book was pretty heavy at Zubiri, but it got lots lighter as I made progress along the Camino!!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

How much weight does deleting the pages as you go save?

No weight reduced, but by deleting the pages as I go it saves swiping through to get to the most current one being used for the day as there are well over a hundred pages.

 

[Jaeri95]

The wise pilgrim guides are great, and they work without internet connection—the app’s are simple and precise.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

When I walked the Le Puy, I used the Miam Miam Dodo app in conjunction with my guidebook I had saved on my phone. Using them together I had more lodging choices which was a big help at times.

 

[LesR]

I’m still fairly analogue. I cut off the extraneous cover and pages from
JB’s ‘Maps only’ then throw away each page as it is used. I use my iPhone more than I should, but I’ve never had a book become inaccessible from lack of power or network coverage; not that a guide is really necessary on 90% of the CF for routefinding purposes.

I go out before I start to walk the camno and leave a trail of breadcrumbs so that I never lose my way...

 

[David Tallan]

FYI, How to Print to PDF from Almost Any App on Your iPhone or iPad

You can also print to PDF on Android phones by default. The trick is that the app has to have a "Print" option. Most of the popular Camino apps I checked (Wise Pilgrim, Buen Camino, Camino Ninja, Camino Pilgrim, etc.) do not. E-books, I already have in an offline, easy to read format. Moving them to PDF doesn't really help much.

This is probably best used for saving material from a website like Gronze.com.

 

[David Tallan]

Here is the link to Amazon's Kindle Books for Brierley.

John Brierley: books, biography, latest update

Follow John Brierley and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's John Brierley Author Page.

www.amazon.com

Interesting that there is a Kindle version for the complete version of the guide to the Sanabres and Invierno but not for the other routes.

 

[lt56ny]

Interesting that there is a Kindle version for the complete version of the guide to the Sanabres and Invierno but not for the other routes.

Hi David. I found that a little odd myself. I thought that maybe it was because this was one of his new guides. But who knows.

 

[linkster]

This is probably best used for saving material from a website like Gronze.com.

gronze.com is a good example, Google Maps ... directions, etc... My Spanish is slowly improving ... Google Chrome on any web page, translate to English, and print to PDF.

 

[Sue127]

[. Sigh, if only the paper had been softer !
You may laugh, but that’s what my brother did when he was volunteering in India.
Samarkand.
[/QUOTE]

 

[firstshirt]

Re Guidebooks in general::

I love keeping my guides--as a souvenir of my journey. I enjoy the resource in "nostalgic" moods, "helping others" mode along with "giving presentations" or "educational" modes. I don't ever destroy my books. To me, they are treasures. Many notes and calculation's that bring back memories, some good, some not so good lol. Nah, all good!

 

[Thurland]

I think there was one a few years back but it didn't generate enough traffic to make it worth it. Maybe I'm wrong, though.

There was. I purchased the app (i think it was for my 2017 Camino), and it was the number one largest disappointment of any app I have ever purchased. Apparently the app did not belong to Brierly, but the rights to the info in the guide book was sold to an app producer (or some such thing). It was unwieldy, the distance info in it NEVER corresponded to any other info that was out there. I used it a maximum of 3 days before deleting it from my phone.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I bought the Kindle version but I carry the paper version. I just like it better and try to stay away from electronics on the Camino, personally.

 

[camino.ninja]

I nosed around on the forums but didn't see the answer to this. Have there been any rumors or talk about the a digital Brierly Frances guide being available or in the works?

I doubt it. He does not beleive in digital.

 

[Lynne (USA/Crete Greece)]

I take screenshots of all my guidebooks before I go, complete with the notes I've added in beforehand. It sounds like quite a task, but is actually quite simple and only takes about 20 minutes. I delete the pages as I go along.

I did that for my 2020 canceled Camino. Will delete and redo with updated notes for 2022 or 23 Camino.

 

[stinmd]

I cut the back binding off of mine, ran it through the scanner, and saved it as a PDF. I then saved the PDF to my Google Drive, and iBooks on my iPhone. A couple of steps, but not too difficult.

I did the same and turned it into a kindle book.

 

[maryalex]

I think I am left behind in the techy race I like carving in stone And the astrolabe is a bit cumbersome for my rickety fingers! I think a fair amount of us back in the olden times bought TWO copies of Brierly, one to leave in the bookshelf and the other to drag about on the trail, calmly tearing out each page as we passed along. Sigh, if only the paper had been softer !

Samarkand.

I tore out my pages but didn't buy a 2nd copy for the shelf. I figured the next time I went, I'd buy the latest version. And that is the case! I do have other guides in the shelf that I didn't take with me, but alas, no Brierly from 2019. Just little groups of pages tossed in the trash along the way.

 

[David Tallan]

I think I am left behind in the techy race I like carving in stone And the astrolabe is a bit cumbersome for my rickety fingers!

You know what they say: "You can't update the guidebook after the cuneiform is baked."

 

[RefugeInsomniac]

This app is rather good for planning: Camino Pilgrim - Frances and the following provides additional information for locales along the way: Camino de Santiago Guide

 

[David Tallan]

This app is rather good for planning: Camino Pilgrim - Frances and the following provides additional information for locales along the way: Camino de Santiago Guide

For the Camino de Santiago Guide link there is a note that it is not being updated after 2019 but is instead being replaced by The Yellow Arrow Guide to the Camino de Santiago.

 

[trecile]

For the Camino de Santiago Guide link there is a note that it is not being updated after 2019 but is instead being replaced by The Yellow Arrow Guide to the Camino de Santiago.

Your link didn't work for me.
This one seems to be it.

Camino de Santiago YellowArrow - Apps on Google Play

Yellow Arrow Guide for pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago / Camino Francés

play.google.com

 

[KenL]

I nosed around on the forums but didn't see the answer to this. Have there been any rumors or talk about the a digital Brierly Frances guide being available or in the works?

Hi, I know this is an old thread, but Brierley for 2021/22 is now released in a Kindle version. I purchased it - but then returned as it does not follow the normal conventions of a Kindle Book so text cannot be resized etc... It feels a lot like reading a PDF, and given the size of text when used on my Kindle was close to unusable as the print was so tiny.