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Haven't decided which walk to do.

Aysen Mustafa

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2018
Hello, this is my first post. I am considering walking the Camino in 2018 or 2019. I don't know which one I should do so am looking to buy a book which describes all the possibilities before deciding. Then buy a book for the one I decide on. Can anyone recommend the best guide for me? thank you
 
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For your first Camino, I would suggest the Francés, because there's a lot more infrastructure (=short distances between albergues), more people to get to know on the way, less need to know Spanish, better path markings. And April's a great time to walk.

(If you want to spend a lot of time alone, are able to walk 35-40 km days and already speak Spanish, please disregard what I just said - then you can choose any Camino you like - Spain's your oyster!)
 
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Hello, this is my first post. I am considering walking the Camino in 2018 or 2019. I don't know which one I should do so am looking to buy a book which describes all the possibilities before deciding. Then buy a book for the one I decide on. Can anyone recommend the best guide for me? thank you
First, the other posted replies offer good advice/ideas. I would echo the recommendation that the Francés is a great option.
Other things you might consider include:
- how much time do you have? Days? Weeks? A month or more?
- what time of year will you be going?
- are you hoping for more solitude or meeting a wide range of fellow caminantes?
- are you hoping to be out in nature or is a mix of nature (mountains, coasts?) villages, cities, etc ok?
- how is - or how will be - your overall fitness?
- do you speak some Spanish? French?
- is there a significant religious component, ie regularly attending a mass?

As far as a book goes, a lot depends on your answers to some of the questions above. The Brierley guide is fairly standard for the Francés (and some other routes) but there are a variety of guidebooks and apps. Be sure to read the reviews to make sure it is the type of resource you are looking for.

How exciting to be in the planning/anticipation part of your journey.

Buen Camino!
 
Hello! Welcome! I am looking at a map of Caminos right now and there are almost too many to count! If you are a person who enjoys the company of others, I also recommend the Camino Frances. Some of the other Camino options will be less crowded, but may also have fewer options of places to eat and sleep. You may have to walk longer stretches between towns. Some, like the Camino Ingles, are short and take only a few days. Others like the Via de la Plata are very long and could take a couple of months depending on your walking speed. You can also pick a place to start somewhere along one of the routes rather than starting at the "beginning".

On this forum there are sections for the various caminos that you might explore. I like to search for and read the "live from the camino" threads which tell me a little about the day to day segments of the journey. Planning my journey was fun for me although I found out when I started that being flexible was a very important part of the experience.
 
I don't believe that there is a guidebook that describes all of the caminos. Your best bet is to do the narrowing via the web and then get the guidebook for the specific route that you choose. There are several websites that you can refer to, but since you are here already on the Forum, I would suggest your best option is to use this resource. :) After all, you've got people here with good experience of just about all of the routes.

To start, I would think about some of the factors that will determine your choice of route:
- How long to you have to walk?
- Is it important to walk the "whole" route, or are you okay with just a section?
- What time of year are you likely to walk?
- Are you looking for solitude? The company of like minded pilgrims? Do you want a well-travelled route or one that sees few pilgrims?
- How strenuous do you want your pilgrimage to be? Are you up for long days or do you want frequent options to stop for the night?
- Similarly, are you ready for a route with lots of mountains? A few? Or do you want something as flat as possible?
- Do you want an experience similar to the ones you see in the movies/read in books/etc. or are you looking for something very different?
- Do you want to stay within Spain? Do you want to also experience another country like Portugal or France?

And, of course, how important are the above factors relative to each other? Which are the most important that will really determine your choice of route and which don't you care about.

If you can answer these questions, I'm sure that people here can point you to the right route for you.

Buen camino!
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Honestly, all the information you need can be found online. A guidebook isn't really necessary for research or even to walk the Camino. There are also guidebooks that you can get in digital format for Kindle or other e-readers.
 
Hello and welcome !

I echo the Francis idea. Check out Gronze.com. It gives a glimpse of each of the more popular Camino's available.

Buen Camino
 

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