If you could only take one guidebook,

[sjf]

what would it be? I'm trying to decide which one to buy. I know Brierly comes highly recommended, but the Wise Pilgrim guide also looks good. Or perhaps there's another one to consider.

For a first timer who wants to pack light, which one is the better choice? Thanks!

 

[KinkyOne]

what would it be? I'm trying to decide which one to buy. I know Brierly comes highly recommended, but the Wise Pilgrim guide also looks good. Or perhaps there's another one to consider.

For a first timer who wants to pack light, which one is the better choice? Thanks!

Would be easier to post comments if you tell us which route you want to walk
I guess it's Frances and there you don't need a guidebook to find your way but useful for other things. Whichever guidebook.

 

[sjf]

Oops. Frances

 

[Anemone del Camino]

You will not need a guidebook to find your way, but I like knowing where I am and how much longer I have to walk until my next break or bed. I also enjoy a bot of history regarding the areas I am passing through.

Brierly is good, but so many extra pages of blahblahblah.... The map only version would do the job for knowing where you are and how much more suffering is ahead for the day. And for an ultra light version, there is an e-version: https://www.findhornpress.com/categories/nature-travel/camino/camino-santiago-maps-ebook

For history/legends, etc., as well as adequate maps I enjoyed the Pili Pala guide. It is dated, regarding albergues no doubt and bars perhaps, but you could add notes for that from the online guides like Eroski, Gronze, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0973169842/?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Brierley.

 

[RobertS26]

Here is the problem with your very valid question. People who only carried Brierley will tell you that the only guidebook to carry is Brierley. People who only carried Village to Village will tell you that the only guidebook to carry is Village to Village. And people who did not carry a guidebook will tell you that you don't need to carry one. Everyone seems to be determined to justify their choices.

On my last Camino, I carried three guidebooks (and yes I know this has many on this Forum clutching their pearls and complaining of the vapors).

I carried Brierley, Village to Village, and the exquisite German guidebook. If you don't speak German, then I'd recommend Village to Village over Brierley. And yes, a guidebook is not necessary to find the Camino (I truly get that following the yellow arrows is simple). And yes, a guidebook is not necessary to locate places to stay (I truly get you can download applications for your smart phone that lists accommodations in each village).

However, if you want to take a 15 minute break and sit in front of a church and read about it's rich history and why it's significant to the Camino, you are going to need carry a good guidebook. No current app that I know of does that for you.

Guidebooks are also great for giving you the pros and cons of alternate routes. No app that I know of helps you decide whether to go left or right when you come to a fork in the path.

 

[hotelmedicis]

The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson. But I never carry a guidebook with me. Just read it before and after.

 

[SYates]

Wise Pilgrim Guide Hand down and no question ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[HedaP]

I downloaded both Wise Pilgrim Guide and Brierley to my phone. No extra weight involved. Relied mostly on Wise Pilgrim because it's easy to use and just has the essential stuff. Their elevation map is excellent. Referred to Brierley when I wanted more information about a location, a building, etc. or when I wanted to avoid staying at the end point of a recommended Brierley stage. Both apps work off line.

 

[Sparrow in Texas]

For me, The Wise Pilgrim Guide was most useful. The maps of villages and countryside are detailed and give a good sense of distances and where you are going. There is a lot of information about the albergues and hostels in an easy to read list form.

 

[Kanga]

The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook by Gitlitz and Davidson in ebook form downloaded onto the Kindle app on my smartphone. And it is complete. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312254164/?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[Aaronloughrey]

Locus map app has been a life saver for us. I downloaded a map of Spain for offline use and it maps the cdn route really clearly and provides alternatives. It marks out where there are water fountains and ermitas etc. It also marks your exact location - even offline - scarily accurately. This has been useful when unsure about going left or right. We only use it when the guides or arrows are uncertain. It gives a good overview of the day as well. Gronze online we found to be good as well, particularly for finding albuerges and understanding the ups and downs of a stage.

 

[JillGat]

I carried the "German" guidebook, translated into English, written by Raimund Joos, which was excellent and helped me with descriptions of some alternative routes along the Frances. It was lightweight and I really enjoyed it: https://www.amazon.com/dp/3866865171/?tag=casaivar02-20

I also picked up a discarded Brierly guide in an albergue and carried that, too. I love poring over guidebooks to learn about where I am, where I was and where I'll be next. I also had the Wise Pilgrim app on my phone, which was very helpful with info. about albergues and booking ahead, when I especially wanted to stay somewhere.

I have the Cultural Handbook and might add it as an ebook on my phone next time, too.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Kindle app on my smartphone.

Wait, wait. So kindle isn't just for those who buy the proprietary readers? I can download the app to use the content on my Iphone?

 

[Kanga]

@Anemone del Camino yes indeed. The app is available for both IOS and android. It works beautifully. I have it on my phone and my tablet. Go to your app store and search for "Kindle".

 

[Anemone del Camino]

@Anemone del Camino yes indeed. The app is available for both IOS and android. It works beautifully. I have it on my phone and my tablet. Go to your app store and search for "Kindle".

Well well, this is excellent news. I always wondered why Amazon sold Kindle stuff and not something that would work on Iphones. Thank you for setting me straight.

 

[jerbear]

Prayer book.

 

[formerly multipurpose]

I will be taking the Brierly and my walking partner will be taking the Wise Pilgrim on our October El Camino. A friend at work gave me the Brierly and my friend ordered the Wise Pilgrim from this forum. In comparing the two I find the Wise Pilgrim more concise with easier to understand listings of Albergues. The Brierly has more historical information but has more unnecessary khumbaya in my opinion which makes it heavier. I don't plan on following the recommended stages in the Brierly. They are both good, if I had to pick one I'd go with the Wise Pilgrim.

 

[Sheesh]

Has anyone used the Confraternity of St. James Guide in the last year or so? I know it didn't have any maps (years ago), but it was quite light.

 

[Kanga]

It was all I had the first time I walked the Camino (2001) and it was all that was needed. As I've said above, I'm a fan of The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago by Gitlitz and Davidson, but it is not a practical guide.

 

[Aaronloughrey]

We've used the confraternity guide for the northern routes and find it to be wrong and unclear. Some glaring mistakes and sometimes confusing. It is also out of date.

 

[KinkyOne]

We've used the confraternity guide for the northern routes and find it to be wrong and unclear. Some glaring mistakes and sometimes confusing. It is also out of date.

The OP was asking about Camino Frances.

 

[Sheesh]

The OP was asking about Camino Frances.

The Confraternity also do a guide for the Frances, so the observation from @Aaronloughrey is very relevant to the overall topic and I appreciate hearing of his recent experience with their publications.

 

[Kanga]

As I understand it the CSJ guide for the CF is updated annually, whereas that may not be the case for their guide to the Norte. Here is the current guide, currently on special. But my memory of the CSJ guide is that it was basically a list of accommodation and facilities, with distances, plus some very basic information. Not much more than is provided by Gronze and Eroski which seem to be updated frequently - easier to do in electronic format.

 

[Sailor]

Good conversation. Thanks for all the good inputs. I have a mini-collection here:
-- Practical and Mystical [Brierley, 2017]
-- Village to Village [Dintaman & Landis, 2017]
-- Wise Pilgrim [Matynka, 2017].
IF I could only buy one book, it would be Wise Pilgrim [good quality and about 2 ounces lighter than the other two books]. Anyway, next month I am taking ALL three books with me, I will give two of the books to caminantes in need of a guide. Buena suerte, y que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.