Navigating the Camino Del Norte/Primitivo

[Elphara]

Hello!

I will start my first Camino at the beginning of June 2024 and plan to start my month-long journey from Bilbao walking roughly 2 weeks on Camino Del Norte and then switching to Camino Del Primitivo later on.

My question is this:

Is it good enough for navigation (I'm taking no paper maps and have no GPS) to use the Gronze Maps/ Buen camino App and Wise Pilgrim App + possibly my cicerone guide which has small printed maps?

Thanks for your help!

 

[davejsy]

Yes! Buen Camino

 

[trecile]

Yes, that's how I did it last year. And it's not true that you have no gps. Gronze maps, Wise Pilgrim, and Buen Camino all use your phone's gps. Make sure that you download all of the content on the apps.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hello!

I will start my first Camino at the beginning of June 2024 and plan to start my month-long journey from Bilbao walking roughly 2 weeks on Camino Del Norte and then switching to Camino Del Primitivo later on.

My question is this:

Is it good enough for navigation (I'm taking no paper maps and have no GPS) to use the Gronze Maps/ Buen camino App and Wise Pilgrim App + possibly my cicerone guide which has small printed maps?

Thanks for your help!

Yes, it's totally possible. I walked this same combo Camino in 2016, using only Dave Whitson's Cicerone guide as I knew nothing about any apps at that time. I did not really like his maps as well as the easy to read, juvenile looking Brierley maps, but Dave's content was excellent.

 

[Elphara]

Yes, that's how I did it last year. And it's not true that you have no gps. Gronze maps, Wise Pilgrim, and Buen Camino all use your phone's gps. Make sure that you download all of the content on the apps.

ah yes, you are right about the GPS on the phone, I was somehow thinking of the professional GPS they use for trekking in the mountains and yes I will download all of the content, thanks for the reminder!

 

[Elphara]

Yes, it's totally possible. I walked this same combo Camino in 2016, using only Dave Whitson's Cicerone guide as I knew nothing about any apps at that time. I did not really like his maps as well as the easy to read, juvenile looking Brierley maps, but Dave's content was excellent.

That's good to hear! I hesitate to take the Cicerone book guide because of the weight but I agree the book gives good information. I also quite like the idea of not using my phone/ apps too much, only if necessary. We have lost the skills of navigating life without a phone...

 

[David Tallan]

That's good to hear! I hesitate to take the Cicerone book guide because of the weight but I agree the book gives good information. I also quite like the idea of not using my phone/ apps too much, only if necessary. We have lost the skills of navigating life without a phone...

I took the e-book version. No weight. The route was very well marked with yellow arrows, etc.

 

[Mananath]

I would encourage you to use the mapy.cz app, which is an offline map that shows the Camino route along with every other hiking route in the area including the wonderful coastal variants.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

That's good to hear! I hesitate to take the Cicerone book guide because of the weight but I agree the book gives good information. I also quite like the idea of not using my phone/ apps too much, only if necessary. We have lost the skills of navigating life without a phone...

More recently, I now take screenshots of my guide books before I leave home and delete the pages as I go along...no weight involved.
(I found it is easier if I take the screenshots starting from the back of the guidebook to the front because then I do not need to scroll through them all to find the first page, etc.)

 

[PiesIrlandeses]

Follow the official way marks where they exist.

I have seen peregrinos slavishly following the route given by their app, across a busy main road, rather than follow the directions of the official way mark, which pointed to a safe route underneath the road.

 

[trecile]

I would encourage you to use the mapy.cz app, which is an offline map that shows the Camino route along with every other hiking route in the area including the wonderful coastal variants.

I agree. I'm a big fan of mapy.cz, and used it on the Norte when I wanted to walk closer to the coast than the official Camino.

 

[Elphara]

More recently, I now take screenshots of my guide books before I leave home and delete the pages as I go along...no weight involved.
(I found it is easier if I take the screenshots starting from the back of the guidebook to the front because then I do not need to scroll through them all to find the first page, etc.)

That sounds like a lot of work to take all those pictures but why not if it works for you...

 

[Elphara]

I agree. I'm a big fan of mapy.cz, and used it on the Norte when I wanted to walk closer to the coast than the official Camino.

that's interesting to hear because I might want to do that as well, thanks for the link

I would encourage you to use the mapy.cz app, which is an offline map that shows the Camino route along with every other hiking route in the area including the wonderful coastal variants.

ok great, I will have a look as I might want to be nearer to the coast as much as possible. Thanks!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

That sounds like a lot of work to take all those pictures but why not if it works for you...

It actually only takes about 15 minutes. I always purchase a guidebook because I like to study them and I write notes in the margins and underline things I glean from forum information.