• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

The New Brierley Guide

Alasdair Kay

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
"May 2016 "
The following post is totally tongue in cheek and just a bit of fun as I have been misunderstood before. :)

So St John the "Unreliable distances" Brierly ... has a new guide out. Things to note for the new reader, people love or hate this guidebook with a vengeance, (I'm a fan). However you should note the following.... some of this is said humorously and is purely my perspective and said in jest.

St John is all about the history... and you will have loads of it, when in fact you'd rather know where you can get a decent bocadillo a single bunk and orujo.

St John clearly has long lunch stops, and I suspect that consumption might make some of the afternoon distances approximate. I will never forget my day walking from Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos as being a simple flat 23 km stroll ... my foot it went on for what seemed forever... took me two hours to walk allegedly 6 km... so some of the distances you might just dispute.

When reading St John do watch the little symbols... so for example a red ! exclamation marks actually means life threatening decent that will render your knees in agony with loose scree, you may want to step off the path and walk on the road which will be three feet to your left. When an Albergue has a little heart symbol by it.... This does not mean a pool, well stocked bar, decent showers, or other such things. It means St John likes it for being quaint and the hospitaleros make their own Orujo. The two are not synonymous... Thirdly the Albergue prices are usually 20-30% below what it costs when you arrive.

Green alternative routes especially coming into Burgos. So because it is not the official route but it is the one that everyone except this idiot takes they are highly recommended. Don't take the official or grey route into Burgos I had to forge a river on the yellow one and then climb up onto a motorway bridge to avoid the second river and then the dogs in the gypsy site decided to go for me. Just take the green route as uncle John says... the distances on getting into Burgos are purely figurative just because you think you are in the city you've still got forever until you get to the Albergue. Also yes that wood to St Juan de Ortega is a figurative distance as well especially in the mud to be followed by what he calls a basic Albergue..... BASIC I will let you find out what basic means for yourself dear pilgrim as I am sure basic is good for one's sanctification however my advice is press on to Ages...

Important stuff he doesn't tell you like where are the great parties!!! OK So Legrono best tapas and Rioja ever, he says nothing..... Also you can have a proper night out if you stay at the Apostol Albergue. He doesn't mention there is a great British pub in Leon that sells great beer and pizza. Also not booking a hotel in advance but turning up at 4.00 pm and getting a bargain especially in Leon. Also Air B N B in Santiago is a very good idea as well... Oh top tip past Atapuerca top breakfast in cafe at entrance to village.. see he doesn't tell you that stuff...

Lastly gradients these are very figurative .... So the gradient between Huntto and Orrisson on the first day out of STJPDP is well frankly pretty vertical and you might need a defibrillator kit with you. The descent from Cruz de ferro to Molinesca ... be kind to yourself and walk on the road your knees will love you forever.

Where to get vital bits of kit like walking sandals good places are in Santo Domingo de Calzada, Ponferrada, Castrojeriz, Astorga brilliant shop and I am sure there are others.... Secondly he doesn't mention the "Chino" Bazars. you can buy anything in them including walking stuff I found walking poles in Burgos for 1 euro same quality as the 25 euro ones in St Jean.

DRUGS !!! He doesn't mention that Spanish painkillers come in massive doses for example it was only after I looked at the packet did I realise that all pain had emptied my body after downing 2 X 600 mg ibuprofen tabs with half a bottle of Rioja and a glass of Orujo. In the UK that is a whole days dosage. These are important things to know.. So do watch these little issues...

Lastly cover your guide book with some form of sellotape or scotch tape as it will get wet and worn out. But all praise to the great man he ha enabled many millions of bumbling pilgrims to make it on the most sacred of journeys to see "Ol Jimmy" in Santiago... John we will be forever grateful to you and I daily raise a glass to you and St James when walking...
 
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.
I still wish he would add the half-page or so listing of places to stay, eat, and obtain services for each nightly stage/stop to the "maps only" version. Then I, and thousands of others, could dispense with carrying the half, to two-thirds of the full guide that is IMHO (subjectively) "superfluous."

Too many peregrinos buy the full guide, then "butcher" it to carve it down to a manageable size and weight. I seriously do not like treating any book this way. Personally, I consider it sacrilegious ... but I digress.

Also, those of you who use the EASY CAMINO app, based on the Brierley guides know, or should know, that it requires using Facebook or other social media. I mentions this, as a person who tries to maintain a low web profile. There is no need for everyone in the world to know every tiny detail of my life...

Once I downloaded & fired up this app on my iPhone, I discovered this link and prerequisite. So, I promptly deleted the app. I find the Wise Pilgrim apps superior in this regard.

I hope this helps.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I would really like it if his full guide book was available as an e_book, with a link to an update site.
@Alasdair Kay I have to disagree about the suggestion of using the road from the Cruz. Yes (maybe) on the section from the cross to Manjarin and/or the turn off the military base, after that the road is for cars, buses, trucks & cyclists. There are virtually no "shoulders" where a pilgrim can get off the road with safety; there are more than a few "blind" corners where the cars (especially those coming up) will not see the walker until they are on them.
SO walkers PLEASE take the trail designed for you, just take your time and watch where you put your feet and use your poles.
 
So, does anyone know when the latest edition of the CF Brierley Guide will be out?
 
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.
I have just received the 2017 Brierley guide . A quick scan through made me think it was a most comprehensive and invaluable resource .
Thanks though for the humourous insight into the perceived inaccuracies , I won't treat it quite like a Bible now :)
Ivar also included a Credencial along with the guide , it is a very handsome and well designed document , thank you Ivar.
I wonder is there an English translation of its text available anywhere on the forum ?
 
Thanks , , though I was not so much concerned about the translation of the Compostella , rather the text of the Credencial .
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Please weigh it, Charles, and confirm that it is indeed lighter than previous editions.
 
Just weighed it on a digital scale . 280 grams .
What did the old one weigh ?
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Is it also smaller ? This new edition is 120mm wide , 190 tall and approximately 14mm in thickness.
Wow a whopping 20 grams lighter ! Whoopee I can pack three extra tea bags now , I might even splurge on Twinnings individually wrapped English breakfast bags :)
 
I'm still using the same Brierly bible I took on my first camino in 2013. It probably weighs a little more, what with all the duct tape holding it together. It has been a valuable teaching tool in lessons like not holding on to expectations, like how far it is to the next town or what the topography will actually be like in reality. Now I just use it as a compass pointing me in the general direction. The camino takes care of the rest.
 
Is it also smaller ? This new edition is 120mm wide , 190 tall and approximately 14mm in thickness.
Wow a whopping 20 grams lighter ! Whoopee I can pack three extra tea bags now , I might even splurge on Twinnings individually wrapped English breakfast bags :)

EVERY GRAM COUNTS! To paraphrase the American inventor, philosopher and statesman, Benjamin Franklin..."...save a penny here and a penny there. Pretty soon, you'll have dollars to share..."

The point is that grams add up to kilograms and every gram adds to that combined weight. So, if someone tells me that a newer version of an item is available that weighs 20 grams less, I am all in!

I hope this helps.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
So, does anyone know when the latest edition of the CF Brierley Guide will be out?
Ivar is advertising that the 2017 edition is now available - either from him (check the Camino Resources tab at the top of the page) or from your usual suppliers (including directly from JB). Cheers.
 
I would really like it if his full guide book was available as an e_book, with a link to an update site.
Further to my "like" - I emailed JB and he advised that the full Camino Frances book is NOT available as a e_book but the reduced book of the CF maps IS available in electronic format. Might be a good idea although I suggest you will need a smart phone with a large screen or bring your tablet. Cheers
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
(snip much goodness)

Love your book review, but ...

The descent from Cruz de ferro to Molinesca ... be kind to yourself and walk on the road your knees will love you forever.

actually, my 2005 compañero (bless him) insisted on being "kind", and the whole thing was agony -- 'til I counter-insisted that we cut across a field to the Camino, then it was much better ; he was just tired, because we had to do a 50K that day to catch up with one of our Camino family who was trying to move ahead 'cos we were too "slow" LOL :p -- even our constantly agonising snaily-pace German friend managed it.

Our "faster-than-us" friend did look appropriately sheepish though, for our reward.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I have just received the 2017 Brierley guide . A quick scan through made me think it was a most comprehensive and invaluable resource .
Thanks though for the humourous insight into the perceived inaccuracies , I won't treat it quite like a Bible now :)
Ivar also included a Credencial along with the guide , it is a very handsome and well designed document , thank you Ivar.
I wonder is there an English translation of its text available anywhere on the forum ?
I can help you with a translation if you like. I don't have mine yet but if you post the words or phrases you want translated I can post them.
 
Thanks Charlotte , it is a lot though !
There are many translations of the pilgrim's Benediction and Oracion but none that I can find of the ; what I assume is important '' Importante antes de comenzar el camino de Santiago ''
Perhaps too much to post here and to ask you to translate personally . I think I can make out the gist of it literally but I am finding that so much of the meaning in Castilian is down to nuance and inflection.
 
Thanks Charlotte , it is a lot though !
There are many translations of the pilgrim's Benediction and Oracion but none that I can find of the ; what I assume is important '' Importante antes de comenzar el camino de Santiago ''
Perhaps too much to post here and to ask you to translate personally . I think I can make out the gist of it literally but I am finding that so much of the meaning in Castilian is down to nuance and inflection.
This means "Important before beginning the Camino..." I assume there is a list either before of after specifying what is important ?
I really don't mind helping you with this. I am retired and don't have much else to do except plan my own Camino for next year. I wonder if there is some sort of online version as some sort of reference so you don't have to type all of it?
Saludos,
Charlotte
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I found a copy online and I see the page entitled Importante..... Here you go.
* This credential is only for pilgrims on foot, bicycle, or on horseback who wish to make the pilgrimage with a Christian spirit, although it may only be with a sense of seeking [something]. The purpose of the credential is to identify the pilgrim; therefore the Institution presenting it [or to which it is presented] must be a Parrish, Brotherhood, an Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago, or any other Christian Institution related to the pilgrimage. The credential does not grant rights to the pilgrim but has two practical purposes:
1. Access to hostels offering Christian hospitality and spirit of the Camino.
2. To request the "Compostela" [Certificate] at the Cathedral of Santiago which is the certification of having completed the pilgrimage.
* The "Compostela" is issued only to the person who is doing the pilgrimage with a Christian spirit "[this is in Latin--sorry]" and only to those who get to the Tomb of [word cut off], after having walked at least the last 100 kilometers [60 miles] or traveled on horseback, traveled the last 200 kilometers by bike or 100 [word cut off] and finishing the last kilometers on foot.
* Therefore, the Pilgrim Credential can only be issued by the Church through it's own institutions (Federation of Associations, Association of Friends of the Camino de S, etc.). The "Compostela" may only be issued at the Cathedral of Santiago S.A.M.I [sorry don't know what that is] (Days of the Holy year November 1993)
* Hostels that are not subsidized, due to their austerity, must be maintained with the assistance of pilgrims (cleaning, care of the facilities, facilitating [periods of] rest, financial help...).
* Organized groups with support cars or on bicycle are urged to seek alternate accomodations than those of pilgrim hostels.
* The bearer of this Credential accepts these conditions.
The last page are prayers.
Hope this helps.
 
Marvellous Charlotte :)
May your Camino be as beautiful as you want it to be .
My thanks , Charles .
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Simply has to be Yorkshire tea dear fellow - nothing else comes close

Next time you're in Paris, I'd recommend a quick shopping detour to Mariage et Frères ... (though I'm not sure they're even aware of such things as "tea bags") ... ;)
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Sorry to add on to this old thread, but I was wondering if Brierly actually walks the Camino any more? It came up on the Camigas Facebook group.
I see "Brierly sightings" posted on Facebook complete with selfies taken of the poster with the author. So, yes, I believe he is still walking the Camino.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Hi, is the Brierley guide worth it if only walking from Leon???
You could check out "Spiritual & Walking Guide: Leon to Santiago" available on Ivar's online bookstore.
 
I thought that I'd read here about Brierely doing a lot of the Camino by car in recent years.
 

Most read last week in this forum

Mary Colwell’s new book The Gathering Place: A Winter Pilgrimage Through Changing Times. Why did it make the 2024 shortlist of the best travel books? Several of the books on the shortlist are...

âť“How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top