Which guide is your favorite?

[Kbierstube]

I've seen a handful of CF guides available. All appear to have pros and cons. And I'd like to know which is your favorite and why?

 

[Mark Lee]

You could actually walk the Frances without a guide and use only the markings on the Way, but for someone who has never done it before, I recommend bringing one.
The Brierley Maps only guide (I'm assuming you are talking about the Frances). It's all you need as far as a guide goes, and it is compact and light.
Some will say the distances on the maps in the guide are a bit off, but trust me it makes no difference.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Brierley. It concisely has the information you need, and you can ignore the rest.

 

[trecile]

I didn't use a guide book. I had some apps to help with distances, elevations and lodging options.

 

[VNwalking]

You can walk the Frances without one. But if at first it creates a feeling of more ease, ditto @Mark Lee and @falcon269.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

The two sheets the SJPP pilgrimoffice hands outs.

Now, if you want to understand where you are actually are, the Pili Pali guide. Lots of legends, stories, and info on flora and fauna.

 

[trecile]

Now, if you want to understand where you are actually are, the Pili Pali guide. Lots of legends, stories, and info on flora and fauna.

Pili Pala Press looks like a great resource.

 

[RobertS26]

As others have said, you don't need a guidebook to find your way. If you can't follow the yellow arrows without a guidebook you have some serious problems. And yes, phone apps do give a good list of places to stay, but they don't give you any historical context to the all the churches, bridges, and monuments you pass each day. I personally cannot see walking the Camino without a guidebook because I want to know things like why that strange little octagonal church in Terres del Rio is important to the history of Knights Templar. No phone app will tell you that.

Regarding guidebooks, most people have only used one, and oddly enough, that's the guidebook they recommend. I have used three: Brierley's "Camino de Santiago," Dintamen's "Village to Village", and the exquisite German guidebook--all at once. If I was only going to carry one, it would be "Village to Village."

 

[SYates]

... Now, if you want to understand where you are actually are, the Pili Pali guide. Lots of legends, stories, and info on flora and fauna.

Only one problem, their printed guide hasn't been updated in many, many years!

The Wise Pilgrim App is soon also available as a printed guide book, you can pre-order it here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-camino-de-santiago-a-wise-pilgrim-guide

I actually had a look at the Kindle version already and it looks like a pretty perfect guide book to me. No fluff, no "spiritual musings a la Brierley" just up to date information plus historical background.

Buen Camino, SY

 

[nathanael]

You could actually walk the Frances without a guide and use only the markings on the Way, but for someone who has never done it before, I recommend bringing one.
The Brierley Maps only guide (I'm assuming you are talking about the Frances). It's all you need as far as a guide goes, and it is compact and light.
Some will say the distances on the maps in the guide are a bit off, but trust me it makes no difference.

I agree

 

[AlwynWellington]

I've seen a handful of CF guides available ... I'd like to know which is your favorite and why?

I have scanned several guides (some mentioned above) and stored on my tablet for my personal use only. And might read about my stage the night before. They are all very heavy and, depending on your pack, not easily accessed while en route.

What I did carry, in a breast pocket slung between the shoulder straps for easy access, was Michelin 161 for Le Puy to S Jean and Michelin 160 for S Jean to Santiago. They have the essentials for your stages: a detailed map (1 cm = 1.5 km), an elevation diagram showing villages passed through and cumulative distances from the start point. And an overview of overall progress (the big picture). Each weighs around 90 grams.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

And I'd like to know which [GUIDE] is your favorite and why?

Only one that I used was the Brierley guide. I was happy with it. I glanced at a few before buying one and the Brierley seemed to have everything I needed and wanted. Turned out that it fit into my shirt pocket too. That was handy because Peg kept wanting to see where we were.

I personally cannot see walking the Camino without a guidebook because I want to know things like why that strange little octagonal church in Terres del Rio is important to the history of Knights Templar. No phone app will tell you that.

I didn't use this app on my camino but the OSMAND gps app allows you to download Wikipedia data. You then set the app to say that you want Wikipedia Points of Interest (POI) shown (either just the ones in English or both in English and the local language.) So, as you come upon a church you look at the OSMAND app to see if the church is marked with the Wikipedia W symbol and, if so, select the symbol and read on. It works offline too!

Edit: Ever notice the lat/long coordinates on lots of Wikipedia pages. I think the pages with these are the ones can get installed with the app add-on.

 

[t2andreo]

If you must have a paper guide book, the Brierley is the default guide for the Camino Frances. There are others to be sure. But this appears to be the most popular.

If you prefer an app on a smart phone, I HIGHLY recommend the entire Wise Pilgrim Guide collection. They work with the GPS capabilities of your smart phone to provide superior information to the Brierley books. Also, the Wise guides are continually updated throughout the year.

I hope this helps.

 

[Mark Lee]

One advantage of having a recent guidebook with you is that it gives you some idea where the albergues, pensiones, hotels etc are in each town. The pilgrim's office in SJPdP will give you an updated list, but the map in the guidebook can help show where it is. All that is not a necessity by any means, but does help the first time pilgrim, and the guidebook is somewhat weight minimal.
I suppose if the weight of a guidebook is an issue, you can do what I saw a couple of pilgrims doing, and that's tearing out the pages as you go along, after already tearing out the unneeded pages in the beginning. I think Brierley himself recommends doing this if weight is an issue.
I saw another pilgrim who simply took photos of all the maps in the guidebook, including the ones of the bigger towns/cities and downloaded them into his iPhone and used that as his guide. That's maybe 50 photos or so. Space minimal and you can delete as you go along.

 

[jsalt]

What @falcon269 said

 

[jmcarp]

Pili Pala Press looks like a great resource.

Pili Pala Press used to publish an excellent map for the CF, but discontinued it a few years ago. Perhaps an updated version will be included in their proposed e-guide.

 

[Ray Boneski]

Only one problem, their printed guide hasn't been updated in many, many years!

The Wise Pilgrim App is soon also available as a printed guide book, you can pre-order it here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-camino-de-santiago-a-wise-pilgrim-guide

I actually had a look at the Kindle version already and it looks like a pretty perfect guide book to me. No fluff, no "spiritual musings a la Brierley" just up to date information plus historical background.

Buen Camino, SY

I just purchased the Kindle version and there is a lot of easily accessible useful information available. Can't wait to dive into it. I leave for Bordeaux in 16 days to begin The Camino from there. My first! Thanks for the recommendation. Ray

 

[kayagee66]

The 'Outdoor' guide Camino de Santiago by Raimund Joos, is the best guide.
The walk is not listed in stages, instead distances are totalled. And the distances between towns/villages are listed. for example.
St. Jean - Hunto 5.4km
Hunto - Orisson 2.3km
Orisson - Roncesvalles 18.9 km
A big advantage of this is that you will not feel compelled to walk in the stages Brierly recommends, as i believe many people do.
The book is made from quality paper. Using a good font. And jet black ink making it easy to read for those of us who's eyesight is not A1.
The book is a little bit smaller than most books meaning it fits well in your pockets, without sticking out the top.
It does not waste space with over detailed maps, as people here have said maps are not that important on the Frances. However, the whole route is mapped, includes good detours, and it has the elevation profiles.
The accommodation recommendations were spot on (when taken) As were the eating options (when taken).
It is a guide with pedigree, being an English translation of a long respected German guide.
One of the best recommendations i can give it is that fellow walkers (including those with Brierly, and Wise Pilgrim) were always asking to have a read of my copy.
It is available from the shop on this Forum.
And your regular stockists.
And no, i'm not the author, or on book sales commission. Just giving praise where it's due.

 

[SYates]

@kayagee66 Whilst I like, to a certain extend, the original German guide, the translation into English is - to put it politely, lacking and frankly in large parts complicated to understand. Buen Camino, SY

 

[dougfitz]

I'm sorry, surely The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago by Gitlitz and Davidson is the must have of Camino Frances guides, and the OP should consider carrying the hard copy - in my view the Kindle version doesn't properly display the many enormously useful diagrams that the authors took such painstaking effort to provide.

 

[FLEUR]

I put the Kindle versions of the Brierley books on my phone.

 

[trecile]

I put the Kindle versions of the Brierley books on my phone.

I don't think that the full Briely Frances guide is available for Kindle. The maps version is, and I downloaded it to my phone, but found that I was unable to zoom in on the maps. As a workaround I took screen shots of the maps, which I could then zoom in on.

 

[Susan Peacock]

My advise would be no paper.....for less than the weight of the book I took my iPhone with the Wise Pilgrim app, and the Brierley maps in Kindle. Only really needed the maps when there was an alternate route. Love Wise Pilgrim app, it gives all the information you need and the elevation profile is a must.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

My advise would be no paper.....for less than the weight of the book I took my iPhone with the Wise Pilgrim app, and the Brierley maps in Kindle. Only really needed the maps when there was an alternate route. Love Wise Pilgrim app, it gives all the information you need and the elevation profile is a must.

I like paper because it allows you to make notes, to remember special events, spots, and correct the guide book.

 

[jsalt]

The maps version is, and I downloaded it to my phone, but found that I was unable to zoom in on the maps.

Hi, you have to "double click" on the map, and then you can zoom in. To get out of zoom mode, you tap the X at top right.

 

[trecile]

Hi, you have to "double click" on the map, and then you can zoom in. To get out of zoom mode, you tap the X at top right.

Really? That's awesome, so much easier!

 

[jsalt]

The 'Outdoor' guide Camino de Santiago by Raimund Joos

As this book was so highly recommended in German, I bought it for Kindle when the English version came out. The English translation is appalling. Google Translate could have done a better job. I was surprised that a better effort hadn’t been made before it was released. Very disappointed.

I will stay with Brierley – I love his maps.

Jill

 

[FLEUR]

Correct. The full version of John Brierley's CF book is not available on kindle. However the map version with list of accommodation is. I also found his Sarria to Santiago / Finisterre and Muxia book on Kindle.
I walked the CF over several years in stages. Initially I took the paperback book. Last few years only the Kindle versions on my phone. Edit plus Green Michelin book.

I don't think that the full Briely Frances guide is available for Kindle. The maps version is, and I downloaded it to my phone, but found that I was unable to zoom in on the maps. As a workaround I took screen shots of the maps, which I could then zoom in on.

 

[SabsP]

I like this small green Michelin guide, perfect for elevation and distances. Not ideal for albergues and listings but for this I use the Eroski and Gronze websites.

 

[kayagee66]

As this book was so highly recommended in German, I bought it for Kindle when the English version came out. The English translation is appalling. Google Translate could have done a better job. I was surprised that a better effort hadn’t been made before it was released. Very disappointed.

I will stay with Brierley – I love his maps.

Jill

Each to their own.
I consider Brierly overrated, and blindly followed to the letter by many people.

 

[SabsP]

Each to their own.
I consider Brierly overrated, and blindly followed to the letter by many people.

Agree but always good to know his " designated stops for the night " so you can avoid the overcrowded places and stop somewhere in between.

 

[wayfarer]

I like this small green Michelin guide, perfect for elevation and distances. Not ideal for albergues and listings but for this I use the Eroski and Gronze websites.

Yes, this is my favourite too, nice and light and fits in most cargo pockets. I also printed out the up to date list of albergues from the resource section on the forum.

 

[dougfitz]

Agree but always good to know his " designated stops for the night " so you can avoid the overcrowded places and stop somewhere in between.

To be fair, Brierley doesn't suggest that his 33 stages are any more than a division into an average day's walk, and (from the 2009 edition at p. 10) does say 'but find your own pace and overnight at intermediate hostels as required'. Those that slavishly follow the Brierley stages are actually not necessarily following Brierley's advice.

 

[FLEUR]

The Michelin green book always came with me. A useful way to plan your distances on a day to day basis.

 

[kayagee66]

Agree but always good to know his " designated stops for the night " so you can avoid the overcrowded places and stop somewhere in between.

haha. yes, fair point. use the Brierly to avoid its advice.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Those that slavishly follow the Brierley stages are actually not necessarily following Brierley's advice.

That's right. They are all guide books, not instruction manuals.

 

[Eve Alexandra]

I've got both the Village to Village Guide and the Pilgrimage Guide (cultural/historical focus) on kindle.

Brierly annoys me with his spiritual comments. That said, I'm glad I have it just for the extra alt. options he mentions.

Beyond that though, I think Brierly appeals to those who are map oriented. Village to Village for those who would rather see word directions.

 

[dougfitz]

As this book was so highly recommended in German, I bought it for Kindle when the English version came out. The English translation is appalling. Google Translate could have done a better job. I was surprised that a better effort hadn’t been made before it was released. Very disappointed.

I will stay with Brierley – I love his maps.

Jill

This has been discussed before, and I recall the author being happy to receive constructive feedback.

 

[Gareth Griffith]

Brierley coupled with the resource on this Forum a "Selection of Favourite Albergues on the Camino Frances."
I did some on-line research using this guide and stayed at some wonderful places. A couple of brothers that I bumped into on several occasions said, when we met in Santiago "we've stayed in some right dives". I'm pleased to say that I didn't!

 

[Tony Dickin]

Turn off the apps, store the Kindles and leave the tablets at home. Pack your favourite little guide book, start walking and enjoy. This isn't a trek to the North Pole! Imagine walking for several days with your phone turned off, just snug in the backpack for emergencies and a weekly catch-up (if you have too). Surely this is the great pleasure of long distance walking, leaving the everyday behind. Let the senses of site, sound, smell and touch lead the way.
happy trails

 

[Tony Dickin]

I've seen a handful of CF guides available. All appear to have pros and cons. And I'd like to know which is your favorite and why?

Just to throw an extra layer of confusion into the conversation, for many years I've use the walking guides provided by Cicerone of the UK. They are generally pretty good but all comes down to the quality of the notes taken by the author. They have a guide to the Camino Frances by Alison Raju called 'The Way of St James', revised 2011. It seems pretty comprehensive but as I'm yet to do the Camino, can't comment on the accuracy of the content. However, the route guide is supplemented by a description of major sites and monuments. But while a small paperback, it's very dense, i.e. heavy. And includes a lot of detail on language, getting to the start, accommodation, weather conditions, traditions, etc. That is, a lot of info you don't need to carry around with you on the walk. You could rip out the sections but I'm a bibliophile and can't bare the thought of destroying a good book. My take: great for research but leave at home and use either the Brierley or the Michelin guides. And, if all else fails, ask. In 2014/15 nearly 170,000 people just walked the Camino Frances! Happy trails

 

[Gregory Graf]

I am still waiting to start my pilgrimage (May 1, 2017) so my opinion may not be as valid as those who have already completed the journey. I purchased the Brierley Guide and find it a tuff read. I then purchased Hiking the Camino de Santiago byDintaman and Landis. It's an easier read for me. I have purchased two iPhone appps. They are completely different and compliment each other. TrekRight Camino Frances seems to be good for navigation with stored maps so you don't have to use cell data and descriptive turn guidance. The app Buen Camino has pictures and village by village info plus alburgue rating with pictures and web links. It's been more fun to read and advance plan where I MAY stay. Flexibility being the key to my purpose.

I'm going to leave the books behind and only bring the two iPhone apps. Less reading and more prayer!

 

[HedaP]

Not sure I have a favourite guide. I walked without a printed guide. Just used an app called the Wise Pilgrim Guide that worked offline, had elevation maps, info about albergues,hostals, etc. and some info about towns and regions. If online it also linked to google maps and booking.com. It worked fine but was nowhere near as detailed as Brierley. This may not be a bad thing because as well as having no desire to walk Brierley stages, it also added an element of discovery. This next time I'll be using the same guide but supplementing it with an online book recommended by @Kanga, 'The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago'.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Here's a feature of the Brierley guide.

Ever notice that you walk slower when going uphill and going down a steep slope? There are formulas to help you estimate how long it will take you to walk a distance with slopes thrown in. One is Naismith's rule which says to allow 1 hour for every 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) forward, plus 1 hour for every 600 metres (2,000 ft) of ascent.

I don't know if other guides have this but Brierley's guide has, besides the distance of a stage in kilometers and miles, an approximate equivalent distance to account for climb. For example, about 3 weeks along from St. Jean you are on the relatively flat mesata. Brierley's stage 19 (from Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas) has a distance for this of 26.7 kilometers (2015 edition.) Since the profile is a low slow downhill no extra distance is added on and at the 5 kph speed Naismith assumes you could do this distance in 5 hours and 20 minutes (5:20). Now, a week later Brierley gives a distance of almost the same length, 28.9 km or just 2.2 km more for his stage 26. You figure that this stretch will take about a half hour longer, 5:47. But stage 26 is from Villafranca del Bierzo to O'Cebreiro and is up a mountain. Brierley has an additional equivalent distance of 33.4 and so you are safer to estimate a time of 6:41, about an hour longer.

You may find this feature useful.

By the way, read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naismith's_rule

 

[Raimund Joos]

As this book was so highly recommended in German, I bought it for Kindle when the English version came out. The English translation is appalling. Google Translate could have done a better job. I was surprised that a better effort hadn’t been made before it was released. Very disappointed......
Jill

Sorry, I could not log in in the forum until now - so my anwer is a little late.

..... stange! The most cusomers that realy used it have no big problems with the text.

The subjet was dicussed here some time.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...erman-guide-now-in-english.35636/#post-330845

As you can see at the end of the thread it was closed since august and should bee opend again (?!?)

---------------------------------------------------------------------
grayland:
"It may be time to close this thread for awhile.
I think everyone has had a chance to voice opinions."
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The judgement of the translation (or better style of the book ?) probably seems to be also a question of personal taste and ability..... as many readers nowadays prefer or only can handle short texts like in Facebook and twitter.... (sorry!)

Martha567 said: ↑
I recommend the yellow guide book without any reservation. It served me well, I found all needed info in it!

grayland said: ↑
The translation makes it almost unusable in many places.

dougfitz said: ↑
None of these latter points make the text unusable.

NualaOC said: ↑
...but I quite like that quirkiness.

Nevertheless we are grateful for feedbacks with concrete improvement suggestions as we want to satisfy possibly all readers. Please send it to:
info@camino-de-santiago.de

Everybody can /should read the text itself and judge. No on can take the work of the hand to compare the guidebooks an than find his own suitable way of doing the camino.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/images/outdoor-sample.pdf

I also recommend the following review of La Concha (Newsletter of the American Pilgrims on the Camino )
The entire review where also the translation is mentioned is to be found on the page 8
http://www.americanpilgrims.org/assets/newsletter/archived/la_concha_1607.pdf

Bon Camino!

Raimund

 

[JimLinda97]

I've seen a handful of CF guides available. All appear to have pros and cons. And I'd like to know which is your favorite and why?

We used Dintaman “Village to Village” Kindle version in 2017 after using both Brierly book in 2012-13 and Dintaman book in 2014-2015. The Kindle version allowed us to not carry guide book (carried cell phone anyway for camera and blog/journal).

Dintaman seems to have more up to date info and includes more info about accommodations including albergues, pensions, small hotels etc.... number of places, type beds and prices... all accurate per our 2017 experience.