Route Planner

[roly]

Hi There,
This is my first post. I'm planning on doing my first Camino in April. I went to the web site where there is a stage by stage discription of each stage - very informative. The problem is, it stops on day 23. Any ideas on how I can get days 24 to the end? Is it a problem the website or has the route info not been completed ?
Many Thanks
Roly

[ctlou]

Hi Roly:
I too will be doing my first Camino in April. I will arrive SJPP on April 17th and plan to start out on April 18th.
Somewhere I came across this site www.godesalco.com.
It identifies each stage, you pick the ones where you want to stop and it will calculate the distance between each for you. THen, you can send it to yourself in a spreadsheet.
I found it a very useful tool.

When do you plan to start?

All the best.
CTLOU

[roly]

Thanks CTLOU - I'll take a look at that. I plan to start on the 23rd

[Leslie]

I will finish it soon, it has been on the back buner due to work.

[roly]

Thanks Leslie - I look forward to that as I'm going to follow this plan on my walk.
Roly

[HuskyNerd]

In the meantime you could buy the Brierley guide to the Camino. it's a very handy and important book -- most English speakers use this guide. Here it is on Amazon or it's available from the Confraternity:

Amazon.com: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago: St. Jean - Roncesvalles - Santiago (9781844091928): John Brierley: Books

[roly]

Thanks for that - I'll take a look

[JanineSimone]

Hello,

I am also planning to walk this is all new to me and it scares me because Ive never done anything like this before but I know I have to. I opted for the Frances path being alone and am trying to research as much as I can but also leave some alone and let "whatever" guide the way. But not being a walker and feeling a little unfit not having much money to even begin to save up for this journey Im feeling a little confused on how why when and where etc etc!!!

[JanineSimone]

I went to that site found it quite confusing and muddles but thank you i have no idea what i am doing or where i start how much money i will need!!! *

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Janine,
With smart preparations you can do this. I strongly recommend starting with the Brierley guidebook I mentioned above. This is the most widely-used guidebook for English-speakers for good reason. Read the first capters about prepping for the Camino and follow his advice carefully. Also, depending on where you live, there may be a Camino reunion group nearby. People in our Seattle group are more than willing to help first-timers. I'd be willing to help, too, if you want to talk offline. But first, buy the Brierley guidebook (via Amazon or the Confraternity of St James). Once you've used it to help you prepare and plan it'll be the one book you will also want to carry with you.

Buen camino!

[JanineSimone]

Hello,

THankyou for that. I am currently living in Northern Spain. After visiting La Alberca and becomming interested in the Camino I am now not sure what the heck to do and now i have read about bed bugs rucksacks, the right socks shoes etc etc and i dont even have a job to pay for all these things!!! It will be though! Thankyou for your advice i will look into getting the book as soon as I can! Thanks *

[kkcamino]

Roly, and Janine,

Let me also put in a good word about the Brierley guide. I bought it beforehand to help me with my preplanning, and chose to carry it. I am very glad I had it with me.

Each night I would review it, and discuss potential next stops with others. A few things would happen. Others would want to borrow the Brierley guide since it was better than what they had, and was far more descriptive. At the same time, some people may have walked before and had recommendations, and others may have heard things about certain albergues, so that could affect the plan for the next few days. Certainly during the first third or so of the pilgrim walk, there was a group that had formed over the first few days and was very compatible, so we all chose to arrive at the same spot for the night. For example, in the first week, we decided a few days before to stop in Azofra, since the idea of an albergue with just two beds per room was starting to sound like a small luxury after a few days of sharing rooms with the snorers and early morning plastic bag rustlers. Azofra wasn?t a stop for the Brierley stages, so it required a little flexibility. Granon isn?t an overnight stop for Brierley either, so making the next day an Azofra to Granon day worked out. Samos is in the middle of a stage, and when I walk the Camino again, I will most certainly plan to stay there after hearing such wonderful things from others who took the detour.

There is also a German guide out there which has far more detailed descriptions and opinions about the albergues, so I found it good to discuss alternatives with Germans who might have it. For example Brierley describes the private albergue at Santa Irene as delightful. And it was! It was more expensive than the xunta hostel, but exceptionally clean and roomy. It provides a pilgrim meal, which I noticed that a German pilgrim wasn?t having. After supper, he asked about the meal, and when I was slow to answer, he helped me out by saying that his guide suggested that the meal wasn?t very good (it wasn?t), and that it didn?t include wine (we only discovered that after starting to eat and were handed a wine price list). I had noticed that a few pilgrims came to the door during and after the meal and that the owner had turned them away, saying it was full when only half the bunks were occupied. Apparently the German guide warns that she will do that with pilgrims who don?t want the meal, or who arrive late and she can?t get meal revenue from them.

I?m sure any stage by stage guide is good, as long as you remember that it is just a guide, and to keep flexible. Your experience is going to be enriched by the people you meet, and the conversations you share.

Buen Camino!

[Covey]

The albergue at Azofra is always one of my stops as it is an excellent place to stop and do laundry etc. Kitchen is good and the little shop has most things a pilgrim needs, BUT no pharmacy. Always comfortable and clean with excellent facilities.

One year I must go an find the Botanical Gardens the signs keep mentioning!!

[JanineSimone]

Hiya

I am thinking of taking the Portuguese route how long approx does that take is it clearly signposted etc thanks *