Customer Reviews

A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago: The Way of St. James (Camino Guides)

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The revised edition remains a fine guide and the weight has dropped from 15 oz to 10 oz, making it easier to carry. Mileage and refugio information have been brought up to date.

This guide is very pleasing to look at: glossy paper, colored photos almost every page, multicolor maps and trail profiles, parts of text set off by shading. It has the information the walker needs, where the refugios are, how many beds, alternate choices. There is an introductory section with introduction, overview, followed by planning and preparation information. The main body of the guide follows, organized in 33 stages where each stage corresponds to a typical day's travel. Each stage has a map and a trail profile.
The planning section is very useful - detailed equipment list, travel info, essential phrases in Spanish and a short history of the Camino
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This guide also makes a serious effort to address the spiritual or inner path side of the journey. In addition to the map and profile, each stage begins with three paragraphs - the Physical Path - a narrative overview of the day's walk, the Mystic Path - to awaken you to the spiritual potential of the day's walk, and Personal Reflections - a quotation from the author's reflections. In each stage there is a page with blank lines for the walker to write in their own reflections. The mystic path, and blank reflections page didn't work for me, but that is personal preference.

For me, the colored maps, elevation profiles and photos are the strong points of the book.

The only real competition to this guide is Davies and Cole Walking the Camino de Santiago. Brierley's guide clearly beats the original Davies and Cole on appearance, and maps and profiles are much better. There is a new Davies and Cole that I have not seen yet. Either one will get you there. I'd buy each ahead of time and make your choice. In total trip expenses it's a minor cost, and both have information you will appreciate. Accomodations change from year to year, so also be sure to get the annual confraternity guide in the next paragraph.

When walking the Camino, the mandatory guide for English speakers is the Confraternity of St. James Pilgrim Guides to Spain I. The Camino Frances. This is a barebones 76 page guide focused on pilgrim food and shelter - how far is it, how many beds available, what does it cost. Supplementing this is the Camino chapter out of the Lonely Planet's Walking guide to Spain - about 35 pages. The Camino facilities change from year to year, and inevitably publications will have typos and errors of fact. Do not rely on just one guide, and do future pilgrims a favor by emailing the publication's website if you find errors in the text.

I bought this book because it is mentioned in the popular UK CSJ Pilgrim Guide to Spain and was also mentioned to me by another intending pilgrim. There may be better guides, but once I found this one I stopped looking. It meets my planning needs exactly.

Another caveat is that while I am an experienced trekker in Nepal and South America, I have never done an 800 km trip like the Camino Frances. So my comments will almost certainly need revision when I have completed my pilgrimage.

The book weighs 300gm and is 22cm tall x 12cm wide x 1.5cm thick. The weight is significant in the context of limiting one's load to 10 kg or less. The physical dimensions make it too big to fit easily into a pocket.

One could lighten the book by ripping out un-needed Stages and most of the planning stuff. Actually, it would have been a good idea if the publishers had allowed for this by having a binding to facilitate non-destructive page removal. Some folk, for example, may not plan to do the whole walk in one go and may need, say, only 8 Stages out of the 33 described in the guide. Why take text that you don't need if weight is at a premium?

The front pages of the book show a credit-card size map of each daily Stage (roughly 24km) to give an overview of the whole route from St Jean de Pied to Santiago. This is a nice touch for preliminary planning, but is not really necessary on the road.

Daily Walking Stages (33)

The sections on each Stage have a similar, but more detailed, full-page map. They are in "strip map" format, with the route facing the way you are walking from the start at the bottom to the destination at the top. So North does not face the top of the map in the conventional cartographic manner. The maps show routes, towns, land-marks, some accommodation, important contours, drinking fonts and walking distances. Another interesting touch is a "sun compass" on each map that shows where the sun is, to help navigation. The amount of detail is just right for use in the field, any more would be confusing.

Each Stage also has a diagram showing altitudes and the ups and downs of the stage, which is very useful when contemplating the day's walk.

Total distances are broken down into "path", "quiet road" and "main road". Adjusted distances are also given to take into account climb. As an aside, when trekking in mountainous terrain, especially at high altitude (eg Nepal), distances are totally meaningless for a trekker. Time is the only meaningful measure of travel.

A typical Stage section in the book has about 8 pages, including the full-page map. Most of the information is detailed route directions, although there is also some introductory text on "The Practical Path", "The Mystical Path" and "Personal Reflections". There are usually several credit-card size photos of accommodation and landmarks/sights. The information is very condensed, but quite readable.

Accommodation and phone numbers are included, but not in the detail of the annual UK CSJ Pilgrim Guide. There is no information on specific costs. That's where the CSJ guide shines. But is it really necessary to be so up to date?

The only very slight reservation I have about the emphasis on Stages in designing the book (any guide book, not just this one) is that it encourages/forces you to do the Stages as set out. This imposes a discipline on the journey that runs counter to the notion that a pilgrimage should be a journey of discovery, of meeting both pleasures and travails, along an unknown path to the ultimate goal of the pilgrimage. Although one can also argue the converse in that lovers of ritual and pilgrims wishing to emulate the trials of early Christian martyrs might welcome the forced discipline of a set daily route.

Planning

There is a useful bar chart showing pilgrim numbers by month. July/August look insane to me and the experience of jostling among the summer crowds must be quite unpleasant. This is borne out by comments I have read on the net. In years when July 25 falls on Sunday (not 2007), pilgrim numbers spike up into the stratosphere.

There is good information on clothing and equipment, plus sample packing checklists.

There is a section on types of accommodation and illustrative costs which is quite useful for budgeting.

There is a 4-page section on the Spanish language and useful phrases. Personally, I think some time spent on learning the local language is desirable for any trip.

There is a brief history of the Camino which is interesting, but certainly not needed on the walk.

Conclusion

Overall, this guide is excellent and very practical. It covers all the questions that have occurred to me with one exception: Nothing is said about arrangements available for sending unwanted gear ahead to, say, Santiago. In my case I will be taking other stuff to Europe for post-camino travel that I don't intend to lug around for 800km.

Apart from the practical things you need to know, there is quite a bit on spiritual (not necessarily religious) preparation to focus you on the question "why am I doing this?" I think this is important, although I personally don't think it is necessary to tie it into any formal religious dogma.

I walked the Camino de Santiago in the spring of 2005 and this book was the envy of all pilgrims I met along the way. Everyone who walks the camino had some type of guide that they carried along with them, but this one was the most comprehensive. It prepares the walker with all they need to know prior to beginning their pilgrimage as well as giving an overview (town expectations, alberque locations, and altitudes climbed). While I found that I differed occasionally on the review of the alberques along the way, I never felt lost or unprepared for the journey that was to lie ahead. Walk the camino -- you will love the difficult and challenging experience that will forever change the way you look at everything -- and make sure that this is the only book you take along with you.

On July 14th, 2007, I began the Camino pilgrimage in St. Jean Pied-de-Port (France), and 500 miles later I finally walked into the Spanish city of Santiago on August 24th, 2007. During my preliminary research for the trek, I came across "A Pilgrim's Guide" and bought it due to the positive reviews. I'm glad I did, because without this guidebook I might not have completed the Way.

"A Pilgrim's Guide" contains helpful information for the Camino peregrino beginning his or her trek in St. Jean (or anywhere after that point), such as getting in and out of Spain, basic Spanish phrases, what to bring (and leave at home), easy-to-follow trail maps, and well-formatted text. In addition, the author has included many excellent color photographs from his personal collection. Mr. Brierley recommends 33 daily stages to walk the Camino - one stage for each day Christ spent on earth. Each stage has its own section with a route map, along with simple maps of large towns and cities where appropriate, and other relevant historical, topographical, and accommodation information. The front cover flap and first page also contain small numbered maps of the thirty-three daily stages for easy reference.

The cover flaps can be used as bookmarks, although I used the front one to hold my "credencial," or pilgrim passport. As for portability, "A Pilgrim's Guide" was small and thin enough to fit in the front pocket of my North Face lightweight pants. I constantly used it to keep me on track, and its terrain analysis and extensive listing of places to stay were invaluable for planning my daily walking distance. Indeed, it was so complete and comprehensive that I ended up giving away my Confraternity of St. James guidebook - another highly touted Camino resource.

"A Pilgrim's Guide" has more than enough practical information about the Camino. However, it goes beyond the dry factoids found in most guidebooks. As befitting a pilgrimage, Mr. Brierley delves into spiritual matters in an ecumenical fashion. In each stage section he includes a number of reflections from his multiple walks on the Camino. They add a personal touch that serve as a reminder of the Camino's religious roots. Blank lined pages are included so you can add your own reflections as well. I had a separate journal, so I used them for ink stamps from various restaurants, bars, tourist offices, and churches that I didn't want to put in my credencial.

As for issues, there were a few minor ones. Like any guidebook, this one was obsolete right off the printing press. Some of the listed albergues were closed, new ones were unlisted, and prices and services had been altered or eliminated (updates and further resources are available at the author's website). Also, Mr. Brierely's spiritual musings might be a bit melodramatic and New Agey for some. Finally, some of his recommended stages were overly long, even for a fit hiker. Indeed, I had to halve them until I got in better shape and lightened my load. But these dings are far outweighed by the many positives.

"A Pilgrim's Guide" is one of the best and most helpful travel guidebooks I've ever used, so it merits my highest recommendation. I hope to someday walk the Portugal and Finisterre routes, and Mr. Brierley's guides for these paths will be a priority purchase. If the Camino is on your mind and heart, then make time to do it. As the author states, "don't forget to go!" And when you do, make sure you bring this book with you.

This Book is the best book and guide we have found for hiking the Camino de Santiago. We hiked the Camino last year and had a guide book that we did not like. It had allot of information that we did not need or was outdated.Their were other Pilgrims that had John Brierley's Guide to hiking the Camino and they would share it with us so we could see what was ahead on the Camino. We are hiking the Camino again this spring and have purchased John Brierley's book to guide us on our way. Maybe we too can help other Pilgrims that bought "the wrong book"

Pat Little NM USA
Buen Camino

This book was the perfect guide to the camino and those I ended up walking with came to rely on it exclusively, in spite of the other guides they had brought along. It managed to be painstakingly thorough while maintaining an economy of words and space. The preparatory advice was exactly what I needed before the camino, and the book itself was virtually waterproof/indestructible, a good thing considering the weather I toted it around in. Most of the information is up-to-date, and every time we did not take his advice for where to overnight, we regretted it; when we followed his advice, things came off fabulously. I was not as interested in the author's spiritual reflections, but they took up little space and were an important reminder of the purpose of my journey, and I appreciated that the book treated the camino as a spiritual and personal experience -- a pilgrimage, rather than just tourism-on-foot. Kept up to date by a dedicated author and his readers, this is the only book an English-speaking pilgrim needs.

This guide to the Camino came highly recommended to us, and it is the best I've seen! It includes a brief summary of the history of Spain, and the front cover unfolds to show little maps that outline the trail. Each of the 22 sections has a detailed map. Each map covers about 15k noting the various trails, villages and districts, and for each map a short chapter on what to see and pictures of hostels on that particular map. Each section has a blank page for notes so you can journal your thoughts. The book is skinny (though a little bit weighty), and would fit nicely into a backpack. Definitely a good source.

This is a practical, essential, comprehensive guide to the Camino de Santiago, with an added spiritual focus - after all, this is a Pilgrimage for most who walk it. I used it 2 years ago and after a week I dumped the competitor that I had also taken. This book covers everything you need to know in pleasant prose without hype and with a mass of data. I bought the new edition for my next journey on this magical route; it looks just as good if not better, but remember that the maps are not to scale!

I used this guide to plan for my journey on the camino, which I walked in April and May 2007. The book is concise, relevant, lightweight and very useful. The daily stage maps and vertical profiles are great and the endflaps, which show all the stages, are very handy for keeping track of where you are in relation to the whole journey. The only caveat that I have about it is that the stage maps are not to scale, and no scale is shown on them. This however, is a very minor complaint. When I walk my next camino, it will be with a Brierley guide. Believe me, I have tried others. This is the best available.

I am planning to walk the Camino de Santiago next May and found this guide to be outstanding. It is light enough to add to my 20 pound pack. The only addition that I would like is an honest description of the refugerios so that I know ahead of time what to expect. I would highly recommend this guide.