Preface Year 2023
The Way of Saint James, also called the 'Camino de Santiago' or the 'Camino', is a crazy but rewarding adventure. For readers who are considering it, this book will be a help to make an informed decision and then plan it well.
To do the Camino is to walk, nothing more. Walking is not running or climbing, but neither is it strolling at the mall.This guide is based on my experience of having completed the Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela walking about 500 miles in 35 days, and having finished better than I was at the beginning.
Buen Camino !
Index
1. The Way of Saint James
History
The Camino today
Pilgrim or tourist, walker
Routes to Compostela
The stages
Types of roads
2. Make the decision
The reason
Which route to choose
Books and guides
Alone or accompanied
Budget
In summary: yes or no
3. Planning
Starting point
The start date
Plan the stages
Accommodations
4. Preparations
Test routes
Clothing and footwear
Backpack and cane
Luggage
Mobile and camera
Pilgrim's Credential
Take care
5. Running
The first day
Some things to do
6. The stages
A personal experience
Some things that happen
7. The French Camino
Distances
Accommodations visited
Stages
1. Roncesvalles - Burguete
2. Burguete - Zubiri
3. Zubiri - Pamplona
4. Pamplona - Puente la Reina
5. Puente la Reina - Estella
6. Estella - Los Arcos
7. Los Arcos - Viana
8. Viana - Logroño
9. Logroño - Nájera
10. Nájera - Santo Domingo de la Calzada
11. Sto Domingo de la Calzada - Belorado
12. Belorado - Agés
13. Agés - Burgos
14. Burgos - Hontanas
15. Hontanas - Boadilla del Camino
16. Boadilla - Carrión de los Condes
17. Carrión de los Condes - Terradillos
18. Terradillos - El Burgo Ranero
19. El Burgo - Mansilla de las Mulas
20. Mansilla de las Mulas - León
21. León - San Martín del Camino
22. San Martín del Camino - Astorga
23. Astorga - Rabanal del Camino
24. Rabanal del Camino - El Acebo
25. El Acebo - Ponferrada
26. Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo
27. Villafranca del Bierzo - Las Herrerías
28. Las Herrerías - O Cebreiro
29. O Cebreiro - Triacastella
30. Triacastella - Sarria
31. Sarria - Portomarín
32. Portomarín - Palas de Rei
33. Palas de Rei - A Fraga Alta
34. A Fraga Alta -O Pedrouzo
35. O Pedrouzo - Santiago de Compostela
8. The Compostela
9. To be continue...
10. Acknowledgments
11. Basic Spanish vocabulary
12. Personal notes
If you are an urbanite who has spent his life locked in four walls, it is logical that now you want to go out into the country. If you work all your life sitting, it is very logical that you want to walk. If you stay in insane and sad offices, you want to breathe clean air. If your days are filled meeting with colleagues and clients, now you want to enjoy solitude. If you must achieve absurd objectives, you want to do something where the end is not a goal.Now you can say goodbye to all that, and alone or accompanied, go to the Camino de Santiago.
Buen Camino !
About the author
Juan Martín-García is Spanish, 60 years old, author of a recognized book over the history of Spain. He has done the Camino only once, he is not a walking expert, nor an athlete. His motivation for doing the Camino was to understand why hundreds of thousands of people not only start, but complete every year a 500-mile journey.
The essential book for pilgrims !
