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Camino de Santiago: Camino Frances

Guide and map book - includes Finisterre finish

ISBN

9781786310040

Availability

Published

21 Jan 2020

Reprinted

2 Jan 2024

Edition

Second

Pages

304

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.70cm

Weight

540g

Delivery & Returns

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Guidebook and map book to walking the 784km Camino Frances from St Jean-Pied-de-Port in southern France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, including an additional route to Finisterre. Split into 6 sections and 36 customisable stages, the guide lists over 500 pilgrim hostels. The map book covers the entire route, which can be walked in 4-5 weeks.

Seasons

The route is best experienced in spring or autumn, though summer months are most popular. Winter pilgrims may encounter snow at higher elevations.

Centres

The route passes through the energetic, world-famous city of Pamplona, the capital of Spanish wine country in Logroño, the historic cities of Burgos and León and culminates in Santiago de Compostela, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Difficulty

The walk is suitable for all walking levels. No special equipment is necessary and stages are graded from easy to difficult.

Must See

The Camino Francés begins on the French-Spanish border and heads west across the Pyrenees, fertile valleys and vast plains of northern Spain to the tomb of St James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela.

ISBN

9781786310040

Availability

Published

21 Jan 2020

Reprinted

2 Jan 2024

Edition

Second

Pages

304

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.70cm

Weight

540g

Overview

A guidebook to walking the Camino Frances through northern Spain, the most popular version of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage or Way of St James. Covering 784km (487 miles), this pilgrimage route from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela takes 4–5 weeks and is suitable for any reasonably fit walker.

The route is described from east to west in 36 stages, each between 17 and 36km (12–22 miles) in length. An additional section from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre and Muxia on the Galician coast is also included.

Includes a separate map booklet containing 1:100,000 mapping and route line
GPX files available to download
Handy stage planning tables and pilgrim lodging listings help you plan your itinerary
Detailed information about refreshments and facilities along the route
Advice on planning and preparation

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Map of the Spanish Caminos

Overview map and profile

Route summary table

General introduction

What makes the Camino Francés special?

History of the Camino de Santiago

Do I have to be religious to walk the Camino?

Planning your walk

Where to begin?

Where to end?

When to walk?

Where to stay?

What to eat?

How many days should I allow for the walk?

How do I plan my daily stages?

Should I make reservations ahead?

How much money should I budget?

How do I get to and from the Camino?

How do I secure my credencial and compostela?

Tips for making the most of your walk

Topography of the Camino

Preparing for the climates of northern Spain

Understanding local cultures

Training for your walk

What and how to pack

Baggage and storage services

Walking sticks and trekking poles

Health and well-being

Pilgrim etiquette

How to use this guide

App, GPX tracks and accommodation download

Section 1: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Pamplona

Stage 1 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles

Stage 2 Roncesvalles to Zubiri

Stage 3 Zubiri to Pamplona

Section 2: Pamplona to Burgos

Stage 4 Pamplona to Puente la Reina

Stage 5 Puente la Reina to Estella

Stage 6 Estella to Los Arcos

Stage 7 Los Arcos to Logroño

Stage 8 Logroño to Nájera

Stage 9 Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Stage 10 Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado

Stage 11 Belorado to San Juan de Ortega

Stage 12 San Juan de Ortega to Burgos

Section 3: Burgos to León

Stage 13 Burgos to Hontanas

Stage 14 Hontanas to Boadilla del Camino

Stage 15 Boadilla del Camino to Carrión de los Condes

Stage 16 Carrión de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios

Stage 17A Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos del Real Camino

Stage 17B Terradillos de los Templarios to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos

Stage 18A Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas

Stage 18B Calzadilla de los Hermanillos to Mansilla de las Mulas

Stage 19 Mansilla de las Mulas to León

Section 4: León to Sarria

Stage 20 León to Hospital de Órbigo

Stage 21 Hospital de Órbigo to Astorga

Stage 22 Astorga to Foncebadón

Stage 23 Foncebadón to Ponferrada

Stage 24 Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo

Stage 25 Villafranca del Bierzo to La Faba

Stage 26 La Faba to Triacastela

Stage 27 Triacastela to Sarria

Section 5: Sarria to Santiago de Compostela

Stage 28 Sarria to Portomarín

Stage 29 Portomarín to Palas de Rei

Stage 30 Palas de Rei to Arzúa

Stage 31 Arzúa to O Pedrouzo

Stage 32 O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela

Section 6: Camino Finisterre/Muxía

Stage 33 Santiago de Compostela to Negreira

Stage 34 Negreira to Olveiroa

Stage 35A Olveiroa to Finisterre

Stage 35B Olveiroa to Muxía

Stage 36 Finisterre to Muxía

Appendix A Stage planning tables

Appendix B Major local festivals

Appendix C Useful contacts, links and apps

Appendix D Bibliography and further reading

Updates

October 2023

Accommodation listing 2023/4

The up-to-date accommodation listing that is referred to in the guidebook can be downloaded here

Reviews

Whether a pilgrim, a trekker, a traveler or a little of each, those embarking Europe’s epic pilgrimage trail are investing heavily for a profound, even life-changing experience. Just like sturdy shoes, you’ll need the right guidebook. Sandy Brown mixes a love of travel, a passion for detail, and the pilgrims’ thirst for meaning expertly in his guidebook. Well designed and uncanny in its ability to know what you need to know to succeed on this adventure, Sandy’s guidebook will be your trusted companion. It’ll be a constant resource to guide you through every challenge of the Camino: eating, sleeping, navigating, avoiding pitfalls, and getting the most out of the positive serendipity that carbonates the experience of the pilgrim who is equipped with good information and uses it. –

Rick Steves, travel writer, activist and television personality.

An exquisitely written and beautifully illustrated guide to The Camino.

Cicerone’s The Camino de Santiago: Camino Francés is an exquisitely written and beautifully illustrated guide to The Camino. For the pilgrim, it provides an easy to follow step-by-step path to the trek across northern Spain full of maps, illustrations, beautiful photos of the countryside, and detailed descriptions of the historical sites. For those who are for now just dreaming of walking the Camino one day, this book will provide many enjoyable hours of learning, daydreaming, and planning for the trip to come. Author Sandy Brown is intimately familiar with the route, the history, the countryside, the cathedrals, and people of the Camino. He writes beautifully and knows his subject inside and out. His obvious love for the Camino is a clarion call to adventure and romance in the old world.

Bradley, by email

Downloads

Camino de Santiago: Camino Frances - GPX File

The Reverend Sandy Brown Cicerone author SBROWN

By The Reverend Sandy Brown

Sanford 'Sandy' Brown is a long-distance walker and ordained minister who lives in Lucca, Italy. He was born in California and his great-grandparents migrated to San Juan Capistrano from Mexico in the 19th century. Inspired by The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho, he trekked the Camino de Santiago in 2008 and since then has walked over 15,000km on pilgrim trails in Europe and the U.S. He records his pilgrim adventures in his popular blog at https://caminoist.org. In 2020, Sandy joined Cicerone Press as Associate Publisher for Caminos and Pilgrimages.

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