The route of St Jean Pied de Port in the foothills of the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela represents one of the most popular Christian pilgrimages in the world. Walked by millions over the millennia it represents a force for spiritual transformation. This title offers a guide to the pilgrimage, including a fold out map and route planner, 33 daily stage maps with contour guides, 10 town maps including Santiago, a Sun Compass, to orientate your direction and information on all pilgrim hostels along the way together with details of alternative accommodation.
The only guidebook covering three short routes to Santiago de Compostela: just the last five stages of the Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés) from Sarria to Santiago; the Camino Finisterre and its Muxía extension; the Camino Inglés. Written in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, this reference contains all the information needed by modern-day pilgrims wishing to walk these sacred roads. Overview route planners plus daily stage maps and detailed town plans help sojourners with as much advance preparation as they need. The maps feature contour guides to help distinguish the terrain that will be crossed each day, while full information on all pilgrim hostels, as well as details for alternative accommodation, allow travelers to plot adequate nightly stopping points. All reference information is accompanied by helpful spiritual guidelines to support the seeker's inner journey as well as the outer pilgrimage. Newly updated to include the latest maps and photos, this lightweight guide fits into a walker's pocket for carefree traveling.
The only English-language guidebook for people who wish to continue their pilgrimage beyond Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre (the end of the earth) on the Atlantic Ocean.
Guidebook to the Camino Inglés and Ruta do Mar camino routes through north-west Spain to Santiago de Compostela. The 116km Camino Inglés begins in Ferrol in Galicia and takes around a week to complete. It offers reliable waymarking, pilgrim facilities, and the opportunity to earn the Compostela certificate on completion. An alternative start in A Coruña gives a walk of 73km. The Ruta do Mar from Ribadeo provides a 190km coastal link between the Camino del Norte and the Camino Inglés. A newly recovered camino, its pilgrim infrastructure and waymarking is less well developed, but for those seeking solitude it offers striking scenery along a wild coastline. The book also includes an overview of a continuation route from Santiago to 'the end of the world' at Finisterre on the Atlantic coast. The guidebook presents the route in stages of a day's walking. In addition to the route description, there is full information on facilities, food and lodging, 1:100,000 scale maps of the route and town maps for key locations. With notes on preparation and planning, travel and equipment, a list of useful sources of information, and a glossary, the book is an indispensable companion for any one walking these caminos.
The road across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela in the northwest was one of the three major Christian pilgrimage routes during the Middle Ages, leading pilgrims to the resting place of the Apostle St. James. Today, the system of trails and roads that made up the old pilgrimage route is the most popular long-distance trail in Europe, winding from the heights of the Pyrenees to the gently rolling fields and woods of Galicia. Hundreds of thousands of modern-day pilgrims, art lovers, historians, and adventurers retrace the road today, traveling through a stunningly varied landscape which contains some of the most extraordinary art and architecture in the western world. For any visitor, the Road to Santiago is a treasure trove of historical sites, rustic Spanish villages, churches and cathedrals, and religious art. To fully appreciate the riches of this unique route, look no further than The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago, a fascinating step-by-step guide to the cultural history of the Road for pilgrims, hikers, and armchair travelers alike. Organized geographically, the book covers aspects of the terrain, places of interest, history, artistic monuments, and each town and village's historical relationship to the pilgrimage. The authors have led five student treks along the Road, studying the art, architecture, and cultural sites of the pilgrimage road from southern France to Compostela. Their lectures, based on twenty-five years of pilgrimage scholarship and fieldwork, were the starting point for this handbook.
This book presents research concerning the effects of the Camino to Finisterre on the daily lives of the populations who live along the route, and the heritagization processes that exploitation of the Camino for tourism purposes involves. Rather than focusing on the route to Santiago de Compostela and the pilgrimage itself, it instead examines a peculiar part of the route, the Camino to Finisterre, employing multiple perspectives that consider the processes of heritagization, the effects of the pilgrimage on local communities, and the motivations of the pilgrims. The book is based on a three-year research project and is the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration between anthropologists, sociologists, historians and archaeologists. Instead of ending in Santiago, as the rest of the Caminos do, this route continues to the cape of Finisterre on the Galician Atlantic coast. This part of the Camino de Santiago is not officially recognized by the Catholic Church and does not count as part of reaching Compostela, the recognition granted by the Catholic Church to those pilgrims who have walked at least 100 km. For this reason, as well as its relationship with the sun cult, many pilgrims call this route “the Camino of the atheists.” In fact, the Catholic Church is a strong force for the heritagization of the rest of the Caminos, and maintains a clear ignoratio strategy concerning the Finisterre route: Officially, the church neither opposes nor recognizes this route.
This guidebook describes the Way of St Francis a 550km month-long pilgrimage trail from Florence through Assisi to Rome. Split into 28 day stages, the walk begins in Florence and finishes in the Vatican City. Stages range from 8km to 30km with plenty to see, including ancient ruins, picturesque towns, national treasures, and stunning churches. This comprehensive guidebook fits in a jacket pocket or rucksack, and contains information on everything from accommodation and transport in Italy, to securing your credential (pilgrim identity card), budgeting, what to take, and where to do laundry. Stories of Francis of Assisi's life are also included. Although the route includes climbs and descents of up to 1200m, no special equipment is required - although your hiking boots and socks definitely need to get along. Following the steps of heroes, conquerors and saints on this pilgrim trail is manageable all year round, but is best done from April to June and mid-August to October. Route maps are given for every stage, and basic Italian phrases are included in the guidebook.
The only guidebook covering three short routes to Santiago de Compostela: - just the last five stages of the Camino de Santiago (Camino Frances) from Sarria to Santiago; - the Camino Finisterre and its Muxia extension; - the Camino Ingles. Written in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, this reference contains all the information needed by modern-day pilgrims wishing to walk these sacred roads. Overview route planners plus daily stage maps and detailed town plans help sojourners with as much advance preparation as they need. The maps feature contour guides to help distinguish the terrain that will be crossed each day, while full information on all pilgrim hostels, as well as details for alternative accommodation, allow travelers to plot adequate nightly stopping points. All reference information is accompanied by helpful spiritual guidelines to support the seeker's inner journey as well as the outer pilgrimage. Newly updated to include the latest maps and photos, this lightweight guide fits into a walker's pocket for carefree traveling.