Updates

NEW 2022/3 EDITIONS NOW AVAILABLE

Following the Covid 19 pandemic, we can expect on-going changes to the situation along the camino over the next year(s). Please feel free to advise us of any changes you come across. All along the route, pilgrim infrastructure and albergues that took decades to put in place are struggling to survive, some will probably close. Note that any closure of facilities, such as lodging and restaurants, may only be temporary. Others may be due to a forced sale allowing for the possibility they may reopen for their original use at a later stage. In this constantly changing situation we beg your patience and understanding for any updates that may come to us after the books have gone to print or for anything we may have missed.

E BOOKS

The full guides to the Camino Francés, Camino Portugués, Camino Inglés, Camino Finisterre and the joint Camino Sanabrés & Camino de Invierno are now available in e-Book format. These are available on Apple Books, Kobo, Nook, etc. as well as the Kindle. For best results, including interactive contents pages and live links we recommend the Apple Books/Kobo/Nook versions.

NEW FONTS AND SYMBOLS

If you have used our guides before then you may notice that we have updated the font and symbols for the latest 2022/3 editions. Please see the map legend in the introduction to each guide to familiarise yourself with the new symbols, which we do hope will provide a more user-friendly experience.

CAMINO FRANCÉS

The 2022 edition of the full guide is currently available in print and eBook format. An updated 2022/3 edition of the maps only book is also now available.

The 2023 edition of the full guide is coming soon. In the meantime please feel free to download these updates to the 2022 edition.

As the popularity of the camino Francés continues to grow so too does pressure on the final stages into Santiago. For those seeking a quieter end to their pilgrimage we have created a guide to the Camino de Invierno (The Winter Way). This largely overlooked route allows an alternative ending to the Camino Francés by branching off at Ponferrada and entering Santiago via the stunning Las Medulas (World Heritage Site) and the largest gold mines of the Roman Empire.   

CAMINO FRANCÉS: O CEBREIRO – SARRIA – SANTIAGO

For those walking only the final stretch of the Camino Francés we have once again produced a guide to the final 7 stages through Galicia. This guide contains the detailed planning and introductory information but means you do not need to carry the additional weight of the full guide if you plan on only walking the latter stages. 2022/23 edition now available.

CAMINO PORTUGUÉS

2022/3 editions of both the full guide and maps only are now available with updated accommodation and route information. Both continue to feature options for the Camino Central, Camino da Costa and Senda Litoral as well as the Variante Espiritual.

Update to the 2022/3 edition:

Stage 16a Esposende – Viana do Castelo:
Senda Litoral A new pedestrian bridge at Foz de Neiva and the expanding Ecovia Litoral Norte has greatly improved this route. It has more of a tourist vibe in the summer months when accommodation can be difficult to find. Outside the summer season the route is quiet and becoming increasingly popular with pilgrims. However, it can be challenging to walk when the frequent strong winds are blowing off the Atlantic and wind-blown sand cuts across the eyes and can obliterate both path and signage. However, it is difficult to get ‘lost’ if you keep the sight and sound of the sea immediately to your left (west). Where the senda litoral connects easily with the main Caminho da Costa a tick ✓ suggests a reasonable optional alternative in good weather for pilgrims who have a good sense of orientation; otherwise it makes sense to stick with the main waymarked route. Download the amended stage map below:
 

 

CAMINO INGLÉS 

In response to the growing popularity of the route, the Camino Inglés is now available as a full guide in its own right. The new 2022/3 edition features updated information and maps.

CAMINO FINISTERRE

The only camino to depart from Santiago is once again features in a full guide in its own right. Featuring options to walk the route from Santiago to Finisterre, to continue on to Muxía and to walk the route as a circuit to and from Santiago, a distance qualifying the pilgrim for a compostella. 2022/3 edition now available.

CAMINO SANABRÉS & CAMINO DE INVIERNO

This combined edition features two routes. Both being over 100 km, entitle a bona fide pilgrim to a Compostela and both avoid the relative overcrowding of the routes into Santiago via the Camino Francés through Sarria and the Camino Portugués via Vigo or Tui. 

The Camino Sanabrés begins in Ourense, which is very accessible with direct rail and bus services every hour throughout the day from Santiago and there also direct bus services from other main cities with airports including Madrid.

The Camino de Invierno (or Winter Way) can be walked as a route in its own right or as an alternative to the crowded final sections of the camino Francés (see Francés updates above).

Updates to the 2022/3 edition

There is a new albergue in Chantada:

Chantada albergue

TITHING

The tithing from royalties of the sale of these guidebooks continues to support various initiatives that seek to preserve the physical and spiritual integrity of the Caminos de Santiago. Thank you for buying these guidebooks that help support and promote the caminos.

PILGRIM STATISTICS 2019

Due to the impact of the pandemic on numbers of pilgrims and related statistics for 2020/21 we have chosen not to include those statistics below. We believe the following data from 2019 gives a more accurate picture of what you might find on the Camino in an average year.

347,578 pilgrims collected a Compostela in 2019.

The Camino Francés remains the most popular. Attracted 189,937 pilgrims (55%) of whom 96,124 (27%) commenced in Sarria and 33,197 (10%) in St Jean Pied de Port.

The Camino Portugués follows this with 72,357 pilgrims (21%) and 22,297 on the Camino da Costa. Porto remains the most popular starting point with 27,924 (8%) followed closely by Tui with 22,814 (7%).

The Camino Inglés continues to grow in popularity with 15,715 (5%).

Pilgrims from all over the world walk the camino each year. In 2019 Spaniards represented 42% followed by Italians 8%, Germans 8%, Americans 6%, Portuguese 5%, French 3%, Irish 2% and British 3% (15,958 combined). English speaking countries made up 14%.

The age range of pilgrims varied – with 55% being between 30 and 60.