- Time of past OR future Camino
- Many
Hello all. I’ve been tinkering around with an idea that I think would benefit the pilgrim community and I wanted to run it by the veterans here and the lurking future pilgrims too.
The idea is simple, and is meant to help pilgrims who would like to walk some of the lesser traveled routes to Santiago to get the best information available, by having them write it themselves for the pilgrims who follow behind.
I have the means and the experience to publish books and mobile apps, and that is what I would like to offer to the project… as well as a role in sifting though comments and notes to make sure the whole thing doesn’t become a big mess.
I see the individual guides evolving as such:
1. I will get it started by creating an app just like the others that I have made, specific to a camino. It will contain the usual places and distances and mapping capabilities, and will have at least some start of accommodation listings. This last part really depends on the route, and what I already have collected.
2. The app is free to use, and pilgrims who walk can leave comments along the way. Anything and everything is useful, from mentions of fountains to descriptions of stuff along the way. These comments then get distilled and rolled into the next version of the app (though they are always readable until that edit/publish happens).
3. Once we get to a point where there is a publishable volume, and it seems like the idea should be committed to paper, I will fill in the gaps with the same kind of maps that appear in my other guides. This can be published as a pdf or print on demand or whatever the community deems most suitable.
This isn’t a profitable enterprise by any means, the apps remain free and the books are sold at a level which covers costs of printing if there are any.
It is however a good way, I think, to get better information into the hands of pilgrims wanting to walk the Madrid route, or the Olvidado, or any number of other routes. Many first time pilgrims, or even 2nd/3rd time pilgrims avoid these routes due to the lack of information more than the lack of infrastructure.
I had in mind to begin with exactly the two routes mentioned above, as those are the two that I have done the most research on. However if it turns out that there is someone that wants to contribute enough information on a particular route, I am happy to hear about it.
So what do you all think? Is there a large enough need (a low threshold) for such an initiative? Furthermore, are there any pilgrims reading this that would like to contribute their knowledge to the task?
Or just thoughts in general. I don’t imagine many high quality guides will ever be produced to many of these routes, they are neglected by publishers for their lack of economic viability and by the local government for the same. Might this be a way to make one of our own?
Best regards from Santiago,
Michael
The idea is simple, and is meant to help pilgrims who would like to walk some of the lesser traveled routes to Santiago to get the best information available, by having them write it themselves for the pilgrims who follow behind.
I have the means and the experience to publish books and mobile apps, and that is what I would like to offer to the project… as well as a role in sifting though comments and notes to make sure the whole thing doesn’t become a big mess.
I see the individual guides evolving as such:
1. I will get it started by creating an app just like the others that I have made, specific to a camino. It will contain the usual places and distances and mapping capabilities, and will have at least some start of accommodation listings. This last part really depends on the route, and what I already have collected.
2. The app is free to use, and pilgrims who walk can leave comments along the way. Anything and everything is useful, from mentions of fountains to descriptions of stuff along the way. These comments then get distilled and rolled into the next version of the app (though they are always readable until that edit/publish happens).
3. Once we get to a point where there is a publishable volume, and it seems like the idea should be committed to paper, I will fill in the gaps with the same kind of maps that appear in my other guides. This can be published as a pdf or print on demand or whatever the community deems most suitable.
This isn’t a profitable enterprise by any means, the apps remain free and the books are sold at a level which covers costs of printing if there are any.
It is however a good way, I think, to get better information into the hands of pilgrims wanting to walk the Madrid route, or the Olvidado, or any number of other routes. Many first time pilgrims, or even 2nd/3rd time pilgrims avoid these routes due to the lack of information more than the lack of infrastructure.
I had in mind to begin with exactly the two routes mentioned above, as those are the two that I have done the most research on. However if it turns out that there is someone that wants to contribute enough information on a particular route, I am happy to hear about it.
So what do you all think? Is there a large enough need (a low threshold) for such an initiative? Furthermore, are there any pilgrims reading this that would like to contribute their knowledge to the task?
Or just thoughts in general. I don’t imagine many high quality guides will ever be produced to many of these routes, they are neglected by publishers for their lack of economic viability and by the local government for the same. Might this be a way to make one of our own?
Best regards from Santiago,
Michael