New, illustrated English Guide to Camino de Invierno

[peregrina2000]

Folks,I am going to be very honest here.
This route is hardly trampled, even less with English speakers.
You may just find that English is hardly spoken and if it is that can quite bad.
I do feel that those wanting to take this route are lucky to encounter any information.
But speaking Spanish is all part of the experience of visiting this part of the world.

The trouble with paper issues of guides, especially books, they can become outdated quite quickly.
Hence the need to up date the free PDF every year. I was suggesting an alternative to the PDF only. It there was an update via a non paper one that would not have to occur at any one time of the year changes can be made immediately.
I would be willing to wage all you still take your mobile devise with don't you?
Also I have to ask how many of you hard copies of the photos you have recently taken?
I the years we have run this business we have seen a huge shift towards guests using electronic devises.
We have had to constantly up-grade our internet connection to satisfy that demand. No one purchases newspapers, which is shame as they make great window cleaners or fire lighting material.

To be honest you are lucky to be able to make on line reservations. Just a few years ago our comrades in accommodation were resisting in listing on the all the well known accommodation portals. Now they all do it. The official reservation website, that is run by Turgalica, (The Xunta de Galicia tourism website) never has worked well.* I cannot remember the last time we got a reservation via them.
* I am not going to go into the many reasons why here, it is not relevant.

These are good suggestions, Ribeirasacra. As one of the people responsible for writing the forum guide, I agree with you. Having an option for “carrying” the guide on your phone makes sense, but it is beyond my capabilities. But I do have an idea about how this might happen.

I also know that for many people, a print copy is still invaluable. We cannot post resources in a word document, but I am always happy to send a copy in word, so that people can cut and paste and come up with their own version.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

There is a free PDF converter online at https://www.pdfonline.com

I've just found it and have not tried it yet.

 

[peregrina2000]

There is a free PDF converter online at https://www.pdfonline.com

I've just found it and have not tried it yet.

Thanks, Rick,
Would that make it easier for forum members to get the Invierno guide on their phones?

 

[alaskadiver]

I've long been considering ways to bypass the Sarria - Santiago hullabaloo.
The Inverno is a leading candidate but the fear, perhaps unjustified, of long stages and uncertain accommodation has frightened me off.
A comprehensive English language guide book would be most welcome in paperback and/or ebook form.
Regards
Gerard

Long stages? Uncertain accommodations? I think you need to read some more posts im doing it in 16 days with no say longer than 20KM. The guide on this forum was good enough to plan the walk. It’s not a wilderness walk.

 

[alaskadiver]

I would have thought that carrying a book is a bit to yesterday when undertaking a pilgrimage.
If you want one for the coffee table/book shelf then you can purchase them immediately with English text.
See details in post 82 on this thread. However the link on the official Spanish website for this route has changed. The guide can be purchased here.
I have a suggestion for the forum that issuing the free guides in PDF format may not be so handy these days. As I understand it mobile devices can make the viewing of PDFs rather awkward and that formatting is not consistant. Maybe a change to a format that is more mobile friendly could be considered for these unillustrated guides?

I’ve never had an issue viewing the guide as a PDF. I’d be happy to convert your word documents into PDFs if you are having issues.

 

[peregrina2000]

I know this post was from 2016, but this book has now been translated into english and I do sell it here:
https://www.santiagodecompostela.me/products/a-camino-de-invierno-guide-the-winter-route-to-santiago
...but it it is a bit heavy if you are wanting to walk with it (310 gams).

Ivar, the book you have is the translation of a different book. There are two Invierno Associations, with competing books, I guess. The book in your shop is a translation of the one written by Aida Menéndez Lorenzo. The one that @MyDestinationGalicia keeps threatening to translate is the one written by Asún and her association. Here is the difference between the two, taken from an earlier post:

This is the book translated from Spanish and written by one of the people who fought longest and hardest for official recognition for the Invierno. It’s available here: http://www.caminodeinvierno.com/content/detailed-guide-winter-route-santiago

I don’t know anyone who has used it, and I have no idea whether the translation is good. But I am pretty sure it is not written by someone who has walked the route. I say that because the other guide that I mention below describes itself as the only one written by a peregrino.

Years ago, on my first Invierno, I used the Spanish guide written by the other Camino de Invierno Association. Asún (owner of the albergue in her house in A Rúa) is the president of that association, and I have no idea about their relationship. I found that guide to be fine, a bit heavy with lots of unnecessary pages, but fine. http://caminodeinvierno.es/ But it is in Spanish. There was noise about an English translation, but nothing to date.

 

[ivar]

Ivar, the book you have is the translation of a different book. There are two Invierno Associations, with competing books, I guess. The book in your shop is a translation of the one written by Aida Menéndez Lorenzo. The one that @MyDestinationGalicia keeps threatening to translate is the one written by Asún and her association. Here is the difference between the two, taken from an earlier post:

This is the book translated from Spanish and written by one of the people who fought longest and hardest for official recognition for the Invierno. It’s available here: http://www.caminodeinvierno.com/content/detailed-guide-winter-route-santiago

I don’t know anyone who has used it, and I have no idea whether the translation is good. But I am pretty sure it is not written by someone who has walked the route. I say that because the other guide that I mention below describes itself as the only one written by a peregrino.

Years ago, on my first Invierno, I used the Spanish guide written by the other Camino de Invierno Association. Asún (owner of the albergue in her house in A Rúa) is the president of that association, and I have no idea about their relationship. I found that guide to be fine, a bit heavy with lots of unnecessary pages, but fine. http://caminodeinvierno.es/ But it is in Spanish. There was noise about an English translation, but nothing to date.

ahhh... I had no idea there were 2 associations and two books... thank you for clearing this up!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Thanks, Rick,
Would that make it easier for forum members to get the Invierno guide on their phones?

I'm not sure if it will and I don't know when I will get to try it out. I suppose in theory the PDF could be copied to HTML and that could be zipped together with the images so it could be downloaded and unzipped into a directory on the phone and then be accessed with a browser. But perhaps that is more trouble than downloading the PDF and installing an app that can display PDFs.

 

[KinkyOne]

I'm not sure if it will and I don't know when I will get to try it out. I suppose in theory the PDF could be copied to HTML and that could be zipped together with the images so it could be downloaded and unzipped into a directory on the phone and then be accessed with a browser. But perhaps that is more trouble than downloading the PDF and installing an app that can display PDFs.

Definitely too much hassle. I don't know for iPhones but Androids have PDF app(s) already uploaded when you buy the phone. At least over here.
Having PDF as Word document has no real use on the phone because I very much doubt anyone would edit it on the phone. On computer that's different. Also PDF is already comprised in size if you compare it to Word document. That's why they (PDFs) are very usable for phones.

 

[gerardcarey]

Long stages? Uncertain accommodations? I think you need to read some more posts im doing it in 16 days with no say longer than 20KM. The guide on this forum was good enough to plan the walk. It’s not a wilderness walk.

Thanks for your comments.
It's just that at 74, with two tin hips and two inoperable fractured vertabra in my neck, these days I need to be somewhat circumspect in choosing my routes.
There's to be no more gallivanting carelessly about the world for me.
Regards
Gerard

 

[Ribeirasacra]

Ivar,
I have written about a book in English which has already been published. In this posting. That is the book you have.
Thought you might like to chip in a bit on my idea that PDF guides be published in an "e-book" format? What do you think?
As I understand it PDFs are a bit clumsy to read on mobiles. If there was to be a forum standard then maybe you have an idea of how this could proceed. There are a number of e-book applications which can convert PDF into another format. But previous experience has told be than converting from one format to another is not as simple as hitting that proceed button.
I have established there are a number of ways this could be done is to use
this online PDF to * format (maybe ePub)
Sigil Ebook
Bluegriffon
If some of the team has an Adobe account then their Adobe InDesign could be used.
There are a few other publication programmes.
Also whilst you are read this could you confirm that the idea of sending books to the USA is both expensive and has would bring a lot of added paperwork for the importer. I was trying to answer this post. Are you able to send books outside of the EU/EEA? If so can you confirm that the price must not inclued VAT (IVA), there are importation forms to fill in and the receiver or sender has to pay import duties too. I have found that the although the sending cost do vary it can almost double the cost of the book.

 

[Ribeirasacra]

Thanks for your comments.
It's just that at 74, with two tin hips and two inoperable fractured vertabra in my neck, these days I need to be somewhat circumspect in choosing my routes.
There's to be no more gallivanting carelessly about the world for me any more.
Regards
Gerard

If that is the case then maybe this route is not for you. I have already said the route is not trambled on much. English speakers can be hard to find and the basic infrastructure, you will encounter, on many other routes are not found on this one.

 

[Ribeirasacra]

I’ve never had an issue viewing the guide as a PDF. I’d be happy to convert your word documents into PDFs if you are having issues.

I think you are a wee bit confused. I have not asked for any guide.
In the post above that one you have stated it is not a walk in the wilderness. it is for a Camino in Spain. I think you will find the first days are. There really is not the infrastructure one can normally fall back on. But it is not a wilderness as say in the middle of Alaska.

 

[gerardcarey]

If that is the case then maybe this route is not for you. I have already said the route is not trambled on much. English speakers can be hard to find and the basic infrastructure, you will encounter, on many other routes are not found on this one.

This is, of course, what I am endeavouring to ascertain, so thanks for your advice.
This Camino has for long exerted a mystical attraction for me and a comprehensive guide studied in advance would enable me to more precisely ascertain terrain and acceptable daily distances as well as accommodation and other services.
Thanks to all who participate in the production of Inverno guides.
Regards
Gerard

 

[Saint Mike II]

Ivar, the book you have is the translation of a different book. There are two Invierno Associations, with competing books, I guess. The book in your shop is a translation of the one written by Aida Menéndez Lorenzo. The one that @MyDestinationGalicia keeps threatening to translate is the one written by Asún and her association. Here is the difference between the two, taken from an earlier post:

This is the book translated from Spanish and written by one of the people who fought longest and hardest for official recognition for the Invierno. It’s available here: http://www.caminodeinvierno.com/content/detailed-guide-winter-route-santiago
.... .

Hola Laurie - I too was more than a little confused. I have the book that Ivar sells. I tried to follow the various threads about who or what was being produced and in what languages. Whilst I agree a guide written by a perigrion/na would be superior my Spanish (or is that a lack of Spanish) would make such a book unsuitable. I would be spending much of the day translating various passages. If Asun is unable to produce the English language version (I saw the posts about her seeking govt assistance) would she allow someone else, who speaks excellent Spanish and has access & necessary writing skills to conduct this task. (Maybe as a cooperative effort???) Cheers

 

[KinkyOne]

...If Asun is unable to produce the English language version (I saw the posts about her seeking govt assistance) would she allow someone else, who speaks excellent Spanish and has access & necessary writing skills to conduct this task. (Maybe as a cooperative effort???) Cheers

Exactly what @peregrina2000 wrote when mentioning @MyDestinationGalicia "threatening to translate"

 

[alaskadiver]

I think you are a wee bit confused. I have not asked for any guide.
In the post above that one you have stated it is not a walk in the wilderness. it is for a Camino in Spain. I think you will find the first days are. There really is not the infrastructure one can normally fall back on. But it is not a wilderness as say in the middle of Alaska.

You’re confused. I was offering to covert the guide to PDF for people who don’t know how to do it. I didn’t mean you specifically. The information in the guide on the forum has plenty of information.

 

[alaskadiver]

Definitely too much hassle. I don't know for iPhones but Androids have PDF app(s) already uploaded when you buy the phone. At least over here.
Having PDF as Word document has no real use on the phone because I very much doubt anyone would edit it on the phone. On computer that's different. Also PDF is already comprised in size if you compare it to Word document. That's why they (PDFs) are very usable for phones.

Exactly. iPhones have PDF readers and they work quite well.

 

[alaskadiver]

Thanks for your comments.
It's just that at 74, with two tin hips and two inoperable fractured vertabra in my neck, these days I need to be somewhat circumspect in choosing my routes.
There's to be no more gallivanting carelessly about the world for me.
Regards
Gerard

I get it. Have you read the guide that Laurie has on this forum? Take a look at my stages in a separate thread. Easy stages with accommodations. No need to walk 25 or 30 km stages as some folks do.

 

[ivar]

Ivar,
I have written about a book in English which has already been published. In this posting. That is the book you have.
Thought you might like to chip in a bit on my idea that PDF guides be published in an "e-book" format? What do you think?
As I understand it PDFs are a bit clumsy to read on mobiles. If there was to be a forum standard then maybe you have an idea of how this could proceed. There are a number of e-book applications which can convert PDF into another format. But previous experience has told be than converting from one format to another is not as simple as hitting that proceed button.
I have established there are a number of ways this could be done is to use
this online PDF to * format (maybe ePub)
Sigil Ebook
Bluegriffon
If some of the team has an Adobe account then their Adobe InDesign could be used.
There are a few other publication programmes.
Also whilst you are read this could you confirm that the idea of sending books to the USA is both expensive and has would bring a lot of added paperwork for the importer. I was trying to answer this post. Are you able to send books outside of the EU/EEA? If so can you confirm that the price must not inclued VAT (IVA), there are importation forms to fill in and the receiver or sender has to pay import duties too. I have found that the although the sending cost do vary it can almost double the cost of the book.

As I understand it PDFs are a bit clumsy to read on mobiles.

I think PDF is fine, you might just make the font a bit larger knowing that it will be used on mobiles. The good thing about pdf is that the user can then decide if he/she would like to print it out 1 page per page or 2 pages per page.. back and front making 4 pages per sheet. It is flexible. But if you would like to sell it, then the problem is that the pdf is easily copied.

Also whilst you are read this could you confirm that the idea of sending books to the USA is both expensive and has would bring a lot of added paperwork for the importer. I was trying to answer this post. Are you able to send books outside of the EU/EEA? If so can you confirm that the price must not inclued VAT (IVA), there are importation forms to fill in and the receiver or sender has to pay import duties too. I have found that the although the sending cost do vary it can almost double the cost of the book.

Sending books as regular letters is not that hard. Correos also have special book-rate that makes it more economical. Any sale outside the EU should not have IVA (books in Spain has 4% IVA). Customs depends on the country, but in general... 1 book in an envelope is not enough for any customs to make a claim (in my experience). If you send a box of book, yes... an envelope no...

e-mail me if you need more help: ivar@casaivar.com

 

[Ribeirasacra]

Thanks for the information. PDF is ok.
Unless on has an international IVA regsitarion then you cannot sell itmes without IVA. I know that having been down that road as business. That could explain why the books are not available outside the EU via the Camino de Invierno website.

 

[Ribeirasacra]

You’re confused. I was offering to covert the guide to PDF for people who don’t know how to do it. I didn’t mean you specifically. The information in the guide on the forum has plenty of information.

If you read your post here you quoted me, that is why I thought your offer of help was marked for my attention. The guide is already in PDF?

 

[Ribeirasacra]

Hola Laurie - I too was more than a little confused. I have the book that Ivar sells. I tried to follow the various threads about who or what was being produced and in what languages. Whilst I agree a guide written by a perigrion/na would be superior my Spanish (or is that a lack of Spanish) would make such a book unsuitable. I would be spending much of the day translating various passages. If Asun is unable to produce the English language version (I saw the posts about her seeking govt assistance) would she allow someone else, who speaks excellent Spanish and has access & necessary writing skills to conduct this task. (Maybe as a cooperative effort???) Cheers

The question is way do yet another translation? One book and a downloadable guide would be enough.
Goolge tanslate! There are enough of native English speakers who live in the area who can do this work. They do not need to know how to walk to give a translation!

 

[Charrito]

Folks,I am going to be very honest here.
This route is hardly trampled, even less with English speakers.
You may just find that English is hardly spoken and if it is that can quite bad.
I do feel that those wanting to take this route are lucky to encounter any information.
But speaking Spanish is all part of the experience of visiting this part of the world.

The trouble with paper issues of guides, especially books, they can become outdated quite quickly.
Hence the need to up date the free PDF every year. I was suggesting an alternative to the PDF only. It there was an update via a non paper one that would not have to occur at any one time of the year changes can be made immediately.
I would be willing to wage all you still take your mobile devise with don't you?
Also I have to ask how many of you hard copies of the photos you have recently taken?
I the years we have run this business we have seen a huge shift towards guests using electronic devises.
We have had to constantly up-grade our internet connection to satisfy that demand. No one purchases newspapers, which is shame as they make great window cleaners or fire lighting material.

To be honest you are lucky to be able to make on line reservations. Just a few years ago our comrades in accommodation were resisting in listing on the all the well known accommodation portals. Now they all do it. The official reservation website, that is run by Turgalica, (The Xunta de Galicia tourism website) never has worked well.* I cannot remember the last time we got a reservation via them.
* I am not going to go into the many reasons why here, it is not relevant.

WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD!

Swings and roundabouts!

What do I mean by this? Well, there are still some people who prefer routes like the Camino Francés, which are completely overcrowded and far too touristy for my liking (especially when it comes to the last 100 kms from Sarria). The opposite extreme is the Camino de Invierno, which has very little in the way of infrastructure, although things are changing little by little.

It’s true what you say about finding it difficult on the Invierno to come across English speakers, but from my experience (and I’ve walked 20 different caminos over the years) you will find it hard to complain on the Invierno about the wonderful people in hostals, hotels, bars, restaurants and the odd albergue.

Check out all the threads on here about this Camino. Has anyone ever had a bad word to say about it?

It all depends on what you want, I suppose. If you prefer walking with hundreds and hundreds of people, then the Invierno is not for you. If you want to experience something which you will never forget, then go for the Invierno.

I suppose that, like you, we have an advantage in being able to speak fluent Spanish, but that should not deter others from deciding on this route. It may not be a good idea to walk the Invierno as your first Camino, but once you start out from Ponferrada you will have no regrets. The scenery is spectacular, and it’s not that easy to decide on any sort of ‘etapa reina’: Ponferrada – Las Médulas, A Rúa – Quiroga, Monforte de Lemos – Chantada, Chantada – Rodeiro?????

Regarding information, it’s true what you say: these days, people prefer to have things on their mobile devices. On my first Invierno, many years ago, I had to rely on the information provided on this forum, and incredible threads such as the one that my good friend KinkyOne posted. I bought the Spanish guide from Asún in her albergue in A Rúa, but – to be honest – I hardly used it after I had read through it the same night.

The free guide on this forum is excellent. Laurie (peregrina 2000) does an amazing job year after year in keeping it as up to date as possible, aided by contributions from people like KInkyOne, you and me, as well as many new or more recent recruits to the Invierno.

What do you need from a guide? Personally speaking, I love finding out about things related to history and architecture, but for first-timers it’s probably more important to provide more practical information: exact directions (although it’s practically impossible to get lost on the Invierno), places to stop off for refreshments (bearing in mind that some stages are pretty long), accommodation in hotels, hostals or pensions if there are no albergues, reasonable and good places to have meals, and so on.

I love this Camino, and I hope that your Casa Rural – where I have never stayed YET!!!!!! – prospers, with or without any help from booking sites like the Xunta de Galicia.

Long live the Camino de Invierno!

 

[peregrina2000]

The question is way do yet another translation? One book and a downloadable guide would be enough.
Goolge tanslate! There are enough of native English speakers who live in the area who can do this work. They do not need to know how to walk to give a translation!

WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD!

Swings and roundabouts!

What do I mean by this? Well, there are still some people who prefer routes like the Camino Francés, which are completely overcrowded and far too touristy for my liking (especially when it comes to the last 100 kms from Sarria). The opposite extreme is the Camino de Invierno, which has very little in the way of infrastructure, although things are changing little by little.

It’s true what you say about finding it difficult on the Invierno to come across English speakers, but from my experience (and I’ve walked 20 different caminos over the years) you will find it hard to complain on the Invierno about the wonderful people in hostals, hotels, bars, restaurants and the odd albergue.

Check out all the threads on here about this Camino. Has anyone ever had a bad word to say about it?

It all depends on what you want, I suppose. If you prefer walking with hundreds and hundreds of people, then the Invierno is not for you. If you want to experience something which you will never forget, then go for the Invierno.

I suppose that, like you, we have an advantage in being able to speak fluent Spanish, but that should not deter others from deciding on this route. It may not be a good idea to walk the Invierno as your first Camino, but once you start out from Ponferrada you will have no regrets. The scenery is spectacular, and it’s not that easy to decide on any sort of ‘etapa reina’: Ponferrada – Las Médulas, A Rúa – Quiroga, Monforte de Lemos – Chantada, Chantada – Rodeiro?????

Regarding information, it’s true what you say: these days, people prefer to have things on their mobile devices. On my first Invierno, many years ago, I had to rely on the information provided on this forum, and incredible threads such as the one that my good friend KinkyOne posted. I bought the Spanish guide from Asún in her albergue in A Rúa, but – to be honest – I hardly used it after I had read through it the same night.

The free guide on this forum is excellent. Laurie (peregrina 2000) does an amazing job year after year in keeping it as up to date as possible, aided by contributions from people like KInkyOne, you and me, as well as many new or more recent recruits to the Invierno.

What do you need from a guide? Personally speaking, I love finding out about things related to history and architecture, but for first-timers it’s probably more important to provide more practical information: exact directions (although it’s practically impossible to get lost on the Invierno), places to stop off for refreshments (bearing in mind that some stages are pretty long), accommodation in hotels, hostals or pensions if there are no albergues, reasonable and good places to have meals, and so on.

I love this Camino, and I hope that your Casa Rural – where I have never stayed YET!!!!!! – prospers, with or without any help from booking sites like the Xunta de Galicia.

Long live the Camino de Invierno!

Not to hijack a thread, but I just wanted to say to @Charrito that since it looks like the mirador at Cobo do Mundo has been overgrown and the view is impaired, continuing on from the junction to Casa Santo Estevo, http://www.ribeirasacra.com/, is a wonderful alternative. One of my most memorable moments on the Invierno was sitting out on their terrace watching an amazing star-filled sky come into its fullness. And right across the river, on the hills on the other side, was the vineyard where our wine had come from.

But here’s what I think — as another aside — I know that Casa Santo Estevo is reachable by an on-foot detour off the Codos de Belesar. @Ribeirasacra, are those directions easy to describe clearly? If so, I would love to add them to the 2019 forum guide!

 

[peregrina2000]

This thread has been going off the rails for a while, though I am totally unsure why. It has been a series of little barbs back and forth for no apparent reason. As I consider myself friends of all the people who got in the food fight, I feel bad that it has gone this way. I have deleted one recent personal insult, but am not going to bother to go back and try to figure out what has led us to this point. Everyone on this thread has a lot of good info to share about the Invierno, so I hope people will try to refocus on that. It seems silly to lock a thread about guidebooks, so let’s see how it goes from here. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Charrito]

This thread has been going off the rails for a while, though I am totally unsure why. It has been a series of little barbs back and forth for no apparent reason. As I consider myself friends of all the people who got in the food fight, I feel bad that it has gone this way. I have deleted one recent personal insult, but am not going to bother to go back and try to figure out what has led us to this point. Everyone on this thread has a lot of good info to share about the Invierno, so I hope people will try to refocus on that. It seems silly to lock a thread about guidebooks, so let’s see how it goes from here. Buen camino, Laurie

Food fight?

 

[peregrina2000]

Food fight?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_fight

Not used in the literal sense of course.

 

[Kanga]

@Charrito - I think of a food fight as a minor squabble that gets a bit messy, no-one means any harm, but someone has to clean up afterwards.

 

[Charrito]

@Charrito - I think of a food fight as a minor squabble that gets a bit messy, no-one means any harm, but someone has to clean up afterwards.

I just visualised Laurie and lots of custard pies!!

 

[Charrito]

Not to hijack a thread, but I just wanted to say to @Charrito that since it looks like the mirador at Cobo do Mundo has been overgrown and the view is impaired, continuing on from the junction to Casa Santo Estevo, http://www.ribeirasacra.com/, is a wonderful alternative. One of my most memorable moments on the Invierno was sitting out on their terrace watching an amazing star-filled sky come into its fullness. And right across the river, on the hills on the other side, was the vineyard where our wine had come from.

But here’s what I think — as another aside — I know that Casa Santo Estevo is reachable by an on-foot detour off the Codos de Belesar. @Ribeirasacra, are those directions easy to describe clearly? If so, I would love to add them to the 2019 forum guide!

Cabo do Mundo is still a bit off the Camino, but I know you've always had this wish to include it somehow in the forum guide. There is a route from there to Belesar (Ruta de los Viñedos de Belesar), but it's on the opposite side of the river and you miss out on the amazing church at Diomondi and the marvellous descent down to Belesar.

My alternative, which I came up with quite a few years ago and which is in the guide, is to carry on past Monforte de Lemos to Escairón, spend the night there and continue the following morning to Diomondi and Belesar. Instead of one short stage and one very long stage, you now have two stages of very similar length.

For those who want to stay the night in Casa Santo Estevo, it is certainly possible for you to be picked up/dropped off at Diomondi, or - I'm pretty sure - down in Belesar.

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

By way of the final update Asun's Association "Amigos do Camiño de Santiago por Valdeorras" finally published in late Summer the fifth edition in spanish of their excellent guidebook of the Winter Way together with the English version (a second edition will be coming out in future as the print run is limited). See link http://caminodeinvierno.es/. I won't comment as to who has published the best Guide or whether a pilgrim should have a guidebook on them or not..that's for each pilgrim to decide for themselves. As for Asun (she appreciates the interest ) she's really busy now caring for a mother and is in fact looking for someone to succeed her as President.