When I felt I had to walk the Camino, one of my first questions was:
Which Camino should I do?
I didn’t feel ready to tackle a long one, and it wasn’t feasible either, given my personal circumstances. So I started looking into doing the last 100 km of a Camino. And then I came across Susan Jagannath‘s book The Camino Inglés: 6 days (or less) to Santiago. I read it and my decision was made!
It’s a fantastic little book full of practical information. It takes you from the planning stages all the way to the start of the Camino in Ferrol and from there to Santiago de Compostela.
The Camino Ingles: 6 days (or less) to Santiago
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Chapters 1-4 are all about planning and preparing:
Chapter 1: we learn about the author’s motivation to walk and why she chose this route. There is also a lot of encouragement for anyone who is thinking of doing a Camino: don’t let things like age or level of fitness stop you.
Chapter 2 is all about preparation: mindset, fitness, nutrition, preparing your feet… and even a bit of Spanish! Yes, you can get a list of basic Spanish words and phrases to use on your Camino such as gracias (thank you), por favor (please), buenos días (good morning) or vino tinto (red wine).
There are a few more words in the chapters devoted to the actual walking, but the main ones can be found in this chapter. Some of these words have already been covered by me in previous posts, some others haven’t. You can scroll down for the audio files of the new ones (and some links to the old ones).
Chapter 3 is about planning: maps, transport, bag transfer services, safety issues (list of emergency numbers included) and mochila packing, with lists of essential and optional items.
Chapter 4 is about getting there: booking flights, train and bus services, types of accommodations.
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Chapters 5-11.
These describe the author’s walk from Ferrol to Santiago. Each stage includes distances, elevation maps, list of available accommodations and extra insightful tips.
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Finally, chapter 12.
It includes extra resources, such as websites, books she read before the walk and a Pilgrim’s Prayer.
And… this guide also includes a downloadable free set of maps of the towns and villages mentioned in the book.
I loved the way this is a very informative yet entertaining book. It gives you very easy to understand advice and it offers options and alternatives for people with different levels of fitness or health issues. It gives lots of encouragement too, all in an easy-to-read style (and humorous at times!).
The Camino Inglés: 6 days (or less) to Santiago is available on paperback and Kindle. I have the Kindle version (I have the Kindle app on my phone: no extra weight!), so I can’t comment on the size/weight of the paperback, but I’m guessing it’s not too heavy to carry in your mochila since it seems to be around 115 pages long.
Disclosure: this is an affiliate link. This means that if you click on it and happen to buy the book, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
About Susan
Susan Jagannath successfully combined a passion for reading, a love of writing and a fascination for technology, to create a career in technical writing. With over 50 technical manuals (not) to her name, she finally decided it was time to write the books she wanted to write under her own name.
As an army brat, her childhood included seven different schools, three universities and a couple of emergency evacuations from conflict zones. Travel and adventure were a normal part of life. She now believes in seizing every opportunity to have a new adventure.
Whether it’s camping on the beach in Australia, trekking in the Himalayas, kayaking in Queensland, whitewater rafting down the Ganges, or walking the Camino in Spain, her philosophy is to pack it into one or two weeks to create memories for a lifetime, and inspire others to see that the right time for adventure is right now.
Her first bestseller came from her walk in Spain, The Camino Ingles: 6 days to Santiago. What also happened is that Susan fell in love with Spain, and all things Spanish, and is busy making plans to return for a longer time, and maybe, another Camino.
Susan is now on the next adventure of her life, writing books that are not technical manuals, training to be an awesome grandmother, and helping others write and publish their own bestsellers.
To learn more about Susan Jagannath (and to download the map set), you can go to https://www.susanjagannath.com
Today’s Spanish words
For the pronunciation of Compostela, credencial and sello check ¿Cómo vas a hacer el Camino?
If you don’t know how to pronounce albergue, hostal and hotel check ¿Dónde vas a dormir?
For the pronunciation of Ración and tapa check ¿Dónde vas a comer?
Check Shopping on the Camino for the pronunciation of supermercado, farmacia and empanada.
For the pronunciation of lavadero and hospitalero check El albergue.
Por favor
Gracias
Buenos días
Vino tinto
Café con leche
Cuánto
¿Dónde está el Camino?
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