Sarria to Santiago: A Guide to Walking the last 100km of the Camino Frances

by Mark McCarthy

Updated for 2022 this guidebook is for those who wish to walk the most popular Camino de Santiago, the Camino Frances or French Way, starting from Sarria.
This guidebook gives you everything you need to plan your Camino including advice on:
• what to take and what not to take
• which type of backpack to buy
• what footwear to choose
• how to get to Sarria
• how much your Camino will cost and how to keep costs down
This guidebook provides you with:
• estimated walking times from village to village
• highly accurate 3D distances from village to village
• maps of each stage
• highly accurate elevation charts
• maps of most villages, all towns and all cities showing the location of accommodation and facilities
• GPS coordinates of every hostel, every village, town and city and points of interest.
• details of every pilgrim hostel (albergue) between Sarria and Santiago
With background, history and anecdotes this guidebook will be a true companion on your journey on the Way of Saint James.

Genres: Travel

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 29, 2015

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very worthwhile little guidebook. The author clearly loves the Camino Frances and his fondness for Galicia is infectious. I’d say the book reads a bit like a ‘personal project’ to help people have a really positive Camino experience (regardless of their motivation for doing the walk - I am not religious). There’s lots of useful accommodation information (more than I needed), just the right amount of historical context, and some helpful pointers on local food and drink options. I liked the concise overviews of each walk section. The “hard” walking days weren’t as difficult for me as he suggested, but I appreciate that this book is aimed towards people who might be nervous of the physical challenge. This guidebook definitely added to my trip, and was easy to slot into a backpack side-pocket. Thank you to the author, MJ McCarthy, for taking the time to put it together. It will stay on my bookshelf as a souvenir of a very special week.

[Anita Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide book that will serve me well as I plan my walk of that last 100km.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best format for a Camino

Oct/nov 2018 I walked my first Camino-solo. I’m female mature aged. Actually 3 walks-Portuguese Sarria and Muxia finestra. I took 2 guidebooks that were of minimal benefit. This Sarria guide on kindle was the most beneficial for me. I found the tables for each stage invaluable heavy rain for 15days I learnt I had to start looking for accom before dark. The table enabled me to work out if I had enough time to reach the next town and I could evaluate my walking time throughout the day according to the elevations the notes on towns were interesting and didn’t waffle on. I read through the stage the night before and screen shot the table and elevations eliminating the need for online access. Look forward to future guides from this audthor

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough guide to the last 100 kilometers, with lots of information on precise distances and albergues. When we've finished our Camino I will report back as to its helpfulness!

Edit: Camino completed! This book was great for us and we used it every day. We didn't end up staying in a ton of albergues since, especially toward the end of the Camino, there are numerous pensiones that are relatively low cost for a couple traveling together (albergues are probably still the way to go for solo travelers). But it was a useful guide for distances, elevation and access points (food, ATMs, restrooms, etc.) with a bunch of great historical tidbits about the major towns and churches. We did find the elevation guide somewhat exaggerated at times, but it was useful to know where the ups and downs will be. Overall a great guide!

[Marijke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very informative book to prepare for the last 100 kilometers of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It provides information on what to pack, how to take care of your health, a description of distances, walking time, lodgings, and much, much more, yet it is all very concise

[BillZM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific Guidebook! Helpful for any Camino? The only guide needed for Sarria to Santiago?

Great historical/religious background.
Thorough shopping and planning tips.
Fantastic practical trekking advice: guidance on how far to walk each day, relative difficulty/elevations, recommended albergues (hostels) - both communal and private accommodations, with prices, phone numbers, and GPS coordinates.
The author has a wealth of experience on this route and is passionate about sharing his knowledge. With this book, you can plan and feel confident in your adventure. And if you need to adjust plans along the way, you have all the information to do so.

I’d strongly suggest buying the paperback and the Kindle version (available with package discount on Amazon). The paperback is perfect for re-reading on the plane, when your Kindle or smartphone batteries are low, and as a keepsake (with your annotations) after the trip. The Kindle version is really great en route, with active links for phone numbers and GPS coordinates. Before the trip, you should follow the author’s instructions in setting up your smartphone with appropriate apps (Kindle, MAPS.ME, Google Maps, compass) and make sure you have smartphone voice and data access. Then you’ll have all that actionable information right at your fingertips. Very helpful! Don’t forget your phone charger and an appropriate plug adapter, and maybe a small powerbank.

Aided by this guidebook, I just completed the Sarria to Santiago Camino in October 2019 – 114km (71 miles) in 5 days. As a somewhat-fit person in my 60’s, I found this pace do-able but challenging enough. I think I might have enjoyed it more spread over 6 or 7 days. But this guidebook has all the information needed to plan your Camino in larger or smaller increments, and/or adjust en route. Really a great planning (and executing) resource!