When I wrote The Camino Ingles: 6 days to Santiago in 2016, it was part experiment, part sheer annoyance because I had got lost so many times on what was a simple, mostly well marked route. I had no idea that it would go bestseller regularly, and more importantly help so many people achieve their Camino dream.
Then I walked again in 2019, as the route had been changed, intending only to walk the changed bits, but I ended up walking not just from Ferrol, but also from A Coruna. And then I completely reworked and rewrote the book, because not only had the route changed, but I had changed as well.
LATEST UPDATE FOR 8th JULY 2021
The booking system for albergues in Galicia is back to first come first in, because the online system is not working.
Almost as much as the facade of the Cathedral has changed from 2016 to 2019.
Came the pandemic
Then there was the virus, and Spain was particularly badly hit, and our plans to walk another Camino were scratched. But as Spain opened again last summer, there were many changes, and with help from my friends in Spain, and by dint of research and translation, I edited the book again, and released it as a new edition.
The book had changed so much that Amazon baulked at calling it an “update”, but after some emailing to and fro, and my stressing that it was a COVID issue that we needed to keep people safe, even those who had bought earlier versions of the book could get an updated version for free.
The way of walking has changed
One step at a time hasn’t changed – but now there is more need for verification, for vaccination, for staying alert to new rules. And to do that, I’ve added more and more content to the free bonuses that readers can download from within the book.
These include how to:
- Book ahead for albergues
- Check if you can go – are you from a country that’s allowed into Spain?
- Pack for a changed Camino
- Behave (safely) on the Camino
and now I have a new one
- Where you can get your PCR test in Santiago
You can get all the bonus material either from the link in your book, or directly from this link.
In case you need a PCR test to re-enter your own country.
“There and back again” has a whole new meaning now, that may never have occurred to JRR Tolkien, the need to check if you will be allowed back home.
Where you can get your PCR test in Santiago
This is a list of laboratories/clinics where you can book in for a PCR test to confirm that you are COVID- negative. You must check with your own country regarding the time-frame. It is is usually a short time-frame of not more than 48 hours, so be careful and check that.
For more information on what a PCR test is, see this page on Wikipedia.