My Via de la Plata Guidebook

Last time I attempted to walk the Via de la Plata,

I felt the guidebook was too bulky,

and gave more information than I needed.
However, it was a good guide.

I left my copy in the convent albergue in Leon,

and have regretted it ever since.

This book is now out of print and extremely expensive,

although the author is working on putting it out again on Kindle.

The Cicero guide is pretty,
and another good guide,

but way too heavy for my taste.

In my attempt to make my pack lighter,

I've decided to make my own guidebook.

Many guidebooks just have more information than I need,

and weigh more than I'm willing to carry.

So... I made my own!

First, I went to the bookstore and bought a small "Moleskin" knock-off.

The Moleskin is a small journal that is the perfect size for the Camino.

It comes with lined paper, blank paper, graph paper, and even watercolor paper!

It has a nice elastic strap to keep it closed and in the back is a pocket where you can keep receipts, notes, or whatever.

Each year, I've purchased a moleskin to keep notes on my Camino.

It's been a good investment.

However, this year, the $12 price put me off.

I searched the bookstore, and found this little green notebook.

It has the same elastic strap, the same pocket in back, and the same sized lined pages.

Once I found the right notebook,

I began working to make it the perfect guidebook!

I went to the Eroski website and found the Via de La Plata and Camino Sanabres routes.

Eroski

Next, I printed out each stage.

Then, I cut out the map and list of albergues,

and pasted each to a page in my notebook.

They fit perfectly!

I left space in the beginning to put in flight and hotel information.

I also cut out emails confirming hostal reservations and pasted them into the book.

What I'm left with is a very small, lightweight guidebook

with just the information I need,

plus about 75 blank pages for my own notes and drawings.

The cost? 

$4.99

I'm happy.