Keith Foskett

Indie Author & Adventurer

  • Home
  • Bookshop
    • The Journey in Between
    • The Last Englishman
    • Balancing on Blue
    • A Thru-Hiking Trilogy
    • High and Low
  • Walks
    • El Camino 2013
    • El Camino 2014
    • Pacific Crest Trail
    • The Appalachian Trail
    • Continental Divide Trail
    • NW2SE
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Search

Walking EL Camino this year? The Camino Companion Smartphone App is Out!

February 20, 2015 By Keith Foskett 11 Comments

 

The Camino Companion smartphone app is out now !

 

unnamed

 

HSALogo

 

guthook-app-icon

 

I had no idea that putting together a hiking guide app for a smartphone was so much work. First, I walked the Camino Francés route last year, which took just over three weeks. The route was logged every step by GPS, and I also took over 2500 photos.

I snapped water sources, road and track junctions, accommodation options, churches, tourist information offices, restaurants, bars, you name it. This all provides a visual reference in the app so you are more likely to recognise the place when you see it. In fact there are over 1300 waypoints.

 

delta

 

Then, Alice and Paul Bodnar of High Sierra Attitude, and Ryan Linn of Guthook Hikes have spent the last six months collating all that information to build what we think is the best smartphone app available for this route.

We looked at what was available on the market (which took some doing in itself because there really isn’t a lot of options). Then, we checked all the points they didn’t include, and put them in there with a load more features as well.

The Camino Francés route, otherwise known EL Camino de Santiago, is the most popular route to Santiago de Compostella, running east to west through northern Spain. Starting at the charming town of St Jean Pied de Port in south west France, it traverses over 500 miles to finish at Santiago. Also included is the fifty five mile extension from Santiago to Finisterre, and the eighteen mile route from Finisterre to Muxia.

 

were

 

The download is free and the first section, from St Jean Pied de Port to Pamplona (forty two miles) is also free so you can try it out. After that, the entire rest of the route to Santiago, and the extensions are just £7.99 / $9.99 / E4.99. There is also an option to buy the route from Sarria to Santiago (74 miles) for £3.99 / $4.99 / E4.99. This section of the trail is popular because it is the minimum distance a hiker need walk to gain the certificate of completion in Santiago Cathedral.

It is available on either Android or iPhone.

 

popp

 

The app works in conjunction with your smartphone’s GPS to always provide a location of where you are, both on the visual map, and also the elevation graph. The elevation graph is handy, as it displays the hills coming up.

Any waypoints can be selected to provide more information. For example, click on one of the accommodation symbols, and details of that hotel / hostel etc are displayed, including contact info, website details, and the address.

The video below displays this better than I can describe it.

 

 

The Camino Companion is available now to download free. If you’re planning on hiking El Camino de Santiago, it is by far the easiest way to provide all the information you’ll need on the trail.

Forget your map and guidebook – it’s cheaper, more reliable, more accurate, and with more features. You really don’t need anything else.

Filed Under: Blog

Copyright © 2025 · Keith Foskett

Privacy & Cookies Policy

Site maintained by West Sussex Websites

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT