Frequently Asked Questions

Every walking pilgrimage starts with a practical problem: what will I eat today? On a long route, that question gets asked every morning for months. The answers tend to be interesting: they reveal what the region produces, how it cooks, who eats what, and what the land makes possible.

Walking to Dinner is the independent guide to food on pilgrimage. It is not a press trip site. It is not an aggregator. It is built from firsthand experience: routes walked end to end, meals eaten in the field, journals kept on the trail.

The food on this site was not sought out for its own sake. It was encountered while walking. The maps come from roads walked and meals eaten in the field. The books come from journals kept on the trail. The reviews and opinions belong to someone who arrived at the table on foot, not by taxi from the airport.

The food guides are per-route practical references. Each one covers what pilgrims eat on a given route: the regional dishes and food traditions specific to that route, where to eat in trail towns, practical notes on budget, what to look for at different points along the way, and a few notes for vegetarians. They're at walkingtodinner.com/food.

The food maps are interactive maps with pins drawn from firsthand walking experience or approved research — restaurants, markets, regional specialties, cooking experiences, and wild food. Each pin includes its provenance and review status. You can filter by category and zoom to any section of the route. They're at walkingtodinner.com/maps.

Information marked firsthand comes from walking the route and eating what's documented. Other spots are included based on research or local recommendation rather than personal visit; those are noted. The distinction is part of every map and guide. The Pacific Crest Trail coverage is not a personal thru-hike or first-person route narrative.

Each guide and map records its source and freshness. The Appalachian Trail was walked in 2017, the Shikoku Pilgrimage in 2024, the Camino Portugués in 2025, the Kumano Kodo in 2026, and Scotland's Remotest Pint route in 2026. The Pacific Crest Trail coverage is based on approved research rather than a personal walk. Restaurants close and things change. No food map stays current forever. Updates are made as new information comes in.

Not currently. The maps are web-only and require an internet connection. There is no app.

Walking to Dinner currently covers:

• Appalachian Trail: 2,190 miles, Georgia to Maine (2017)
• Shikoku Pilgrimage: 88 temples across four prefectures of Shikoku, Japan (2024)
• Camino Portugués: Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela, through Portugal and Galicia (2025)
• Kumano Kodo: Nakahechi Route, Kii Peninsula, Japan (2026)
• Scotland's Remotest Pint: West Highland Way, Affric Kintail Way, and Cape Wrath Trail (2026)
• Pacific Crest Trail: coverage across Southern California, Central California, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington

Each route has a food guide at /food and an interactive map at /maps.

Yes. Which routes come next is a question of where walking happens next.

Two books are currently available:

• Walking to Dinner on the Appalachian Trail — available on Amazon
• Walking to Dinner on the Shikoku Pilgrimage — available on Amazon

Walking to Dinner is published at walkingtodinner.substack.com. The newsletter carries letters from the road, serialized adventure writing, new food stories, and project updates. Currently serializing: Walking to the Remotest Pint on the West Highland Way.

At walkingtodinner.substack.com. Free to subscribe.

For general inquiries: shewmaps@gmail.com.

Yes. Email shewmaps@gmail.com with the spot name, location, and what you know about it. Corrections are welcome.