Camino INGLÉS Old routes

[PatrickTex]

I took the old routes because I thought the old stone obelisks would still be there. Not between Fene and Pontedueme for sure. You can find the yellow painted arrows sometimes, but it looks like every effort was made to clear off the old markings in neighborhoods. Between Mino and Bruma there is also a new route. Has anyone checked it out in 2023?

Thanks. I’ll be traveling alone on this leg and on the route between Pontedueme and Mino where the route has not changed, we only counted 20 pilgrims from 9am to 6pm and my partner is partially disabled and needed to move very slow. On this leg he will taxi ahead to Bruma.

 

[henrythedog]

I took the old routes because I thought the old stone obelisks would still be there. Not between Fene and Pontedueme for sure. You can find the yellow painted arrows sometimes, but it looks like every effort was made to clear off the old markings in neighborhoods. Between Mino and Bruma there is also a new route. Has anyone checked it out in 2023?

Thanks. I’ll be traveling alone on this leg and on the route between Pontedueme and Mino where the route has not changed, we only counted 20 pilgrims from 9am to 6pm and my partner is partially disabled and needed to move very slow. On this leg he will taxi ahead to Bruma.

Whilst the arrows may be removed or obscured, the physical routes still exist. An old guidebook and a sense of direction and/or humour will get you there.

 

[Paul McAmino]

Between Mino and Bruma there is also a new route. Has anyone checked it out in 2023?

I walked this in 2023. The way from Betanzos to Bruma was (for me) enough for one day.
The road splits off after Santa Eulalia (which is a nice place to have a rest and something that you have brought to eat, since there are no shops or bars after Betanzos). The route ascends through Sandy eucalyptus forest logging roads until you ge to the Encoro do Beche, the area surrounding which is under construction to create a large park and mountain bike destination with a (not yet completed) pool and a snack bar and toilets and lots of campers, holiday makers, and picnickers grilling meals.
This is another good place to stop because the rest of the day will be more walking on forest roads, always uphill, often alone until you get to the oasis of Casa Avelina in As Travesas. From there it is only a few kilometers to Bruma with its new Albergue (reserve ahead in season), and/or Mesón de Vento with its pension and hotel and easy next-day walk to the Camino.
I realize this is a sketchy description, but I hope it helps you to understand/plan this section.
All the best,
Paul

 

[KJFSophie]

I walked this in 2023. The way from Betanzos to Bruma was (for me) enough for one day.
The road splits off after Santa Eulalia (which is a nice place to have a rest and something that you have brought to eat, since there are no shops or bars after Betanzos). The route ascends through Sandy eucalyptus forest logging roads until you ge to the Encoro do Beche, the area surrounding which is under construction to create a large park and mountain bike destination with a (not yet completed) pool and a snack bar and toilets and lots of campers, holiday makers, and picnickers grilling meals.
This is another good place to stop because the rest of the day will be more walking on forest roads, always uphill, often alone until you get to the oasis of Casa Avelina in As Travesas. From there it is only a few kilometers to Bruma with its new Albergue (reserve ahead in season), and/or Mesón de Vento with its pension and hotel and easy next-day walk to the Camino.
I realize this is a sketchy description, but I hope it helps you to understand/plan this section.
All the best,
Paul

 

[KJFSophie]

We’ve just arrived after walking the Ingles… that section to Bruma is all uphill, albeit in forest mostly. The Ingles is short , but not “easy” every top of the hill leads to a new hill. I did however find the route to be very clean and cared for with no trash and workers out grooming the trails , cutting back brush and cleaning sidewalks .
It was busy. Crazy busy with bus loads of tour group pilgrims jumping on to the trails every morning and getting bussed off back to A Coruna late afternoon. The few stops for coffee , stamps, restrooms are not equipped to handle groups of 60+ people descending on them at once. It was loud and chaotic.
This route was somehow promoted as an alternative to Saria for groups, but no one took the limited facilities into consideration.
We did meet a few other seasoned pilgrims who had walked this and other routes in the past and they described the same experience.

 

[Paul McAmino]

We’ve just arrived after walking the Ingles… that section to Bruma is all uphill, albeit in forest mostly. The Ingles is short , but not “easy” every top of the hill leads to a new hill. I did however find the route to be very clean and cared for with no trash and workers out grooming the trails , cutting back brush and cleaning sidewalks .
It was busy. Crazy busy with bus loads of tour group pilgrims jumping on to the trails every morning and getting bussed off back to A Coruna late afternoon. The few stops for coffee , stamps, restrooms are not equipped to handle groups of 60+ people descending on them at once. It was loud and chaotic.
This route was somehow promoted as an alternative to Saria for groups, but no one took the limited facilities into consideration.
We did meet a few other seasoned pilgrims who had walked this and other routes in the past and they described the same experience.

It’s true, the Ingles can be a tough Camino.
Walking in May we didn’t experience the crowds described by @KJFSophie, above. There was one tour bus with an Irish group that walked a bit, got back on the bus and moved on, leaving us in solitude and quiet as we climbed to Bruma.
Similarly, we did not see many of the pilgrims who started about the same time we did from Ferrol. We tried to stay away from the itineraries that emphasize moving quickly, and enjoyed the Ingles by staying between established etapes, for example spending some time sobremesa in Miño rather than pushing through to Pontedeume.
May allows one to dawdle a bit, but June and July seem to be more crowded.

All the best,
Paul

 

[Tom Hagger]

Having walked many Caminos without bothering to reserve beds in advance, I would definitely recommend doing so for the Camino Inglés, both out of season, when some places are closed, and in the busy season, when the albergues and less expensive hotels become very busy.

 

[jimmyc]

Having walked many Caminos without bothering to reserve beds in advance, I would definitely recommend doing so for the Camino Inglés, both out of season, when some places are closed, and in the busy season, when the albergues and less expensive hotels become very busy.

We walked the Inglis last week and never had any difficulty finding a bed. Municipal albergues do not take bookings The only place that filled up was the albergue at Presedo which only had 14 beds. We also stayed in pensions in some locations and never found any full.
I have walked 5 caminos and have never booked ahead and always found a bed.

 

[VNwalking]

It was busy. Crazy busy with bus loads of tour group pilgrims jumping on to the trails every morning and getting bussed off back to A Coruna late afternoon.

Ohhh.
I'm very sorry to hear this. The Francés can absorb an influx like that, but routes not so much.

 

[PatrickTex]

yes I didn’t make it to Bruma from Pontedueme and stayed in Presedo. The albergue was not too full and was fine. Right before Presedo I noticed the new route travels along a dangerous road (lots of blind curves) but it was not too busy in the evening. To Bruma was tough even though it’s short and the Albergue a were full so I had to hike to La Ruta to stay. It’s close to a supermarket so it helped when my overnight backpack was not sent here correctly from the correo service. My partner and I split up since he had to skip a stage and taxied ahead from an injury. Dealing with bags on our own was hit or miss.

 

[Paul McAmino]

yes I didn’t make it to Bruma from Pontedueme and stayed in Presedo. The albergue was not too full and was fine. Right before Presedo I noticed the new route travels along a dangerous road (lots of blind curves) but it was not too busy in the evening. To Bruma was tough even though it’s short and the Albergue a were full so I had to hike to La Ruta to stay. It’s close to a supermarket so it helped when my overnight backpack was not sent here correctly from the correo service. My partner and I split up since he had to skip a stage and taxied ahead from an injury. Dealing with bags on our own was hit or miss.

Sounds like a tough day. Mesón do Vento (about 2k from Bruma) has a few options if Bruma is completo.

 

[SabsP]

Having walked many Caminos without bothering to reserve beds in advance, I would definitely recommend doing so for the Camino Inglés, both out of season, when some places are closed, and in the busy season, when the albergues and less expensive hotels become very busy.

I noticed this too. End of August I will walk the Inglés a third time but this year not solo but with two friends. Some private albergues are almost completely booked so I prebooked our accomodation. A mix of hostales/ pensiones and one albergue. I would have preferred to just wing it but it is just a bit more complicated with three persons.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

We walked the Inglis last week and never had any difficulty finding a bed.

I walked the week before Easter- Semana Santa. Started Monday, the trail ahead of me was FULL. One group of Spaniards alone was 40 strong. In Bruma, both Albergues and the nearby hotels completely booked out (solely pilgrims), many, many people had to walk on- an additional 10km. The Hospitalier advised me that it’d been like that for the past 3 days ( ie the influx started on the Friday), and would continue for another 2-3 days. She also advised that they expected a few similar days in July and August- they were already booked out. Perhaps tour group’s, similar to above?
Bear in mind, the Friday before Easter (when we all got to Santiago) saw 3,200 registered pilgrim’s arrive . A record for the year that was only broken last week.
A friend walked it a week later - met the same 10-12 people practically every night, said there were a handful of others on the trail.
A week before I walked, there were apparently just 6!

Timing is everything.

 

[henrythedog]

One of the attractions of the Ingles, for me, was the lack of specially constructed tourist (sorry - rule 14) pilgrim infrastructure. It passes through relatively unspoiled Galicia. The facilities depend on those who live there and we who pass through are welcome to use them. The route is now obviously being more well-travelled.

I didn’t find it especially ‘easy’ - but that was not a consideration; it’s the logical way from A to B.

I have no opinion on the use of bag transport, pre-booking or using tour operators; but the topography is what it is.

 

[Galuh]

What about walking at the end of 20 august?