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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Just back from Holy Week Camino Ingles

peb

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
C. Ingles March 2018
With my Compostela!

It rained every single day, meaning that where the Camino is not on the road, it is very muddy. Unless there is no rain for the next month (remembering that this is Galicia), if you are walking the Camino Ingles in April, I would advise walking boots, instead of either walking shoes or trainers. In many places, you have the choice of either walking through the mud or walking through water. At one stage, you even need to walk through a ploughed rhubarb field to avoid a tree which is down blocking the path. One of the few people that I met (only saw 2 or 3 people per day and nearly all Spanish) on the Camino had to give up because her walking shoes were wet through.

About me, I am in my 50's, do no sport, and did no training. Therefore, if I can do the Ingles then anyone can!!! For the purists, I did cheat, staying in hotels and having my bags transported, so I walked with a day rucksack. It was pitch black till about 8am, so about 8.15 was the start, but equally, it was light until 9pm.

Flew from London to La Coruna, which worked out a lot cheaper than flying from London to Santiago. Curiously, British Airways via Madrid worked out cheaper than Vueling direct to La Coruna. I spent a day in La Coruna, exploring. Worth going to see the Tower of Hercules and the Riazor. Took the 14.31 train from La Coruna to Ferrol arriving 15.45. Much more comfortable than a bus and you have your luggage in sight all the time, if that concerns you. The cost was only 6 euros.. La Coruna station is uphill from the city, so you need a taxi. The ticket machines in Renfe stations all have English language options so are user friendly.

Obtained my Credencial from CSJ in London online. They delivered within 4 days.

Day 1 - Ferrol to Pontedeume - took me 10 hours, all the way round. However, I had arrived in Ferrol the afternoon before, and therefore walked from the Tourist office on the harbour (open till 6pm) to the Tourist office near the station (open till 7pm), so that on day 1, I could just walk out of my hotel, without needing to worry about the first stamps at the harbour. Fene Concello downstairs was closed for a sello, and the people upstairs were reluctant to give me one. Be careful when you come to the Cafeteria Vilar do Colo, where it appeared that the signs for where to go had disappeared. Thankfully, a local pointed me the way.

Day 2 - Pontedeume to Betanzos - took me 7 hours after the long walk the previous day. No sello available at the rectory in Pontedeume though.

Day 3 - Betanzos to Buscas (8km past Hospital de Bruma) - took me 9 hours. On the new route (could not see the old route marked), the infamous hill up to Hospital de Bruma does not exist. There are a few uphill bits, but nothing approaching the climbs out of Pontedeume or Betanzos. Therefore, pyschologically, this stage reads much harder than it actuallyb is physically. Out of Cos, the waymarks appear to go along the road for about 5km until you arrive to Presedo, which is different from what the guidebooks suggest.

Day 4 - Buscas to Sigueiro - took me 6 hours. Quite a boring route. For much of the way to Sigueiro, the waymarked path runs alongside the motorway (but fenced away from it), again this appears different from what the guidebooks suggest. Most depressing seeing cars do a journey in minutes what you do in hours.

Day 5 - Sigueiro to Santiago - took me 3 hours. This was not the easy downhill Tour de France end stage procession that I was expecting. There are some very punchy uphill parts to the path between 9km and 7km to go, which psychologically test you. Became lost in the suburbs when a sign saying straight on appears on a fork on the road and you do know know whether to bear left or right. I mistakenly went left and up, instead of right and downhill. You should not go up, but come downhill and hit the roundabout where McDonalds is. Arrived at Santiago at about 11.45 am. Instead of going to the hotel, went straight to the Pilgrim's office. At just before 12 noon, when everyone is inside the cathedral, the queue for compostelas was 10 minutes. There are toilets in the Pilgrim's office. Was able to leave my rucksack at the luggage room at the Pilgrim's office (go out of the door into the courtyard when you have collected your compostela, down the stairs on the right, and then on the right is the luggage office, but you first need to pay your 2 Euros to obtain a label from the same man you pay for your compostela). Was therefore able to join the pilgrim's service 10 minutes' late. Contrast this with the queue for compostelas after the pilgrims service when I want back to collect my rucksack, which must have been the typical hour long queue.

Homeward day 6 - train from Santiago to La Coruna then airport bus from nearby to La Coruna airport.

Key things that I took: I drunk 2 litres of water a day, excluding at dinner, so always carried a 1.5 litre and 0.5 litre bottle of mineral water. I had read too many stories of people becoming ill from drinking fountain water, so decided not to risk. Bought a mini golf umbrella from Decathlon for £ 9 (there is a Decathlon in both La Coruna and in Ferrol) which, again not purist, kept my top half dry when it rained. By 'mini', it folded up to 50cm, so could stick out of my rucksack for the 10 minutes a day it did not rain, but was larger and much sturdier than a normal umbrella. Final thing. Took 2 Compeed sticks. Spreading this, liberally, all over the parts of my feet which could rub at the start of the day really worked. No blisters. Final thing, as I was staying in hotels, a hot bath each night (bar one, as one hotel had no baths) soaking my legs and feet did wonders. Took a bottle of the most relaxing bath oil I knew, which acted like medicine to my legs.

Really glad I did the Ingles, rather than the last stage of the other Caminos. Yes the stages are longer then on the Camino Franche, where there is more infrastructure, but firstly, being English, the Ingles seemed more appropriate, and secondly, being able to walk the whole thing gives a stronger sense of achievement.

Happy to provide any further information for anyone if it helps.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
We broke each of your stages so made it an 8 walking day pilgimage.
did you also have the CSJ guide to the Ingles? @JohnnieWalker keeps it well up to date with the latest route changes and it has that right hand fork you missed in- we had to read it carefully there I remember.
Glad you enjoyed it, we have walked it twice. :) First time a mix of hotels, B&B and albergues. Second time all hotels or B&B.
 
Thanks for your very helpful, comprehensive report. I"ll be on the Francés shortly, but may be ending around Sarria. I've been debating whether to restart from there when I return, or walk into Santiago by another route. This is certainly a good option. Thanks!
 
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I carried both the CSJ and the Cicerone guides with me. The first two spots where I was lost, and thankfully helped by locals who appeared from nowhere like angels (Cafeteria Vilar do Colo by the motorway and coming out of Cos, the guidebooks could not help, but this may have been through my tiredness and the rain, not reading correctly). The reason that I highlighted these two points is so others can be careful when they come to these two parts of the trip.

I dispensed with the CSJ guidebook away before the last stage into Santiago as it was too wet from the rain to be useful any longer, and replaced with a Santiago city map which did not extend as far out to the suburbs that I needed, but I am glad that the CSJ guide correctly points the way when you come to the ahead only sign, which is in front of a fork in the road amongst flats, and you need to go right, and downhill
 
We carried our CSJ guide in a map case. It fitted easily opened out and kept dry, with the relevent pages on the outsides when the case was folded. We had added in notes from other sources and CSJ updates before we left home. That worked well for us.
[One of the linked cases is shown open, the other folded ready for use.]
 
Thanks for your report. We are getting ready for our early June expedition!

Did you use Correos for your bag transfer? Any problems?
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
No problems with baggage transfer. Sounds unpilgrimlike, but my suitcase (easier to keep things tidy) was always there at my end destination when I arrived. Walking with just a day pack made a huge difference if you do not break the Ingles stages up, because they are long (25 - 30 km on some stages). Also enabled me to buy water and provisions in advance and store and transport for the last two stages where there is less infrastructure.
 
I have walked this route again recently and there has been lots of changes. Possibly all the old waymarks have been removed and there are lots of new ones. Coming out of Cos does go along the main road from Meangos to Presedo and I think it may be quite hard to find the old way which goes off to the right.
Vilar do Cola is also really different, it is mentioned in the guide but is unexpected as I have usually gone over the industrial estate or second right.
I also found it different going into Naron although I was staying there, I did not cross the road bridge and come out by the old mill buildings. Next morning was on the footpath by the road until the church of Santa Maria.
So it will be interesting to see what the next time brings.
 
When you come out of Cos, all the guidebooks talk about a path on the right, but I never saw one. A local lady angel pointed me to walk down the main road, which, as I say, is not what the guidebooks say, and you walk down there for about 4km until you come to Presedo and turn off left. You need to have faith on that part, because the waymarks often do not appear for a kilometre, and you are convinced you are going the wrong way, but if you keep walking on the road (right hand path), you will see the waymarked path eventually go off left when you almost reach Presedo, but you are walking a good 30 to 40 minutes on the road.

At Vilar do Colo, the CSJ guide says 'At the next roundabout Keep Straight On (KSO), then turn Right, and go upstairs, passing the Opel building on your left. I think that this is where to go, although at that roundabout, there is no waymark or sign, because it appears that this has been taken out of the ground (there is a hole where it used to be).

The Cicerone guide says at the roundabout where the CSJ guide says KSO, to go right where the sign says 'Pontendeume / Betanzos) and then shortly afterwards fork right 300m later onto a footpath. A local on their lunch hour told me to go down this route (although the fork right onto a path seems to be about 50m not 300m and was not signposted. However, after walking on the path on the edge of the field, at the end, you then see a yellow arrow (not an official waymark) and there are yellow arrows on the road or lampposts all the way for the next hour until you go under the railway line and hit the beach at Cabanas.

But I do not think that this is the official route, because when I slogged up the hill to Cabanas Concello to pick up a sello, I noted the official waymarks coming down the hill. Therefore, I do think the official route is the CSJ route, i.e. go KSO at the roundabout where right is the sign to Pontedeume / Cabanas, and at the next roundabout the other side of the motorway that you walk under, you then turn right. The problem is there are no signs, whatsoever, at both roundabouts.

I just went the unofficial route, because there were no signs and in a rainstorm, a local appearing out of nowhere saying this is the way to Santiago, is rather angelic.
 
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That's right at Vilar do Colar where you go up the steps but it is not very clear so perhaps they are still working on this section. The way you came into Cabanas is the old route because it now comes out onto the main road into Cabanas and no longer by the beach.
 
Congratulations on your Camino, @peb! We’re hoping to do the Ingles route and then to Finisterre in September. I’m just off to check weather history though, I can’t face 3 weeks of rain with the small one. Your report is really helpful and will be reading all the comments carefully to try and hit the best way for us.

We broke each of your stages so made it an 8 walking day pilgimage.
did you also have the CSJ guide to the Ingles? @JohnnieWalker keeps it well up to date with the latest route changes and it has that right hand fork you missed in- we had to read it carefully there I remember.
Glad you enjoyed it, we have walked it twice. :) First time a mix of hotels, B&B and albergues. Second time all hotels or B&B.

I need to break our stages @Tia Valeria and am off to read your blogs from your Ingles trips to see where you split! I have a provisional list, but a quick confirmation that it’s viable to sleep in some of these places will be great!
 
Congratulations on your Camino, @peb! We’re hoping to do the Ingles route and then to Finisterre in September. I’m just off to check weather history though, I can’t face 3 weeks of rain with the small one. Your report is really helpful and will be reading all the comments carefully to try and hit the best way for us.



I need to break our stages @Tia Valeria and am off to read your blogs from your Ingles trips to see where you split! I have a provisional list, but a quick confirmation that it’s viable to sleep in some of these places will be great!
We had no problems and pre-booked in 2015 because we had no sleeping bags. The route change takes the Camino past a different hotel in Cabañas, the Iberia is now a right turn along the beach instead of passing it. Given as (7) Playa de la Magdalena on gronze)
(Personally I think most of the re-routing along the Inglés sounds a disaster).

I would suggest using the latest CSJ paper guide (or kindle version), combined with gronze for latest accommodation lists and booking ahead using booking.com. Having decided on short stages pre-booking made sure that we did not have to walk on or hunt for alternative accommodation. Good to have booked as the Inglés gets busier each year.
Note that we did not use booking.com to look for places to stay as it gives places that are way off the Camino.
 
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If I had my time again, I would have broken the Ingles into 6 days of walking.

Day 1 - Ferrol to Neda
Day 2 - Neda to Pontedeume - the 10 hour walk from Ferrol to Pontedeume was too long for a first day walk and did not allow me to enjoy the estuary views. An alternative I have read is to take a short cut across the road bridge from Ferrol to Fene, but this cuts out some picturesque walking along the river

Day 3 - Pontedeume to Betanzos

Day 4 - Betanzos to Bruma / Meson de Vento / Buscas - this leg is no longer the frightening leg that the guidebooks talk about under the new route

Day 5 - Bruma or thereabouts to Sigueiro

Day 6 - Sigueiro to Santiago.

If I had had two weeks instead of one, I would definitely have carried on to Finisterre / Muxia and I think the combination of the Ingles and Finisterra would be a good walk. It will rain some of your time, but I walked though Atlantic storm Hugo and these are generally reserved for the winter / spring
 
If I had my time again, I would have broken the Ingles into 6 days of walking.

Day 1 - Ferrol to Neda
Day 2 - Neda to Pontedeume - the 10 hour walk from Ferrol to Pontedeume was too long for a first day walk and did not allow me to enjoy the estuary views. An alternative I have read is to take a short cut across the road bridge from Ferrol to Fene, but this cuts out some picturesque walking along the river

Day 3 - Pontedeume to Betanzos

Day 4 - Betanzos to Bruma / Meson de Vento / Buscas - this leg is no longer the frightening leg that the guidebooks talk about under the new route

Day 5 - Bruma or thereabouts to Sigueiro

Day 6 - Sigueiro to Santiago.

If I had had two weeks instead of one, I would definitely have carried on to Finisterre / Muxia and I think the combination of the Ingles and Finisterra would be a good walk. It will rain some of your time, but I walked though Atlantic storm Hugo and these are generally reserved for the winter / spring

You sound like you’re made of sturdier stuff than me @peb! I don’t mind the wet much (part Welsh) but 3 weeks of rain and a 2.5 year old in a cart is not a fun sounding mix; and I do like an enjoyable walk.

I’m not sure what the etiquette is for hijacking peopl’s posts, so i’m going to go and ask a new question about the hill to Bruma and Casa Julia; and general thoughts on deviations from official routes.

@Tia Valeria Thank You for your comments, and your blogs and photos. I’ve added several of your trip notes for visits in towns, and you accommodations to my plan :D
 
I go back to my original post. I am in my 50's, do no sport and did no training, and somehow was able to do 25km each day, even 34km a day on the hardest stages, but over 9 or 10 hours. If I can do this, anyone can.

On the hill to Bruma, it is no longer there on the new, waymarked route. Bar Julia is missed out. You can still walk the old route, but you will need a guidebook to know where to turn off. When I was coming to Bruma along the new route / La Coruna route, someone came in front of me from what was the old route.

As for taking a cart on the Ingles, I walked this month in an Atlantic storm where most of the non-road path (about 50%) was either mud or water, meaning that this month, it would have been impossible to push a stroller through much of the route. I am sure though that after a dryer summer, the route will not be like that, but be aware, even when dry, on some of the country tracks, some of the off road tracks are as wide as vehicle tracks and the parts where the vehicle tyres do go down them are not as wide as the two wheels of a stroller. There may be parts, as with any country track, where you will need to pick up the stroller to proceed.
 
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Thanks @peb. I’ll keep a watch on the weather over coming months, and the Camino reports that come in. If it’s a wet one perhaps we need to find a different Camino this time.

Thinking about carrying at some small parts is fine, but very useful to consider how much that could be - and whether we could manage that. I appreciate your reassurance about this route generally being possible.
 
In September, hopefully, after a dry summer, the off road parts of the Ingles should be like any other unpaved country track. You will need sturdy wheels and the track will be bumpy in places. The real uphill parts out of Pontedeume and Betanzos are thankfully on tarmac.

For me, the Ingles will be no different from other Caminos in terms of the off road parts near to Santiago. For me, the advantage of the Ingles is that about 50% is on tarmacked roads and there are no mountains to climb (only 2 big 15 minute hills).

I am sure that others will walk the Ingles through the summer and can report on the dryness of the off road parts and suitability to push a buggy along it
 
Read your post with great interest, we are walking the ingles first week of June but we are walking from La Coruna (have done extra km in uk) We are going to wing it regarding accommodation and just see what happens am a bit concerned about the changes in route but fingers crossed we shall also be helped by local folk along the way if needed.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
The two main changes in route that I highlighted in my post (at Vilar do Colo and to Hospital de Bruma) affect the Ferrol to Santiago part, not the La Coruna part. The new route from Ferrol to Hospital de Bruma joins the La Coruna route at San Bartolomeu and then is flat as it runs along the main C-542 road past the electricity sub station before turning off to Hospital de Bruma.

After Hospital de Bruma, apart from the fork going downhill in the suburbs of Santiago which I mentioned (and where I am sure 95% people would choose to go right / down, instead of left and up as I did), the post Hospital de Bruma route is well waymarked, including through Sigueiro itself, even if the path to Sigueiro takes you alongside the motorway and past Sigueiro, the route takes you along (better) small roads instead of behind the Hotel San Vicente as some guidebooks suggest.

I cannot vouch for the route from La Coruna to Hospital de Bruma, but if you stay in a hotel in La Coruna, picking up a good city map of La Coruna would be a good idea, because I am not sure how well the Camino is waymarked through the city?

The Cicerone guidebook suggests that La Coruna to Hospital de Bruma at 32.5km is a single stage. You would need to be really fit to go this, because, what you need to remember is that this is all uphill from sea level at La Coruna. Unless you are trained and fit, I would try to find somewhere to stay in the middle of that first stage, so that you can enjoy the sea views of the first stage. Possibly the new Alberge at Sergude or the off route, Hotel Casa das Veigas in Abergondo?

I found the website www.northerncaminos.com which is the Cicerone guide webpage useful for listing accommodations, even though I then booked independently
 
We broke each of your stages so made it an 8 walking day pilgimage.
did you also have the CSJ guide to the Ingles? @JohnnieWalker keeps it well up to date with the latest route changes and it has that right hand fork you missed in- we had to read it carefully there I remember.
Glad you enjoyed it, we have walked it twice. :) First time a mix of hotels, B&B and albergues. Second time all hotels or B&B.
What were your stages? Interested in doing it 8 days.
 
What were your stages? Interested in doing it 8 days.
Ferrol to Narón
Narón to Pontedeume (or Cabañas)
Pontedeume to Miño
Miño to Betanzos
Betanzos to Casa Julia (route change would now make that Presedo/Leiro) -
pick up and return next morning -
Casa Julia to Meson do Vento (near Bruma)
Meson do Vento to Ordes
Ordes to Sigueiro
Sigueiro to Santiago.

Actually 9 walking days but you might be able to combine two of the later stages after Bruma.

You will find 2 records of our walking the Inglés on our blogs which might help you. Links under my posts - second is under Camino 2015
 
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With my Compostela!

It rained every single day, meaning that where the Camino is not on the road, it is very muddy. Unless there is no rain for the next month (remembering that this is Galicia), if you are walking the Camino Ingles in April, I would advise walking boots, instead of either walking shoes or trainers. In many places, you have the choice of either walking through the mud or walking through water. At one stage, you even need to walk through a ploughed rhubarb field to avoid a tree which is down blocking the path. One of the few people that I met (only saw 2 or 3 people per day and nearly all Spanish) on the Camino had to give up because her walking shoes were wet through.

About me, I am in my 50's, do no sport, and did no training. Therefore, if I can do the Ingles then anyone can!!! For the purists, I did cheat, staying in hotels and having my bags transported, so I walked with a day rucksack. It was pitch black till about 8am, so about 8.15 was the start, but equally, it was light until 9pm.

Flew from London to La Coruna, which worked out a lot cheaper than flying from London to Santiago. Curiously, British Airways via Madrid worked out cheaper than Vueling direct to La Coruna. I spent a day in La Coruna, exploring. Worth going to see the Tower of Hercules and the Riazor. Took the 14.31 train from La Coruna to Ferrol arriving 15.45. Much more comfortable than a bus and you have your luggage in sight all the time, if that concerns you. The cost was only 6 euros.. La Coruna station is uphill from the city, so you need a taxi. The ticket machines in Renfe stations all have English language options so are user friendly.

Obtained my Credencial from CSJ in London online. They delivered within 4 days.

Day 1 - Ferrol to Pontedeume - took me 10 hours, all the way round. However, I had arrived in Ferrol the afternoon before, and therefore walked from the Tourist office on the harbour (open till 6pm) to the Tourist office near the station (open till 7pm), so that on day 1, I could just walk out of my hotel, without needing to worry about the first stamps at the harbour. Fene Concello downstairs was closed for a sello, and the people upstairs were reluctant to give me one. Be careful when you come to the Cafeteria Vilar do Colo, where it appeared that the signs for where to go had disappeared. Thankfully, a local pointed me the way.

Day 2 - Pontedeume to Betanzos - took me 7 hours after the long walk the previous day. No sello available at the rectory in Pontedeume though.

Day 3 - Betanzos to Buscas (8km past Hospital de Bruma) - took me 9 hours. On the new route (could not see the old route marked), the infamous hill up to Hospital de Bruma does not exist. There are a few uphill bits, but nothing approaching the climbs out of Pontedeume or Betanzos. Therefore, pyschologically, this stage reads much harder than it actuallyb is physically. Out of Cos, the waymarks appear to go along the road for about 5km until you arrive to Presedo, which is different from what the guidebooks suggest.

Day 4 - Buscas to Sigueiro - took me 6 hours. Quite a boring route. For much of the way to Sigueiro, the waymarked path runs alongside the motorway (but fenced away from it), again this appears different from what the guidebooks suggest. Most depressing seeing cars do a journey in minutes what you do in hours.

Day 5 - Sigueiro to Santiago - took me 3 hours. This was not the easy downhill Tour de France end stage procession that I was expecting. There are some very punchy uphill parts to the path between 9km and 7km to go, which psychologically test you. Became lost in the suburbs when a sign saying straight on appears on a fork on the road and you do know know whether to bear left or right. I mistakenly went left and up, instead of right and downhill. You should not go up, but come downhill and hit the roundabout where McDonalds is. Arrived at Santiago at about 11.45 am. Instead of going to the hotel, went straight to the Pilgrim's office. At just before 12 noon, when everyone is inside the cathedral, the queue for compostelas was 10 minutes. There are toilets in the Pilgrim's office. Was able to leave my rucksack at the luggage room at the Pilgrim's office (go out of the door into the courtyard when you have collected your compostela, down the stairs on the right, and then on the right is the luggage office, but you first need to pay your 2 Euros to obtain a label from the same man you pay for your compostela). Was therefore able to join the pilgrim's service 10 minutes' late. Contrast this with the queue for compostelas after the pilgrims service when I want back to collect my rucksack, which must have been the typical hour long queue.

Homeward day 6 - train from Santiago to La Coruna then airport bus from nearby to La Coruna airport.

Key things that I took: I drunk 2 litres of water a day, excluding at dinner, so always carried a 1.5 litre and 0.5 litre bottle of mineral water. I had read too many stories of people becoming ill from drinking fountain water, so decided not to risk. Bought a mini golf umbrella from Decathlon for £ 9 (there is a Decathlon in both La Coruna and in Ferrol) which, again not purist, kept my top half dry when it rained. By 'mini', it folded up to 50cm, so could stick out of my rucksack for the 10 minutes a day it did not rain, but was larger and much sturdier than a normal umbrella. Final thing. Took 2 Compeed sticks. Spreading this, liberally, all over the parts of my feet which could rub at the start of the day really worked. No blisters. Final thing, as I was staying in hotels, a hot bath each night (bar one, as one hotel had no baths) soaking my legs and feet did wonders. Took a bottle of the most relaxing bath oil I knew, which acted like medicine to my legs.

Really glad I did the Ingles, rather than the last stage of the other Caminos. Yes the stages are longer then on the Camino Franche, where there is more infrastructure, but firstly, being English, the Ingles seemed more appropriate, and secondly, being able to walk the whole thing gives a stronger sense of achievement.

Happy to provide any further information for anyone if it helps.

Hi,
Can you please provide details of where you stayed at each stage.
Many thx
 
I stayed as follows:

Ferrol - Hotel el Suizo - would stay there again. They have Credencials in reception for those who do not have them before. Breakfast from 7am.

Pontedeume - Pension Casa Apilladeira - ok only - seemed the best of not a good selection in either Cabanas and Pontedeume

Betanzos - Hotel Garelos - Good hotel, although the standard rooms do not have baths, if, like me, you need to soak your legs and feet at the end of the day. The only room that has a bath is the suite, and I paid € 70 extra to grab it when I saw that it had a Porcellanosa Jacuzzi bath. One Jacuzzi in the evening and one before breakfast made my legs reborn before the longest and toughest stage of the Ingles. Breakfast is set from 8am, but if you want an earlier breakfast, just say, and they will set the buffet up early, from 7am, if needed.

A Rua - Casa Rura Dona Maria - this was 8 km or 1.5 hours flat walk further from Hospital de Bruma, making the walk from Betanzos 33 km, along the new route, but it was worth it. 4 rooms (alas without bath), but a lovely garden and a home cooked meal (which tasted like a home cooked meal) by the hosts delivered at the hour of your choice. Although a long day, it made the walk to Siguiero next day much easier.

Sigueiro - Hotel San Vicente - would not stay here again. I would take a private room at the Alberge Camino Real in Sigueiro.

Santiago - NH Collection Santiago de Compostela - decided to reward myself for completing the Camino, and this hotel was much cheaper than expected. Super comfortable bed, wonderful breakfast, and the swimming pool and sauna were a treat for replenishing a tired body and legs.
 
I stayed as follows:

Ferrol - Hotel el Suizo - would stay there again. They have Credencials in reception for those who do not have them before. Breakfast from 7am.

Pontedeume - Pension Casa Apilladeira - ok only - seemed the best of not a good selection in either Cabanas and Pontedeume

Betanzos - Hotel Garelos - Good hotel, although the standard rooms do not have baths, if, like me, you need to soak your legs and feet at the end of the day. The only room that has a bath is the suite, and I paid € 70 extra to grab it when I saw that it had a Porcellanosa Jacuzzi bath. One Jacuzzi in the evening and one before breakfast made my legs reborn before the longest and toughest stage of the Ingles. Breakfast is set from 8am, but if you want an earlier breakfast, just say, and they will set the buffet up early, from 7am, if needed.

A Rua - Casa Rura Dona Maria - this was 8 km or 1.5 hours flat walk further from Hospital de Bruma, making the walk from Betanzos 33 km, along the new route, but it was worth it. 4 rooms (alas without bath), but a lovely garden and a home cooked meal (which tasted like a home cooked meal) by the hosts delivered at the hour of your choice. Although a long day, it made the walk to Siguiero next day much easier.

Sigueiro - Hotel San Vicente - would not stay here again. I would take a private room at the Alberge Camino Real in Sigueiro.

Santiago - NH Collection Santiago de Compostela - decided to reward myself for completing the Camino, and this hotel was much cheaper than expected. Super comfortable bed, wonderful breakfast, and the swimming pool and sauna were a treat for replenishing a tired body and legs.

Many thanks Peb. - Most useful!
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
With my Compostela!

It rained every single day, meaning that where the Camino is not on the road, it is very muddy. Unless there is no rain for the next month (remembering that this is Galicia), if you are walking the Camino Ingles in April, I would advise walking boots, instead of either walking shoes or trainers. In many places, you have the choice of either walking through the mud or walking through water. At one stage, you even need to walk through a ploughed rhubarb field to avoid a tree which is down blocking the path. One of the few people that I met (only saw 2 or 3 people per day and nearly all Spanish) on the Camino had to give up because her walking shoes were wet through.

About me, I am in my 50's, do no sport, and did no training. Therefore, if I can do the Ingles then anyone can!!! For the purists, I did cheat, staying in hotels and having my bags transported, so I walked with a day rucksack. It was pitch black till about 8am, so about 8.15 was the start, but equally, it was light until 9pm.

Flew from London to La Coruna, which worked out a lot cheaper than flying from London to Santiago. Curiously, British Airways via Madrid worked out cheaper than Vueling direct to La Coruna. I spent a day in La Coruna, exploring. Worth going to see the Tower of Hercules and the Riazor. Took the 14.31 train from La Coruna to Ferrol arriving 15.45. Much more comfortable than a bus and you have your luggage in sight all the time, if that concerns you. The cost was only 6 euros.. La Coruna station is uphill from the city, so you need a taxi. The ticket machines in Renfe stations all have English language options so are user friendly.

Obtained my Credencial from CSJ in London online. They delivered within 4 days.

Day 1 - Ferrol to Pontedeume - took me 10 hours, all the way round. However, I had arrived in Ferrol the afternoon before, and therefore walked from the Tourist office on the harbour (open till 6pm) to the Tourist office near the station (open till 7pm), so that on day 1, I could just walk out of my hotel, without needing to worry about the first stamps at the harbour. Fene Concello downstairs was closed for a sello, and the people upstairs were reluctant to give me one. Be careful when you come to the Cafeteria Vilar do Colo, where it appeared that the signs for where to go had disappeared. Thankfully, a local pointed me the way.

Day 2 - Pontedeume to Betanzos - took me 7 hours after the long walk the previous day. No sello available at the rectory in Pontedeume though.

Day 3 - Betanzos to Buscas (8km past Hospital de Bruma) - took me 9 hours. On the new route (could not see the old route marked), the infamous hill up to Hospital de Bruma does not exist. There are a few uphill bits, but nothing approaching the climbs out of Pontedeume or Betanzos. Therefore, pyschologically, this stage reads much harder than it actuallyb is physically. Out of Cos, the waymarks appear to go along the road for about 5km until you arrive to Presedo, which is different from what the guidebooks suggest.

Day 4 - Buscas to Sigueiro - took me 6 hours. Quite a boring route. For much of the way to Sigueiro, the waymarked path runs alongside the motorway (but fenced away from it), again this appears different from what the guidebooks suggest. Most depressing seeing cars do a journey in minutes what you do in hours.

Day 5 - Sigueiro to Santiago - took me 3 hours. This was not the easy downhill Tour de France end stage procession that I was expecting. There are some very punchy uphill parts to the path between 9km and 7km to go, which psychologically test you. Became lost in the suburbs when a sign saying straight on appears on a fork on the road and you do know know whether to bear left or right. I mistakenly went left and up, instead of right and downhill. You should not go up, but come downhill and hit the roundabout where McDonalds is. Arrived at Santiago at about 11.45 am. Instead of going to the hotel, went straight to the Pilgrim's office. At just before 12 noon, when everyone is inside the cathedral, the queue for compostelas was 10 minutes. There are toilets in the Pilgrim's office. Was able to leave my rucksack at the luggage room at the Pilgrim's office (go out of the door into the courtyard when you have collected your compostela, down the stairs on the right, and then on the right is the luggage office, but you first need to pay your 2 Euros to obtain a label from the same man you pay for your compostela). Was therefore able to join the pilgrim's service 10 minutes' late. Contrast this with the queue for compostelas after the pilgrims service when I want back to collect my rucksack, which must have been the typical hour long queue.

Homeward day 6 - train from Santiago to La Coruna then airport bus from nearby to La Coruna airport.

Key things that I took: I drunk 2 litres of water a day, excluding at dinner, so always carried a 1.5 litre and 0.5 litre bottle of mineral water. I had read too many stories of people becoming ill from drinking fountain water, so decided not to risk. Bought a mini golf umbrella from Decathlon for £ 9 (there is a Decathlon in both La Coruna and in Ferrol) which, again not purist, kept my top half dry when it rained. By 'mini', it folded up to 50cm, so could stick out of my rucksack for the 10 minutes a day it did not rain, but was larger and much sturdier than a normal umbrella. Final thing. Took 2 Compeed sticks. Spreading this, liberally, all over the parts of my feet which could rub at the start of the day really worked. No blisters. Final thing, as I was staying in hotels, a hot bath each night (bar one, as one hotel had no baths) soaking my legs and feet did wonders. Took a bottle of the most relaxing bath oil I knew, which acted like medicine to my legs.

Really glad I did the Ingles, rather than the last stage of the other Caminos. Yes the stages are longer then on the Camino Franche, where there is more infrastructure, but firstly, being English, the Ingles seemed more appropriate, and secondly, being able to walk the whole thing gives a stronger sense of achievement.

Happy to provide any further information for anyone if it helps.
 
Hello Peb,

I'll be doing the Ingles next April and would be interested to know who transported your your luggage?

Regards,

Roland.
 
Correos

see the link below

www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/en/rucksack-transfer/paqs/from-ferrol-to-santiago-de-compostela

worked perfectly and a very reasonable price. You needed to have your rucksack / bag / suitcase ready at 8am every morning. IT is quite an amazing service. I took a suitcase, as it meant things were easier to keep neat and tidy during the camino and gave added protection when traveling to and from Spain.

All the hotels knew what to do when I said I was leaving the case for Correos, and every time I arrived at the next destination, my blue suitcase was there.

Two things to bear in mind. 1. Correos only pick up from and deliver to hotels or private albergues. If you stay at a municipal albergue, you need to find some other place for Correos to pick up and deliver from. 2. Your case needs to weigh no more than 20kg, or, if it does, you need split it and to pay for 2 pieces of luggage.

The alternative is to walk the Camino with one of the various Camino tour firms who will book you accommodation, and have your luggage transferred, and you walk independently each day. More expensive, but for some who prefer just to deal with one company, instead of book all the accommodation and luggage transfer, that is a solution.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-

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