Newbie silly questions....el camino ingles

[HannahS]

Hello,
Feel a bit of a fraudster on here as I am not yet in a position to do a long camino but to make a start to a future wish I have a big birthday coming up and can take some days out just for me, but not enough to go far....
I would arive a Wednesday afternoon in May in SDC and could I guess take a bus (train?) straight to La Coruña. I then have a full day on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday to walk but would need to be in SDC on the Saturday night for mid-morning flight home on Sunday.
Originally I looked at the Sarrio stretch on el camino Frances - too far, then SDC to Finisterre but last day would be a rush, no time for sunset or walk on to Muxía so reaearch bought me to el camino ingles but only time, I beleive, for the stretch between La Coruña and SDC......
I understand I wont get a certificate but that's ok, its a taster and I would probably feel even more of a fraud if such a small stroll, in comparison to the rest, warrented one!!
At the moment though I have a couple of questions....
1 - is this a really beautiful walk? That may sound silly, but the coastal walk to Finisterre did sound so lovely and this is more inland.....or have I missed another possible path for the time I have?
2 - I understand it is less trodden and I am happy for that but wouldn't want to walk the entire path without meeting another soul (maybe a little nervous of that too! ). Is there a reasonable stream of people/ no need to pre- book accomodation? (That may make it 3 questions!) o and very well signposted, little chance of getting lost? - ok, that probably makes it 4!
Thank you,
Hannah

 

[NualaOC]

Hi Hannah,

I walked this route in September 2015 and really enjoyed it. Assuming that you are reasonably fit and not too jet lagged, you should be able to do it in three days. However, an extra day in Santiago would be very nice for you!

Re. your questions:
1. I thought it was a beautiful walk. Yes, it is inland but it is mainly on tracks and quiet roads.
2. It is definitely a less trodden Camino. I didn't meet any other pilgrims until Hospital de Bruma. That said, I didn't feel vulnerable in any way and I was never too far from civilisation. It is well marked, but I managed to get a little lost a few times (totally my fault and not a big deal).
3. Pre-booking accommodation - I pre-booked mine for my own peace of mind.

I posted my stages etc. here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/walking-from-a-coruña.36507/ I wouldn't necessarily advocate walking from Meson do Vento to Santiago in one day, but it worked OK for me.

A couple of questions for you:
1. Do you have to fly into Santiago? Flying into A Coruna worked brilliantly for me as it allowed me to walk the first 8kms on the day I arrived.
2. Do you have the CSJ guidebook? If not, you can download it here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/the-camino-inglés-pilgrim-guide.14/ (for a donation to the CSJ)

Good luck with your planning and feel free to contact me if you need anything else.

Buen Camino!

 

[HannahS]

Thank you, that's so helpful. I will look into flights to La Coruña and your stages later. Like the thought of doing a piece of the walk straight away.
Thank you, Hannah

 

[Introibo]

Sounds like a great way to celebrate your 21st birthday.

Buen Camino

 

[purplesage]

hannah... depending on how fast you walk (ooops.. did I say that??) you can do The English Way in 5 days easy. I've done it. It IS beautiful and worth the experience. Two days of difficult climbing but hey... that's what its all about. The sights will blow your socks off... it did mine. Good luck with planning and buen camino whatever you decide. Caesar

 

[Al the optimist]

If you live in England Vueling Heathrow to A Coruna is worth considering. Yes 3 days from there to SDC is doable and some nice parts to it (not the last bit into SDC through the industrial bit though! As it was my first experience (though from Ferrol) I can say that it was a very good introduction. You could be surprised how much the few days along with the preparation may affect you. Buen Camino

 

[NualaOC]

hannah... depending on how fast you walk (ooops.. did I say that??) you can do The English Way in 5 days easy. I've done it. It IS beautiful and worth the experience. Two days of difficult climbing but hey... that's what its all about. The sights will blow your socks off... it did mine. Good luck with planning and buen camino whatever you decide. Caesar

Hi @purplesage, the OP is planning to walk from A Coruna, rather than Ferrol - hence the references to walking in three days.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

is this a really beautiful walk?

I did not find it "beautiful." The final stretch is pretty industrial, but then all the routes into Santiago have that problem once you enter the city or its suburbs. The landscapes are far less dramatic than the Camino Frances or the route to Fisterra or Muxia. It is a very decent short camino, though, and in May there will be a reasonable number of fellow pilgrims. There were 779 pilgrims last year on the Camino Ingles, so about 26 per day on average. The albergue in Hospital de Bruma has 22 beds, so a bit too few for the average!! Other albergues on the route are smaller, but few are larger.

 

[mylifeonvacation]

I've only seen the section from Meson do Vento to A Coruna from a car and heading towards Coruna, but it was gorgeous. Since you'll be walking from Coruna, just turn around to look back every once in a while to enjoy the view even more. Aside from leaving Coruna and up until the industrial outskirts of Santiago, it is so very rural and tranquil. There's some degree of pig farming there in the middle of the route, so it occasionally *smells* rural too.

I agree with @Al, the flight into A Coruna would be super convenient. I've found that often times an open-jaw ticket (arriving to one place and leave from another) is often the same or only nominally more than a round trip to/from the same city in Spain. Check it out to see if it works for you!

Buen Camino!

 

[Camembert]

I did not find it "beautiful." The final stretch is pretty industrial, but then all the routes into Santiago have that problem once you enter the city or its suburbs. The landscapes are far less dramatic than the Camino Frances or the route to Fisterra or Muxia. It is a very decent short camino, though, and in May there will be a reasonable number of fellow pilgrims. There were 779 pilgrims last year on the Camino Ingles, so about 26 per day on average. The albergue in Hospital de Bruma has 22 beds, so a bit too few for the average!! Other albergues on the route are smaller, but few are larger.

For Bruma you allways have the excellent alternative of Méson Novo in Méson do Vento. I prefer the care of the family who runs Méson Novo above the services of the albergue with their great meals and the pick up service from bar Julia down the steep hill.

 

[miguel_gp]

Hi Hannah,

The Camino Route from Coruna passes very close to the airport, at about 11km from the start of the route in Puerta Real, A Coruna. If you are not too bothered about walking the full route out of the city then it is an approximate 2.5km / 30 min walk from the airport terminal to join the route. This would leave you about 22km to walk to Hospital de Bruma, where the Coruna arm meets the Ferrol arm of the Ingles. However, if catching the Heathrow - Coruna flight this has in the past landed at about 20:15 so not really making it an option to walk on the same day.

Blue line in images below signifies the Camino Route.



There are a few hotels within a reasonable walk / short taxi ride from the airport which will place you close to the route for an early start the next day.



Hotel websites:-
http://www.lapoetisa.com/
http://www.pensionrlapaz.com/
http://hotelamarisqueira.com/

La Poetisa and Marisqueria can both be reserved currently through Booking.com with an option to cancel without charge up to a day or two before arrival should your plans change or you have a change of heart on starting point.

I actually quite like the walk out of the city, particularly the Puerta Real area and the section of promenade alongside the estuary before the route climbs up to the airport area. If you have the time then I'm sure you would enjoy it although it does make for a long day (33km) to Hospital De Bruma.

Whatever you choose, Buen Camino!
Mig

 

[mylifeonvacation]

@miguel_gp That map is FANTASTIC!

 

[miguel_gp]

I'm a frustrated Cartographer! Even better in some of the cities as buildings are rendered in 3D.

 

[mylifeonvacation]

In 3D, even better!! As a kid I used to 'read' the atlas at bedtime, so this is just right up my alley (pun intended). Just wonderful, Mig!!