Stage Strategy - First Night in Neda

[Jones3332]

Good Day!

I'm planning a Camino Ingles for a small group in May. Our transportation plans have us starting from Ferrol in the afternoon of our first day. We certainly won't have time to reach Pontedueme, so we are staying the first night in Neda. We are planning to do the route in 5 days, so that makes planning the next stops difficult. We are staying in Albuerges. How difficult do you think it would be to reach Betanzos by the second night? If we stopped in Mino instead, is it doable to reach Bruma by the third night?

I'd welcome any suggestions of manageable stages for a five day trip with the first night in Neda.

 

[Tia Valeria]

I would suggest that you download @JohnnieWalker 's guide to the Camino Inglés (for donation) or buy the paper copy. This gives stages and accommodation suggestions with the distances. Also the Gronze guide will help. I do not think you can make it comfortably distance wise by the stages you suggest but other options for over night stops should be possible depending on how far you want to walk in a day.

 

[Staggerlee]

Hi,

I was in the same position last October. Opted to shorten the stage to Pontedueme by means of the shortcut over the bridge in Ferrol (sorry purists ;o)). 16km bypassing Neda.
Otherwise, I think the 40km from Bruma to Santiago would be doable if you started early, took a long lunch break in Siguero and finished a bit late.

Buen Camino

Andy

 

[naplesdon]

The afternoon walk from Ferrol to Neda is doable but realize it is almost all urban walking. The muni in Neda is very basic and requires a call to "someone" to get it opened. I didn't know there was a bridge option. I stopped in Mino then I walked from Mino to Betanzos, after Betanzos to Bruma (a long slog.) IMHO a walk from Bruma to Santiago is not doable. Depending on your objective, i.e. a Compostela, you could walk about 30 km and then take public transport into Santiago. The last few hours into Santiago after Siguero are very crude industrial estates.

 

[NualaOC]

Hi @Jones3332, welcome to the forum.

Does your 5-day timeframe include the day you arrive in Ferrol? If so, it will be difficult to squeeze this into such a short amount of time. Most people allow at least 5 or 6 walking days for the Ingles.

I considered this route last year and provisionally planned to walk to Neda on arrival in Ferrol and do the rest in 5 days (with similar stages as @biarritzdon has outlined). In the end, I didn't start at Ferrol but walked the shorter A Coruna arm instead.

Re. the suggestion of walking from Bruma to Santiago in one day - this is doable as the terrain isn't too challenging (I did it last September). However, I would be very cautious about recommending it. I was pretty exhausted when I arrived in Santiago and the last few kms seemed to go on forever! Had this been my first Camino, I would have liked an earlier and more relaxed arrival in Santiago.

I agree with @Tia Valeria - the CSJ/Johnnie Walker guidebook is excellent. It will help you to plot your likely daily stages and assess whether all members of your group are capable of walking these distances.

Buen Camino!

 

[purplesage]

Good Day!

I'm planning a Camino Ingles for a small group in May. Our transportation plans have us starting from Ferrol in the afternoon of our first day. We certainly won't have time to reach Pontedueme, so we are staying the first night in Neda. We are planning to do the route in 5 days, so that makes planning the next stops difficult. We are staying in Albuerges. How difficult do you think it would be to reach Betanzos by the second night? If we stopped in Mino instead, is it doable to reach Bruma by the third night?

I'd welcome any suggestions of manageable stages for a five day trip with the first night in Neda.

I will plan Pontedueme for the first night... as I hope to do, should Our Father will so as well. See...... Neda is only 15 km or so, not good enough (for ME). I hope to walk, if Our Lord desires, on 21 March, so as to reach His Holy City on Easter for the night mass. Let His name be praised with cymbals and joy. HE is our Creator. Buen Camino Caesar

 

[Harington]

Good Day!

I'm planning a Camino Ingles for a small group in May. Our transportation plans have us starting from Ferrol in the afternoon of our first day. We certainly won't have time to reach Pontedueme, so we are staying the first night in Neda. We are planning to do the route in 5 days, so that makes planning the next stops difficult. We are staying in Albuerges. How difficult do you think it would be to reach Betanzos by the second night? If we stopped in Mino instead, is it doable to reach Bruma by the third night?

I'd welcome any suggestions of manageable stages for a five day trip with the first night in Neda.

I seem to remember Eroski saying don't try Miño to Bruma as it's "rompepiernas". It's quite a long stretch with a big hill.

 

[amancio]

I did these stages (bus from Ferrol to Neda)

neda-pontedeume (4 hours)
pontedeume-betanzos
betanzos-bruma
bruma-sigüeiro
sigüeiro-santiago

that is quite doable in 5 days, the only long stretch is betanzos to bruma, but it is perfectly doable. It would be an awful pity to miss Pontedeume... if you have to miss any of the above, I would miss Sigüeiro, no doubt.