walking from Portomarin to Santiago

[emv0816]

My wife and I will be hiking from Portomarin to SdC. Due to time limits she can only hike this section and wants to get her 'COMPOSTELLA'. We understand that in order to receive this Compostella she has to walk at least the last 100km, which is this section. Is this accurate info? We are flying RyanAir from Madrid to SdC. Question here is what is the best way to get from SdC to Portomarin?I've checked the bus and train system and neither goes to Portomarin. Perhaps if we went from SdC to Lugo and got transportation from there? any advice is appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You will find connecting buses to Portomarin through Lugo.

http://www.concellodeportomarin.es/conc ... buses.php/

Sarria is about 111km from Santiago, so you can start there and get a compostela if getting to Portomarin is too much hassle. Buses to Sarria also connect through Lugo, and the schedule can be found elsewhere in this Forum.

traveling-to-from-the-camino/topic6288.html

 

[emv0816]

Thanks Falcon.

 

[miamijhp]

I had the impression that Portomarin to Santiago is less than the 100 miles needed to get the Compostela.
People start in Sarria for that reason.
Also do not forget to get your two stamps per day needed during the last 100 kilometers to get youe certificate.

 

[tyrrek]

I had the impression that Portomarin to Santiago is less than the 100 miles needed to get the Compostela.
People start in Sarria for that reason.

I'm afraid you're right from all I know. It would be around 90kms. The Compostela isn't necessarily the 'be all and end all' though. The experience is more important. There was a post several months ago from a man who I think had walked the Camino Ingles from A Coruna with his daughter. It's less than 100kms but he said that for him it really felt like a full pilgrimage plus the benefit of the time spent with his loved one!

Buen Camino!

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Portomarin to Santiago is less than 100 kms and therefore pilgrims walking from there do not qualify for the Compostela.

 

[emv0816]

Portomarin is 96km from Santiago. Sarria is 118km. we would be starting 4km east of Portomarin.I read in the book WALKING THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO that all you need to get the Compostela is the last 100km. If this book is incorrect please let me know. Thanks.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

emv, I am not sure about your figures. In Sarria there are signs that say it is 111km to Santiago. The 100km marker is about 11km after Sarria- still about 10km away from Portomarin. And according to my guidebook, Portmarin is about 86km from Santiago, not 96km. The 100km marker is along the path, nowhere near any villages, and you can't get a stamp at the marker. Although there may be some places closer to the sign that have a stamp, the nearest one I know of is at the 108km mark where there is a shop and albergue in Barbadelo. I imagine you would need to get a stamp from a point slightly further than the 100km mark to prove to the Pilgrim Office that you had indeed walked 100km.
Margaret

 

[JohnnieWalker]

emv0816: As Kiwinomad says you can get a stamp at Barbadelo at 108 kms and if you are reaching your starting point of 104 kms by taxi you could stop there. If you are setting out from Sarria by taxi or bus to your starting point get a sello in Sarria and then explain to colleagues in the Pilgrims' Office what you did - if you take photos of yourselves at the 100 kms mark this would help too. If the Compostela is important to you please don't simply arrive with a stamp from Portomarin as your starting point as you may very well be refused.

If you send me an email with your intended starting/arrival date I will leave a note with the supervisors in the office explaining your intentions in case anything gets lost in translation.

Buen camino

John

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Ferreiros is just before the 100 km marker. There is an albergue/bar and a bar, both of which have sellos. You can get a taxi from Sarria (which can drive country lanes to about 25m from the 100 km marker).

 

[emv0816]

thanks for all the info. We will be changing our starting location to Sarria now. PS~~ the Compostela is not as important as the experience itself. It is really nothing more than a souvenier. I read Kiwinomad's blog and I can identify with her quotes. I have been hiking the Appalachian Trail for 38 years and I know that it's the little things that I have fond memories of.
Buen camino

 

[KiwiNomad06]

Ferreiros is just before the 100 km marker. There is an albergue/bar and a bar, both of which have sellos.

Falcon, I have photos from this year. One shows me at the 100km marker, then about ten minutes later I have a photo of the sign where I am entering Ferreiros, so it is inside the 100km distance,
Margaret

 

[emv0816]

kinda makes me wonder why one needs to hike only the last 100km to get the Compostela if the 100km mark is so inaccessable... I mean why not just say Sarria?

 

[Catkiller2211]

I think this is because of the age of the way of St. James. Centuries back, villages were different. And 100 is a symbolic number.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It is Casa de Carmen and O Pombal before the 100km marker. My coffee memories merged! Morgade and Ferreiros are after. The distance to Santiago depends on who you consult. Godesalco has:

Stage Partial (km) Cumulative (km)
1) Ferreiros - Ventas de Narón 22.3 22.3
2) Ventas de Narón - Leboreiro 20.9 43.2
3) Leboreiro - Arzúa 19.6 62.8
4) Arzúa - Rúa 17.8 80.6
5) Rúa - Santiago de Compostela 20.7 101.3

Armed with this information, you could debate the Pilgrim Office. Since you might lose the debate, starting in Sarria is safest!

 

[tyrrek]

kinda makes me wonder why one needs to hike only the last 100km to get the Compostela if the 100km mark is so inaccessable... I mean why not just say Sarria?

John may know better, but I suspect it's all arbitary really. Why 100, and not 120 or 60? I think it's just a way of noting those who have walked/cycled etc as opposed to those who have turned up in a bus, or walked a few kms as a tourist experience. As far as I'm concerned there's absolutely nothing wrong with arriving in Santiago by bus/train/plane or whatever and paying your respects to the Saint. It's maybe the difference between 'a pilgrimage' and 'making a pilgrimage' for many of us (although remember that for some people getting there by any means would be a massive achievement and should be respected as such).

Buen Camino!

 

[nreyn12]

Back to your original question of how to get to your starting point...

From Santiago to Sarria you have the choice of train or bus, with bus being the better of the two. You will take two buses, one from Santiago to Lugo, then one from Lugo to Sarria. I'm pretty sure they are two different bus companies, and the timetables almost match up. The Santiago airport bus goes directly to the bus station; you can then go right to the ALSA counter (upstairs from where the bus drops you off) to buy your bus ticket.

If you find yourself with an hour or more between connections in Lugo, you can wander to the center - it's a five-minute walk. Lugo is a typical Spanish town, and quite charming.

The bus station in Sarria is a short walk from the Camino trail. Just ask anyone, 'Camino?', and they should be able to point you in the right direction. If you end up staying a night in Sarria and plan to experience the albergue scene, I recommend O'Durminiento for its facilities, hosting family, and one of the best pilgrim menus on the Way.

Enjoy your journey!

Nancy

 

[JohnnieWalker]

The 100 kms requirement is indeed arbitrary and was introduce for the reasons you have given. It remains controversial with some people arguing it should be many hundreds of kms! The majority of pilgrims seem content.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Santiago airport bus goes directly to the bus station; you can then go right to the ALSA counter

I think the reference station is downtown Santiago. You can go directly from the airport to Lugo on this schedule:

Salida Llegada Días servicio
Santiago Aeropuerto Lavacola - Lugo
7:10 9:00 LMMJVSD

9:25 11:25
LMMJV

11:10
13:00
LMMJVSD

12:55
14:35
LMMJVS

16:10
18:05
LMMJVSD

18:40
20:30
LMMJVSD

20:10
21:55
LMMJVD

 

[alansykes]

Alternatively you could leave from Ourense, which is definitely recognised by the pilgrim office as over 100km. It's also very well served by public transport from SdC and in high season there are many fewer people in the (really well maintained) junta de Galicia albergues.

buen camino