• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Which 100 Kilometers to end in Santiago de Compostela

JamesGeier

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF spring 2016
CF autumn 2017
VDLP spring 2023
Hi, I have walked the Camino Frances twice from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, once spring 2016 and again autumn 2017. The route does get busier starting at Sarria. I am considering walking the Camino de la Plata/Camino Sanabres starting at Seville next year. And in my research, a question has risen. If the last 100 km are needed to get a Compostela, why is the focus of so many pilgrims on the Sarria to Santiago route when other 100 km routes ending in Santiago exist that might be just as or even more enjoyable? Two examples to which I am referring are Ferrol to Santiago on the Camino Ingles or Ourense to Santiago on the Camino Sanabres. These are both about 115 km. In my research of the Via de la Plata/Camino Sanabres, it is said that the path from Ourense to Santiago is quite beautiful. So is the focus on the route from Sarria to Santiago more recent historical, as in that is just what people do now? Or is there some other reason?

Buen Camino,
--jim--
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Hi, I have walked the Camino Frances twice from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, once spring 2016 and again autumn 2017. The route does get busier starting at Sarria. I am considering walking the Camino de la Plata/Camino Sanabres starting at Seville next year. And in my research, a question has risen. If the last 100 km are needed to get a Compostela, why is the focus of so many pilgrims on the Sarria to Santiago route when other 100 km routes ending in Santiago exist that might be just as or even more enjoyable? Two examples to which I am referring are Ferrol to Santiago on the Camino Ingles or Ourense to Santiago on the Camino Sanabres. These are both about 115 km. In my research of the Via de la Plata/Camino Sanabres, it is said that the path from Ourense to Santiago is quite beautiful. So is the focus on the route from Sarria to Santiago more recent historical, as in that is just what people do now? Or is there some other reason?

Buen Camino,
--jim--
Hi, Jim,

One reason that so many people start in Sarria is definitely accessibility but that's what people think. You have to change buses in Lugo (another 100km point - Primitivo) when OTOH you can reach Ourense, Monforte de Lemos, Ferrol (also trains to all three) or Fisterra/Muxia easier.
I'm sure a lot of Sarria starters aren't even aware that there are more than just one official Camino de Santiago. Have you seen any feature film about Camino shot on VdlP or Primitivo? ;)
But you will surely notice rise in pilgrim numbers after Ourense too.

Buen Camino!
 
You might consider the Camino Invierno, which starts at Ponferrada. It runs to the south of, and more or less parallel to the final segments of the Camino Frances. The overall distance, Ponferrada to Santiago is 38 km more.

However, if you are adhering strictly to the maximum 100 km idea, consider starting the Invierno at Monforte de Lemos. The Pilgrim Office lists THAT town as the final starting point to earn a Compostela. Monforte has good rail connections from Madrid - Chamartin to the rest of Spain. See www.renfe.com.

This year, a bunch of us veterans are trying the Invierno to update guide books, apps and to determine the viability of this historic route as an alternative for pilgrims desiring to avoid the summer crowds on the final, Sarria to Santiago segment. In fact, I depart for Madrid in two days to do my bit. I start from Ponferrada on Friday 13 April. The new CSJ guide, written / updated by Forum member Peregrina2000 and available here, provides a 9, 10 or 12-day calendar for walking this route.

Alternatively, you might consider the Porto to Santiago portion of the Camino Portugues. Overall, it is about 250 - 260 km, depending on which paths you choose. I believe there are currently three. However, if you are stuck on that 100 km thing, then you want to start either in Valenca, Portugal, OR just across the Eiffel designed bridge in Tui, Spain. This is the final starting point for short-walkers coming from this direction and designing the Compostela. Mind the one-hour time zone change when crossing the bridge.

Both of the routes above have ample services, accommodations and come recommended by many.

There are, and others will likely contribute here, options to walk only about 100 km. As I am not personally familiar with them, I cannot speak to them. So, I invite others to do so.

Hope this helps.

Hope this helps.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Hi, I have walked the Camino Frances twice from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, once spring 2016 and again autumn 2017. The route does get busier starting at Sarria. I am considering walking the Camino de la Plata/Camino Sanabres starting at Seville next year. And in my research, a question has risen. If the last 100 km are needed to get a Compostela, why is the focus of so many pilgrims on the Sarria to Santiago route when other 100 km routes ending in Santiago exist that might be just as or even more enjoyable? Two examples to which I am referring are Ferrol to Santiago on the Camino Ingles or Ourense to Santiago on the Camino Sanabres. These are both about 115 km. In my research of the Via de la Plata/Camino Sanabres, it is said that the path from Ourense to Santiago is quite beautiful. So is the focus on the route from Sarria to Santiago more recent historical, as in that is just what people do now? Or is there some other reason?

Buen Camino,
--jim--

Any camino into santiago but not Sarria
 
I think @KinkyOne is right - many of those who walk from Sarria on the Camino Frances do so because they simply have never realised that other routes exist. Sometimes even those who have just walked all the way from SJPDP are only vaguely aware of the fact. After finishing the Primitivo I met a young man in Santiago who had just walked the whole Camino Frances. When he heard where I had been he asked if I had any plans to walk 'the real Camino' in the future.... I was not amused!
 

Most read last week in this forum

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in alberques. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what...
Do i need both these apps? I want to spend as little time my device as possible so if one app will do fine that’s my preference.
I was planning to document my journey through my blog (or Vlog, as I would probably take lots of videos). I was thinking of using my iPhone, and I ordered a foldable keyboard to facilitate typing...
I did the Norte in 2017. This set off a wild ride of changes in life - shifting many things. I am now at a new plateau and it feels like the right time to do Camino #2, this time the...
Hi to all, I'm looking for a really, really good place (an artist) to get a Tattoo in Santiago, it could be before Santiago but I presume in Santiago I will be ready to have my first one. The...
My daughter and I will be on the Portuguese on June and July starting in Lisbon. We will arrive in Porto about the 27th of June. We want to stay for three nights. Can we stay in an albergue for...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top