CSJ Guide to the Camino Inglés, 2000 ed - updates 2001-2007


This page incorporates updating information from William Bissett (2001), Colin Jones (2002), Rob Steele (2004), Laurie & Marion Clegg (2005) John Rafferty (2007) and Marie O'Neill (June 2008) . The printed update sheet currently distributed with the guide contains the same information, up to July 2007.


The start: Getting to Ferrol from Oviedo: The narrow-gauge FEVE train leaves Oviedo at 0747 or 1447; the journey takes 7 hrs. see www.feve.es


A Coruña: church of Santiago: Mass at ?7pm daily. Nearby Pilgrim Office is open Tuesday and Thursday 7-9pm.


Planning your walk: strongly recommend visit A Coruña and the churches from Burgo, before clocking up 100km on the El Ferrol route. A day in A Coruña could be followed by a bus ride to the Alcampo hypermarket or to Burgo, avoiding the unpleasant walk along the main road out of the city. This would allow for a reasonable day's walk on to Bruma. For those walking on foot out of the city or spending time looking at the churches there are options for accommodation on the way to Bruma.


The Guide suggests making a diversion from Sarandones on the Camino to Carral, 2km away on the main road, and seeking accommodation at Mesón do Vento. However, there is a hostal (the Hostal Mesia – recommended 981 67 04 60 or 981 67 07 36) at Tabeaio about 30mins north of Sarandones on the main road and we stayed there. There might be a track direct to Tabeaio from the Camino(unconfirm, more info please. There is a footpath beside the road or an hourly bus service from Tabeaio for those wishing to shop for supplies in Carral.


There is a bus service about 10 am from Mesón direct to El Ferrol for pilgrims from A Coruña who are spending the night at Bruma. We arrived at Bruma at mid-day and it was necessary for us to take a bus back to A Coruña and then a bus from there to El Ferrol. There is the option for pilgrims who do not wish to visit El Ferrol to take a bus from A Coruña that stops at Neda, and possibly the bus from Mesón also stops there. There are buses direct from El Ferrol to Neda which is just over 100 kms from Santiago.

Route and Accommodation  ( Laurie & Marion Clegg 2005)
page 8, para 3 – there is a road bridge aver the busy N550 but no pavements or protected crossing for pedestrians. Page 15, para 1 – we crossed the "main road" (line 1) which we assumed was the "tarmaced road" (line 4) and found a grass path running parallel to that road. This did bring us via a short stretch of stony track back to the same road but there was not a grass track to be found on the other side (confirmed by helpful lady standing at garden gate nearby). Had we missed the proper route? We followed the road (good Bar Casa Avelina on the right) for some distance until we came to a yellow arrow indicating a path to the left which led us to Bruma.
Page 16, Ordenes: Bar Porto may not be open for breakfast.
Page 17, top para: Calle de Poulo has 2 bars; 1st on L easy to miss, run by Gallego who worked in London.
Page 18, middle para: The turn-off into the forest is marked with a milestone. The camino now has a solid crushed stone surface. At end of track look for faint arrow on tree to R, pointing R. After c 250m turn L, marked by stone, yellow arrows and ‘Carras’ pained on road.
Page 19, para 2: Hostal Miras: recommended 2005, also Restaurant.
Page 19, line 5 – the waymarking on the outskirts of Sigüeiro was unsatisfactory but there was no difficulty reaching the town centre, one way or another. A sello can be obtained at the Casa do Concilio and a helpful official there advised us that pilgrims can stay at the polideportivo.
Page 20, line 5 – we must have missed the way because we came back down to the N550 sooner than expected, without identifying the Fonte del Inglés. We remained on the main road all the way into Santiago, taking advantage wherever possible of the lengths of old road to the left away from most of the traffic
Page 20, para2: The Sionlla river has no bridge, use the N550.
P22: in Ferrol, a sello available from concello/ayuntamiento.
P23, para 1: Narón-Hotel Kensington recommended. .Just before the Narón boundary sign there is a turn L at an Audi/VW dealers; the arrows before the turn are faded but the boundary sign is visible about 50m after the turn…The R turn at a roundabout at the Vitrocar factory is now well waymarked…The passage to the L under the railway may almost be hidden by vegetation. The turn is just before a lavadeiro. The waymnark indicating the turn on to the Camiño do Vilar is on the ground and hard to see. Much new house-building on R on way to monastery at Xubia.
P23, para 2: The inland route off the Camiño de Salto turns L after c 100m to a wide forest track,then forks R on to a narrow path through woodland. Waymarking sparse, but make for the Fenosa sub-station.
Page 23, para 3 – Neda : Albergue (981 380039 or 981 390233), not far from the Ría de Xubia. If coming from El Ferrol take short cut to Albergue by taking a footpath to the right near the church in Narón. This path crosses the river by a footbridge; the albergue is on a grassy slope to the left. Hostal Maragoto 981 34 73 04.Church of Santa Maria: look for lights to see statue of Christ in chains. Shoe mender in village.
Page 25, para 2 – we left the road and took a turning up the hill which is marked with an obelisk and arrows. The track to the right was not marked; it leads to a new bridge across a new road and from there onwards the waymarking was good.
Page 28, para 2 – we came to a road which we believe to be the Pérbes road (6th line from end) although we had no means of verifying this. Across the road there was a vast enclosure where many bulldozers were working. There was a diversion (temporary?) to the right of this site which was well marked until one is on a road that crosses the motorway well to the left of the bridge mentioned in the Guide. We took an unmarked track to the right just beyond the motorway and this did eventually bring us to the Camino and the resumption of good waymarking.
Page 29, para 1 – after crossing the Ponte Baxoi (line 8) we reached a small meadow. There was a clear yellow arrow marking an exit from the meadow to the right and we followed this route rather than the one mentioned in the Guide. It took us to a reedy area passing under the motorway with a high embankment to the left. There was only one waymark but no alternative paths until we came up a rise to the left bringing us onto a road. Not far on this road there was a sign indicating the albergue off to the right and beyond a bridge over a railway.
Miño: Albergue: 981 782 006, 981 784 254, next to polideportivo.
Page 32, para 2 – Hotel Los Angeles.  Betanzos: could not find the Hostal Barreiro. We found a bar with rooms on the corner of a street behind the Ayuntamiento. Recommended to buy supplies here. Carry enough water in summer.
para 3 - we were not able to locate any supermarkets that opened before nine. Froiz opens at 9am just past a filling station in the Avenida de Castill (uphill from the square to the left of Santo Domingo). Panaderia in the Rúa do Rollo, the route out of town marked by a yellow arrow where it leaves the Praza de Galicia (to the right of Santo Domingo).
Page 32/33: street signs improved. At top of hill new buildings inc hospital and housing. After crossing the As Cascas bridge the arrows point to L behind a service station onto a rising tarmac road which runs parallel with the road and river for c 100m.You reach a high concrete wall with a shell tile, an arrow and a road sign to O Coto. The track climbs steadily up for c 1km before crossing the railway. The L turn at crossroads taking you over the motorway is marked with a milestone (may be hidden by vegetation)
Page 34,para 2: after Presedo waymarking may be poor. Look out for bell tower of Santa Eulalia de Leiro if in doubt.
Page 36: Hospital de Bruma: a ttractive Albergue 981 692 921, no Bar or Restaurant 2005.
A mobile phone is useful as it is not easy to find a telephone near an albergue.


Useful Websites
www.santiago-today.com    In English, useful accounts and updated information on this route.
www.caminosantiago.org     look at Nuestros Caminos
www.amigosdelcamino.com  Galician Association of Amigos del Camino


A useful contact who has helped with the development of the route is:
Barry McGinley Jones
Work phone/fax: (0034) 981 251 754
Home:     (0034)  981 628 534       Mobile:  (0034)   645 253 366
bmcginley*terra.es [To reduce the risk of spam, we're removing direct e-mail links from this site. To use this address, copy it into your normal e-mail program, but replace the '*' with the conventional '@', before sending your message.]

Postal Address: Apartado de Correos, 460, 15080 A Coruña, Spain

Camino Inglés – August 2007 Update: John Rafferty

“Spend 5 days exploring Northern Spain with its sea views, wonderful scenery and the coolness of forest glades. Then have 2 days in Santiago de Compostela enjoying the many restaurants, visiting historic buildings including the magnificent Cathedral or simply sit in the square watching pilgrims arrive and life go by.”

Sounds like an advertisement for a City break! But it is a very good description of the week I spent on the Camino Inglés and then in Santiago. It is a perfect route for anyone who wishes to either prepare for a longer route or simply has one week’s vacation. The route from Ferrol is over 100 kms and therefore qualifies for a Compostela, the certificate of pilgrimage provided at the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago. The other arm of the Camino Ingles from A Coruña (perhaps the more historically authentic!) is less than 100km.

Getting there  
Is easy with either a Ryanair flight into Santiago or a Clickair flight into A Coruna – bus services readily available.
 
I found the postings on the Santiago Today website very useful and the CSJ Guide invaluable background. In particular Bill Murphy’s posting:  http://www.santiago-today.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1025 is very helpful as it can be printed out in the daily stages then each day pop the relevant sheet into a zip lock. But there are some issues with both this posting and the CSJ Guide.


Discrepancy on the distances of one of the stages – that from Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma with the CSJ claiming it is c24 k and Bill Murphy 34.8k.  There are also claims in some other internet reports that there is a steep climb in this etapa which can take “hours”. I’m sure there will be other discussions on the distance but I would say don’t be put off by worrying about the exact distance – I took 8 hours of steady walking plus one of rest in two 30 mins periods. Water top ups are readily available along the way. I usually walk at a steady 4k per hour and the 3k “climb” took me 45 mins. It isn’t a mountain just a steady uphill walk on a forest path most of the way. Go for it!

That 3k uphill walk is one of the attractive aspects of this little route. There is considerable interest, the scenery is wonderful in parts and it also has some bite to give you a sense of achievement. The route is well waymarked and it looked to me as if there have been some very recent improvements in signing. For example in Bill Murphy’s post there is a point where he says “turn right” when actually the turn is Left – but when on the Camino always go with the yellow arrows and almost universally they are obvious.

I used exactly the same stages:
Day 1 Ferrol to Pontedeume 23.7 km (14.7 miles)
Day 2 Pontedeume to Betanzos 22 km (13.6 miles)
Day 3 Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma  - distance to be agreed!
Day 4 Hospital de Bruma to Sigueiro 21.4 km (13.3 miles)
Day 5 Sigueiro to Santiago de Compostela 17 km (10.6 miles)  
 
The route out of Ferrol isn’t terribly well waymarked although if you simply keep the sea to your right and go around the periphery of the town all will be well. The Tourist Office on the first floor of the building tucked into the corner of the Plaza España will provide a sello and a map of the city with the route marked in highlighter pen. For those who can’t obtain this and particularly want to walk the “exact” route here are the streets:

Pick some harbour steps on the Paseo da Marina
Turn left up Espiritu Santo
Veer left and head straight up to the Calle Real
There is a yellow /blue shell tile at the corner of Calle Terra indicating a right turn but the map indicates the next right down Rural Cava - both take you toCanton de Mollins through to the Plaza das Angustias then across the road and up Taxonera leading to Calle McMahon leading to Estrada Decircunvalacion – by this point regular waymarking has started.
The yellow arrows take a straight route through a barrio
The highlighted map takes the path closest to the sea BOTH bring you a left turn before the motorwaywhich is waymarked

Accommodation
The hotels mentioned in the CSJ guide and internet postings – The Hesperia in Ferrol – 981 330 226, the Hotel Eumesa in Pontedueme 981 430 925 or 981 430 901 and the Complejo San Roque in Betanzos 981 775 555 ALL charge a consistent 60 Euros. I had a good look around in each place and there are sufficient other less expensive options available.

There are albergues in Neda, Mino and Hospital de Bruma.
In Hospital de Bruma there is an excellent Albergue but no food or bar – a further 2k or so along the main road brings you to the well signposted Inn Canaima Meson do Vento – 981 681 401 – 22 Euros for an excellent room plus a home made Menu del Dia available in the dining room.

In Segueiro there is one Hostal the Hotel Miras which is just before the next waymark across the river. The telephone numbers listed everywhere previously are WRONG and I was anxious as I couldn’t get any answer. They explained that the wrong number had been published in one directory and it just stuck – the CORRECT number is 981 69 45 08. 15 Euros for a room – very basic but with excellent and reasonably priced home made food.
As always I simply asked one place to phone ahead to the next to make sure a room was available and they were happy to help.

Mass and Sellos
Ferrol – Sello available in the Tourist Office.
Pontedeume – busy parish Church of Santiago, priest lives opposite in the Rectory and happy to provide Sello – regular parish mass times.
Betanzos – the Church of Santiago appears only to have a 1pm mass on Festivos but the Church of SanFranciso easily found in the Old Town and served by Franciscan Nuns and Friars who were very pilgrim friendly has a 6.30 pm mass – sello available at other times from the convent office.
Sigueiro – the parish Church of St Andrew is just across the bridge 5 mins from the Hotel Miras – Mass at 7pm – sello available in Sacristy.

 
Best bits 
Lovely solitary walking – I never met another pilgrim in 5 days.
The sea views, the smell of the sea and the cries of seagulls.
In Pontedeume instead of intoning the Gloria of the Mass the entire congregation burst into the chorus of the Battle Hymn of the Republic – Glory, glory, halleluia, Glory, glory, halleluia – Glory, glory, halleluia El Nombre Del Senor!

In Betanzos the stunning church of San Francisco and the friendly nuns singing the Mass.

In Segueiro – a total bill of 30 euros for Bed and Breakfast, evening meal with an extra starter of pulpo and a bottle of wine + 3 copas to celebrate the journey nearly ending!  

Worst bits

Not having done it before.

The torrential rain walking into Santiago and having to shelter under a lorry trailer for 30 minutes!

 

Most memorable
 
Following a waymarked turn on a sweltering road-bubbling afternoon to be plunged into the cool deep green darkness of a forest path with branches arched like a vaulted ceiling. Standing still when suddenly a shaft of light appeared like a spotlight on a stage illuminating the butterflies dancing along the path. Magical.

A conversation with a girl behind a Bar in Betanzos. She was from Brazil and had never heard of the Camino until she got here. She thought it was an extremely locissimo thing to do. Slowly her story emerged. A camino moment. She had arrived in Madrid, got a job, met a boy from Betanzos. Got pregnant aged 22. Moved to Betanzos. Boy left. Now working hard to maintain baby and herself.  Having blurted all of that out she coughed and to change the subject asked me to tell her more about the Camino. When I finished her already careworn face looked wondrous – she said, “ Walking…alone…free…time to think…to rest…just to be… truly un regalo de Dios.”

Indeed.  

From Marie O'Neill, June 2008:

Firstly, we did the longer route from El Ferrol.  We only met one other pilgrim during the entire week.  This added to the pilgrimage from my point of view but some of my friends who did a section of the Camino Frances last year were surprised and taken aback by the lack of people on the route.  There is also a lack of facilities in terms of bars, water sources etc on some stretches of the route. 

Overall the waymarking was excellent - a combination of shell tiles and painted yellow arrows.  The arrows looked a bit provisional but were very effective.   The only time the waymarking let us down was within Santiago itself where for no obvious reason the way mark changed in one or two places from the familiar yellow shell on blue background to a cartoon like drawing of a pilgrim on a white background (this was the symbol of the 2004 Holy Year of St James as far as I know).  This change happened without warning and unless people had previously encountered the symbol, it is easy to miss it.

The local authority has erected two rest points on the long uphill stretch between Betanzos and Hospital de Bruma which are good to know about and are not mentioned in the guide.  The first is located next to the Church of Santa Eulalia de Leiro (page 34, para 2 of guide) and consists of toilet facilities, covered over siting/standing area and fresh water supply.  The second is shortly after the very steep 3km section which starts from the Church of Santo Tome de Vilacoba (page 35, para 1) - it is about half a kilometre from when you exit the forest when the road levels off and consists of seating and fresh water in the shade of some trees.  It is a really welcome sight by that stage.  Shortly after it, there is a bar a little up the road to your left which serves food.  I would not particularly recommend lunching at Bar Julia as mentioned in the guide unless you are prepared to rest for a while afterwards before beginning the steep climb through the forest.