Camino Inglés

In medieval times, the Camino Inglés provided a short, direct route from A Coruña or Ferrol to Santiago and was therefore used by pilgrims from northern Europe, including England, who had travelled to Galicia by sea.

The Route: The Camino Inglés starts either from the old landing-steps at Ferrol (by the Tourist Office where you can get your first stamp) or from the royal sea-gate in A Coruña. Following land reclamation, this was left high and dry in a car park below the church of Santiago. The church is also a recognised starting-point for the Inglés.

From Ferrol, it is 113 km to Santiago, and from A Coruña 73 km. The two possible starting points mean that the route is Y-shaped, the two tracks meeting near the atmospheric town of Hospital de Bruma, then follow the same route for the last 40 km into Santiago. It is considered that the Ferrol route can be walked in five to six days, while the A Coruña can completed in three to four days.

Even though the route from A Coruña is only 73 km to Santiago, you can still earn the Compostela if you have walked the remaining 27 km in your home country first and collected stamps in your credencial to prove it. See the Pilgrim Office website for more information.

Accommodation

There are various albergues as well as cheap and medium-priced hotel accommodation in the main cities and towns along the route. From Ferrol, there are public hostels in Ferrol, Neda, Miño, Betanzos, Presedo, Hospital de Bruma and Poulo. On the A Coruña route, there is a hostel at Sergude.

Timings (When to go)

The route is walkable throughout the year, although winter (late November to late February) is not really recommended. This is an Atlantic climate, similar to Wales and Ireland. It is essential to carry a waterproof - but you might just be lucky and have sun the whole time. Some paths can be quite muddy.

Waymarking/Difficulty

This route is more suitable for walkers than cyclists. It is not crowded and not too expensive. The waymarking is generally good. There is a mixture of yellow arrows, shell tiles, and marker stones bearing shells.

As to the terrain, this is Galicia and the countryside is reminiscent of Brittany, Cornwall and other Celtic regions. The hardest and steepest day is potentially day 2 of the A Coruña route, from Sergude to Hospital de Bruma. On the Ferrol route the hardest walking is between Betanzos and Hospital de Bruma. There is considerable road walking near towns.

Whilst the route is gaining in popularity as an alternative to busier caminos, one can expect to enjoy solitude en-route if desired whilst finding plenty of company on arrival in the albergues.

Getting There

There are a number of options for getting to your start point. Flying in from the UK, you can arrive in A Coruña then take a bus or train to Ferrol, if that is where you are starting. You can also fly into Santiago and take public transport to either A Coruna or Ferrol. Alternatively fly into Madrid with public transport and/or flights to Santiago or A Coruña. You could even take the ferry to Santander (from Plymouth) or Bilbao (from Portsmouth), from where you take the FEVE (an interesting narrow-gauge railway along northern Spanish coast) or bus to Ferrol or to A Coruña. That said, either of latter are probably 24 hours of travel in Spain alone.

Guide books: The following are available from the CSJ Bookshop: 

John Brierley: Ferrol & Coruna to Santiago 

Cicerone Pilgrim Route: Camino Ingles and Ruta Do Mar to Santiago and Finisterre

Village to Village: Guide to the Camino Ingles

For further information, see also the official Galician Tourist Board website for the Caminos in Galicia.