Overview
The Camino Ingles route is so called because it follows the English pilgrims’ path to Santiago from ancient times, starting from their landing point in Ferrol. This Camino Ingles route comes in at 118km and so enough to qualify for the Compostela Certificate (minimum 100km). A self-guided holiday over seven days, start off clinging to the coast, with stops at Playa Magdalena, the traditional fishing village of Pontedeume and the wetlands of the River Lambre. Heading further south, the camino takes you inland through famously green Galician meadows and hillsides, until you finally arrive at Santiago.
- Historic port of Ferrol
- Traditional Galician towns of Pontedeume and Betanzos
- Sigüeiro
- Santiago de Compostela cathedral
Click to view map
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Ferrol
Arrive in the town Ferrol, explore its historic centre and seek out many restaurants famous for the region’s fine seafood. Other highlights include the La Magdalena neighbourhood, La Cortina 10th-century walls, San Felipe and La Palma castles.
- Accommodation: Hotel El Suizo or similar in Ferrol
Day 2: Ferrol to Pontedeume | 28km
Walk from Ferrol to Neda and, at the banks of the Eume estuary, you join one of the ancient paths known as a camino real. There is a lovely beach at A Magdalena, which is a great spot to take a break. It is a long walking day, but there is also an option to add an extra day in Neda at this stage, and split up the walking. Otherwise, when you get to Pontedeume, take time to explore its pretty cobbled streets, estuarine walks and stunning stone bridge.
- Walking for the day: 28km, 6-7h
- Accommodation: Hotel Camino de Eume or similar in Pontedeume
Day 3: Pontedeume to Betanzos | 19km
From Pontedeume the trail climbs a little, to give spectacular views over Betanzos, Ares and Ferrol. The trail continues to Miño, crossing medieval stone bridge over the River Baxoi. Walk along the coast to the River Lambre Estuary on a path with beautiful views of Betanzos Estuary and the surrounding marshlands. The town of Betanzos has some of the most interesting and historical buildings in Galicia. Enter the Old Town through Arco da Pont Nova, the original gateway to the town, where we recommend visiting the churches of San Francisco, Santiago and Santa Maria del Azogue. It’s also worth seeking out Rua da Cerca, home to some elegant Gothic houses.
- Walking for the day: 19km, 5h
- Accommodation: Hotel Garelos or similar in Betanzos
Day 4: Betanzos to Bruma | 24km
Cross the Mendo River using As Cascas bridge. From here, the trail takes you through the villages of Matino and Boucello as well to San Paio hermitage, now closed but a fine stone building and beauty spot. Continue through tranquil rural terrain to the village of Bruma.
- Walking for the day: 24km, 6-7h
- Accommodation: Hotel Canaima or similar in Meson do Vento
Day 5: Bruma to Sigüeiro | 24km
The camino leaves Bruma at the chapel and heads into the luscious green area of Ordes. Continue past the church of San Xiao and the village of Casanova, with your day coming to a close in Sigüeiro.
- Walking for the day: 24km, 5-6h
- Accommodation: Pension Vilanova or similar in Sigüeiro
Day 6: Sigüeiro to Santiago de Compostela | 15km
With only 15km to walk today, you should be in Santiago in time for the pilgrim mass at midday. After visiting Santiago Cathedral, take time to explore this ancient, iconic city.
- Walking for the day: 15km
- Accommodation: Alameda Rooms, Hotel Lux Santiago or similar in Santiago de Compostela
Day 7: Departure
Departure after breakfast or extend your stay in Santiago de Compostela.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation is in simple but comfortable hotels and guesthouses, located close to the route of the Camino. All of them have private or en-suite facilities and offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and hearty local food.
Please note: We aim to book you into accommodation in each town listed on the itinerary. However, in the event of availability issues, we can also book you two nights in the same town and provide transfers. Also, on some occasions, your accommodation can be located a few kilometres away from the trail and, if this is the case, we will organise transportation to/from this accommodation.
Click to view default hotels
- Hotel El Suizo (Ferrol)
- Hotel Camino de Eume (Pontedeume)
- Hotel Garelos (Betanzos)
- Hotel Canaima (Bruma)
- Pension Vilanova (Sigüeiro)
- Alameda rooms, Hotel Lux Santiago (Santiago de Compostela)
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast is included (usually a simple buffet breakfast/coffee and toast/bread/croissant) on all days. When no restaurant location is available on the route, lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops or packed lunches can be pre-ordered from your hotel the night before. Where no dinner is included, most places serve hearty pilgrim menus – you can get a three course dinner including wine for about £12-15 per person.
Difficulty and terrain
This itinerary includes walks of 5-6h per day on average (the longest one is 28km, but can be split) (read more about difficulty grades). The terrain is flat or hilly without steep ascents or descents. You will follow a mixture of dirt roads, woodland paths, minor roads and some busier roads close to the bigger towns and cities. The routes are well-marked with yellow painted arrows and a yellow shell on a blue background, and the itinerary is very easy to follow. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps, and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available year-round, but the best months to visit are April – June and September – October, as in summer months, it may become too hot (and crowded). The flexibility of self-guided walking holidays means that there are no fixed dates, and you can start your trip on any date during the season.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended airport for this tour is Santiago de Compostela (SCQ). The alternative airport is A Coruña (LCG).
By train or bus
Although you can’t travel to Ferrol by ferry anymore, if you are able to travel to Spain without flying, this holiday is reachable by rail with train stations in Ferrol and Santiago de Compostela. For more details, see Spain’s national rail operator.
Arrival in Ferrol
- From Santiago Airport, you take the airport bus to Santiago bus station (approx. 20mins).
- You can travel from La Coruña with Arriva buses and from Santiago with Monbus or by train with RENFE or check the Omio planner above.
Departure from Santiago de Compostela
- There is a shuttle bus to the airport of Santiago from the centre of Santiago with different stops in the city. Check Freire for more details, or use the Omio planner above.
- From Santiago, you can take a train to A Coruña (30min approximately) and then take a bus from Alfonso Molina (line 4051) to the airport (every 30mins, takes 20mins approximately). Monbus has services from Santiago to A Coruña Airport (every 3h); see monbus.es/en for details.
- From Santiago, there are regular train services to many destinations in Spain. For more information and tickets, visit Renfe or use the Omio planner above.
- You can also book private transfers with us
Inclusions
Included
- 6 nights in private en-suite rooms
- 6 breakfasts
- Maps
- Pilgrim pass
- Guided city tour in old Santiago
- Luggage transfers from hotel to hotel on all walking days (1 pc up to 20kg per person; each additional piece should be paid)
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfare and connecting land transfers
- Lunches and dinners, drinks and snacks
- Additional luggage
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on the spot)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers; a supplement will be charged as accommodation and luggage transfer costs are not shared (we never mix and match – solo travellers will be accommodated in single rooms)
- Extra nights
- Split of day two with overnight in Neda
Compostela/Pilgrim’s Passport
You can obtain one at the start of your walk in the pilgrim’s office or the local church in town. You need to get the Passport stamped in churches, restaurants or hotels along the way. At the end of the walk in Santiago de Compostela, you can obtain your Compostela Certificate.
Important: Due to the large influx of pilgrims during summer, and to avoid long waiting times, the Pilgrim Office in Santiago has installed a numbered ticket system for issuing pilgrim certificates (the Compostela). This new system allows pilgrims to collect their ticket and, using a QR Code, to check the status of the queue and estimated waiting time to obtain the Compostela. However, the number of tickets per day is limited, so on days with high numbers of pilgrims arriving, there is a possibility that not all pilgrims will be able to collect their certificate on the day of arrival and will have to return for it on the following morning.
Therefore, if obtaining a pilgrim certificate is important to you, and if you plan to undertake the Camino between 15 April and 15 October , we recommend that you arrange the return travel in such a way that you will be in Santiago de Compostela during the morning after your arrival. Better still, we encourage you to book a second night in Santiago so that you can collect the certificate without rush and enjoy the charms of the city.
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