Credential starting from A Coruña

[domigee]

It may not be of interest to many people - no Compostella awarded as it is less than 100km.
Still, it has puzzled me to this day and may be of use in the future ...to me and others.

I had a few days to spare after walking to Santiago, Finisterre and Muxía. One option was to walk back from A Coruña to Santiago. I went to the Galician tourist office in Santiago for information. They told me the only place I could get a credential for the Camino ingles was the Pilgrims' Office in Santiago. Nowhere else. I had just come from there to obtain my Compostela and knew that by then a huge queue had formed. As I was walking on that day, I had no time to spare and didn't go back.

I wouldn't have minded not having a credential but quite rightly, they reminded me that I needed it to stay in albergues....

Can someone please confirm this is so? I find it difficult to believe that - for the camino inglés - you get your credential from your arrival place and not your departure....

In the end I decided against walking it without a credential and went to visit friends instead. But I would welcome your experience....for the future

Thanks

Dominique

 

[Tincatinker]

Dominique, you could perhaps have used the credencial(s) you had from the Frances / Fisterra / Muxia trip. If there were any spaces left. Or a credencial from the cathedral office / souvenir shop. A quick forum search suggests that a Camino Ingles specific credencial is available from the tourist office in Ferrol - whether the same is available from the TO is A Coruna...

 

[domigee]

Thanks, @Tincatinker but they were specific : I could use my existing credential for the walk to Finisterre and Muxía (and told me how many stamps I needed...) but NOT for the Camino inglés. I had to get a new one and only in Santiago, from the Pilgrims' office
I am wondering now if that lady I spoke to just got it wrong... because it doesn't make any sense.

I can see myself doing the CF again (dream on) and this time walking the Inglés afterwards , especially after reading some posts on here .

I guess I'd get a new credential then from Santiago.... Or Ivar beforehand.

But still.... If you're unprepared, like I was then, there must be a way to get it from A Coruña?

 

[KinkyOne]

I'm a bit puzzled here, Dominique. I didn't go the Pilgrim Office to collect the compostela after my summer Ingles so I can not comment on that. I was using ordinary CF credencial on Ingles (after Via de Bayona) and common sense tells me that it would not be accepted in albergues on Ingles if there would be anything wrong about that. That's why I can't understand why Santiago Pilgrim Office request "Camino Ingles credencial"???

I have walked my Camino de Madrid in 2014 all the way to Nava de la Asuncion and there were no problems at albergues although I collected stamps in my printed out guide book. Wasn't a credencial, true, but stamps were there and nobody seemed to mind about them.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Whoever told you that you need a special Credencial to walk from A Coruña to Santiago was completely wrong. Any Credencial or book or piece of paper you wish to use to collect sellos will do - there are only two municipal Albergues on that route in Sergude and Hospital de Bruma - no albergues anywhere require pilgrims to use a particular Credencial to gain admission - only the Cathedral of Santiago insists that to obtain the Compostela you must use their Credencial. Since that doesn't arise on the route from Coruña any record will do.

Buen Camino
John

 

[Tulle]

Do you not obtain a Compostela if you have a credencial from another country/organisation? The leader of the Norwegian Pilgrims association says the Norwegian credential will do.. Getting nervous..

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Do you not obtain a Compostela if you have a credencial from another country/organisation? The leader of the Norwegian Pilgrims association says the Norwegian credential will do.. Getting nervous..

Yes - pilgrims who walk at least 100 kms to Santiago and collect 2 sellos per day on a Credencial authorised by the Cathedral of Santiago may receive the Compostela. The Credencial issued by the Norwegian association is authorised.

This thread relates to the route from A Coruña which is less than 100kms.

Regards

John

 

[SYates]

Do you not obtain a Compostela if you have a credencial from another country/organisation? The leader of the Norwegian Pilgrims association says the Norwegian credential will do.. Getting nervous..

No reason to get nervous! The cathedral in Santiago acknowledges pilgrims passports issued by other / foreign pilgrims associations. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Tulle]

Thank you to both of you! What a relief Starting from Ferrol on Thursday!

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Buen Camino - it is raining now but the weather improves from Friday!

 

[domigee]

Thank you very much @KinkyOne and @JohnnieWalker for your helpful answers.
It's all clear now

 

[domigee]

@Tulle Apologies if my question caused you unnecessary worries.
Buen camino!

 

[Tulle]

No problem Leaving home just NOW!!

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

After I finished in SdC and walked to Finisterre and Muxia, I walked one leg each on several other Caminos as I wound my way back to Barcelona. I asked for sellos on all of them, handing them the same credential (well the last one) I'd already used, that had the sello from SdC as well as others...no one blinked a eye, or said I needed to have a fresh credential, although I wasn't staying in albergues. I guess albergues might question it, but if explained I'd like to think they wouldn't care. In fact, the only scrutiny my credential ever got was at SdC, probably because as he glanced through he noticed sellos from three different routes in almost random pattern (CF, Norte, Primitivo, CF, Norte, Primitivo, CF ), but a bit more looking at dates, then looking closely at the last 100 km, he shook his head, shrugged, and finished the paperwork. I always stayed my first night jumping caminos in a hotel, so the first albergue I stopped at could see I'd been on the road for at least a day , and no one asked me why two days prior I'd been on a different camino...but I may have been lucky.

 

[KinkyOne]

After I finished in SdC and walked to Finisterre and Muxia, I walked one leg each on several other Caminos as I wound my way back to Barcelona. I asked for sellos on all of them, handing them the same credential (well the last one) I'd already used, that had the sello from SdC as well as others...no one blinked a eye, or said I needed to have a fresh credential, although I wasn't staying in albergues. I guess albergues might question it, but if explained I'd like to think they wouldn't care. In fact, the only scrutiny my credential ever got was at SdC, probably because as he glanced through he noticed sellos from three different routes in almost random pattern (CF, Norte, Primitivo, CF, Norte, Primitivo, CF ), but a bit more looking at dates, then looking closely at the last 100 km, he shook his head, shrugged, and finished the paperwork. I always stayed my first night jumping caminos in a hotel, so the first albergue I stopped at could see I'd been on the road for at least a day , and no one asked me why two days prior I'd been on a different camino...but I may have been lucky.

Many times volunteers in SdC office doesn't even know about other Caminos than Frances, Norte, Portugues, Plata & Primitivo. It happened to me both in 2014 for Madrid & Invierno/Sanabres and in 2015 for Levante & Sanabres... But I was kind of an attraction as three of them came to listen to my explanation of the routes