Reverse way marking

[sreevesjc]

The pilgrimage doesn't end at Santiago cathedral steps. Before newfangled trains, planes and automobiles were invented, pilgrims had to walk back home. That's what I intend to do! Does anyone know if there are way finding arrows from Santiago to Ferrol on the Camino Inglis? Last year I found Finisterre - Muxia to be bidirectionally signed, but that does have large footfall in both directions.

 

[David Tallan]

Beyond Finisterre/Muxia, I think only the Camino Portugues is marked in both directions (with the southward blue arrows pointing you towards Fatima).

The thing to do is after you pass through each intersection, pause and look back and memorize which way you will need to go. That doesn't sound hard, does it? Or, you could just get GPX tracks or a Camino app that shows the route superimposed on a map and where you are. That should make it much easier to navigate in reverse.

 

[sreevesjc]

Thank you for your reply. I arrived via the Primitivo and will be walking north to Ferrol so I won't have seen the route before. Then taking the FEVE train from Ferrol eastwards. I do have GPS tracking and gpx files loaded, but due to limitations on battery life, the safest strategy will be to buy a paper map in Santiago!

 

[David]

I can't answer that question - but I may have a solution! Clip on rear view mirror for your hat ... you will see the markers you just passed
quite good for silently approaching cyclists too!

 

[roving_rufus]

I haven't done the Ingles backwards- but having just headed backwards on Verde, Via Kunig and part of CF- apart from larger towns I think more than 80% of the time it was fairly intuitive looking at mojons and yellow arrows, only a couple of times was I stumped enough to pull my phone out, and a few others places I did a bit of scouting to find arrows. But towns even trying to go in the direction of the arrows never mind against is tricky. And often moving markers ie pilgrims going to SdeC are useful in direction finding.

Just have an appropriate answer for helpful locals trying to turn you back around!

 

[Tincatinker]

@sreevesjc its at best a four day walk. Just keep the sun behind you and you'll get there There will be no way-marking for the reverse route. Turismo Galicia have no reason to provide. Not so much of a problem if you've walked from Ferrol first, the route(s) are fairly obvious, but you ain't. Any of the Camino apps with the GPS blue dot (or just Mapy.cz, plot a route to, and your daily destination) will get you there and I guess you're under no compulsion to follow an "official" route.

We are planning Ferrol / Santiago / A Coruna but have no intention of following the "official" path any more than we are physically obliged to. We are going "old school", that is we are going to join up the places that welcome wandering travellers with shelter and food and aren't necessarily "en piste". We are going to sneak up on the Old Boy and shout "Boo!, you didn't know we were coming". And I'm looking forward to poking about in bits of Galicia that don't spend their days playing "one peregrino, two peregrinos, three peregrinos, four, five peregrinos, six peregrinos, how many @$£!ing peregrinos? More?"

Buena suerte

 

[sreevesjc]

@sreevesjc its at best a four day walk. Just keep the sun behind you and you'll get there There will be no way-marking for the reverse route. Turismo Galicia have no reason to provide. Not so much of a problem if you've walked from Ferrol first, the route(s) are fairly obvious, but you ain't. Any of the Camino apps with the GPS blue dot (or just Mapy.cz, plot a route to, and your daily destination) will get you there and I guess you're under no compulsion to follow an "official" route.

We are planning Ferrol / Santiago / A Coruna but have no intention of following the "official" path any more than we are physically obliged to. We are going "old school", that is we are going to join up the places that welcome wandering travellers with shelter and food and aren't necessarily "en piste". We are going to sneak up on the Old Boy and shout "Boo!, you didn't know we were coming". And I'm looking forward to poking about in bits of Galicia that don't spend their days playing "one peregrino, two peregrinos, three peregrinos, four, five peregrinos, six peregrinos, how many @$£!ing peregrinos? More?"

Buena suerte

Thanks, I estimated four days walk to Ferrol, then use FEVE / Euskotren scenic metre gauge railway all the way back to Irun/Hendaye which will take up to three days.
Interestingly this year RENFE have now accepted that FEVE exists and I found the train times straightaway. Last year my attempt at planning the same railway journey was abandoned through absence of a timetable; then, even Man in Seat 61 couldn't help.

 

[Tincatinker]

Hey, I love the FEVE. That journey is one of the great railway adventures that doesn't involve the Khyber Pass or a Russian entry visa

And, yes, I'd noticed that most, though not quite all, of the FEVE network can be found amongst the Cercanias pages of their execrable website

Buen camino!

 

[BarbaraW]

Not your route, but I followed the mojones backwards from Muxia to Santiago. It wasn't difficult and I realised that the Galician authorities also improve road and pavement surfaces to make it easier for pilgrims, so it's worth looking down too if not sure . A mapping app with the little blue dot enabled removes all doubt.
I would like to try the FEVE route too, though the slow train between Santiago and San Sebastian via Vitoria/Gastiez is also a great ride. And last year discovered that you can pick up the Intercité de Nuit at Bayonne, which will help get you back in time for lunch at home the following day.
Buen Camino.

 

[Camo]

The pilgrimage doesn't end at Santiago cathedral steps. Before newfangled trains, planes and automobiles were invented, pilgrims had to walk back home. That's what I intend to do! Does anyone know if there are way finding arrows from Santiago to Ferrol on the Camino Inglis? Last year I found Finisterre - Muxia to be bidirectionally signed, but that does have large footfall in both directions.

As a matter of interest are you going to use the "new" Reading to Southampton Camino to get to Spain? (and back home)