My experience walking in September 2024

[hugocast]

Just finished walking Ingles from Ferrol with my Wife. We did it in 5 days and arrived in Santiago on September 5th. FANTASTIC experience. I look forward to doing this route again someday.

We knew September is part of the high season, but we wanted to spend my birthday and our anniversary together in the Camino, so we went ahead anyways.

We like to take our time walking and enjoy a quieter time together on the actual Camino. So we opted for booking places in advance and starting later in the morning ~ 8-9am. This worked out great, we probably saw 10-20 people while walking each etapa since most pilgrims opt for a 7am or earlier start (anecdotally).

Cafes and restaurants in the towns were full and lively, and it was really easy to socialize and befriend fellow pilgrims you saw in the Camino once in town.

We got really lucky with the weather. Cloudy most days with no rain and it stayed in the mid 60s - low 70s during the daytime. I am writing this the day after we arrived in Santiago while it's pouring outside ️

The first day walking to Pontedeume and the views of the Rías are memories that I'll treasure forever.

I will also remember forever that hill getting out of Pontedeume I am glad I had my coffee that day.

Betanzos has a beautiful town square. I wish we had had more energy to explore it, but we ended up getting groceries and making bocadillos where we stayed at Pensión la Plaza. They are very close to the main square and the owners were incredibly warm. Lots of space to hang out and socialize with fellow pilgrims.

The bottleneck / pinch point at Bruma is real We probably saw 50 - 60 peregrinos that day. We started walking around 7:30am that day.

We ended up pre-booking a place at Mesón do Vento called "Apartamentos Camino Ingles II" via Booking. It's a brand new Casa Rural 15 minutes walking from Mesón do Vento. It was 70 € for a private room for two with breakfast and a shared bathroom. Beautiful grounds and plenty of space to reflect, write or socialize.

The proprietary was extremely friendly and even offered to pick us up / drop us off from Bruma, but we chose to walk directly to the accommodation instead.

While staying there, we met some wonderful Brits and Aussies doing the Camino as well and became fast friends.

The next day we decided to walk to a "Sendero Jaimos" marker on Google Maps and follow a rural road until we reconnected with the Camino at the Iglesia de San Pedro de Ardemil.

I found the Meson do Vento to Sigüeiro walk to be tough. Specifically the last 2km. Something about walking so much next to the highways and industrial parks drained me. The beginning and middle part through farmland are gorgeous though.

The walk from Sigüeiro to Santiago was full of mixed emotions. It was the shortest etapa, but I caught myself walking slower than usual, because I didn't want it to be over.

We arrived at Praza do Obradoiro and spent quite a while there. Giving thanks and basking on what we just had done.

We went to the Oficina de Acogida del Peregrino to get our Compostelas and the line to get in must have been ~ 60 people at 1:30pm. It moved incredibly fast though. Kudos for all the great work they do. We had registered earlier that morning and had our QR codes and were in and out 10 minutes flat.

Now we are enjoying Santiago, reflecting on this experience, feeling thankful and of course, planning the next Camino.

 

[naplesdon]

Yes, that hill first thing in the morning out of Pontedeume can be a horrible wake up call.

 

[hugocast]

Yes, that hill first thing in the morning out of Pontedeume can be a horrible wake up call.

Indeed! I was so grateful for my hiking poles. Those views were worth the climb up though.

I was also very grateful that someone had left a table full of apples on top of the hill with a donation box. I grabbed one and I can still remember that green apple flavor. Those acts of kindness go a long way.

It reminded me of walking Portugues in 2022 during a heat wave. A farmer riding a tractor gave me a bag of oranges to share with peregrinos along the way. I ended up giving an orange and a "Buen Camino" to each person I saw.

 

[ian&linda]

Thanks, that’s really inspirational, we start on the 20th.

 

[sinein]

A wonderful summary of the Ingles which brought back many memories - very evocative, thank you.

 

[Varekai]

Awesome write-up! We start our Ingles next Monday and are so excited!

 

[Wanderlust1617]

Just finished walking Ingles from Ferrol with my Wife. We did it in 5 days and arrived in Santiago on September 5th. FANTASTIC experience. I look forward to doing this route again someday.

We knew September is part of the high season, but we wanted to spend my birthday and our anniversary together in the Camino, so we went ahead anyways.

We like to take our time walking and enjoy a quieter time together on the actual Camino. So we opted for booking places in advance and starting later in the morning ~ 8-9am. This worked out great, we probably saw 10-20 people while walking each etapa since most pilgrims opt for a 7am or earlier start (anecdotally).

Cafes and restaurants in the towns were full and lively, and it was really easy to socialize and befriend fellow pilgrims you saw in the Camino once in town.

We got really lucky with the weather. Cloudy most days with no rain and it stayed in the mid 60s - low 70s during the daytime. I am writing this the day after we arrived in Santiago while it's pouring outside ️

The first day walking to Pontedeume and the views of the Rías are memories that I'll treasure forever.

I will also remember forever that hill getting out of Pontedeume I am glad I had my coffee that day.

Betanzos has a beautiful town square. I wish we had had more energy to explore it, but we ended up getting groceries and making bocadillos where we stayed at Pensión la Plaza. They are very close to the main square and the owners were incredibly warm. Lots of space to hang out and socialize with fellow pilgrims.

The bottleneck / pinch point at Bruma is real We probably saw 50 - 60 peregrinos that day. We started walking around 7:30am that day.

We ended up pre-booking a place at Mesón do Vento called "Apartamentos Camino Ingles II" via Booking. It's a brand new Casa Rural 15 minutes walking from Mesón do Vento. It was 70 € for a private room for two with breakfast and a shared bathroom. Beautiful grounds and plenty of space to reflect, write or socialize.

The proprietary was extremely friendly and even offered to pick us up / drop us off from Bruma, but we chose to walk directly to the accommodation instead.

While staying there, we met some wonderful Brits and Aussies doing the Camino as well and became fast friends.

The next day we decided to walk to a "Sendero Jaimos" marker on Google Maps and follow a rural road until we reconnected with the Camino at the Iglesia de San Pedro de Ardemil.

I found the Meson do Vento to Sigüeiro walk to be tough. Specifically the last 2km. Something about walking so much next to the highways and industrial parks drained me. The beginning and middle part through farmland are gorgeous though.

The walk from Sigüeiro to Santiago was full of mixed emotions. It was the shortest etapa, but I caught myself walking slower than usual, because I didn't want it to be over.

We arrived at Praza do Obradoiro and spent quite a while there. Giving thanks and basking on what we just had done.

We went to the Oficina de Acogida del Peregrino to get our Compostelas and the line to get in must have been ~ 60 people at 1:30pm. It moved incredibly fast though. Kudos for all the great work they do. We had registered earlier that morning and had our QR codes and were in and out 10 minutes flat.

Now we are enjoying Santiago, reflecting on this experience, feeling thankful and of course, planning the next Camino.

@hugocast, thanks for the lovely write up. my sister, brother in law and I were one day behind you, so we had the pleasure of walking the last miles into Santiago in the rain. But there was something soothing and rewarding in doing so. It felt like a cleansing of sorts and did not diminish the joy of walking into Santiago in any way.

The hills on Day Two were definitely challenging and the amount of paved paths through this whole route left me with a few aches, but taking frequent stretch breaks along the way definitely helped. And for those about to embark on your Camino, stopping at Cafe Avelina in a Travesas on the way from Betanzos to Bruma is a must! The proprietor, Carmen, goes above and beyond to take care of every peregrino that enters her place. We had barely walked in and she was ushering us to seats, she brought us footstools to rest our feet, asked us our stories, and bustled about offering free extra bites to nourish us. She made us feel so very special and demonstrated the true spirit of the Camino.

I can’t believe this Camino is physically over, but after my first Camino (Portugues) last year, I have witnessed how the Camino truly just begins when one enters Santiago. I have felt the impact of this spiritual journey nearly every day since I took my first Camino step!

Buen Camino everyone!