Camino Ingles - distances and altitude gain

[pgmbuddy]

I've just returned from the Camino Ingles with my family.

We walked from 23/6 to 27/6. Weather was great - 2 mins of rain the whole week.

We followed the route of the new guidebook using the footbridge beside the railway when walking from Ferrol to Pontedeume.

It is a great walk, really enjoyable. The Spanish people we met were friendly and helpful - even though we had very little Spanish. For example, we went to the motorway service stop mentioned in the guide. The food was excellent - we had lentil soup with ham as a starter which was brought in a tureen for us to help ourselves. Two bowls each. The waitress, realising quickly we had little Spanish, took the menu away and got another guest to write a translation for her which she then helped us through. These little kindnesses mean a lot and add greatly to the experience.

The guidebook was great - until I lost it just as we reached the outskirts of Santiago.

We stayed in Santiago for a few day R&R. Wonderful place.

We arrived in Ferrol on the 22nd and went to the start of the Camino walking along the route, back to the hotel. This meant that on the 23rd we could just rejoin the route straight from the hotel.

For anyone who is interested, I used ViewRanger on my smart phone as a GPS device. These distances/trackes were from hotel to hotel. The distances and altitude gain were as follows:

Ferrol to Pontedeume 15.5 miles, 1943 ft gained. [Note that this was from the hotel, probably add another mile. Also, this took advantage of the railway footbridge shortcut to ease the first day.]

Pontedeume to Betanzos 15.5 miles, 2919 ft gained

Betanzos to Bruma 19.4 miles, 3710 ft gained [The "big" climb took 40 minutes and isn't as scary as the discussions make it seem.]

Bruma to Sigueiro 18.1 miles, 1401 ft gained

Sigueiro to Santiago 11.7 miles, 1459 ft gained


Sorry for the bittiness of this post - I feel if I don't write it now it may never get done.

Thanks to all for help and good wishes. It was a great experience and one I am keen to try again.

Peter

 

[daesdaemar]

Great information! It brings back pleasant memories of my two Camino Ingles(es).

 

[John Hale]

Hello Peter,
I too was on the Camino Ingles on some of the days you mention. Just before reaching the outskirts of Santiago on 27th I think it must be your guide book (photocopied sheets, A5 size in a clear plastic wallet?) that I found. I picked it up in the hope that I might be able to return it to its owner. I still have it so if it is uours and you would like it returned please let me know.
John Hale
GB

 

[Rosebud]

Thanks for your super info, Peter. Glad you had a fantastic pilgrimage. My husband and I will be walking the Camino Ingles in mid-September and will also stay in hotels.....our fellow pilgrims will be thankful that we don't intend to stay in the albergues as we are both very noisy (as in snoring), restless sleepers!

We would be interested in finding out how the hotels were and whether you had to book very far ahead.

Happy to know the big incline into Bruma was not as scary as it seemed. The first two days of the Camino Frances practically did me in when we walked it in 2013!

Rose

 

[JohnMcM]

Thanks Peter,
I'm walking the Portuguse route again this August and September (Senda Litoral and Variante Espiritual this time) and then onto the Ingles. Your post is helpful to my planning.
Buen Camino

 

[Irenie]

I've just returned from the Camino Ingles with my family.

We walked from 23/6 to 27/6. Weather was great - 2 mins of rain the whole week.

We followed the route of the new guidebook using the footbridge beside the railway when walking from Ferrol to Pontedeume.

It is a great walk, really enjoyable. The Spanish people we met were friendly and helpful - even though we had very little Spanish. For example, we went to the motorway service stop mentioned in the guide. The food was excellent - we had lentil soup with ham as a starter which was brought in a tureen for us to help ourselves. Two bowls each. The waitress, realising quickly we had little Spanish, took the menu away and got another guest to write a translation for her which she then helped us through. These little kindnesses mean a lot and add greatly to the experience.

The guidebook was great - until I lost it just as we reached the outskirts of Santiago.

We stayed in Santiago for a few day R&R. Wonderful place.

We arrived in Ferrol on the 22nd and went to the start of the Camino walking along the route, back to the hotel. This meant that on the 23rd we could just rejoin the route straight from the hotel.

For anyone who is interested, I used ViewRanger on my smart phone as a GPS device. These distances/trackes were from hotel to hotel. The distances and altitude gain were as follows:

Ferrol to Pontedeume 15.5 miles, 1943 ft gained. [Note that this was from the hotel, probably add another mile. Also, this took advantage of the railway footbridge shortcut to ease the first day.]

Pontedeume to Betanzos 15.5 miles, 2919 ft gained

Betanzos to Bruma 19.4 miles, 3710 ft gained [The "big" climb took 40 minutes and isn't as scary as the discussions make it seem.]

Bruma to Sigueiro 18.1 miles, 1401 ft gained

Sigueiro to Santiago 11.7 miles, 1459 ft gained


Sorry for the bittiness of this post - I feel if I don't write it now it may never get done.

Thanks to all for help and good wishes. It was a great experience and one I am keen to try again.

Peter

Thank you, Peter. Your post is very helpful. I may be walking the Ingles end of August or beginning of September. I would like to stay in hostales or other private accommodations; perhaps, taking ten days instead of five to get to Santiago. Are there easy to find accommodations in between the recommended overnight stops? I'll be walking alone on the Ingles and hope to meet others along the way, but would prefer my own room. I plan to start the Camino Frances in SJPdP on August 17, with a friend (staying at Beilari on August 16), to Orrison, then Roncesvalles. I am considering going off on my own, after a few days of the Frances, and take a train up to Ferrol to begin the Camino Ingles. Do you know anything about the transportation to Ferrol or A Coruña, which trains or recommendations? I appreciate any information you or other forum members can provide! Buen Camino.

 

[Nanc]

Very helpful info
40 minutes to do 3710 gain?! Wow you the dude!
Nanc

 

[mspath]

Thank you, Peter. Your post is very helpful. I may be walking the Ingles end of August or beginning of September. I would like to stay in hostales or other private accommodations; perhaps, taking ten days instead of five to get to Santiago. Are there easy to find accommodations in between the recommended overnight stops? I'll be walking alone on the Ingles and hope to meet others along the way, but would prefer my own room. I plan to start the Camino Frances in SJPdP on August 17, with a friend (staying at Beilari on August 16), to Orrison, then Roncesvalles. I am considering going off on my own, after a few days of the Frances, and take a train up to Ferrol to begin the Camino Ingles. Do you know anything about the transportation to Ferrol or A Coruña, which trains or recommendations? I appreciate any information you or other forum members can provide! Buen Camino.

Irenie,

This Gronze.com list in Spanish cites accommodation in most villages along the way. Disregard the fact that the info is divided by Etapas. Simply tap each etapa to see all the locations within it. Further tap each citation for address, price, web etc. Booking.com links are also provided.

Happy planning and Buen camino!

 

[Irenie]

Irenie,

This Gronze.com list in Spanish cites accommodation in most villages along the way. Disregard the fact that the info is divided by Etapas. Simply tap each etapa to see all the locations within it. Further tap each citation for address, price, web etc. Booking.com links are also provided.

Happy planning and Buen camino!

Thank you, mspath, Gronze is on my phone for planning and I will check it out. I get the feeling I should preplan, rather than just walk into a village on the Camino Ingles and try to find accommodations, if it isn't an Albergue. What do you think? With gratitude for helping make this walk a reality. Only a month before I fly out of the USA!

 

[mspath]

I've not walked the CI can't help with any questions of elevation and distance. Whether you book ahead or 'wing it' is a very personal choice. Whatever you do decide Carpe diem!

 

[Castilian]

Do you know anything about the transportation to Ferrol or A Coruña,

I'm not the person you asked but I can answer that one. You can go from A Coruña to Ferrol by bus with www.arriva.gal or by train with www.renfe.com Bus service is much more frequent (it runs every 30 minutes).

Whatever you do decide Carpe diem!

Memento mori! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

 

[pgmbuddy]

Hello Peter,
I too was on the Camino Ingles on some of the days you mention. Just before reaching the outskirts of Santiago on 27th I think it must be your guide book (photocopied sheets, A5 size in a clear plastic wallet?) that I found. I picked it up in the hope that I might be able to return it to its owner. I still have it so if it is uours and you would like it returned please let me know.
John Hale
GB

John

Thanks for that but no need to return it - it was just the printed e-doc that I downloaded. It would have been handy at the time - I carried it for 5 days and didn't need it much the signage was so good. The time that I would really have liked it I didn't have it. Typical.
I hope you enjoyed your Camino as much as we did ours.
Thanks again and all the best to you and yours.
Buen camino
Peter

 

[pgmbuddy]

Thanks for your super info, Peter. Glad you had a fantastic pilgrimage. My husband and I will be walking the Camino Ingles in mid-September and will also stay in hotels.....our fellow pilgrims will be thankful that we don't intend to stay in the albergues as we are both very noisy (as in snoring), restless sleepers!

We would be interested in finding out how the hotels were and whether you had to book very far ahead.

Happy to know the big incline into Bruma was not as scary as it seemed. The first two days of the Camino Frances practically did me in when we walked it in 2013!

Rose

Rose

I did book quite far ahead but that was more because that was when I started planning rather than any knowledge of the necessity.
We stayed in Hotel Almendra - Ferrol,
Hotel Sarga - Pontedueme (swimming pool, very welcome)
Palacete de Betanzos,
Hotel Canaima, Meson do Vento,
Siguente Hostel
and then rented a flat in Santiago for a few days.

I would go back to them all but would prefer the other option in Meson - Hotel O Meson Novo. I wanted to stay here but couldn't get booked. However, we eat there in the evening and for breakfast. The couple in the Meson Novo looking after us really well, they were superb - very accommodating, lovely people.

I used booking.com and travel republic to select the hotels. Main criteria was availability and price.

Take your time on the hills and you'll get there. If I can help with anything else, please let me know.

All the best and buen camino.

Peter

 

[pgmbuddy]

Thank you, Peter. Your post is very helpful. I may be walking the Ingles end of August or beginning of September. I would like to stay in hostales or other private accommodations; perhaps, taking ten days instead of five to get to Santiago. Are there easy to find accommodations in between the recommended overnight stops? I'll be walking alone on the Ingles and hope to meet others along the way, but would prefer my own room. I plan to start the Camino Frances in SJPdP on August 17, with a friend (staying at Beilari on August 16), to Orrison, then Roncesvalles. I am considering going off on my own, after a few days of the Frances, and take a train up to Ferrol to begin the Camino Ingles. Do you know anything about the transportation to Ferrol or A Coruña, which trains or recommendations? I appreciate any information you or other forum members can provide! Buen Camino.

Irene
We flew into Santiago, got a bus from the airport into Santiago itself and then another bus to Ferrol. I'm sorry but I never explored beyond that. I used Google maps, gave the starting and finishing points and selected public transport - it gave me bus and train times to suit.
I also booked all my accommodation before travelling to Spain and went by the suggested stages so I am not sure what accommodation options are available between these points - although I know there were some. Again, my suggestion for what it is worth is to look at Booking.com and Travel Republic and use these in conjunction with google maps to see how well they suit your camino. I also used this information in conjunction with ViewRanger gps to check how far from the camino and my desired daily finishing points I would have to travel to get to the hotel.
Hope this is some help.
Buen camino
Peter

 

[pgmbuddy]

Very helpful info
40 minutes to do 3710 gain?! Wow you the dude!
Nanc

Nancy
I wish! The 3710 gain was over the whole day - I think the guide book suggest that that section is a 350metre gain over 3km.
Buen camino
Peter

 

[Irenie]

Irene
We flew into Santiago, got a bus from the airport into Santiago itself and then another bus to Ferrol. I'm sorry but I never explored beyond that. I used Google maps, gave the starting and finishing points and selected public transport - it gave me bus and train times to suit.
I also booked all my accommodation before travelling to Spain and went by the suggested stages so I am not sure what accommodation options are available between these points - although I know there were some. Again, my suggestion for what it is worth is to look at Booking.com and Travel Republic and use these in conjunction with google maps to see how well they suit your camino. I also used this information in conjunction with ViewRanger gps to check how far from the camino and my desired daily finishing points I would have to travel to get to the hotel.
Hope this is some help.
Buen camino
Peter

Thanks, again. Peter. I see that I will have to do more research. I have the updated guidebook, which I will print. I think traveling solo for this part of the trip is a little challenging for me. I know,

I'm not the person you asked but I can answer that one. You can go from A Coruña to Ferrol by bus with www.arriva.gal or by train with www.renfe.com Bus service is much more frequent (it runs every 30 minutes).



Memento mori! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Yes, but not yet!

 

[JohnMcM]

.............I'll be walking alone on the Ingles and hope to meet others along the way, but would prefer my own room. I plan to start the Camino Frances in SJPdP on August 17, with a friend (staying at Beilari on August 16), to Orrison, then Roncesvalles. I am considering going off on my own, after a few days of the Frances, and take a train up to Ferrol.................

Hello Irenie,
I have a hunch that after walking a few days on the Camino Frances, especially from SJPdP and onwards you might be well on the way to tackling the Camino Ingles in terms of walking ability.

I'll be starting out from Ferrol on the 5th September after walking one of the Portuguese routes. We may cross paths.
Buen Camino

 

[Irenie]

Hello Irenie,
I have a hunch that after walking a few days on the Camino Frances, especially from SJPdP and onwards you might be well on the way to tackling the Camino Ingles in terms of walking ability.

I'll be starting out from Ferrol on the 5th September after walking one of the Portuguese routes. We may cross paths.
Buen Camino

Thanks, John. I should be in shape for walking, hopefully to the in-between stages. And hoping at the end of the day having a place to stay. That's my challenge. But, I shall, as mspath recommends, Carpe diem! And Buen Camino to you on the Portuguese and onward. See you on the Ingles!

 

[Rosebud]

Rose

I did book quite far ahead but that was more because that was when I started planning rather than any knowledge of the necessity.
We stayed in Hotel Almendra - Ferrol,
Hotel Sarga - Pontedueme (swimming pool, very welcome)
Palacete de Betanzos,
Hotel Canaima, Meson do Vento,
Siguente Hostel
and then rented a flat in Santiago for a few days.

I would go back to them all but would prefer the other option in Meson - Hotel O Meson Novo. I wanted to stay here but couldn't get booked. However, we eat there in the evening and for breakfast. The couple in the Meson Novo looking after us really well, they were superb - very accommodating, lovely people.

I used booking.com and travel republic to select the hotels. Main criteria was availability and price.

Take your time on the hills and you'll get there. If I can help with anything else, please let me know.

All the best and buen camino.

Peter

Thanks so much, Peter for such a complete reply. It will help a lot!

I'm really looking forward to walking another Camino. This time lighter in both backpack and body weight.....hopefully, I'll float up those hills....or not! Either way, the positive energy of the Camino will be sure to carry me along. Slowly but surely.

Rose

 

[Pelegrin]

I would go back to them all but would prefer the other option in Meson - Hotel O Meson Novo. I wanted to stay here but couldn't get booked. However, we eat there in the evening and for breakfast. The couple in the Meson Novo looking after us really well, they were superb - very accommodating, lovely people.

Just finished my Camino I stayed in Meson do Vento in Hotel Canaima too. The owner took me from Bruma to the hotel but to my surprise the following day he didn´t take me back to Bruma, so I had to walk from Meson do Vento to join the Camino in a different point. The thing was not too much complicated because the way was well marked with arrows on the floor and in the end I walked more or less the same distance as I had started the stage in Bruma. I asked in Meson Novo and the lady at the bar told that her son always takes customers back to Bruma if they want, so this is an important difference between both hotels in Meson do Vento.

 

[Tia Valeria]

I asked in Meson Novo and the lady at the bar told that her son always takes customers back to Bruma if they want, so this is an important difference between both hotels in Meson do Vento.

I think that this actually means Casa Julia, as walking directions are given for walking to rejoin the Camino near Bruma which doesn't really need transport. Did you mean Casa Julia or the albergue at Bruma?

 

[Pelegrin]

I think that this actually means Casa Julia, as walking directions are given for walking to rejoin the Camino near Bruma which doesn't really need transport. Did you mean Casa Julia or the albergue at Bruma?

No, nothing to do with Casa Julia. Everything in my post was in relation to Meson do Vento a town which is 2 Kms from Bruma.
In Meson do Vento there are 2 hotels Canaima and Meson Novo.
I stayed in Canaima and the owner didn´t take me back to Bruma so I had to walk 20 minutes to rejoin the Camino in a point between Bruma and Sigueiro about 3 or 4 Kms from Bruma.
The other hotel Meson Novo (was full when I booked) always takes customers back to Bruma, so I think is better for pilgrims than Canaima.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Having walked this I think there is some confusion as Antonio always picks up, for patrons, from Casa Julia when needed with return next day. Those who then walk in for a second night walk on next day. The route you took is the same distance as from Bruma to the junction. We have done both ways.
Good if Antonio also picks up and returns to Bruma if needed and that Canaima at least picks up from there. First time we stayed 3 nights at Meson Novo and were picked up returned again beyond Meson do Vento giving us 3 short days, but that is unusual.

 

[Pelegrin]

Having walked this I think there is some confusion as Antonio always picks up, for patrons, from Casa Julia when needed with return next day. Those who then walk in for a second night walk on next day. The route you took is the same distance as from Bruma to the junction. We have done both ways.
Good if Antonio also picks up and returns to Bruma if needed and that Canaima at least picks up from there. First time we stayed 3 nights at Meson Novo and were picked up returned again beyond Meson do Vento giving us 3 short days, but that is unusual.

Now, I understand what you meant.
I am sorry, I knew you have a lot of experience on C. Ingles but I tried to explain the situation to other people.
So Antonio is the guy in Meson Novo. I didn´t see him. His mother told me that he was the one who marked the way till the Camino.