Conference on the future of the Camino Inglés from Coruña

[JohnnieWalker]

With "money which must be spent by the end of the year" the Local Council in Coruña is paying the expenses of representatives of country pilgrim associations to a Conference to discuss the future of the route from Coruña. The conference which lasts a week is in collaboration with the cathedral of Santiago and the delegates will walk the stages from Coruña to Santiago.

Let's hope that the Conference includes an announcement by the Cathedral that pilgrims walking the 75 kms from Coruña will now recieve the Compostela or at least a special certificate.
The historic records show that the pilgrims from the Northern European countries (not just England) disembarked at Coruña in some numbers. This is not the case for Ferrol. Therefore some 20+ years ago when the Cathedral invented the 100 kms rule Coruña was unjustifiably excluded as a starting point to recieve the Compostela.
We have achieved some concessions over the years - for example when I asked on behalf of the CSJ whether the kms a pilgrim walked at home could be added to the miles from Coruña they agreed. Provided there were sellos.

Clearly the ayuntamiento in A Coruña want to encourage more pilgrims. Let's hope that this conference isn't just a publicly funded junket and that progress is made because
such is the force of the historic argument the cathedral of Santiago should now announce that either the Coruña route qualifies for the Compostela or that it has its own certificate.

 

[wayfarer]

Pilgrims who travelled from Dublin, Dingle and Cork traditionally landed in A Coruna and walked from there. I agree with Johnnie that as this is a traditional route, a compostela should be awarded for this Camino. The 100 km minimum was more a political and commercial decision IMO.

 

[miguel_gp]

Wholeheartedly agree with both of you.

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

Johnnie do you have any links ? This is up my street...

 

[Tincatinker]

Ah, but aren't we heading for a knicker-twister here? FICS are suggesting that the 100k limit be lengthened to re-establish the camino as a physical and spiritual challenge (or at least to spread the touregrino € a little further) and this would provide a very nice short-cut to a compostella.

I agree that the Ingles, and especially the Ingles from Coruna, is an historic route that was undertaken by many pilgrims from Ireland and the UK who could not, for reasons of war or religion ( or frequently both ) walk from the French channel ports to Santiago. Some will have walked from whatever port on the Northern coasts of Spain they could get to at reasonable cost - so Bilbao, Santander, Ribadeo etc etc. And many who could afford the cost of passage will have walked from Coruna.

Perhaps the "Compostella de 'Coruna'" should only be available to those who can show that they arrived by sea rather than at that convenient airport.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

FICS does argue for a lengthening of the mileage qualification for the Compostela with the exception of the route from Coruña which they recognise as historically authentic.

 

[Tia Valeria]

FICS does argue for a lengthening of the mileage qualification for the Compostela with the exception of the route from Coruña which they recognise as historically authentic.

Hopefully from Ferrol will remain too if there is any change. Can the issue of signs to cafe/bars etc with a different colour be raised? It seems to affect Coruña province as much as anywhere and might provide a lead for other Caminos and keep both pilgrims, businesses and the various authorities happy.

 

[Rhun Leeding]

Having arrived into A Coruna this summer, and taken the train to Ferrol to start, I guess I have to say that there is a point in suggesting there should be a compostela or an equivalent for completing the Camino Ingles from A Coruna.
However, I can kind of see the other side of the coin as well...I probably would have done the Ingles regardless of there being a certificate, and my choice to go from Ferrol was as much to do with the path as it was with the promise of that scrap of paper at the end. (especially when you consider the wait at the peregrino office!).