first day on Ingles

[Otmoor22]

After excellent stay at Hotel Almendra in Ferrol started off at 7am in rain which continued on and off all day. Made good progress, arriving at alburgue at Pontedeume at 1.30pm. Not manned and myself and other pilgrims tried in vain to contact the numbers displayed. Eventually gave up and found alternative accommodation in town.
At 6.30pm the rain continues unabated and is forcast to continue tomorrow. Relatively few pilgrims on camino and appear to be predominantly Spanish.

 

[jsalt]

arriving at alburgue at Pontedeume at 1.30pm. Not manned and myself and other pilgrims tried in vain to contact the numbers displayed

Nothing is manned at 1:30 pm in Spain – it’s siesta time! They were probably contactable after 4pm, but glad you found alternative accommodation . Buen camino, Jill.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Well done on the first day. Enjoy Pontedeume As Jill said 1.30 is a little early for albergues. The weather improved greatly in Santiago late morning. Hopefully tomorrow the rain won't be so continuous for you!

 

[domigee]

Very envious! Buen camino

 

[Tincatinker]

We found the hospitalera at Pontedueme welcoming and friendly - at about 6:15 in the evening. She had unlocked the doors at 5:00pm and gone back to the rest of her life. The nearest bar on the main street, the name escapes me, assured us that the hospi would visit around 6:00pm.

Beware, as in be aware that further down the road at ????? one has to 'phone the Guardia Civil to come and open up the Albergue. Any time before 5:00pm will result only in the advice to "espere".

 

[Pelegrin]

Nothing is manned at 1:30 pm in Spain – it’s siesta time! They were probably contactable after 4pm, but glad you found alternative accommodation . Buen camino, Jill.

Siesta is always after lunch. Lunch in Galicia starts usually at 14:00 hours. Then siesta time in Galicia is from 14:30 h.
As I said in another thread many people in Galicia who run small business sometimes use siesta time to work in another place like for example their vegetable gardens (berzas, grelos, potatoes, etc)

 

[JohnnieWalker]

The hospitaleros of the albergues on the Camino Ingles are part time employees - they often have other jobs or commitments - they aren't necessarily sleeping or in their gardens! My experience on this route is that if they are free they will answer the telephone - if not they won't answer until after 4pm.

Tinkatinker - I think you are referring to the Albergue in Miño - although I think nowadays there is an alternative to calling the guardia civil - the numbers are on the door and in the guide.

 

[KinkyOne]

Tinkatinker - I think you are referring to the Albergue in Miño - although I think nowadays there is an alternative to calling the guardia civil - the numbers are on the door and in the guide.

True. A young man came at about 7PM but the albergue was already opened earlier. There was no key to lock the front doors when I went to the supermercado so I took all my money and tech gear with me. It's best to buy provisions and then head for the albergue which is behind the school at the end of the village. But you can lock yourself inside during the night though

 

[t2andreo]

Are there private accommodations, like hostals or pensions along the Ingles? All the postings I can recall reading in the Forum, for this route only discuss the "iffy" albergue proposition in each nightly stopping place.

I would like to do this route, but do not use albergues for several reasons. However, If I cannot find suitable lodging every 20 Km or so, I may be compelled to consider another route.

I appreciate any and all suggestions. I also look forward to the new version of the CSJ Guide.

Thanks

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola - the albergues on this route are actually very good indeed! There is also a choice of other accommodation along the Camino Ingles. The new edition of the Guide is available to download in the resources section of the forum.

Best regards

John

 

[Otmoor22]

Got room from Bar Luis in Pontedeume. Small but ensuite and only 15euro. Today was even wetter. Started out at 7.30 in heavy rain which continued all morning. Walked into Betanzos with 2 Spanish men I had met at Pontedeume alburgue. We arrived at alburgue at 12.50 and hospitaliar opened up at 1. Great place and now full. And still it rains!

 

[Tia Valeria]

@t2andreo - We have walked the Inglés twice. First time we used a mix of albergues and private rooms (Hostales/pensiones), second time only private rooms and we took 8 walking days. Ferrol, Naron, Cabañas/Pontedeume, Miño, Betanzos, Meson do Vento, Ordes, Sigueiro and then Santiago. We found details for most nights in @JohnnieWalker 's guide. I don't know if the latest guide includes the O Cantiño in Miño, but it is about 1km from the centre - keep straight on along the road over railway bridge and don't turn down right to the albergue.

 

[Pelegrin]

@t2andreo - We have walked the Inglés twice. First time we used a mix of albergues and private rooms (Hostales/pensiones), second time only private rooms and we took 8 walking days. Ferrol, Naron, Cabañas/Pontedeume, Miño, Betanzos, Meson do Vento, Ordes, Sigueiro and then Santiago. We found details for most nights in @JohnnieWalker 's guide. I don't know if the latest guide includes the O Cantiño in Miño, but it is about 1km from the centre - keep straight on along the road over railway bridge and don't turn down right to the albergue.

Yes, Hotel Kensington in Narón. I stayed there. Sometimes this hotel appears located in Xubia. It is also correct, Xubia is the parish/town and Narón the municipality.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Got room from Bar Luis in Pontedeume. Small but ensuite and only 15euro. Today was even wetter. Started out at 7.30 in heavy rain which continued all morning. Walked into Betanzos with 2 Spanish men I had met at Pontedeume alburgue. We arrived at alburgue at 12.50 and hospitaliar opened up at 1. Great place and now full. And still it rains!

Well done despite the rain! Interesting that there are so many pilgrims around - get to Bruma sharp tomorrow!

Buen Camino

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I just finished the Camino Ingles. There are beds everywhere, but there also are full places. Bruma was full, but only after 5 p.m. It is busy, so be creative. Hostel Sigueiro showed full on booking sites, but had room. Phone ahead or stop in. After Sigueiro, Hotel San Vicente had beds. Large tour groups are going on this route. The tour organizer spreads them over hotels, but some beds are often open. I was surrounded by forty rotund Brits, all with faster foot speeds than I, but it made second coffee a long wait!!

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Being surrounded by 40 rotund Brits must have been quite an experience!

You're right though Hostels and hotels don't always release all vacancies on booking.com - always best to check by phone or in person.

Welcome back to Santiago!

 

[Pelegrin]

I just finished the Camino Ingles. There are beds everywhere, but there also are full places. Bruma was full, but only after 5 p.m. It is busy, so be creative. Hostel Sigueiro showed full on booking sites, but had room. Phone ahead or stop in. After Sigueiro, Hotel San Vicente had beds. Large tour groups are going on this route. The tour organizer spreads them over hotels, but some beds are often open. I was surrounded by forty rotund Brits, all with faster foot speeds than I, but it made second coffee a long wait!!

Hostel Sigüeiro near river Tambre is very good in my opinion.
When I did my Camino in July there were few people but I was told that 2 days before everything was full (in albergues). Only on the stretch Pontedeume - Betanzos I met fifty people from Eslovaquia in an organized trip with a bus included. They slept in Betanzos at the sports hall.

 

[Deni Dawgs]

The hospitaleros of the albergues on the Camino Ingles are part time employees - they often have other jobs or commitments - they aren't necessarily sleeping or in their gardens! My experience on this route is that if they are free they will answer the telephone - if not they won't answer until after 4pm.

Tinkatinker - I think you are referring to the Albergue in Miño - although I think nowadays there is an alternative to calling the guardia civil - the numbers are on the door and in the guide.

We have just finished the Ingles, we phoned as advertised at Mino but the chap who came had no key ( or English!) but then we found the door open. None of the albergues apart from Bruma were more than half full. Even Bruma had spaces. Also be aware that there are changes to the route on the last day into Santiago.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Also be aware that there are changes to the route on the last day into Santiago.

Could you tell us what changes please?

 

[Rhun Leeding]

I just finished the Camino Ingles. There are beds everywhere, but there also are full places. Bruma was full, but only after 5 p.m. It is busy, so be creative. Hostel Sigueiro showed full on booking sites, but had room. Phone ahead or stop in. After Sigueiro, Hotel San Vicente had beds. Large tour groups are going on this route. The tour organizer spreads them over hotels, but some beds are often open. I was surrounded by forty rotund Brits, all with faster foot speeds than I, but it made second coffee a long wait!!

You found forty Brits? Despite being rotund, I sadly wasn't one of them, didn't see another Brit the whole way, and only one or two others that spoke English. It seemed to me that it was a good mix of nationalities on the trail though, with a few more Spaniards and Germans than other nationalities. Maybe you just got caught with that one group of Brits? We called Meson o Novo on the day at around 2pm, and they still had a couple of rooms, so we booked one. Sigueiro's albergues were both full, but found the Hostal Sigueiro to be fairly reasonable when split between two pilgrims.

 

[Deni Dawgs]

Could you tell us what changes please?

Sorry to take so long to reply, but I've finally managed to work out how to get the information off my garmin tracker and onto the forum. I think this link will show our route from Sigüeiro to Santiago:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1361945957?share_unique_id=1

My tracker was not calibrated to my step length correctly, so don't trust the distances the tracker gives, although the map should be correct.

The following is a quote from the guide (page 73, just after the Hotel San Vincente):

"Then veer Left and pass over a gravel path in front of a house and cross the road to go downhill to turn Right into a tunnel below the N550. Pass under the road and shortly after walking up a gentle incline follow the waymark (11.185km) to the Left along a path. At the end of this path as you reach a minor road at a farm building. Turn Right. 6 kms"

We found the house with the gravel path, but somewhere after that we lost the path and never did find the farm building. You can see our track on the link above. We rejoined the guide book path by the Telesis building, but our track was alongside the building and the Guide path came in on our right.

"KSO until the path comes out on a road with a modern office building occupied by Telsís facing you." (Page 74 end paragraph 2)


We did find a number of wooden arrow markers, with "Official Camino Ingles 2014" written on them which seemed to be correct. We passed at some stage the A Fontina Cafe Bar, and then went through a wood marked in spanish "Enchanted Wood" with a cutout of a witch flying on a broomstick.

I hope this helps!
Vicki

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Thanks - there is something of an arrows war going on in this exact spot. Some time ago the official route was changed to take it away from the main road. The new route is much better. However the former route passed in front on bars etc who facing loss of business have been blocking out yellow arrows and changing the direction indicators. The authorities are dealing with this.

To follow the route - just follow the guide!
Best regards

John

 

[Tia Valeria]

I wish that when the route diverts away from bars that they could still be marked. Either to the bars or as an alternative route. Some of us need those stops and I remember it being a very 'dry' walk that day.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

I wish that when the route diverts away from bars that they could still be marked. Either to the bars or as an alternative route. Some of us need those stops and I remember it being a very 'dry' walk that day.

I don't understand. From the last bar in Sigueiro to the Hotel San Vicente where there are two bars is about 4.5kms. From the Hotel San Vicente to the Café Bar Polígono is 6.5 kms and within a further 2 kms there are many bars on the approach in Santiago itself. How much do you drink?

 

[Tia Valeria]

I don't understand. From the last bar in Sigueiro to the Hotel San Vicente where there are two bars is about 4.5kms. From the Hotel San Vicente to the Café Bar Polígono is 6.5 kms and within a further 2 kms there are many bars on the approach in Santiago itself. How much do you drink?

Plenty of water, but we do like our café con leche.
We have twice walked this section on a Sunday, which might explain in part. We found the bar signed through a garden by the San Vicente the second time through. The Café Bar Polígono was closed the first time The arrows were not good through the industrial estate the second time and took us, we think, a different way round to the next section of track and missed the bars. We dithered over whether to follow the signs or your guide. We found the way without problem (2015) where @Deni Dawgs lost it. Maybe because we remembered what we were looking for from the previous time.
Edit:- walked in 2011 and 2015