peb
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- C. Ingles March 2018
With my Compostela!
It rained every single day, meaning that where the Camino is not on the road, it is very muddy. Unless there is no rain for the next month (remembering that this is Galicia), if you are walking the Camino Ingles in April, I would advise walking boots, instead of either walking shoes or trainers. In many places, you have the choice of either walking through the mud or walking through water. At one stage, you even need to walk through a ploughed rhubarb field to avoid a tree which is down blocking the path. One of the few people that I met (only saw 2 or 3 people per day and nearly all Spanish) on the Camino had to give up because her walking shoes were wet through.
About me, I am in my 50's, do no sport, and did no training. Therefore, if I can do the Ingles then anyone can!!! For the purists, I did cheat, staying in hotels and having my bags transported, so I walked with a day rucksack. It was pitch black till about 8am, so about 8.15 was the start, but equally, it was light until 9pm.
Flew from London to La Coruna, which worked out a lot cheaper than flying from London to Santiago. Curiously, British Airways via Madrid worked out cheaper than Vueling direct to La Coruna. I spent a day in La Coruna, exploring. Worth going to see the Tower of Hercules and the Riazor. Took the 14.31 train from La Coruna to Ferrol arriving 15.45. Much more comfortable than a bus and you have your luggage in sight all the time, if that concerns you. The cost was only 6 euros.. La Coruna station is uphill from the city, so you need a taxi. The ticket machines in Renfe stations all have English language options so are user friendly.
Obtained my Credencial from CSJ in London online. They delivered within 4 days.
Day 1 - Ferrol to Pontedeume - took me 10 hours, all the way round. However, I had arrived in Ferrol the afternoon before, and therefore walked from the Tourist office on the harbour (open till 6pm) to the Tourist office near the station (open till 7pm), so that on day 1, I could just walk out of my hotel, without needing to worry about the first stamps at the harbour. Fene Concello downstairs was closed for a sello, and the people upstairs were reluctant to give me one. Be careful when you come to the Cafeteria Vilar do Colo, where it appeared that the signs for where to go had disappeared. Thankfully, a local pointed me the way.
Day 2 - Pontedeume to Betanzos - took me 7 hours after the long walk the previous day. No sello available at the rectory in Pontedeume though.
Day 3 - Betanzos to Buscas (8km past Hospital de Bruma) - took me 9 hours. On the new route (could not see the old route marked), the infamous hill up to Hospital de Bruma does not exist. There are a few uphill bits, but nothing approaching the climbs out of Pontedeume or Betanzos. Therefore, pyschologically, this stage reads much harder than it actuallyb is physically. Out of Cos, the waymarks appear to go along the road for about 5km until you arrive to Presedo, which is different from what the guidebooks suggest.
Day 4 - Buscas to Sigueiro - took me 6 hours. Quite a boring route. For much of the way to Sigueiro, the waymarked path runs alongside the motorway (but fenced away from it), again this appears different from what the guidebooks suggest. Most depressing seeing cars do a journey in minutes what you do in hours.
Day 5 - Sigueiro to Santiago - took me 3 hours. This was not the easy downhill Tour de France end stage procession that I was expecting. There are some very punchy uphill parts to the path between 9km and 7km to go, which psychologically test you. Became lost in the suburbs when a sign saying straight on appears on a fork on the road and you do know know whether to bear left or right. I mistakenly went left and up, instead of right and downhill. You should not go up, but come downhill and hit the roundabout where McDonalds is. Arrived at Santiago at about 11.45 am. Instead of going to the hotel, went straight to the Pilgrim's office. At just before 12 noon, when everyone is inside the cathedral, the queue for compostelas was 10 minutes. There are toilets in the Pilgrim's office. Was able to leave my rucksack at the luggage room at the Pilgrim's office (go out of the door into the courtyard when you have collected your compostela, down the stairs on the right, and then on the right is the luggage office, but you first need to pay your 2 Euros to obtain a label from the same man you pay for your compostela). Was therefore able to join the pilgrim's service 10 minutes' late. Contrast this with the queue for compostelas after the pilgrims service when I want back to collect my rucksack, which must have been the typical hour long queue.
Homeward day 6 - train from Santiago to La Coruna then airport bus from nearby to La Coruna airport.
Key things that I took: I drunk 2 litres of water a day, excluding at dinner, so always carried a 1.5 litre and 0.5 litre bottle of mineral water. I had read too many stories of people becoming ill from drinking fountain water, so decided not to risk. Bought a mini golf umbrella from Decathlon for £ 9 (there is a Decathlon in both La Coruna and in Ferrol) which, again not purist, kept my top half dry when it rained. By 'mini', it folded up to 50cm, so could stick out of my rucksack for the 10 minutes a day it did not rain, but was larger and much sturdier than a normal umbrella. Final thing. Took 2 Compeed sticks. Spreading this, liberally, all over the parts of my feet which could rub at the start of the day really worked. No blisters. Final thing, as I was staying in hotels, a hot bath each night (bar one, as one hotel had no baths) soaking my legs and feet did wonders. Took a bottle of the most relaxing bath oil I knew, which acted like medicine to my legs.
Really glad I did the Ingles, rather than the last stage of the other Caminos. Yes the stages are longer then on the Camino Franche, where there is more infrastructure, but firstly, being English, the Ingles seemed more appropriate, and secondly, being able to walk the whole thing gives a stronger sense of achievement.
Happy to provide any further information for anyone if it helps.
It rained every single day, meaning that where the Camino is not on the road, it is very muddy. Unless there is no rain for the next month (remembering that this is Galicia), if you are walking the Camino Ingles in April, I would advise walking boots, instead of either walking shoes or trainers. In many places, you have the choice of either walking through the mud or walking through water. At one stage, you even need to walk through a ploughed rhubarb field to avoid a tree which is down blocking the path. One of the few people that I met (only saw 2 or 3 people per day and nearly all Spanish) on the Camino had to give up because her walking shoes were wet through.
About me, I am in my 50's, do no sport, and did no training. Therefore, if I can do the Ingles then anyone can!!! For the purists, I did cheat, staying in hotels and having my bags transported, so I walked with a day rucksack. It was pitch black till about 8am, so about 8.15 was the start, but equally, it was light until 9pm.
Flew from London to La Coruna, which worked out a lot cheaper than flying from London to Santiago. Curiously, British Airways via Madrid worked out cheaper than Vueling direct to La Coruna. I spent a day in La Coruna, exploring. Worth going to see the Tower of Hercules and the Riazor. Took the 14.31 train from La Coruna to Ferrol arriving 15.45. Much more comfortable than a bus and you have your luggage in sight all the time, if that concerns you. The cost was only 6 euros.. La Coruna station is uphill from the city, so you need a taxi. The ticket machines in Renfe stations all have English language options so are user friendly.
Obtained my Credencial from CSJ in London online. They delivered within 4 days.
Day 1 - Ferrol to Pontedeume - took me 10 hours, all the way round. However, I had arrived in Ferrol the afternoon before, and therefore walked from the Tourist office on the harbour (open till 6pm) to the Tourist office near the station (open till 7pm), so that on day 1, I could just walk out of my hotel, without needing to worry about the first stamps at the harbour. Fene Concello downstairs was closed for a sello, and the people upstairs were reluctant to give me one. Be careful when you come to the Cafeteria Vilar do Colo, where it appeared that the signs for where to go had disappeared. Thankfully, a local pointed me the way.
Day 2 - Pontedeume to Betanzos - took me 7 hours after the long walk the previous day. No sello available at the rectory in Pontedeume though.
Day 3 - Betanzos to Buscas (8km past Hospital de Bruma) - took me 9 hours. On the new route (could not see the old route marked), the infamous hill up to Hospital de Bruma does not exist. There are a few uphill bits, but nothing approaching the climbs out of Pontedeume or Betanzos. Therefore, pyschologically, this stage reads much harder than it actuallyb is physically. Out of Cos, the waymarks appear to go along the road for about 5km until you arrive to Presedo, which is different from what the guidebooks suggest.
Day 4 - Buscas to Sigueiro - took me 6 hours. Quite a boring route. For much of the way to Sigueiro, the waymarked path runs alongside the motorway (but fenced away from it), again this appears different from what the guidebooks suggest. Most depressing seeing cars do a journey in minutes what you do in hours.
Day 5 - Sigueiro to Santiago - took me 3 hours. This was not the easy downhill Tour de France end stage procession that I was expecting. There are some very punchy uphill parts to the path between 9km and 7km to go, which psychologically test you. Became lost in the suburbs when a sign saying straight on appears on a fork on the road and you do know know whether to bear left or right. I mistakenly went left and up, instead of right and downhill. You should not go up, but come downhill and hit the roundabout where McDonalds is. Arrived at Santiago at about 11.45 am. Instead of going to the hotel, went straight to the Pilgrim's office. At just before 12 noon, when everyone is inside the cathedral, the queue for compostelas was 10 minutes. There are toilets in the Pilgrim's office. Was able to leave my rucksack at the luggage room at the Pilgrim's office (go out of the door into the courtyard when you have collected your compostela, down the stairs on the right, and then on the right is the luggage office, but you first need to pay your 2 Euros to obtain a label from the same man you pay for your compostela). Was therefore able to join the pilgrim's service 10 minutes' late. Contrast this with the queue for compostelas after the pilgrims service when I want back to collect my rucksack, which must have been the typical hour long queue.
Homeward day 6 - train from Santiago to La Coruna then airport bus from nearby to La Coruna airport.
Key things that I took: I drunk 2 litres of water a day, excluding at dinner, so always carried a 1.5 litre and 0.5 litre bottle of mineral water. I had read too many stories of people becoming ill from drinking fountain water, so decided not to risk. Bought a mini golf umbrella from Decathlon for £ 9 (there is a Decathlon in both La Coruna and in Ferrol) which, again not purist, kept my top half dry when it rained. By 'mini', it folded up to 50cm, so could stick out of my rucksack for the 10 minutes a day it did not rain, but was larger and much sturdier than a normal umbrella. Final thing. Took 2 Compeed sticks. Spreading this, liberally, all over the parts of my feet which could rub at the start of the day really worked. No blisters. Final thing, as I was staying in hotels, a hot bath each night (bar one, as one hotel had no baths) soaking my legs and feet did wonders. Took a bottle of the most relaxing bath oil I knew, which acted like medicine to my legs.
Really glad I did the Ingles, rather than the last stage of the other Caminos. Yes the stages are longer then on the Camino Franche, where there is more infrastructure, but firstly, being English, the Ingles seemed more appropriate, and secondly, being able to walk the whole thing gives a stronger sense of achievement.
Happy to provide any further information for anyone if it helps.
First time a mix of hotels, B&B and albergues. Second time all hotels or B&B.
