Camino Inglés – a 2023 guide & walking stages

The Camino Inglés or the English Way is one of the shorter routes of the Camino de Santiago network in Europe. This route is growing in popularity, every year more and more pilgrims choose this Camino, but it’s still far from being as busy and crowded as the Camino Frances.

For us, the English Way was our 6th Camino de Santiago that we completed in a year and probably the easiest one due to its short distance.

Camino Ingles free downloadable PDFs

We created free downloadable PDF files that contain walking stages and places to stay along the route. These files will help you to plan your Camino Ingles pilgrimage.

• Camino Ingles walking stages PDF
• Camino Ingles places to stay PDF

Camino Inglés route overview

• Distance – 116 km/72 mi
• Time – 4-6 days
• Starting point – Ferrol
• Finishing point – Santiago de Compostela
• Total ascent (over 5 days) – 2520 m
• Total descent (over 5 days) – 2230 m
• Walking surface – 82 km out of 116 km on asphalt
• Route marking distance poles, yellow arrows, and shells
• Average cost – 25€ per person per day
• Accommodation – public and private albergues, hotels

Travel insurance for the English Way of St.James

Travel insurance for the Camino Ingles. Walking like any other outdoor activity involves a risk of getting an injury or losing some of your gear. The Camino Inglés is not a very demanding hike through remote areas but walking every day with a backpack is still challenging. Small injuries such as blisters, knee problems, or shin splints are quite common on the Camino.

Read more about travel insurance for the Camino or get a personalized insurance quote right here!

World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.

How long does it take to walk the Camino Ingles?

The total distance of the English Way from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela is 116 km/72 mi. It takes between 4 and 6 days on average to complete the route depending on your daily distances.

What is the English Way to Santiago de Compostela?

The English Way or the Camino Ingles in Spanish is a multi-day pilgrimage route from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela. It’s one of the shortest Camino de Santiago routes and a great one for first-time pilgrims who want to get a taste of the Camino. The route goes through one Spanish region – Galicia. According to the Pilgrims’ Reception Office in 2021, 10 980 people (6% of all pilgrims who arrived in Santiago) completed the Camino Inglés.

The English Way was established as a pilgrimage route in the 12th century when pilgrims from England and Northern European Countries arrived in A Coruña via the sea and continued on foot to Santiago de Compostela.

The route is marked all the way with yellow shells and arrows painted on fences, poles, and trees as well as with milestones that indicated the distance left to Santiago de Compostela.

If you’re not used to walking or exercising regularly it’s recommended to do some training for the Camino walk even if it’s just a short route like the Camino Ingles.

The two routes of the English Camino

There are two route options on the English Camino:

• the first starts in Ferrol, the total distance is 116 km/72 mi;
• the second starts in A Coruña, the total distance is 74 km/46 mi.

We’ve walked only the route from Ferrol, but from what we’ve read the route from A Coruña is not well-marked, it’s tricky to find the way and you have to use GPS navigation sometimes. Both routes join at Hospital de Bruma and continue to Santiago together.

The route from A Coruña is shorter than 100 km/62 mi. The last 100 kilometers to Santiago is the required walking minimum for getting the Compostela. For this reason, pilgrims that start from A Coruña can’t get the Compostela for completing this route unless they live in A Coruña and walk from there to Santiago.

What to pack for the English Way?

A great advantage of this route is its short distance, only 116 km/72 mi, compared to the other Camino routes so you’ll need less than a week to complete it which means you can reduce your luggage to the minimum. We have a detailed Camino de Santiago packing list post where you can find packing tips for both men and women for different seasons.

Wearing the right footwear for the walk is very important. Find out the pros and cons of wearing different types of shoes on the Camino de Santiago.

Camino Ingles guidebooks

• A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino Inglés: & Camino Finisterre Including Múxia Circuit (Camino Guides) 2020 edition by John Brierley. Paperback & Kindle.
• Camino Inglés and Ruta do Mar: To Santiago de Compostela and Finisterre from Ferrol, A Coruna or Ribadeo (Cicerone Travel Guides), 2019. Paperback & Kindle.
• Camino de Santiago: To Walk Far, Carry Less by Jean-Christie Ashmore. Paperback and Kindle.

Backpack delivery on the English Way

It’s possible to arrange luggage delivery for every stage of the Camino. You can arrange it before you start walking or along the route. If you use the shuttle service you don’t have to worry about packing your backpack light you can pretty much bring as much stuff as you want.

It works very easily you leave your luggage at the reception in the morning, the company picks it up and delivers it to your next accommodation place. Usually, by the time you arrive, your backpack is already there. Correos offers backpack delivery service on the English Way. The price is 6,5-7 Euro per backpack per stage.

When is the best time for walking?

From our Camino experience in Galicia, you can be lucky or unlucky with the weather regardless of the season, we had some cold and rainy days in June and nice and sunny days in October but in general, it rains a lot here. Obviously, summer is the warmest time with the least rain and the sunniest days.

We always try to walk the Camino not in peak season, July, and August as it’s the busiest time. May, June, and September are good months for walking the Camino; warm but not too hot, not too much rain, and not too many people. April and October can be nice as well if you’re lucky with the weather. Walking this Camino completely off-season (November – March) is quite risky as you might walk the entire route in the pouring rain.

We walked the Camino Inglés at the end of May – the beginning of June and were very lucky with the weather it was very hot for Galicia, about 30-32°C, we got light rain only one morning, the rest of the time it was sunny. I must say the year before we walked the Camino Primitivo at about the same time and it was totally different; cold and rainy for 10 days.

Camino Inglés cost

Accommodation. Public albergues cost 8€ per person. Private albergues/hostels 12-15€ per person. Hotels/guesthouses – from 29€ for a double and 20€ for a single room.  

Eating out. Traditional Menu del Día (a set meal with starter, main, bread, drink, dessert, or coffee) is about 10-12€. A tapa (Tortilla, sandwich, etc.) for 1,5€. A cup of coffee for 1€. Breakfast (Tostada/croissant and coffee) from 2,5€. Beer/glass of wine – 1-2€.

Shopping (food). We bought stuff in supermarkets and made our food most of the time, our average shopping bill for two meals (dinner and breakfast) was about 7€ per person. It’s definitely cheaper to make your own food than to eat out.

Transport. Depending on where you come from your transport expenses (to get to Ferrol and back from Santiago) can be between 40 and 80 Euro. Buses from A Coruña (the nearest airport) to Ferrol cost 8€ per person. For more information on different transport options go to the paragraph “How to get to Ferrol?“.

Luggage transfer (optional). It usually costs 7 Euro per backpack/suitcase per stage. More details on this topic you can find in the “Luggage transfer on the Camino Ingles” paragraph.

Our budget breakdown

5 days, 2 people

We stayed 3 nights in public albergues, 1 night in a hotel, and 1 night in a private albergue. We cooked our own food most of the time though one day we had to eat out three times because it was Sunday and all the shops and supermarkets were closed. We often stopped for coffee on average twice a day, and sometimes went out for a beer or a glass of wine.

• Accommodation – 97€
• Eating out – 57€
• Shopping (food) – 62€
• Coffee – 20€
• Transport (bus A Coruña – Ferrol) – 16€
• Laundry – 5€

Total: 257€ or 25€ per person per day

We have a detailed post on the cost of walking the Camino de Santiago where you can find a lot of practical information and tips for planning your Camino budget.

What is the accommodation like on the English Way?

There are different accommodation options on the route from public and private albergues (the cheapest options) to hotels. Which one to choose depends on your budget and preferences. This Camino is quite short even if you stay in private every night it won’t ruin your budget. On longer Camino routes we book a private room in a hotel every once in a while.

Public albergues are exclusively for pilgrims who walk or cycle the Camino Ingles. Having a credential is a requirement for staying there. The price is 8 euros per bed. Private albergues are more like hostels anybody can stay there but usually people who stay there are pilgrims. Private albergues are more expensive – 12-15 Euro per person but normally have better facilities and are more comfortable.

Comparing public and private albergues on the Camino

Features	Public albergues	Private albergues
Only for pilgrims	yes	no
The Credential is required	yes	no
Can be booked	no	yes
Accept luggage delivery	no	yes
Price	8 Euro	12-15 Euro
Accept credit cards	no	usually
	Facilities
Hot shower	yes	yes
Kitchen	yes	usually
Wi-fi	sometimes	yes
Blankets	sometimes	usually
Washing machine	sometimes	usually

Where to find public albergues on the Camino Ingles?

Km 14 Neda	Km 28 Pontedeume	Km 40 Miño
Km 51 Betanzos	Km 63 Presedo	Km 76 Hospital de Bruma
Km 116 Santiago de Compostela

How to get to the Camino Ingles?

The Camino Ingles starts in Ferrol. It is a nice coastal city with a beautiful historical center and a charming harbor if you have time you can stay for an extra day to see more of the city.

You can get to A Coruña or Ferrol from several Spanish cities. If you come from overseas the best option is to fly to Madrid and from there take a bus/train or another flight to Ferrol.

There is no airport in Ferrol, the nearest airports are in A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela. You can fly to one of them and from there take a bus/train to Ferrol. A Coruña is a much better option it’s closer to Ferrol and it’s easier to get there.

From A Coruña there are many buses to Ferrol they leave every hour or so. The journey takes about 1 hour, the price is 8€ per person. Tickets can be purchased at the bus station just before departure. All buses leave and arrive at the same bus terminal in A Coruña it’s easy to switch buses there.

From Santiago de Compostela there is one direct train to Ferrol and a couple of trains with a connection in A Coruña. The direct train takes 2 hours, the price is 21 Euro.

Getting to Ferrol from Madrid

Madrid	Flight	Train	Bus
Daily departures	6+ direct flights to A Coruña 6+ direct flights to Santiago de Compostela	2 direct trains to Ferrol	4+ direct buses to Ferrol
Station	Barajas Airport	Madrid Chamartín	Estación Sur Barajas Airport T4*
Travel time	1h20min.	7h30min.	7-8 hours
Price	from 30 Euro	from 35 Euro	from 22 Euro
Company	Iberia, Ryanair, AirEuropa	RENFE	ALSA

If you decide to take a bus from Madrid there is a night direct bus to Ferrol that departs from Barajas Airport T4.

Getting to Ferrol from Barcelona

The best way of getting to Ferrol from Barcelona is to fly to A Coruña or Santiago de Compostela. It’s possible to get there by train but it’s a very long and exhausting journey. There is no train to Ferrol, you’ll have to take a train to Santiago. We’ve done this trip once and it took us about 15 hours to get by train from Santiago to Barcelona. There are buses but it takes as long as by train, about 15 hours.

Madrid	Flight
Daily departures	3 direct flights to A Coruña 3 direct flights to Santiago de Compostela
Station	El Prat Airport
Travel time	1h50min.
Price	from 30 Euro
Company	Vueling

Where to stay in Ferrol?

There is no public albergue in Ferrol only private hostels and hotels. We stayed at Hotel Almendra, about 700 m from the bus station and 1 km from the port. The place was nice and clean, close to the restaurants and shops. The owners are very nice and friendly people.

More accommodation options in Ferrol

• Budget | Choyo 2 |
• Middle price | Hotel Real Ferrol City Express |
• High-end | Gran Hotel de Ferrol |

The Camino Inglés – our 5-day itinerary

Day 1. Ferrol – Neda, 14 km/8,6 mi

• Distance – 14 km/8,6 mi
• Time – 2h45min.
• Ascent – 178 m
• Descent – 160 m
• Walking on asphalt – 10 km/6,2 mi, basically most of the day though here and there you walk on the gravel road or boardwalk.
• Walking on the road – 0 km
• Difficulty level – 1 out of 5, very short and easy day

The Camino Inglés starts at the port of Ferrol, there is a route marking pole next to Sarga Tapas and Raciones restaurant (you can search in Google maps “Inicio del Camino Inglés a Santiago de Compostela” the spot is marked). We didn’t use any GPS or map to find the starting point just asked locals where the port (Puerto) is and once we got there we found the sign quite easily. From there on the route was marked well all the way to Neda.

We started walking quite late and for this reason, we decided to stop in Neda if you start early morning it might be better to continue walking but the next public albergue is 15 km/9,3 mi away from Neda which means your first walking day will be 29 km/18 mi.

Highlights

• The port and the historical center of Ferrol

Challenges

• Nothing specific just a lot of walking on a hard surface 

Neda

Neda is a nice small town on the river.

Places to stay in Neda

• Middle price | Sobre la villa 12 |
• High-end | Pazo da Merced |

Day 2. Neda – Miño, 26 km/16 mi

• Distance – 26 km/16 mi
• Time – 5h50min.
• Ascent – 648 m
• Descent – 641 m
• Walking on asphalt – 19 km
• Walking on the road – 700 m
• Difficulty level – 4 out of 5, a relatively long walking day with a couple of very steep ascents and descents

It was a long and pretty challenging day but there were many places to stop on the way for coffee, lunch, and rest. We stopped 3 times it made the walk nicer and easier. The first half of the route is through suburban areas with not much to see. After that, the route became more scenic we got to walk through the beautiful forest from time to time.

Pontedeume is about halfway through the day, a great place to stop for coffee or lunch. If you have time you can walk around a bit and do some sightseeing. Another option is to stop here and continue walking the next day.

Note! In Pontedeume the route is marked with metal shells on the ground, don’t miss them.

Walking through the forest we saw several stands with shells (a traditional symbol of the Camino) that you could purchase for donation and two or three spots with cooler boxes with cool drinks, juices, and water – for donation as well, we haven’t seen it before on any other Camino route.

After Pontedeume the scenery became less urbanized, with more walking through the forest and fields.

Highlights

• The historical center of Pontedeume; Torreón de los Andrade, Puente de Piedra, Iglesia Parroquial de Santiago and a couple of other churches in the historical center of the town.
• Beautiful lush green forest
• Playa Grande de Miño, close to the albergue

Challenges

• A couple of steep ascents in the second half of the day starting from Pontedeume.
• A lot of walking on asphalt makes your feet quite tired compared to walking on a footpath or gravel road.

Miño

Don’t miss the albergue sign in Miño, it’s on the opposite side of the Tourism information sign, pointing in the same direction as the information office, after that there are signs on the righthand side of the road pointing to the albergue.  

Places to stay in Miño

• Middle price | La Terraza |
• High-end | Hotel Crisol de las Rías |

Day 3. Miño – Presedo, 23 km/14,2 mi

• Distance – 23 km/14,2 mi
• Time – 4h53min.
• Ascent – 700 m
• Descent – 556 m
• Walking on asphalt – 21 km/13 mi basically the whole day
• Walking on the road – 4 km/2,4 mi, the last 3 km/1,8 mi to Presedo were on the road
• Difficulty level – 4 out of 5

The first half of the walk to Betanzos went quickly, we stopped in the town for about 1-1,5 hours to drink coffee and to do some sightseeing, there are many interesting places to see luckily most of them are on the route or not far away from it.

After Betanzos the Camino Ingles continued climbing up and down almost non-stop which was fine till the last 3 km that we had to walk on the road, it wasn’t a very busy road but there were some trucks and buses driving by.  

During the whole day, we saw only four pilgrims but when we arrived in Presedo there were 6 other people in the albergue.

Highlights

• The beautiful forest outside of Miño
• The historical center of Betanzos; Plaza of Irmáns García Naveira, Plaza de la Constitución, several churches, and historical buildings.

Challenges

• Walking  on asphalt all day
• Many steep ascents and descents
• Walking on the road for the last 3 km/1,8 mi

Presedo

Presedo is not a town there is only an albergue and a restaurant, your food options are to eat in the restaurant (about 500 m away from the albergue) or to bring food from Betanzos and cook your own meal (the albergue has a kitchen). There are two or three big supermarkets in Betanzos (Lidl, Eroski, Gadis, etc.), about 100 m away from the Camino, at the exit from the city; at the roundabout turn right and go two or three blocks down the street.

Places o stay in Presedo

• High-end | Rectoral de Cines (away from the Camino but according to the pilgrim’s reviews they offer free pick up and drop off) |

Day 4. Presedo – Sigüeiro, 37 km/23 mi

• Distance – 37 km/23 mi
• Time – 7h40min.
• Ascent – 673 m
• Descent – 581 m
• Walking on the asphalt – 22 km/13,6 mi most part of the day
• Walking on the road – 4 km/2,4 mi
• Difficulty level – 5 out of 5

Note! We wanted to have one long walking day on the Camino Ingles, for this reason, we decided to walk two stages in one day if you’re not up for this it’s better to split this day into two stages; Presedo – Hospital de Bruma, 13 km/8 mi and Hospital de Bruma – Sigüeiro, 24 km/15 mi. A good thing about walking a short stage to Hospital de Bruma is that you’ll definitely arrive there before the majority of pilgrims (who come from Betanzos) which can guarantee you a spot. 

The first 30 km/18,6 mi went quickly. The main ascend for the day was right in the beginning in the first 2 hours or so. As usual, we stopped for coffee several times, it was a nice day, and part of the walk was through the forest nice and quiet scenery. The last 6-7 km were not that pleasant we started getting tired the route got very monotonous (walking next to the highway) and it was quite hot. We were very happy when we finally reached Sigüeiro.

Highlights

• Beautiful Galician forest
• At 16 km in front of the bar, there are several metal and stone sculptures of people and animals, the most impressive is a giant dinosaur.

Challenges

• Walking on asphalt for most of the day
• Very long distance  
• Steep ascents in the first half of the day
• The last 4-5 km to Sigüeiro next to the highway and then 1 km on the road (not very busy) past the industrial area of the town.

Sigüeiro

This town is a great stop before Santiago there are a couple of private albergues and several hotels though no public albergue here.

Places to stay in Sigüeiro

• Budget | albergue Camino Real | Albergue Mirás |
• Middle price | Alojamiento Camiño Real – Piso Turístico |
• High-end | Apartamento SIGÜEIRO CAMINO INGLÉS |

Day 5. Sigüeiro – Santiago de Compostela, 16,5 km/10,2 mi

• Distance – 16,5 mi/10,2 mi
• Time – 3h23min.
• Ascent – 321 m
• Descent – 292 m
• Walking on asphalt – 10 km/6,2 mi in the beginning and at the end of the day
• Walking on the road – 0 km, no road walking today!
• Difficulty level – 2 out of 5

If you want to arrive in time for the pilgrims’ mass that takes place at 12 pm every day it’s better to leave early, at 8 am at the latest, to have enough time to store your backpack and get a spot in the cathedral. Note! You’re not allowed to enter the cathedral with a backpack you can leave it in your hotel in Santiago if it’s not far or you can store it at the storage (2 Euro for up to 24 hours) for the time of the mass and pick it up later. The storage is about 200 m from Plaza Obradoiro in front of the Pilgrims’ Reception Office.

Time went very fast we didn’t even notice how we got to the outskirts of Santiago, from there it’s about 5 km/3,1 mi more to walk through the city to the cathedral. There is a church Parroquia de San Caetano on the way where you can get the last stamp before the cathedral. Out of all the Camino routes we’ve done the city part of the Camino Ingles is probably the best and the shortest.

Highlights

• Beautiful forest Bosque Encantado (Enchanted forest) in the middle of the day
• Arriving in Santiago de Compostella – the highlight of the route, always a magical feeling of seeing hundreds of pilgrims coming from different directions to Plaza de Obradoiro.

Challenges

• Several short ascents and descents
• A part of the last 5 km/3,1 mi to the cathedral the route goes through the industrial outskirts of Santiago de Compostela.

Santiago de Compostela, the end of the Camino Ingles

If after finishing the English Way you feel like walking for a couple of more days the Camino Finisterre-Muxía is a great option. It starts from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela and takes you through the Galician forest to the sea, to Finisterre Cape. If you don’t have enough time to complete the route or don’t feel like walking anymore there are many amazing things to do in Santiago de Compostela to keep you busy including a day tour to Finisterre.

Tours and activities in Santiago

• Full-day Rias Baixas Guided Tour from Santiago
• Santiago de Compostela Cathedral and Museum Guided Tour
• Excursion to Ribeira Sacra from Santiago de Compostela

Where to stay in Santiago?

I’d like to mention one special place in Santiago that has been accommodating pilgrims for a couple of centuries – Hospedaria San Martín Pinario or Seminario Mayor. Nowadays it’s a hotel but they still have special rooms for pilgrims. Rooms can be booked over the e-mail reservas@sanmartinpinario.eu or over the phone (+34) 981 56 02 82.

A double room with an attached bathroom is 40€, a single room is 25€. The rooms are small and quite basic but the location and the history of the place are truly amazing. I’d strongly recommend booking it beforehand, especially in the peak season. We were there in June and it was booked two weeks ahead. They have renovated rooms (a bit more expensive but more comfortable) that can be booked online.

More accommodation options

• Budget | Albergue Seminario Menor | Albergue O Fogar de Teodomiro |
• Middle price | Pension Residencia F&F | Pension Via-Stella |
• High-end | Eurostars Araguaney | Hotel Palacio del Carmen |

How to get the Compostela in Santiago?

The Pilgrim’s Reception Office is open from 8 am to 8 pm but there are many people inside who might close the gate at 7 pm or even a bit earlier make sure to arrive early enough.

In our experience, the best time to go for the certificate is late afternoon/evening when there are the least people e.g. we went at 11 am, 1 pm and 6.30 pm and the latest time was the best there were only 10 people before us when the queue at the earlier times was about 60 people.

In the peak season when there are many pilgrims there is a number system that determines your position in the queue. Every pilgrim who comes to the office gets a number that he/she can track through a website or an app (you can get the URL address of the site at the office) to see when it’s time to get back to the office. It’s a very easy and convenient system you don’t have to sit there for hours waiting for your turn. You can go back to your hotel, or walk around the city keeping an eye on the queue online.

To get your Compostela you’ll need a Credential with stamps and a passport or an ID document (sometimes they ask to show it if they are not sure about your name spelling in the Credential). The Compostela is free, you don’t pay anything for that. You can get the Certificate of Distance as well, it is similar to the Compostela but has more details on the route you walked like the starting point, total distance, etc., it costs 3€. To keep your Compostela safe you can buy a special tube card box tube for 5€. We had our Compostelas in there in our check-in luggage and they were like new without any damage after the flight.

As I already mentioned before, according to the new rules, you need two stamps a day for the last 100 km for any Camino route which basically means two stamps for every day of the English Way.

Camino Inglés route planning resources

• How to prepare for the Camino walk? | The best tips for planning the Camino de Santiago |
• How many Camino routes are in Spain? | Many routes of the Camino de Santiago |
• Find out why this Camino called “English”? | History of the English Way of St.James |
• Make sure to try delicious Galician food | Galician food guide – 20 things to eat and drink |

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