Camino Inglés hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Camino Inglés, the English Way, is the shortest of the main routes of the Camino de Santiago. It starts at the port of Ferrol on the north coast of Galicia and runs about 112 km south to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Its name comes from the medieval pilgrims from England, Ireland and northern Europe who sailed to Ferrol or A Coruña and walked the rest. It is waymarked with yellow arrows and the Xunta de Galicia's granite markers, which count down the kilometres to Santiago. Most people walk it in five or six days and sleep in pilgrim albergues, guesthouses and small hotels.

The route

The walk begins at the km 0 marker on the Curuxeiras pier in Ferrol, the old fishing port. The first day follows the shore of the Ría de Ferrol through Caranza and the Xubia estuary to Neda, then climbs over low hills to Fene and Cabanas and crosses the long bridge over the Eume into Pontedeume. The second day climbs out of Pontedeume on old lanes, drops to the beach at Miño and goes through farmland and woods to Betanzos, a walled medieval town with arcaded streets and Gothic churches. The third day is the hardest: from Betanzos, almost at sea level, the path climbs steadily through Presedo to the plateau at about 460 m and the hamlet of Hospital de Bruma, where the A Coruña branch joins. The last two days cross the quiet farmland and eucalyptus woods of the Ordes plateau to Sigüeiro, on the Tambre river, and enter Santiago from the north by the Rúa dos Basquiños and the Porta da Pena, a few minutes from the Praza do Obradoiro.

This guide follows the Ferrol route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 5 stages, about 22.5 km each, the classic plan used by most guidebooks. The line measures 112.6 km (the Xunta gives 112.4 km), with about 1,800 m of climbing in total, more than half of it on stages 2 and 3.

The A Coruña branch and the Compostela

There is a second start in the city of A Coruña. That branch is about 73–75 km long: it goes through O Burgo, Sigrás and Sergude (where there is a public albergue) and joins the Ferrol route at As Travesas, just before Hospital de Bruma. Because it is shorter than 100 km, walking only from A Coruña does not give you the Compostela, the certificate the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago issues to pilgrims who walk at least the last 100 km. To get it from A Coruña you must add an earlier section of a recognised pilgrim route, usually at least 25 km walked in your home country (for example on an approved route in Ireland or the UK) and recorded with stamps in your credential, or show that you live in A Coruña. Otherwise you can ask for the distance certificate. From Ferrol there is no such problem. On any route, collect at least two stamps a day in your credential.

Highlights

• Ferrol: the Curuxeiras pier, the km 0 marker and the 18th-century grid of the Barrio da Magdalena
• Pontedeume: the bridge over the Eume, the Andrade tower and the arcaded Rúa Real
• Betanzos: one of the best-preserved old towns in Galicia, with the church of Santa María do Azougue
• Hospital de Bruma: a hamlet named after its old pilgrim hospital, where the two branches meet

When to walk the Camino Inglés

You can walk the Camino Inglés all year, but Galicia is green because it rains often, in every season. The best months are May, June and September: mild weather and fewer people. July and August are the warmest and busiest. From November to February many private albergues close, the public ones stay open (apart from temporary closures), and days are short and wet. In 2026 the Xunta albergue in Ferrol was closed from 1 September to 18 October, and the Betanzos albergue is closed from 5 October 2026 to 5 February 2027. 2027 is a Holy Year (Xacobeo), so expect many more pilgrims from spring 2027.

How many days do you need?

Five walking days is the usual plan: Ferrol – Pontedeume (28 km), Pontedeume – Betanzos (20 km), Betanzos – Hospital de Bruma (24 km), Hospital de Bruma – Sigüeiro (25 km) and Sigüeiro – Santiago (16 km). For six days, split the first day at Neda (14 km), or break the climb from Betanzos at Presedo, or the Bruma – Sigüeiro day at the Poulo albergue. Add a day in Santiago for the cathedral.

Difficulty

The Camino Inglés is a moderate walk with no technical ground. Much of it is on quiet asphalt lanes, forest tracks and town pavements, including long stretches through the outskirts of Ferrol and Narón on the first day. The hardest parts are the climb out of Pontedeume and the long, steady climb from Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma (about 650 m of ascent). Wear light, broken-in shoes for hard surfaces and walk on the left, facing the traffic, where there is no pavement.

Albergues, booking and costs

The public albergues of the Xunta (Ferrol, Neda, Miño, Betanzos, Hospital de Bruma and Poulo) cost 10 € a night, take only pilgrims with a credential and cannot be booked: beds go in order of arrival, doors usually open at 13:00 and you must leave by 08:00. Pontedeume (6.10 €, register at the tourist office) and Presedo (7 €) are municipal. Private albergues cost about 18–25 € and can be booked, and towns have guesthouses and hotels. Hospital de Bruma has only two places to sleep, plus a hotel 1.5 km away in Mesón do Vento, so book ahead in summer. Wild camping is not allowed in Galicia.

Getting there and away

Ferrol has regional trains from A Coruña and buses from A Coruña and Santiago; the nearest airports are A Coruña and Santiago. Get your pilgrim credential before you start, for example at the Tourist and Pilgrim Office on the Curuxeiras pier or the cathedral of San Xiao. From Santiago there are trains and buses across Spain and flights from the airport east of the city.

Money, shops and phone signal

Cards are accepted in most places in the towns, but carry cash for small bars and albergues. Between Betanzos and Sigüeiro, about 48 km, there is no shop, pharmacy or cash machine on the route itself. Buy food in Betanzos, or walk 1.5 km from Hospital de Bruma to Mesón do Vento or 2 km from Poulo to Ordes, which both have a supermarket, a pharmacy and a cash machine. Mobile signal is good almost everywhere.

What to pack

A rain jacket and pack cover, quick-drying clothes, a fleece, light walking shoes or trail runners, a sleeping-bag liner or light sleeping bag (public albergues give disposable sheets, some also blankets), a headtorch, a blister kit, a water bottle and your credential.

Safety

The route is safe and well marked; the main risk is traffic, especially on the first day. In an emergency call 112; for health emergencies 061. Each stage page lists the nearest hospital: Ferrol for the first days, A Coruña for Miño and Betanzos, and Santiago from Hospital de Bruma onwards.