The Camino Ingles is one of the shortest Camino de Santiago routes to the tomb of the Apostle St.James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The route dates back to the 12th century. It was used by the pilgrims who arrived in Northern Spain (after completing the part of the route in their country) and wanted to continue their journey to Santiago. Nowadays most pilgrims who walk the route start in Ferrol.
The Camino Ingles offers a combination of the forest and rural scenery with occasional towns. It is one of the less popular routes to walk the last 100 km to Santiago de Compostela. There are significantly fewer pilgrims than on the Camino Frances from Sarria or the Portuguese route from Tui.
A magic Galician forest on the last day of the Camino Ingles
You can find more information on the walking stages, distances, maps, and elevation in our post.
PDFs of the route
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GPX of the route
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What is the Camino Ingles?
The Camino Ingles is a multi-day pilgrimage route in Northern Spain. It starts in Ferrol or A Coruña and finishes in Santiago de Compostela. It’s one of the shortest routes – a great one for first-time pilgrims who want to walk the Camino de Santiago. The route goes through one Spanish region – Galicia. According to the Pilgrims’ Reception Office in 2024, 28 060 people (5,6% of all pilgrims who arrived in Santiago) completed the Camino Inglés.
The Camino was established as a pilgrimage route in the 12th century when pilgrims from England and Northern Europe arrived in A Coruña via the sea route and continued on foot to Santiago de Compostela.
How long is the route?
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.
There are several stone crosses like this on the Camino Ingles
Where does the Camino Ingles start?
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 on the same trail.
The route from A Coruña is shorter than 100 km/62 mi. The 100 kilometers is the required walking minimum for getting the Compostela certificate. For this reason, pilgrims who start in A Coruña can’t get the Compostela for this route unless they live in A Coruña or they start their pilgrimage overseas and continue from A Coruña. You’ll need some proof e.g. stamps from local churches on the route.
A map of the Camino Inglés route from A Coruña and Ferrol
How difficult is the walk?
The Camino Ingles is a moderate multi-day trail. It is challenging like any other long-distance route for an inexperienced hiker. You can make it easier or more difficult by changing your daily distances. If you split the route into 6 stages your average daily distance will be less than 20 km/12,4 mi.
If you’re not used to walking or exercising regularly it’s recommended to do some training for the Camino even for a short route like the Camino Ingles.
Is the route well-marked?
Yes, it’s well-marked. The Camino Ingles is marked with yellow shells and arrows painted on fences, poles, trees, ground, etc. Every 500 m to 1 km you can see milestones indicating the distance left to Santiago de Compostela.
A yellow arrow on a pole marking the Camino Ingles route
What to pack for the walk?
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We have a detailed Camino de Santiago packing list post where you can find packing tips for men and women for different seasons.
Our favorite kind of footwear for the Camino de Santiago is hiking shoes. 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.
If you want to stay in public albergues and get the Compostela certificate for completing the Camino you’ll need a Credential (pilgrims passport). You can get it in Ferrol before starting the walk.
Camino Ingles guidebooks
One of the towns at the beginning of the Camino Ingles
Luggage transfer service
It’s possible to arrange luggage delivery for every stage of the Camino. You can arrange it before you start walking or once on the route. If you use the 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, and 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 and Pilbeo offer luggage transfer service on the Camino Ingles. The price is 7 Euros per backpack per stage.
The best time for walking
From our Camino experience in Galicia, you can be lucky or unlucky with the weather. We had some cold and rainy days in June and nice and sunny days in October. In general, it rains a lot here. Summer is the warmest time with the least rain and the most sunny days.
May, June, and September are good months for walking the Camino. It’s warm and not much rain. You don’t have to worry about people, this route is never busy.
April and October can be nice if you’re lucky with the weather. If you walk this Camino completely off-season (November – March) you might walk the entire route in the pouring rain.
The peak summer months of July and August are good time for this route too. Even if it’s hot you walk a lot through the forest and as I said it’s never too busy.
As for walking the route in offseason between November and March first, you’re very likely to get wet weather, some albergues are closed, and you might feel lonely.
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°C, we got light rain only one morning, the rest of the time it was sunny.
Average rainfalls and number of rainy days in Galicia throughout the year
The cost of the Camino Ingles
Accommodation. Public albergues cost 10€ per person. Private albergues/hostels 15-20€ per person. Hotels/guesthouses – from 50€ for a double and 45€ for a single room.
Eating out. Traditional Menu del Día (a set meal with a starter, main, bread, drink, dessert, or coffee) is about 12€. A tapa (Tortilla, sandwich, etc.) – 3€. A cup of coffee – 1,5-2€. Breakfast (Tostada/croissant and coffee) from 4€. Beer/glass of wine – 2-3€.
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 8-10€ per person. It’s cheaper to make food than to eat out.
Transport. It depends on where you come from. Your transport expenses can be between 40 and 80 Euros. Buses from A Coruña (the nearest airport) to Ferrol are 10€ 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 Euros per backpack/suitcase per stage.
Fields and forest are predominant scenery on the Camino Ingles
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 made 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 stopped for coffee twice a day, and sometimes went out for a beer or a glass of wine.
- Accommodation – 120€
- Eating out – 65€
- Shopping (food) – 70€
- Coffee – 25€
- Transport (bus A Coruña – Ferrol) – 20€
- Laundry – 10€
Total: 310€ or 31€ 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 Camino?
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 a private room every night it won’t break your budget.
Public albergues are exclusively for pilgrims who walk or cycle the Camino Ingles. Having a Credential is a requirement for staying here. The average price is 10 euros per bed.
Private albergues are more like hostels anybody can stay there but usually, there are mostly pilgrims. Private albergues are more expensive – 15-20 euros per person. They usually have better facilities and are more comfortable.
Public albergue in Hospital de Bruma on the Camino Inglés
Comparing public and private albergues
| 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 | 10 Euro | 15-20 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 |
Comparing the features and the facilities of public and private albergues on the Camino Ingles
Where to find public albergues on the Camino Ingles?
| Km 0 Ferrol |
Km 14 Neda |
Km 28 Pontedeume |
| Km 40 Miño |
Km 51 Betanzos |
Km 63 Presedo |
| Km 76 Hospital de Bruma |
Km 86 O Outeiro |
Km 116 Santiago de Compostela |
Places with public albergues for pilgrims along the Camino Ingles
How to get to the Camino Ingles?
Most people start the walk in Ferrol. It is a nice coastal city with a beautiful historical center and a harbor. If you have time you can stay for an extra day to see more of it.
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 take a bus/train or fly to the nearest airport.
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 take a bus/train to Ferrol. A Coruña is a better option because it’s closer to Ferrol, easier to get there. There are direct flights to A Coruña from Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga), UK (London), and Switzerland (Geneve).
From A Coruña there are many buses to Ferrol. They leave every hour or so. The journey takes about 1 hour, the price is 10€ per person. Tickets can be purchased at the bus station 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 aconnection in A Coruña. The direct train takes 2 hours, the price is 21 Euro.
The Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela is the end of the Camino Ingles
Getting to Ferrol from Madrid
If you want to take a bus from Madrid there is a night direct bus to Ferrol that departs from Barajas Airport T4.
| Madrid | Flight | Train | Bus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily departures | 6+ direct flights to A Coruña 6+ direct flights to Santiago de Compostela |
1 direct train to Ferrol | 4+ direct buses to Ferrol |
| Station | Barajas Airport | Madrid Chamartín | Estación Sur Barajas Airport T4 |
| Travel time | 1h20min. | 6 hours | 7-8 hours |
| Price | from 30 Euro | from 45 Euro | from 10 Euro |
| Company | Iberia, AirEuropa | RENFE | ALSA |
Different transport options for getting to the Camino Ingles from Madrid
Getting to Ferrol from Barcelona
The best way of getting to Ferrol from Barcelona is to fly to A Coruña. It’s possible to get to Ferrol by train but it’s a very long and exhausting journey. There is no direct train to Ferrol. You’ll have to take a train to Santiago. We did the trip once and it took us about 15 hours by train to get from Santiago to Barcelona. There are buses but they take just as long as trains.
| Barcelona | Flight |
|---|---|
| Daily departures | 3 direct flights to A Coruña |
| Station | El Prat Airport |
| Travel time | 1h50min. |
| Price | from 30 Euro |
| Company | Vueling and Iberia |
Transport options for getting to Ferrol from Barcelona
Where to get a Credential (pilgrim’s passport)?
- You can get a a Pilgrim’s Passport at the Church of San Julian (Co-Catedral de Ferrol) in Ferrol. It’s open daily from 10.30 am to 1 pm and from 5.30 pm to 7 pm (on Sundays only in the morning).
- At the Officina Municipal de Turismo y de Atencion al Peregrino at Paseo da Mariña, near the starting point of the Camino Ingles. It’s open Sunday to Thursday from 9 am to 2 pm; Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm and from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm.
- At La Domus (the bishop residency) in Ferrol at Miramar Street in the morning.
What are the highlights of the Camino?
- Ferrol is a nice port town with a beautiful harbour and historical center.
- Pontedeume is our favorite town on the Camino Ingles. It’s small and charming with many restaurants and bars on the main square.
- A beautiful Galician forest on the way from Sigüeiro to Santiago.
Where to stay in Ferrol?
There is a public albergue in Ferrol near the port. It’s new (opened in 2023) and quite big (60 beds). Considering the number of pilgrims on the Camino Ingles you’re very likely to get a bed there.
You can stay in a private room as well. 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.
Camino Ingles planning resources
The pretty half of Stingy Nomads, responsible for all our land adventures (hiking, climbing, walking the Camino) and following them write-ups. Alya loves walking since she was a child, she prefers to walk 1000 km with a backpack rather than to do a 10 000 km road trip (actually any road trip). Alya is a big fan of Latin America, the Spanish language, and dancing. Every time we go away she desperately misses our dog Chile.
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