Camino Ingles

August 2022 - April 2024
Walking the Camino Ingles with Ida Drake. Read more
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  • 508kilometers
  • Day 1

    Santiago to Ferrol

    August 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    MAD to SCQ, then taxi to Praza Obradoiro and the Cathedral. Picked up hiking poles. Found cafe to eat pulpo and churros y chocolate. Walked to bus station and took bus to Ferrol. Found hotel. Walked down to the Porto to find start of Camino. Walked back and ate at local bar and had weird food. Back in hotel to sleep for a 7 am start.Read more

  • Day 2

    Ferrol to Neda

    August 23, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Walked 14-15k from Ferrol to Neda. Passed many beautiful sites and churches. We were accompanied by a peloton of pilgrims who played music from a boom box. When we arrived in Neda we got Claras across the street at a bar and had pinchos of tortilla de patatas and chorizo and bread. Stayed at Pension Maragoto.Read more

  • Day 3

    Neda to Pontedeume

    August 24, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The walk from Neda to Pontedeume starts with a lovely boardwalk along the riverfront (on the Camino Antics route) that eventually comes out on the Main Street by a beautiful old church. There is a fair bit of road walking in neighborhoods and some respectable hills. We had clouds all day so that was good. Pay attention to the guidebook as there are a couple of interesting road crossings. Coming down into Cabanas from above is a long hill. Crossing the ancient medieval bridge is fun. We stayed at a hotel on the Camino outside of Pontedeume, and the climb to here was unrelenting for about 1.5 km.Read more

  • Day 4

    Pontedeume to Betanzos

    August 25, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Leaving Pontedeume we still had a small climb from Campolongo. Missed the turn by the grape arbor and heard other pilgrims whistle to get us back onto the way. We walked through trails and small streets and over a big highway to an oasis called Ultreia et Suseia where we had coffee and ham and cheese and bread with a great place to sit. This was by an old bridge Ponte ……? Then more walking down to Miño where we diverted to the beach for a foot soak and rest. Ida was hungry so we found a grocery store and bought fruit and avocado. I had half a baguette from the day before. We found a hardware store and bought a cheap folding knife. We walked toward Ponte de Porco and found an old table close to the river to eat at and enjoyed the food. We were down close to sea level. Nice breeze out of the north with good views of the ocean and river delta in the background. We followed the river a bit and then began more climbing up and up, finding water and another oasis as we went through small settlements with beautiful views of the surrounding hills and river valley. At the top just before descending to Betanzos, we came across an ancient church with many Celtic symbols and the graveyard. We walked down into the town and found another ancient church, then went across the river through a medieval gate into Betanzos and up some more steep to the Portico Hostal. It was the last night of the festival of San Roque. Lots of entertainment and rides in the square and a huge stage. We went to a small pilgrim’s mass and received blessing from the priest and a sello. We ate at our restaurant by the hotel and had ice cream for dessert and then tried to sleep while the loud band was playing in the square until 4 am!!Read more

  • Day 5

    Betanzos to Presedo

    August 26, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We stayed two nights in Betanzos, at the lovely Portico Hostal with a delicious restaurant right below. We chose to leave our mochilas at the hostal and walk with daypacks to Presedo, and get a taxi back to Betanzos for the second night. Our walk today was about 8 miles, through some roads, fields and forests, and also a stretch on the main highway which I was not too thrilled about. We walked through Presedo, which has only a very small albuerge, and had lunch a little further down the road at Mason Museo Xente no Camiño. We ate judias (flat green beans) and had a soup with noodles and another with chickpeas and tripa!
    We called a taxi which came quickly and took us back to Betanzos for the afternoon of relaxation and walking around town and another great dinner downstairs. Of note is the pig sculpture on top of the Romanesque church Santa Maria with the cross on its back as well as the Celtic symbols on the portico and exterior of the other Romanesque church.
    The weather is going to be interesting from now on for a couple of days so we’ve chosen to have Correos take our packs on ahead. We shall see how that goes!
    Read more

  • Day 6

    Presedo to Bruma/Castrelos (Leira)

    August 27, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Morning began meeting another peregrina from Holland, Nelly… and we shared breakfast together in Betanzos. A sweet, skinny gato callajero shared my desayuno. Our cab driver, Fermin, picked us up and brought us to Meson Museo where we left off yesterday. We met up with a family of five, a father, mother and three daughters who chatted us up for a long time walking fast!! We had a lovely pastoral morning ramble through forests and open country to As Travesas where the two branches come together, there is a cafe there for a quick CocaCola! and then to Hospital de Bruma, where we caught up with Nelly again for a chat and a photo. We met up further on with two Brits, John and James, from North Essex. A nice chat by the bus station ensued. We left the Camino to find our Hotel Barrieros in Castrelos, about a mile away down a huge hill. We ate a great menu del dia of caldo Gallego and I had bacalao fritas and Ida had chicken legs. A lovely bottle of Albariño and flan set us up! Tonight we sleep and tomorrow we walk!Read more

  • Day 7

    Bruma/Castrelos to Sigüeiro

    August 28, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We stayed in the very clean and well equipped Hotel Barrieros last night, about a mile off the Camino and slept well. Breakfast was included and was filling and delicious. We had an easier return to the Camino up a country road to rejoin the route. There were a couple of cafés along the way but most of the day passed by walking through countryside and mixed roads and trails. We met up with Nelly again with two of her Spanish friends and Ida enjoyed talking to them while I listened. There was a rather long section of Camino along the main highway, where we had seen other pilgrims walking when we were taking the bus to Ferrol! It was very hot and dry as we finished going into Següeiro. There was a salsa band playing in a park as we came into town. Our hostel Siabas is very modern and comfortable. We had to wait a long time but we did get a supper of salmon tostada and a salad with goat cheese. After a rest we met up with our British friends on the street and had a couple of beers and conversation. John regaled us with pics and lots of chatting. James turned out to be the real James Bond! We also met our familia again on the street and chatted a little. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the last stage. It has gone fast! Ultreia et suseia!Read more

  • Day 8

    Sigüeiro to Santiago de Compostela

    August 29, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Our last day on Camino was beautiful, the weather perfect and coming back to civilization was gentle. We strolled through the bosque encantado and enjoyed a couple of cafe stops to get our sellos (stamps in our Pilgrim passport). Arriving in Santiago we were piped in by bagpipes and entered the Praza Obradiero. We were able to get the Compostela certificate very easily. Checked into the hotel Casa Celsa Barbantes and got a good meal and a bottle of wine. Welcome to Santiago de Compostela indeed!Read more

  • Day 9

    Santiago de Compostela

    August 30, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    A day sightseeing and hanging around in Santiago de Compostela. We went to the moon Pilgrim’s Mass and the Botafumiero swung for us! I went to the Museum of Peregrinations and learned a lot about Saint James and the city of Santiago. We ate a delicious meal at a local place and I showed Ida the Pilgrim’s shadow at night as the street musicians played Guantanamera!Read more