{"id":2889,"date":"2026-07-22T09:24:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T09:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/?p=2889"},"modified":"2026-07-10T11:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:00:07","slug":"the-english-way-stages-planning-and-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/the-english-way-stages-planning-and-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"The English Way: Stages, Planning, and Alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
What is the English Way?<\/h2>\n\n
The English Way is a pilgrimage route that runs through the province of A Coru\u00f1a (Galicia). It is one of the shortest paths in the Jacobean network, offering two official starting points. These two paths advance in the shape of an inverted “Y” until they merge in the town of Hospital de Bruma. <\/p>\n\n
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The city of Ferrol (with a route of 119 kilometers).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
The city of A Coru\u00f1a (with a route of 73 kilometers).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
Topographically, it is deceptive terrain, often defined as a Galician “leg-breaker” (rompepiernas) due to its numerous steep climbs and descents. For cyclists, this route demands good gear ratios and patience. <\/p>\n\n
What is the historical origin of the English Way?<\/h3>\n\n<\/figure>\n\n
The origin of the English Way dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The name of this itinerary comes from the British, Irish, and Scandinavian pilgrims who, in order to avoid crossing all of Europe on foot, decided to travel by ship. These boats docked directly in the Galician estuaries (r\u00edas) of Ferrol and A Coru\u00f1a. <\/p>\n\n
When the pilgrims disembarked, they continued their journey on foot inland, making use of ancient medieval and Roman roads. The peak splendor of this route was in the 15th century, but it declined drastically in the 16th century following King Henry VIII of England’s break with the Catholic Church. <\/p>\n\n
Route, Distance, and Kilometers: Where does it start and what does it pass through?<\/h2>\n\n
The most famous itinerary, which pilgrims use to obtain the Compostela, is the one starting from the port of Curuxeiras in Ferrol. The route planning divides the 119 kilometers into 5 or 6 stages. <\/p>\n\n
Stage 4<\/strong>: Betanzos – Hospital de Bruma (28 km)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Stage 5<\/strong>: Hospital de Bruma – Sig\u00fceiro (24 km)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Stage 6<\/strong>: Sig\u00fceiro – Santiago de Compostela (16 km)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
What are the infrastructures and hostels like on the English Way?<\/h2>\n\n
In terms of services, the English Way is a straightforward route. At the beginning, you will pass through urban areas equipped with all the necessary services; only on the stretch between Betanzos and Hospital de Bruma (the hardest climb of the route) are services scarce, so you should stock up on water and some food. <\/p>\n\n
Regarding accommodation, the Xunta de Galicia has greatly supported this route and features public hostels (albergues) strategically located at almost all official stage finishes.<\/p>\n\n
For cyclists, it is important to bear in mind that the general rule applies: pilgrims on foot have priority for public beds until late afternoon. Private accommodation is somewhat limited in the inland villages (like Bruma), so the wisest choice if you are traveling by bicycle is to book in advance at hostels or guesthouses. <\/p>\n\n
Places and Monuments on the English Way<\/h2>\n\n<\/figure>\n\n
Although the English Way is a short-duration route, its cultural heritage is second to none, blending naval history, medieval urban planning, and religious architecture.<\/p>\n\n
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The Arsenal and the Magdalena Neighborhood (Ferrol)<\/strong>: This starting point welcomes you with 18th-century naval architecture and a perfectly gridded urban layout.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Torre\u00f3n dos Andrade (Pontedeume)<\/strong>: An ancient medieval fortress that serves as the gateway to this town.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
The Historic Center of Betanzos<\/strong>: Known as “Betanzos de los Caballeros” (Betanzos of the Knights), it features one of the best-preserved Gothic centers in Galicia, most notably the Church of San Francisco and its medieval tombs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Hospital de Bruma<\/strong>: This complex features the history of an ancient pilgrim hospital founded in 1140, where the routes from Ferrol and A Coru\u00f1a merge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Ponte Sig\u00fceiro<\/strong>: A medieval ashlar stone bridge over the Tambre River that marks the natural border before taking on the final kilometers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What is the English Way? The English Way is a pilgrimage route that runs through the province of A Coru\u00f1a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sin-categorizar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2889"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2890,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2889\/revisions\/2890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elcaminoapedales.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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