Camino Inglés // day 2 // Pontedeume - Betanzos

Camino Inglés day 2.
Distance: 25.5km (54,5km), time spent: 8:41 (17:22).
Weather: Overcast in the day, sunny in the afternoon and evening.

The stage between Pontedeume and Betanzos is the shortest on the Camino Ingles (if you use the stages that the pilgrims usually go and guidebooks as reference), consisting of barely 20 kilometres. Yesterday showed that both my cousin and I were ready to walk long stages and as such, a distance of just 20 kilometres could maybe feel somewhat short. To remedy that, we planned to visit the church of San Miguel de Breamo, which according to my Cicerone guidebook is recommended detour. This would add about 6 kilometres to the day.

View of Pontedeume from the Camino on the way up from the town.

In the morning, it is overcast and the weather is grey outside the albergue. I slept fairly well and feel that the small albergue has its own peculiar charm. We have bought food for breakfast and lunch, as for yesterday, and sit down on one of the benches outside to eat. This provides us with a much better and bigger breakfast than we would get at a bar. Solvor has already gone.

From the albergue, the Camino goes steeply up through the narrow streets of Pontedeume, this is perhaps one of the steepest sections on the English way, otherwise the route is relatively flat. The pennants hanging above our heads are waving us off. The ascent brings us to a nice view of the town, the river below and over towards where we came down from yesterday.

On the way to San Miguel de Breamo. Below lies the ruins of a former big house. Praia de Magdalena is below to the left. The bridge leading to Pontedeume just visible to the right.

We arrive at the junction where the road to San Miguel de Breamo goes from; it leads us on an asphalt road all the way to the small church beneath a tiny veil of drizzle. On the way, we pass viewpoints over Pontedeume and the river, as well as a large abandoned farm in ruins. A man is airing or exercising his dog by driving his car next to it.

San Miguel de Breamo, the church from the 12th century is surrounded by quiet woods.

The small church is situated in a lovely isolated spot at the end of the road, surrounded by silent forests and a picnic area that bears resemblance of little use. The church dates from the 12th century. We are the only ones here. The sounds from the forest are quiet around us, grey clouds drifts above the trees. Sitting outside the church, having a fruit break. If asked, the detour is recommended. On the map, we see that for the walk back we can take a path through the woods, which leads us back on the road again (there is a yellow arrow on a tree at the start of the path), so we get a round trip and do not have to go the same way back again.

Here the Camino goes underneath a grape arbor, the leaves and branches forms a roof that the pilgrims walks beneath.

Back on the Camino, the route continues through more rural surroundings. We pass by elderly people sitting along the road, waiting for the food delivery cars to come. Remains of empty houses long since abandoned, which I have been used to see in Spain. Long sections where eucalyptus trees dominates the forest, but also where there are elements of spruce. At one point, the route goes right under a grape arbor, with grape leaves and branches hanging like a roof over the path. Underway to Miño we meet the first other pilgrims we have seen so far, a family of three that I recognizes from the dinner yesterday (they were passing by us and probably had arrived in Pontedeume too late to be accommodated in the albergue).

Ponte Baxoi, we took a break at one of the tables at the picnic area next to this beautiful old bridge.

In Miño, we go down to the seafront and the promenade that follows along the beach, here we have lunch and relaxes; the clouds show signs of dispersing. Miño is otherwise not very exciting, so I am confident that it was a good thing that we stayed in Pontedeume last night. Before we continues, we take a coffee (I have missed the cafe con leches that they make down here) and I goes for a cold beer as well.

Inside a gate in an enclosured garden stands a huge eucalyptus tree that we here sees the trunk of.

The outlet of the Rio Lambre that you reach shortly after leaving Miño is a small and nice area. Inside a confined and almost overgrown garden stand a huge eucalyptus tree, perhaps the largest one I have ever seen. The wall next to the garden, which the trail passes close by, bears the mark of having been in a stately splendour once. At the inlet, there is a small park with boardwalks leading out to the beach (Praia do Pedrido), a man rows a small sailboat with red sails downriver. The river is crossed on the Ponte do Porco before the route disappears up into the forest. I manage too drop my camera on the ground and fears that another camera-crisis is imminent, but fortunately is seems to be averted.

What little of blue sky that appeared above Miño has disappeared now, and after the church of San Pantaleon das Vinas, we seek shelter from the rain in a small bar in Trasmil. Though, not so much for shelter from the rain really, which is insignificant, but we have plenty of time and a cold cerveza is really tempting at the time. The rest of the walk to Betanzos is pleasant enough, alternating between rural hamlets and sections of forest with the occasional view of the Ria de Betanzos.

Rio Lambre outside Miño, a man rowing a small sailboat with red sails downriver.

We arrive in Betanzos at about the same time as we arrived in Pontedeume yesterday and has spent about as much time, we have taken us good time today in other words. The albergue here is wonderful and completely new, furnished in an old building where both walls and old decorations like the fireplace is intact. The number of pilgrims has increased significantly in a way, at the end of the day there is around 13 pilgrims staying at the albergue. Solvor is in place, she had arrived in Betanzos a few hours ago already.

Camino waymarker in one of the forest walks on the Camino between Miño and Betanzos.

The houses of Betanzos is not like Pontedeume situated up towards a hill, but instead spreads over a small knoll. The buildings themselves are however relatively similar to the ones in Pontedeume, with old and narrow streets lined up with beautiful buildings. In the middle of the town, there is a large open place. I fell almost in love almost instant at the moment I put my feet in the town. There is a quiet and pleasant atmosphere in the small town.

Kjetil had asked someone he met on the street for tips about where to eat and had received some good recommendations, but the places are not open when we go there. So, we go for a walk in the town and sit down at a bar right next to the large open place for a beer first. I think this is one of the most pleasant town that I have visited in any one of my Caminos ever. The sun is breaking through the clouds when we sit at the bar, a sign of a perfect evening.

Praza de Constitucion in Betanzos, medieval banners and pennants also hanging between the buildings here.

When we return to the restaurant, Casa Miranda, it has opened. The restaurant lies in a typical tapas street, which is narrow and contains small restaurants that you walk between and taste the different specialties offered. We get a table inside and enjoy a lovely tapas meal consisting of serrano ham (jamon serrano), the house specialty that is omelet (tortilla) and more.

The walk was pleasant today, but where the highlight still was San Miguel de Breamo that is not situated on the Camino itself. Betanzos is a small jewel of a town.

Iglesia de San Francisco, Betanzos.

<- PontedeumeHospital de Bruma ->

Camino Inglés // day 1 // Ferrol - Pontedeume

Camino Inglés day 1.
Distance: 29.0km (29.0km), time spent: 8:41 (8:41).
Weather: Nice, changing clouds

Walking to where the Camino Ingles starts from is not as steeped in history, as it is to rise off the boat after a long and arduous crossing to Ferrol. As pilgrims from northern Europe, we should surely have come by boat, as they did in the old days. Modern pilgrims as we are, we instead flew to A Coruna and took a bus from there to Ferrol. Our luggage did not arrive, however, so we now stand ready for the English Way with newly purchased equipment on our backs. Which still probably are more than what the pilgrims who took their first step on land on their way to Santiago de Compostela was carrying.

Kjetil and me at the harbour in Ferrol, standing next to the stone that marks the beginning of the Camino Ingles.

That nothing became of my original plan to go to the albergue in Neda is needless to say. Since I first intended to start later in the day, a shorter leg on the first day was originaly planned. Today however, it is early morning when Kjetil and I are standing next to the stone marking the beginning of the Camino Ingles. We have more time available, since we have all of the day ahead of us and will go to Pontedeume, about thirty kilometres from Ferrol. There is a certain joyful itch in my stomach by back on a Camino, the memories I have from earlier Caminos are deeply rooted in my mind.

Ermita de Santa Maria de Caranza, the grass stands tall around the small chapel, locked as usual and the backside was full of ugly graffiti-signatures.

Through Ferrol, we walked through quiet streets. The Camino takes a little while to move out of the city, but elevated by being back on the road again, the walk past the more industrial areas and boring suburban settlements does not feel that bad. From Ferrol the route follows Ria de Ferrol upwards, before it turns at the estuary where the albergue in Neda is located and then continues due south on the east side of the river. Whereupon the only small elevations of importance for the day follows, before the route goes down again towards Ria de Ares and Pontedeume.

A pleasant wooden promenade alongside the beach after the Santa Maria de Caranza church, we followed this promenade, but I did wonder a little if not the Camino really went on the road above. Anyway, it is more pleasant to walk on this boardwalk.

Since I have still to walk the Camino del Norte, it feels nice to go a long way alongside water for once on a Camino. Around the small chapel of Ermita de Santa Maria de Caranza grass are standing tall, afterwards the route follows the beach on a pleasant promenade of wood. So far, we have not sighted any other pilgrims. The scallops and the yellow arrows leads us through rural areas and small green spaces. Kjetil believes that his bright yellow backpack, blue t-shirt and blue shoes are in style with the yellow and blue colours of the scallops of the waymarks. We take a coffee break at the first bar we get to after leaving Ferrol.

San Martin de Xubia, a church from the 12th century. A nice place to take a break if you want or need to. In the background on the other side of the river, you can see Fene, which the trail will pass through later.

After the church of San Martin de Xubia, a nice place to take a break by if you need it by the way, you go through the first eucalyptus forest on the journey. Soon afterwards, the Camino goes down to two small ponds, separated by a natural causeway that the Camino crosses over. The water looks uninviting. From here, the Camino originally goes through a park along the estuary to the Neda albergue, but now there are constructing works here and the route is temporary altered to go through Xubia instead. In Ferrol yesterday, we bought bread, baguettes (bocadillos), cured meats and fruit. For breakfast, and for lunch today, which it is time for when we arrive at the albergue in Neda. Outside the orange building there is a nice picnic area with benches, it is a nice place to sit and relax at in the evening.

The route goes on a boardwalk between the Neda albergue and Neda village where the Camino Ingles passes through a small nature reserve.

Until now, it has been a pleasant enough walk, but where the best part has been the feeling that I am on my way. From the Neda albergue (which is located closer to Xubia than Neda actually), we promenade along the water at first, before we come to a boardwalk that goes through a small nature reserve. It is early in the summer, but despite that there is little water in the small marshy area, and the air has a tiny stale smell. Neda itself is a pleasant small village with narrow streets; we get a stamp in our credentials by the local police.

Camino waymark in the pavement in Neda.

From Neda, we start slowly on the first prominent, but easy, ascent of the day. On the way up, we can look over the river and across to the buildings of Ferrol on the other side. It has become warmer and in Fene we stop for a cerveza at a local bar, which we find right by where the Camino crosses the main street. After Fene is the next easy ascent, which climbs up towards the Poligono Industrial Vilar do Colo. At the top, we pass said industrial park, but the way up went through the longest forest parts on the route so far, even though the highway is not far away.

Before Cabanas, we can see the houses of Pontedeume on the other side of Rio de Ares. The Camino goes next to the Magdalena Beach (Praia de Magdalena), which lures Kjetil into the water for a swim. It tempts me as well, but right now, I feel perfectly fine just to sit down quietly on the beach and enjoy the nice weather. After crossing the bridge over the Eume river, which is the origin of the name of the city, we have arrived in Pontedeume.

Neda, a cosy village with narrow streets that the route is passing through.

When we arrive, the albergue has not opened yet, from the outside it looks a little bit worn out, there are no backpacks to see outside. We make a call to the number of the hospitalero given on the door and learns that they will come and open sometime soon, we sit down on one of the benches outside. Kjetil airs the idea that we could continue to Mino, a further 10 kilometres to go. Along the way, we have not seen or met any other pilgrims, but while sitting outside the albergue suddenly another pilgrim appears. Of all things, it is a Norwegian woman as well, even though she lives in Canada. We are the only ones staying at the albergue, it is not huge, but inside it is clean and simple, quite nice actually.

After Fene, the route goes through the longest forest parts of the day, where the air smells fresh from the eucalyptus trees.

I am happy that we decided to stay, Pontedeume is a nice little town with cosy narrow streets that goes up in the hill above. In a few days, there will be a medieval festival here and pennants, banners and flags with medieval designs are hanging across the streets. Together with Solvor, we go for a small round in the town before we find a place to have dinner. The plaza is nice, but the food is not the most culinary I have tasted, although it was decent enough. After another small round in the town again in the evening, we return to the albergue, where it is being practiced singing and music for the festival. Evening entertainment for pilgrims, while clouds slowly drifts into the sky.

Walking over the bridge to Pontedeume, the albergue to the right beneath the Torreon dos Andrade that is all that is left of the supposedly grand Pazo dos Condes from the 14th century.

Satisfied with the first day on the Camino Ingles, I am excited about the continuation. The walk from Ferrol was mostly pleasant, with a decent enough mix of asphalt versus dirt roads and trail. I was surprised of how few other pilgrims we met, at the albergue we were only three persons, and had expected to meet more.

In Pontedeume, a small place in between the small narrow streets. Pennants, banners and flags for the upcoming medieval festival fluttering in the wind.

 Betanzos ->