The English Way

The short route that still earns the Compostela. It has grown from about 8,000 pilgrims in 2019 to about 17,000 in 2026, and remains the quietest of the routes that reach Santiago in five days.

Starts at

Ferrol

Distance

118 km

Classic stages

5

Pilgrims in 2026

17.000

Figure checked Pilgrim Office, January–July 2026.

Where to start

You do not have to start at the beginning. These are the usual starting points and what each one involves.

Why Ferrol and not A Coruña

This is the most repeated question about the route, and the answer is administrative rather than a matter of taste.

From Ferrol there are around 118 km to Santiago, above the Compostela minimum. From A Coruña there are about 75, so that start does not qualify on its own.

There is a historical exception: pilgrims who can show they arrived by sea from another country and walk the final 25 km from A Coruña may apply. It does not cover arriving by plane or car.

If the Compostela does not matter to you, A Coruña is a perfectly good start with better transport links. If it does, start in Ferrol.

It is not as flat as it sounds

Being short and in the north, most people picture it as gentle. It crosses inland A Coruña with continuous short climbs between valleys, and the ground gets wet easily.

The difficulty here is not one climb, it is the accumulation. No single day has a serious pass, but the total ascent over five days surprises people who arrive confident.

The honest trade-off for the quiet: fewer people also means fewer services. There are long stretches with nothing at all, particularly between Betanzos and Bruma, and you should leave each morning with the day's water and food.