The 5 stages of the English Way
Five stages from Ferrol to Santiago, with what matters about each one: where the climbs are, which stretches have nowhere to stop, and which ones to split if you are not in top shape.
- Starts at
- Ferrol
- Distance
- 118 km
- Classic stages
- 5
- Pilgrims in 2026
- 17.000
Figure checked Pilgrim Office, January–July 2026.
Ferrol to Santiago
| Stage | Section | Distance (km) | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrol → Pontedeume | 29,5 | The longest of the route and the first day of the trip, which is a poor combination. It skirts the estuary with good views and a fair amount of tarmac. Many people split it at Neda, 14 km in. |
| 2 | Pontedeume → Betanzos | 20,5 | Climbs straight after crossing the bridge. Continuous up and down through eucalyptus woods to Betanzos, the prettiest town on the route. |
| 3 | Betanzos → Bruma | 28,0 | The serious stage. Sustained climbing and a long stretch with almost no services. Leave with the day's water and food. Bruma is an isolated albergue, not a village. |
| 4 | Bruma → Sigüeiro | 24,5 | Steady descent on forest track and through hamlets. You pass Ordes, the only place with full services mid-stage. |
| 5 | Sigüeiro → Santiago | 16,0 | The shortest and the most urban. It enters the city from the north, with far fewer people than the Francés or Portuguese arrivals. |
| Total | 118,5 |
Route total: 118,5 km. Stage distances are general references. We have not recalculated them against the official track yet, which is why they are underlined.
The two stages worth splitting
The classic five-stage split has two days of almost 30 km, and they sit exactly where they hurt most: the first and the third.
Ferrol to Pontedeume. 29.5 km on day one, with no warm-up and a freshly loaded pack. Splitting it at Neda, 14 km in, makes the start far more manageable.
Betanzos to Bruma. 28 km with sustained climbing and no services in the middle section. Intermediate options here are scarce, so the sensible approach is to set off very early and not count on finding lunch.
With those two splits the English Way goes from five stages to seven and stops being demanding.
Where there is nothing
This is what most distinguishes this route from the Francés, and what people coming from there find hardest to internalise. On the Camino Francés from Sarria there is a bar every few kilometres. Here there is not.
The critical stretch is between Betanzos and Bruma: long kilometres of forest track with no bars, no reliable fountains and nowhere to sit. Off season, several of the few places that exist are closed.
The practical rule: leave each morning with the day's water and food. That is not paranoia — it is what anyone who has walked it will tell you.
The climbing the map does not show
Looking at the elevation there is no pass: the high point is around 400 metres. That is why people label it an easy route.
What a compressed profile does not show is that it is continuous short climbs. Inland A Coruña is one valley after another, and the cumulative ascent over five days is a good deal more than the map suggests.
Once we have the elevation profiles calculated from official tracks, each stage will carry its own, showing the places you can stop. Until then we would rather say this in words than publish a chart we have not measured.
Common questions
How many stages does the English Way have?
Five in the classic split from Ferrol. Six or seven is considerably more comfortable, splitting the first and the third.
Which is the hardest stage of the English Way?
Betanzos to Bruma: 28 km with sustained climbing and a long stretch without services.
Are there albergues on every stage?
Yes, but they are few and small. Bruma is an isolated albergue, not a village with alternatives.
Can you walk the English Way in 4 days?
You can, by joining stages, but you get days over 35 km. Not advisable unless you are well trained.