Stage Ferrol to Neda

The stage linking Ferrol and Neda is the gentle start of the Camino Inglés, the route once followed by pilgrims arriving by sea from the British Isles. It is a day of barely 14.7 kilometres with an almost flat profile and no significant climbs, which many pilgrims combine with the next one to reach Pontedeume in a single day. Those who walk it separately enjoy an easy first day, tied to the estuary and dominated by urban areas, pavements and tarmac.

The Camino begins at the Curuxeiras quay in the port of Ferrol, where a plaque marks kilometre zero of the route. From there it follows the seafront promenade, with views of the shipyards and the waters of the Ferrol estuary, before entering the city streets and heading north. The passage through the A Gándara industrial estate, already in the municipality of Narón, is the least attractive section of the day, though it is well signposted and quickly left behind.

At around kilometre seven the pilgrim reaches Xubia and finds the monastery of San Martiño de Xubia, also known as O Couto, one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in the district. The church has limited visiting hours, but its forecourt and garden are an ideal place for a break. From this point the path shares its route with other trails and follows the course of the River Xubia through a pleasant riverside park of grass and earth tracks, crossing the estuary by pedestrian footbridges.

The last section leads to Santa María de Neda, with its parish church, and from there, within a few minutes, to the centre of Neda, where a curious wooden and concrete bridge spans the channelled bed of the River Belelle. Neda is a small, quiet town, known for its bread and for its pilgrim hostel beside the estuary, and offers everything needed for an overnight stay before the following day, which leaves the coast and climbs into the hills towards Pontedeume.