The English Way ( gl, Camiño Inglés and es, Camino Inglés) is one of the paths of the

Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...

. It begins in the Galician port cities of Ferrol (118 km) or

A Coruña A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...

(75 km) and runs south to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

Middle Ages

The English Way was a path of convenience for medieval pilgrims to reach Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims from Scandinavia or other areas of Northern Europe would travel by ship instead of by foot or horseback. At least one Icelandic pilgrim is known to have followed this path in 1154. During times of conflict between France and other countries, especially England, this alternative saw exceptional traffic. During the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

(1337–1453) between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France, the English Way became well-established as English pilgrims and traders would travel with permission of the English Crown to Galician ports and visit Santiago. Known pilgrim hospitals with significant English support were located in Sigüeiro, San Paio,

Pontedeume Pontedeume () is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. The town was founded ''ex novo'' by the town charter of Alfonso X the Wise in 1270. The town is located on the English Way ...

Betanzos Betanzos () is a municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain in the province of A Coruña. It belongs to the comarca of Betanzos. In Roman times Betanzos was called Flauvium Brigantium or ''Brigantium''. During the ...

, Bruma, Neda, Miño and

Paderne Paderne may refer to: ;In Portugal :*Paderne, Albufeira, a parish in the municipality of Albufeira :*Paderne (Melgaço), a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Melgaço :*Castle of Paderne, a 12th-century fortification located in the c ...

Modern Revival

In the modern era the English Way has been revived as a much briefer alternative to the classic

French Way The French Way ( gl, Camiño francés, es, Camino francés, , literally the "way of the Franks") is the GR 65 and the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James ( es, Camino de Santiago), the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Com ...

. In order to receive the ''Compostela'', the official certificate issued by the Cathedral of Santiago to confirm that a person has completed their pilgrimage, a minimum walk of 100 km is required. Only Ferrol is this distant on the English Way. There is a marker on the docks of Ferrol across from the Tourist Information building which announces this fact. Modern public ''albergues'' are located in Neda, Pontedeume, Miño, Betanzos, Presedo and Bruma. However, as of December 2016, the Cathedral of Santiago has agreed to grant the ''Compostela'' to those starting in

subject to certain conditions: they are required to complete a 25 km certified pilgrimage in their country of origin. In 2018, 14,150 pilgrims (4.32% of the total number of pilgrims arriving to the Pilgrims' Reception Office of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela) walked the English Way.

References

{{Authority control Camino de Santiago routes