For centuries, Ferrol was one of the ports where pilgrims from England, Ireland, Flanders and Scandinavia stepped off the boat and started walking. Sailing into Galicia avoided a long and often dangerous overland journey through France, and the route that grew from these landings became known as the Camino Inglés. Today the Camino begins at the Curuxeiras port on the old waterfront, where you'll find the starting marker and a tourist office that can stamp your credential.
The city's character was shaped by the sea in a different way from the 18th century onward, when the Spanish Crown chose Ferrol's sheltered ría as the home of its northern naval fleet. The massive Arsenal, the shipyards and the Castillo de San Felipe guarding the estuary entrance all date from this era. So does the Barrio de la Magdalena, a rigidly planned Enlightenment grid of streets lined with glassed-in galleries and early 20th-century modernist facades. Ferrol is also the birthplace of Francisco Franco, and between 1938 and 1982 the city officially carried the name "El Ferrol del Caudillo."
Beyond the naval history, Ferrol rewards a slow afternoon before the walk begins. The Exponav museum tells the story of Spanish shipbuilding inside a converted arsenal building, the neoclassical Concatedral de San Xulián anchors the old centre, and the city's Semana Santa processions are among the most celebrated in Galicia. The wild Atlantic beaches of Doniños and the surrounding coast are a short trip out of town if you arrive with a spare day.
Pilgrims should know that Ferrol's roughly 120 km distance to Santiago clears the 100 km minimum for the Compostela, which is why most walkers start here rather than at A Coruña. The first stage to Pontedeume runs close to 30 km, and the opening kilometres follow roads and industrial waterfront past the shipyards before the scenery improves around the ría. Many pilgrims break the day at Neda, which has an albergue, making for a gentler start. Arriving the evening before gives you time to collect your stamp and walk out fresh in the morning.
