From Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma - Viajes Camino de Santiago

Information

This is the queen stage of the English Way, both for its difficulty and for being the most beautiful of the whole journey. The profile of this stage, in general, uphill, from almost sea level in Betanzos to reach approximately 460 m altitude in Mesón do Vento, near Hospital de Bruma. We move away from the coast to go along paths through small undulating mountain ranges, with short but frequent slopes. You will walk through laurel forests and discover small villages that will make you dream of times gone by.

We leave Betanzos from Rúa do Rollo and head towards the old bridge of As Cascas, taking our first steps in the direction of Hospital de Bruma. We cross the Mendo river and turn left. On an asphalted track we cross a bridge over the railway tracks, and another one further on over the A6 motorway. We continue until we reach the village of Xanrozo.

Shortly after reaching the CP-0105 road, we take a path on the right. After passing a football field with a big bend, we return to the road again, which we follow until we cross a bridge over the river Mendo. A sign indicates that we are in the parish of Cos. We leave the road on the left, pass a water treatment plant and after a steep slope we reach the Church of Santo Estevo de Cos, with a stone cross in the middle of the road.

We leave the church behind us and come to a crossroads. We continue to the left along the side of the road. At 150 meters, next to some containers, we find two possibilities:

A) Continue straight on following the official route, which is always along the road towards Presedo, with very narrow and dangerous stretches without a hard shoulder.
B) Turn right and follow the old itinerary, much more pleasant and safe, which goes along asphalt tracks and dirt roads. This route is only 600 metres further and is well signposted.

Both routes join after 3 km, just before entering the parish of Presedo.

We continue on our way and after 500 metres we pass next to the Mesón Museo Xente no Camiño we alternate asphalted tracks with dirt tracks, paying attention to the signposting.

We arrive at Santa Baia de Leiro, in front of the church we turn right and we reach the road again. We leave the asphalt to take a dirt track on the right that runs between eucalyptus forests.

We arrive at the Beche reservoir, which has a recreational area with tables, grills and toilets. An ideal place to stop, have a bite to eat and enjoy the views. We continue and, when we reach a stop sign, we turn left following the asphalt and crossing the AP-9 motorway by an underpass.

At the next crossroads, we turn right up to the houses of O Vao. After passing a farm with a small granary, we turn right to take a steeply sloping track. We continue paying attention to the signs and start a steep ascent for almost 2 km. We reach the highest point of the English Way, at 460 metres above sea level. If the day is clear we can see the sea and the city of A Coruña in the distance. The Way leads to an asphalted track that takes us to the AC-542 road, with quite a lot of traffic. Here the English Way from Ferrol and the English Way from A Coruñameet.

We continue along the hard shoulder until we get to the Casa Avelina bar-bar, in As Travesas. From here the path goes along the road for 1.2 km, a very dangerous stretch where extreme caution should be taken as cars pass at high speed.

We pass an electricity station and an abandoned petrol station, turn left along a dirt road until we reach the small village of Hospital de Bruma, where there is a hostel, a chapel and a restaurant called Casa Graña.

Important Note

Because Hospital de Bruma has few services and the hostel is often full during the summer season. We can extend the stage 3 km more by road to Mesón do Vento, where there is a hotel, several guesthouses, restaurants, pharmacies and shops. However, the next day we must retrace our steps to resume the Camino again.

To get to Mesón do Vento from Hospital de Bruma we must follow the asphalted track straight on until we reach the village of O Seixo. We cross the village until we reach a crossroads where we see a sign indicating Mesón do Vento. Turn right and continue for 3 km until you reach your destination.

To consider

As it is a long stage, we recommend that you rest well the day before, start the walk very early and, above all, take it easy.

It is very important to leave Betanzos well provided with food and water, as you will not find many services where you can stock up until you get to Hospital de Bruma.