Pilgrims on the road and friends along the way send me changes every day, and they go out the same day. The Camino Inglés app carries all of it offline, and it's still being built — new features arrive routinely.
Get the appBetanzos is worth your time. This was once the capital of one of the seven provinces of the Kingdom of Galicia, and you can feel it in the medieval walls, the Gothic churches, and the general sense that this town was once far more important than its current size suggests. The locals call it Betanzos dos Cabaleiros — City of Knights — for the noble families that shaped it.
The municipal albergue is housed in a renovated stone building and is reported to be in very good condition. All services here: shops, pharmacy, ATMs, restaurants. Beware, though — in Betanzos, it often feels that every direction is uphill. The old town sits on a hill between two rivers, and the streets wind accordingly.
Three Gothic churches dominate the old town. The Igrexa de San Francisco, built in 1387 by Fernán Pérez de Andrade (the same family from Pontedeume), contains his tomb decorated with hunting scenes. Santa María del Azogue is a 14th-century Gothic church with intricate stonework and a rose window. Both are open to visitors.
You must try the tortilla de Betanzos. It's nothing like the thick, dry tortilla you get in most of Spain — here it's runny in the centre, almost creamy. The bars around the old town all serve their version, and locals have strong opinions about which is best. The Mercado de Abastos is also good for provisions.
Festas de San Roque (August) — processions, music, and the spectacular launch of giant handmade paper balloons into the night sky. If your timing coincides, don't miss it.
Betanzos dates to Roman times but reached its peak in the Middle Ages as a major political and economic centre. The medieval walls were built in the 13th and 14th centuries — fragments survive, along with three original gates including the Porta da Vila. The Andrade family left their mark here too, particularly in the Igrexa de San Francisco. The town's decline from provincial capital to quiet backwater has, ironically, preserved its medieval character better than most places in Galicia.
From Betanzos the Camino heads inland and uphill into increasingly rural and isolated terrain. The next 26 km to Hospital de Bruma are demanding, with significant elevation gain and few services. Presedo, about 12 km ahead, is the only real stopping option with an albergue. Carry food and water from Betanzos — you'll need it.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.
