The English Way is typical of the pilgrims from England and Northern Europe who were travelling to Spain by sea and disembarked in Ferrol or A Coruña. These pilgrims, after arriving in A Coruña or Ferrol, did the rest of the journey walking to Santiago de Compostela.
The port of A Coruña was the most important port because it had space, it was picked up and strategically located. It was one of the most famous ports in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was known as "Puerto del faro".
It was well-known because during the Hundred Years War between France and England all along the 14th century and the first third of the 15th century, the British used boats to travel to Santiago. The vessels had permission from the Crown to carry pilgrims from Bristol or Plymouth to A Coruña.
Henry Vlll’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon (1527) caused him to break ties with the Catholic church, effectively putting an end to The English Way.
Way of St James: The English Way
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Medieval Pilgrimage in A Coruña