THE SIGNS

It is very important to understand the meaning of the signs that will guide you along The Way Please, read this section thoroughly if it is the first time you do this Way. There are only two signs you should pay attention to: 1.The Shell 2.The Arrow In theory, there shouldn’t be any difficulty in following these two signs, but the real problem is the wide variety of positions The Shell might have and its combination with The Arrow, which may lead to confusion. In Asturias It is generally known -piece of information explained in paperback guides- that the narrowest part of The Shell is the one that will guide you until the city of the apostle. This would be its position All the milestones in Asturias are very old and keep the same position throughout the whole way. It is possible to come across some milestones with an arrow painted indistinctively. The narrowest part of The Shell indicates the direction to be followed, which coincides with the position of The Shell. In Asturias, a double sign with a Shell and an Arrow is being placed in posters, corners, streetlights, poles, etc. in the main towns you will pass through This is an example of the sign post In Asturias In this type of signs, the position of The Shell is not the one it is supposed to be most of the times. You will see it the moment you get to Grandas de Salime, where The Shell points at any direction. To conclude, if you see this type of signs, follow only The Arrow. In Galicia It is generally known -piece of information explained in paperback guides- that the widest part of The Shell is the one that will guide you until the city of the apostle. This would be its position You will find a small number of milestones or single Shells in The Way with the usual position found in this land Both in Galicia and Asturias, you will find a double sign with a Shell and an Arrow in the towns you will pass by. You must always follow the Arrow This is an example of the sign post In Galicia, following a regulation The Council of St James passed in 2018, they have being placing milestones with a shell, an engraved yellow arrow, the kilometres left to Santiago and the name of The Autonomous Community you are passing by. They are trying to use this criterion in all the official ways. This is why you should follow the engraved arrow when you come across a milestone. Only pay attention to the position of the shell if in the milestone there is a single shell with no arrow. In the double signs or the milestones, you will also realize that the position of The Shell is different depending on the side of the road you find it: on the left side The Shell keeps the position found in Galicia, whereas on the right side the position of the Shell is the one found in Asturias. No -one has explained the reason for this criterion, bringing about all different kinds of opinions. However, there is no doubt that this situation causes lots of confusion, especially to foreign pilgrims who cannot communicate easily and may not find this information clearly on their guides. In Asturias and Galicia You will find a sign like the following one. It is not a sign for pilgrims. This is an example of the sign When you find this type of signs, do NOT pay attention to them. It is a traffic sign; they are there because some parts of The Way coincide with roads. It is just a sign for vehicles using the roads. This is leading to confusion among pilgrims; if pilgrims follow its indications they might get lost. It is also possible to find this sign in other types of paths with soft or hard ground, used by other vehicles such as jeeps or tractors. To conclude: 1.If there is only a Shell on the milestone or you see a single Shell, follow the direction of The Shell according to its position in Asturias or Galicia. 2. If you see The Shell and The Arrow together, only follow the direction that The Arrow points, both in Asturias and Galicia. 3. Both in Asturias and Galicia, a single Arrow has no difficulty of interpretation. Follow The Arrow; it is the way to be followed.