Walking the Camino Part 3 – Santiago to Muxia and Fisterre

No matter which Camino they have travelled to reach Santiago for some travellers the journey continues on to Fisterre or Muxia. Both are on the coast. Fisterre is the more traditional end of the Camino, considered the end of the earth by early pilgrims. Muxia is less traditional but it’s beautiful. We decided to go to both.

You can get a bus from Santiago to Muxia or Fisterre and many people do. Our plan was to walk. First to Muxia and then from Muxia to Fisterre.

The first part of the route is the same for Muxia and Fisterre

Day 1 Santiago to Negreia 21 km

After a day of rest in Santiago we set off. We were a bit concerned about going the right direction out of Santiago. With multiple Camino routes in, we had to find the right way out.

It turned out to be relatively straight forward. The day’s walk passed through small towns, over Roman bridges and through the almost magical town of Ponte Maceira.

We stayed at Pension Santiago. It’s a little bit out of the way but 100% worth the detour. It’s an old renovated home with a beautiful garden. Our host met us with a cold beer. A tradition he told us! We had a private room and a wonderful Camino dinner. Because we were now past Santiago the crowds were gone. and we met a whole new mix of people who had travelled on different Caminos. Some had been on the road for months.

Day 2 Negreia to Largo 29.2km

Up until this point we had seen almost no rain. Today our luck ran out. It started raining as we left town and did not stop all day.

It was also windy. The wind and rain combined made for a challenging day.

We ended our day at Albergue Monte Avo which was nice. There was a restaurant which had a great pilgrim dinner for 12 euros each including wine. The towns in this area were smaller with less options for food and places to stay.

Day 3 Largo to A Crixa 23.8 km

Todays walk was even wetter than yesterday’s and the wind was vertical at times. At least one person we met decided to take the bus to the next town. We walked though forests that almost looked like Canadian Shield but we were mostly wet and cold.

We could not find anywhere open to get lunch and ended up eating a left over chocolate bar in a bus shelter.

The first open place we found was only a couple of km from where we were spending the night so we kept going, We stayed at O Cabanel Albrgue which was a separate building behind a bar. It was nice and would have been lovely on a dry warm day. We had a private room but we did not need it. There was just us and one other woman staying in the whole place. There was a great kitchen but no where to buy food so we ate at the bar with the owners and one local couple. We had eggs and french fries for dinner. Not our usual fare, but we don’t eat red meat so the choices were a bit limited. For reasons I can not explain they serve french fries with almost everything on the Camino.

Day 4 A Crixa to Muxia 16.5 km

We started the day in the rain yet again but eventually it cleared up. The walk was through mostly forests until we reached the coast.

Muxia is a lovely little fishing village with a monastery on the point. Great views and small paths along the cliffs. We had a studio apartment for the night which Harold had booked from home. Great spot and it had a washer so we had clean clothes! We could see the local beach from the window which was full of families enjoying a nice evening. you can get another certificate of completion, for free at the local libaray.

There is a service at the monistary in the evenings. We did not go in but we did go back to take some pictures.

Day 5 Muxia to Fisterre 14km plus 9 km

Our original plan had been to walk the 30km along the coast from Muxia to Fisterre but the forecast looked wet again and walking along a wet windy path did not have a lot of appeal. You can take a bus from one town to the other. We decided to compromise by taking a bus to Cee and then walking the rest of the way to Fisterre. Cee is a big city and has some wonderful churches.

We travelled out of town and onto the coast eventually ending up at Fisterre. The actual “end of the earth” is about 4 km past Fisterre. We dropped our bags at the hotel and walked the final 4km.

We were told by a local that you are supposed to burn your shoes at Fisterre but we only had one pair each and it is definitely discouraged. People also leave things but this is also discouraged. So many people walk the Camino  these days that it would leave a lot of junk everywhere. You can get yet another certificate when you reach Fisterre.

We spent an extra day in Fisterre exploring town and some beaches. None of them looked like the one in “The Way” We did find a fish auction!

Back to Porto

From Fisterre we took a bus back to Santiago and another back to Porto. Bus is the best way to get back. The bus station is very central in Santiago so we stopped back at the cathedral between buses. You do need to buy your tickets online in advance for both busses. We were a bit confused as we had a ticket which indicated two buses with two bus numbers and a 5 minute connection between buses at the boarder between Spain and Portugal. We were ready to grab our bags and get off the bus when we discovered it was the same bus the number changed when we crossed the boarder.

In conclusion

Many people walk the Camino to “find” themselves or something else. I don’t think I “came back a different person”. I did learn that you can put everything you need for three weeks in one 35L backpack and that life does not have to be complicated. We really enjoyed spending all day everyday walking except when it was cold, wet and windy. We met some interesting people and we discovered a small part of Portugal and Spain in a unique, personal way. We will do it again but on a different route, only becasue there are so mnay others to discover…Bon Camino!