A Walk to the End of the World: the Camino Finisterre

The Camino Finisterre or Camino Fisterra or Camino to the “End of the World” is the only Camino that takes you away from Santiago de Compostela and towards the Atlantic Ocean. The Camino Finisterre takes you to the Cabo Fisterra – which for hundreds of years was regarded as the end of the known world – before we knew any better that is. A little sidebar about the naming of Camino Finisterre: The official name by the Spanish government is “Camino Finisterre” but once you’re in Galicia, the route is widely regarded as Camino “Fisterra” which is a local Gallego spelling of the term. After completing the French Way of the Camino de Santiago, I spent one day in Santiago de Compostela before embarking on the Camino Finisterre. In this post I will refer to “Finisterre” when I refer to the “Camino Finisterre” as that is the official name of the path, but I will refer to the town as “Fisterra” as that is what the locals who live there use for the name of their town.

Day 35: Rest Day in Santiago de Compostela
0KM

After a leisurely morning in my hotel room enjoying coffee, and a breakfast of fruit, cheese and chocolate that I had purchased from the grocery store the day before, I head out for the Plaza join the midday Pilgrim’s mass at the Cathedrale de Santiago. Given the security checks that do not allow pilgrims to bring backpacks inside, and the general pandemonium associated with arriving in Santiago, I decided that I would attend the Pilgirm’s mass the day after my arrival in Santiago rather than the day of my arrival. This way I can be showered, calm, and ready to take in every detail.

The mass ceremony was beautiful, and attended by priests from many different countries. I also had the great fortune of seeing the Botafumiero in use during the mass ceremony. It is said that when the Botafumiero is raised to the ceiling it represents our prayers being taken up to heaven. It was incredible to witness the censer swinging back and forth from the ceiling of the Cathedral reaching speeds of up to 50miles per hour and leaving in its wake the sweet scent of cleansing incense. It’s worthwhile to note that the Botafumiero is normally only used on special occasions like Easter, Christmas, and the Feast of Saint James; however, groups and individuals can pay for the Botafumiero to be used in every day ceremonies at the tune of 350 Euros. I have one of those big group of pilgrims who invaded the Camino for just the last hundred kilometers or so to thank for being able to see the Botafumiero.

I headed out to see the crypt of Saint James after the mass ceremony. As with most things to do with the Cathedral, there was a line-up to get into the crypt. Once inside I was surprised to see some people walk right pass the alter with the remains of the Apostle without even looking at it. It was mind-boggling that Santiago de Compostela which was built around the finding of the remains of Saint James – which subsequently triggered a centuries-long tradition of pilgrimage – has now become so touristic that tourists would line up to see the crypt of the Apostle’s remains, but have no idea what they were looking at – or even worse – not even glance at the thing they came to see, the very thing that the entire city was built around.

As magical as it was to complete my pilgrimage, to observe the pilgrim’s mass and to view the crypt of Saint James, part of me was ready quite ready to leave the tourist zoo that is an inevitable part of a city like Santiago de Compostela. I stayed one more night at the luxurious Hotel Palacio del Carmen, before packing up my daypack, and leaving my larger backpack stored at the hotel for my trek on the Camino Finisterre. I decided to go without a luggage transport service for the Camino Finisterre so I could have greater flexibility in deciding how far and when to stop each day.

Day 36: Santiago de Compostela to Negreira
21KM
11:00am – 5pm (1 hour break)

Walking to Fisterra wasn’t initially part of my plan. It wasn’t until I was talking to another pilgrim a few days into the Camino Francés, who told me that walking there has the special significance of truly having walked completely across Spain from the French Pyrenees to the Atlantic Ocean. Well, when you put it that way, I was sold! The walk to Fisterra is an additional 89KM from Santiago, but it is a well-marked path with the trademark yellow arrows and scallop shells to guide our way on the Camino Finisterre. I picked up a new Credential for the Camino Finisterre at the Pilgirm’s Office in Santiago on the same day I picked up my Compostela completion certificate.

Today was supposed to be the hottest day of the heatwave (part deux), but mercifully it was cloudy when I left the city. By time the sun burned through the clouds the trail to Fisterra had turned into lovely forested pathways lending valuable protection from the sun. Once I left the city limits of Santiago however, the path became quite exposed, and the heat started to really ratchet up the difficulty level of the day. I took a break at a cafe around the 10KM mark, and when I took out my money from my backpack – the coins were hot to the touch. Unbelievable.

After the 10KM point the trail climbed upwards for a few kilometers – but thankfully most of this was on a forested trail shielded from the full brunt of the sun. I had gone through nearly 3 litres of water before I passed a water fountain around the 12KM point during the climb. The fountain had no signs to indicate that it was potable water. I usually don’t drink from fountains without signs clearly indicating the water was potable – and this old stone fountain had moss growing on the water spout – so not a great indication the water was safe to drink. Thankfully, I had my water filter with me. I was glad I did. My water bladder was pretty much empty, and the water was gloriously cold. I relaxed by the shaded water fountain for a few moments before continuing on.

At the 17KM point, I came across the stunning village of A Ponte Maceira. Charming red-roofed stone houses line a lush riverbank. The centrepiece of the town is a gorgeous stone bridge which crosses a pristine river with a set of small waterfalls on one side and tranquil meandering water on the other side. It was the prettiest town I have seen thus far in Spain. I was only 4KM from my original plan of staying in Negreira, and this town was so beautifully charming that I stopped to look for a place to stay in town for the night; but alas could not find availability.

The rest of the 4KM to Negreira, was fairly uneventful, I stayed at the Albergue Anjara which had a lot of pluses going for it – one it has a saltwater pool. Two, it was the first Albergue into town and I was tired. The Albergue Anjara was an excellent find. The premises were super clean, and the pool was absolutely perfect to cool off after a day in the grips of the heatwave. They even let me bring my beer to have in the pool area.

There was only 4 of us in the dorm room that night, and everyone was in a lighthearted manner as we got ready to go to bed. It was still steaming hot, so none of us were sleeping with any covers by time we turned the lights off. We left the windows open to allow some semblance of a breeze to blow in as we drifted off to sweaty slumber.

We were all awakened in dramatic manner in the middle of the night by the loudest crash of thunder and lightening any of us had ever heard. It sounded like the sky itself had been smashed in half. The lights of our room actually flickered on – like our albergue itself was struck by lightening. It was terrifying.

Given the on-going heat wave and the fitful sleep; I decided that I was going to sleep in the next day and have a sort of “rest day” by only doing 13KM to the next town – Vilaserio.

Day 37: Negreira to Vilaserio
13KM
8:30am – 11:30pm (30 minute break)

As I only had to walk 13KM today, I slept in until 7:30am today, and after a quick breakfast at the hostel was on the trail at 8:30am. The walk was through pleasant country lanes for the most part. As I hiked exclusively before noon, the morning heat was quite manageable compared to the day before.

I get to the tiny town of Vilaserio around 11:30am. The town just has two hostels – the two hostels also have the town’s only restaurants. I choose to stay at Albergue Casa Vella – as it looked to be smaller and located in an old stone country home. Albergue Casa Vella is a family-run albergue with a lovely woman who immediately treated me like a member of the family.

There were only two other people at the albergue when I arrived: a father-daughter duo, and one other Spanish man who arrived later in the day. Just the four of us in the whole albergue – which made for a very tranquil stay. I caught up on journaling on the patio that was shaded by a canopy of grape vines that were grown in an artful natural sunroof over a sitting area in front of the Albergue, and ordered cold Tinto de Verano (summer wine) to enjoy while writing.

My cash situation is running low at this point, and with no ATMs in sight, I decide to dine at the other restaurant in town which also accepted credit card (Casa Vella was cash-only).

Day 38: Vilaserio to Olveiroa
21KM
6:45am – 12:45pm (1 hour break)

I needed to get 21KM done today in order to make it to Olveiroa, and heat wave part II has still not let up. Determined to beat the heat today, I set my alarm for 5am. I didn’t manage to peel my sorry self out of bed until 5:45am. It was pitch black outside, and I was in the middle of nowhere. Unlike the Camino Francés where there was always someone a few minutes away, the Camino Finisterre is significantly less busy – I could go a whole day and see less than 5 people on the trail. While I had my headlamp ready, I was somewhat uneasy with the idea of walking into dark farmland without another soul in sight, so I waited until there was a little dawn light before heading out at 6:45am.

The pre-dawn walk among mist-covered farmland and forest was both mysterious and a sublimely beautiful experience. I walked quickly to cover as much ground as possible before the heat of the day started to set in. By 8:30am, I had already covered over 8KM, and I take a break at a cute roadside café/bar in Santa Marina to get a breakfast of café con leche and a slice of Spanish potato omelette (Tortilla). The café is another family-run business headed by a kind woman in her 60s who asks me where I was from, and then hands me a plate with the largest slice of tortilla I’ve had in all of Spain along with some of the most delicious, soft and spongy whole wheat bread I’ve had in my life. I savored the delicious breakfast and pleasant warmth of the early morning sun before I took my leave. The day has entered its “pre-heat” stage, and it was time to hurry on before the day started to cook.

I get into Olveiroa just before 1pm. Despite getting into town before the worst of the day’s heat, I still look like I’ve been sitting in a sauna for hours with all my clothes on by time I drag myself into the reception area of the albergue I’ve selected. Albergue Loncho is part of a larger family complex including a restaurant and guesthouse with private rooms managed by the Lonchas family in Olveiroa. Olveiroa has just two restaurants – and one restaurant had already been booked out for the entire day for a wedding.

There was no other option but the restaurant at Albergue Loncho, but thankfully the food was great. It was too hot to do anything else but sit under the shaded patio at the restaurant with some Tinto Veranos. As afternoon wore on, it got hotter and hotter, and I was surprised to see people still filing in from the Camino even as the temperature reached its zenith from 3pm onwards. Everyone coming in just looked completely wrung out – the same exhausted expressions in each one of them as they filed into the albergue.

Day 39: Olveiroa to Cee
19.5KM
8am – 2:30pm

I leave Albergue Loncho – in typical straggler fashion at 8am, but not before ordering a coffee and a pastry to go for some energy for the road ahead.

It is much cooler today, on a climb before reaching one of the first viewpoints to see the Atlantic ocean, it was suddenly extremely windy. I was shocked at how much the weather can change one day to the next on the Camino. It was a literal oven yesterday, and today I’m at risk of being blown straight off the trail by gusty cold winds.

Despite it being one of the shorter walking days at 19.5KM, I was exhausted by time I got into Cee.

After having sublime seafood lunch at restaurant overlooking the beach, I checked into the lovely Albergue Moreira situated near the beach, for the evening.

Day 40: Cee to Fisterra
16KM
9:15am – 12:30pm (30 minute break)

While the alarm went off at 7:30am, I was not off until around 9:15am this morning after a leisurely breakfast in Cee.

After an amazing seafood lunch with a group of Camino friends that I met over the past 2 days, we walked the last few kilometers together to the town Fisterra. I found space at the Albergue de Sonia – a lovely, clean hostel that was centrally located in Fisterra. After dropping off my things at the hostel, I prepared for the final 3.3KM walk to Cabo Fisterra – the terminus of the Camino Finisterre, or the End of the World as it once was known.

The final kilometers to Cabo Fisterra were relaxed. The trail was well-marked, but there were some fairly dramatic drop-offs on parts of the trail. Bringing a headlamp would not be a bad idea if you were to hike this section back in the dark.

Finally I saw it: the 0.00KM mark. I was officially at the “End of the World.” Generations ago, this was considered the end of the known world. No one knew what lay beyond this point and what lay beyond it was mired in mystery and fear. Today, standing at this historic point – I felt a confidence in what lay beyond that did not exist 1000KM ago. I’m a different person that who I was before I began this journey on the other side of the Pyrenees in France. The Camino provided the common ground for me to understand myself and those around me, in a way that never would have happened had we not all been walking together on this ribbon of trail across Spain to the end of the World. At the Cape that centuries ago only held unknowns – standing there today felt like looking toward certainty in myself, and those who share the world with me.