“I took the road less travelled by, and that has made all the difference…”

walkinghomewoods

Backtracking a little to May, the Camino Week 5: approx 122 km

Muxia – Dumbria – Olveiroa – Negreira – Santiago

Do…

  • swim in the freezing cold Atlantic when you arrive, it’s meant to be a sign of leaving everything behind
  • Watch the sunset, from the lighthouse AND from the beach on the far side of Finisterre, if you have the time
  • Take some lazy time, you just walked a few hundred km
  • Get the road less travelled certificates from the office in Santiago when you return!
  • Chat to everyone on the way back even if its a slow old lady with diabetes, she may give you delicious coffee sweets
  • Let other take photos, the best photos of my holiday were taken by professional photographer who was walking
  • be cheap, the camino can easily be done on a severe budget

Don’t…

  • swim on the wrong side of Finisterre, the currents are incredibly strong and dangerous 
  • throw out your waterproofs too early, it may just pour rain all next day
  • expect all Irish people to know one another. We may be a small country but we don’t all plan to go on the camino together 🙂
  • let elderly people take your photo. Unless you want a shot of you legs, or the sky, or any photo without you in it. . .

eduardo

Go…

  • To the local bar for breakfasts. Delicious tostadas, beer, coffee may become your staple diet
  • To stay in Bella Muxia, a fantastic modern hostel run by the most friendly hospitaleros
  • walk to Muxia from Finisterre, it was quiet, deserted, a little confusing to, but one of my favourite routes on the whole camino.
  •  Back to Santiago, the walk back brought back many happy memories

Avoid…

  • Being to nice to local dogs, they may follow you 30km to the next village with no way to get back
  • Forgetting to buy a map for the later stage of the camino. Following the way back from Muxia to Santiago was not easy
  • going the wrong way. stop and ask locals, or wait for peregrinos to come towards you before walking roughly the right direction
  • Just after the road splits to Finisterre or Muxia, don’t have a coffee which claims to be tge last bar, go to the new albergue just after Olveiroa – much nicer!

Guidebook says…

  • nothing, I didnt have one, only the advice of locals!

Evas words of wisdom…

  •  unless its a good map, be prepared to forge your own camino way
  • Even if it is bucketing rain and your raincoat is less than waterproof, stick on some music and enjoy the change in scenery. At least no-one is around when you start singing to yourself! (a excellent raincoat is so important for the camino – learnt it the hard way)

sunsetmuxia