Past Santiago, and onto Fisterra......

[Shaun]

Once I have reached Santiago, I am thinking of walking onto Fisterra. Are there still places to stay along the way, or do the refugeos stop at S de C?

[sean]

Hi Shaun,

The walk to Fisterra is normally broken into 3 stages, each one has a refugio. There is little else between but the countryside is fantastic and less crowded than the latter stages of the French Way. From memory, there is a good restaurant in the village you stop at on the second night., It is on the corner, on the left hand side as you head out of town. Enjoy.

Regards,

Sean,
Dublin

[unadara]

Shaun
We were thinking of walking on to Finisterre but didn't, we took a bus and then walked on to Muxia. I regret not walking to Finisterre, I think you must have it as a definite plan in order to keep walking. We had walked with a Spanish friend for 10 days but left him behind at El Acebo and my husband wanted to wait for him in Santiago. We had walked for 31 days and were very tired. But we knew in Finisterre that we could have walked it and the 30kms on to Muxia was the best day of all!. You can walk to Muxia before you get to Finisterre and many were taking that option. We will certainly walk on out on our next Camino! PLease God.
Buen Camino

[geraldkelly]

Hi

There are now loads of albergues between Santiago and Finisterre. Negreira has at least 4 and Finisterre about 6. I walked it last summer in August. It's great and spending a bit of time in Finisterre is a great way to end your Camino.

You can see a list of the albergues in my guide which you can download from www.CaminoGuide.net - Camino de Santiago - free guide to download - Camino Francés - St James Way

Ger

[joe]

I went in May-July in 2011, walked to Finisterre in 3 days, although you can choose to walk it over 4 days. There are plenty of Albergues, and when I went there were places to stop and eat (except for the first day!).

However, on my second night, I arrived late (7pm) and the only place left to sleep was in the barn! Where 7 other people had laid down cardboard boxes for mattresses! A cold draft coming through the impossible-to-close-door, and a concrete floor and walls with spiders... it wasn't the most pleasant night for sleeping, but it was most certainly one of the most memorable! We stayed in the cafe/bar until 1am and had a great time - while everybody else in the albergue was asleep due to the 10pm curfue! Our good old barn door couldn't close, so we had no curfue.


Arriving at Finisterre and reaching the lighthouse gives you a strong sense of accomplishment (which almost matches the one you recieve when entering the Cathedral at Santiago). You will not regret it, and if the weather is nice you will love every moment of it. I ended up staying an unplanned 7 days in Finisterre simply because I loved the people I met on the beach and the hospitaleros at the albergue.

[Maur]

It is well worth the walk to Finisterre. I took four days, from Sept. 28- Oct. 1, 2011. Plenty of places to stay...it was a little more difficult than I had anticipated, especially the first day out of Santiago. But the last day, from Cee to Finisterre, was wonderful. The views of the sea were a perfect reminder for me that, even though I was sad to be finishing my Camino, I also longed for home. I live near the shore in NJ, USA, so the sound of the ocean was so welcoming and familiar. I was really glad I had time to spend 2 nights in Finisterre - more would have been even better. The atmosphere there is fun and relaxing - no more walking! Unless, of course, you are going on to Muxia.
It was a really good transition time, to get used to not walking and not being on the Camino any more. I sat on the beach for a good 3 hours, almost in an altered state...just relishing the feel of the sand, the smells and sounds of the sea, the warmth of the sun. I swam a few times and journaled a lot.
Buen Camino!

[Shaun]

Thanks for the replies. I guess really, I will have to make my decision once I reach Santiago, and how much time I have left. I've worked out that if I do 28km ave days, I will have four days left before I am due to fly out again. Although, this is not taking into account bad weather/any accidents/injuries etc., so I will have to see how it goes.
If I dont have the time to walk, I can always look into getting the bus there and back, because I do love the sea, and have never been to that part of Spain before.
Well, just over 9wks now before I go, so things are getting exciting now!
Regards, Shaun