Camino Finisterre 2017

88kms to the end of the world

This ancient medieval pilgrimage route, a total of 88 kilometers, was often taken after completing the Camino de Santiago and a visit to the Cathedral at Santiago. Because Finisterre was considered to be the end of the known world in the Middle Ages, it held special spiritual significance. 

Cabo Finisterre itself, is a wild and unusual place, full of evidence of the modern day pilgrim's rituals at the End of the World and the end of their Camino. It is traditional to burn one's clothes, discard worn boots, build crosses in gratitude and watch the sunset over the dramatic Atlantic coastline.

I will try and keep you all up to date with my mini pilgrimage on this separate page.

29th September 

I just added a video of the great incense burner the bonfumiero in action in the cathedral. It's under it's name in the menu.

I set off this morning at about 7:30, walking through the dark city in the rain. I couldn't wait to leave. Wasn't quite sure where to go so followed a group of pilgrims out of the cathedral square all with their rain ponchos on over their backpacks, a strange sight. Finally found the 88km marker post and from then on it was the usual, following yellow arrows and markers all the way. 

It didn't take long to get out of the city as it did getting in from the other side. I was soon walking through woods on nice soft sandy paths, I've finally discovered a bit of Spain that isn't stony. I followed behind a couple of Italians as they had a head torch until daylight then went on ahead alone for a while. 

I stopped to buy a banana and coke from a man who had set up a stall in the woods. He kindly offered me a coffee free of charge but I had to decline as I don't drink coffee. The people here don't smile too often but can nevertheless be kind and helpful. A man stopped his car to tell me not to take an alternative route when I was trying to work out which way was best. 

I ended up walking with someone who had walked with Julius at some point, I only met him last night. His name is Zoran, he is from Macedonia but lives in Bulgaria. He speaks quite good English and knows more English swear words than me. I don't know much about Macedonia but once I established that it was an Orthodox country we spoke about Icons and my hobby of painting them. 

Had lunch with Zoran in a bar in Negreira run by a man from Devon who is married to a Galician. You can't say Spanish here, it's the autonomous region of Galicia. 

More and more forest today, really different country again, I enjoyed it. It got really hot and humid at one point, quite tropical. Quite used to walking on my own but going to find it strange without all my friends in the hostels. I'm in a nice room with Spanish people, only 5 beds. I got a bottom bunk because I got here early. Julius was hoping to catch me today but it's started raining quite heavily and he's going to stop in Negreira where I had lunch. Don't think I'll see him until I get to Finnistere. 

60km to go

 

Zoran told us over dinner that he has decided not to wash his clothes anymore. It is traditional to burn clothing at Finnistere and he wants to burn all his so he's decided it's not worth the expense or effort of washing things. Don't know what he's wearing home. This meant he had to sit shivering through dinner in a tee shirt as he didn't have a jumper that didn't stink. I'm not burning my clothes and I do wash them. 

We had a really nice pilgrim meal in the hostel. No slack packers or tourigrinos (Spanish term for Perigrino or Pilgrim crossed with a tourist), no piles of backpacks with luggage labels waiting to be picked up and delivered to the next stop. One French lady Julie had completed 2,200kms! I met quite a few people yesterday walking back from Finnistere including one man playing the Proclaimers song 'I would walk 500 miles' out loud on his iPod. The walking can become obsessive, people learn to ignore pain and do permanent damage to their bodies. I'm told that two people have died so far this year, one out in the Meseta wasteland in 40 degree heat, the other had a heart attack on the Northern route. I'm glad I managed to get these three extra days in but I know it's time to stop walking. I'm going to try and slow things down today, I've booked a hostel so there's no rush. 

I walked alone today, started about 7:30 and used my phone light to find the path. Daylight revealed another foggy morning, the whole place has an eerie mystical feel to it. It felt like a long hard walk today, but the sun eventually came out and the scenery was stunning. More of the same tomorrow. I have had a blister appear on my left little toe about four days ago and nothing I do seems to get rid of it. My hips hurt now and kept me awake in the night, everything hurts again and I've had enough. Just one more day, my final goal is the lighthouse at Finnistere where I can claim another compostela certificate. Also that's as far west as I can go, the end of the world. 

I just booked a hotel room in Finnistere, it was going cheap and the hostel I phoned was already full. 

30km to go

 

I walked up to the only cafe in the village last night to get some food and something to drink. At about 6pm Julius walked in, he had walked about 38km and managed to get a bed in the same hostel as me. Glad I've got someone to walk with on my last day. As I've learned sometimes it's good to be on your own and other times it's good to have people alongside you.  

Linda's theory about overweight people snoring proved true again. I ended up with a top bunk last night and the large man in the bottom bunk snored so loud the whole room was shaking. I didn't hit him with a pillow. 

We walked through the dark this morning in rain and fog. Julius and Suzanne, a girl from Hungary, walked with me. We walked through a lot of forest again today, the native trees are mixed with eucalyptus that seems to be taking over in many places.  

After about 3 hours walking we got our first glimpse of the sea and about an hour later we could see the lighthouse which is the furthest point west from Santiago, the end of the world! After 27kms we got into Finnistere town and had a drink before settling off on the long climb to 100 metres above sea level, up to the lighthouse, an additional 3kms. We eventually made it to the 0km marker and stopped for photos before moving onto the rocky outcrop overlooking the ocean above the lighthouse. Very different to ending in Santiago for me, the hardest part was leaving my walking sticks behind. I bought them in St Jean just before I started walking and have used them every day since. They have served me well but were starting to fall apart. At Finnistere we are meant to leave behind the things that helped get us there but that we no longer need. I made a cross out of them, planted them in the ground underneath the lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic and left them there. 

Our pilgrimage finally over we sat on the rocks and took some time to reflect on our journeys, on what we had done and why. 

I estimate that given the official 799km to Santiago plus 88km to Finnistere and adding some extra kms for some of the alternative routes I took, I must have walked around 900kms. There's a great temptation to just do another 100 and make it 1,000 and then just a bit more, but I am tired, everything hurts and it's time to go home. 

0km to go

This really is the last few words

When I had the idea of writing a blog to keep people up to date with my journey I had no idea I would get so many people visiting the web site. At this point there are nearly 1,000 hits on the site, more than one visit for every kilometre I have walked. How I managed to put all this together on my mobile phone is nothing short of a miracle. Thank you once again for reading and for your messages of support. And it's still not too late to add a word or two in the guest book. 

And finally thanks to Jocelyn and the kids for letting me make this journey. When I first suggested it I didn't think I'd get away with it, but Jocelyn said I should do it now and not wait until I was too old. She may well have regretted letting me go a few times, like when a hole appeared in the Vicarage roof and water came through the bedroom ceiling or the time when the shower broke down, but she has managed to cope with these disasters very well and hopefully will forgive me for not being there for her!

Blessings 

Steven