Walking from Santiago to Muxia?

[carolinasf]

This forum is a Godsend as we are planning on walking the Camino this year starting in SJPDP.

Can you help me? I've been searching as it seems I can only find info about the Santiago to Finisterra loop then over to Muxia. We are thinking that after Santiago that we would like to walk to Muxia to be by the ocean since we decided not to go to Finisterra.

How many kilometers is it to walk from Santiago to Muxia only? Days approx? Is it well marked or would be going upstream from the pilgrims where we would miss markers? Since Muxia is the end of our camino is there a bus/train that we can take back to Santiago or another city?

Any albergues in Muxia you would recommend?

I'm still researching a lot (just learning to spell albergues;-) but we hope at the end of our camino to fly out on Ryan Air (not sure what city yet in Spain?) over to Dublin and then back home. Still working on a timeline for the journey. Thank you!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It takes about three days. I like the Bela Muxia albergue. There are buses back to Santiago; some connect through Cee.

http://www.belamuxia.com/en/

http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/is-there-a-way-to-reach-muxia-by-bus.10698/
http://www.concellomuxia.com/ca/web/index.php?dep=2&mod=not&ide=23

 

[Magwood]

My daughter and I took it easy at the end of our camino and took four days to reach Muxia from Santiago. You can follow our journey from Santiago if you like - http://wp.me/p3azEo-hi. We also stayed at Bella Muxia, a lovely private albergue with charming hospitaleros.

 

[mralisn]

This is a very beautiful walk and an incredible way to end your journey. It can be done in 3 days if you like. Maybe 90kms. On the 3rd day from SdC, we come to a point where we can choose which way to go, Fisterra or Muxia. I only stayed in the municipal refugio and will choose another soon. I would also like to stay here:

http://www.thelittlefoxhouse.com

In 2012, I believe I took Aer Lingus from SdC to Dublin easily.

Excited for you. Please keep reading and asking. You'll find the kindness of advice here is invaluable.

Trust in the arrows,
Simeon

 

[whariwharangi]

John Brierley has written a guide: Camino Finisterre, ISBN 978-1-84409-590-2. Well worth the 15.50 euro purchase price (in Santiago). The book suggest 3 long stages for 75km from Santiago to Muxia. I'd suggest 4 days.

 

[mspath]

carolinasf,

Last December I walked from Santiago to Muxia stopping on the way at the pilgrim albergues in Negreira, Santa Mariña (Maroñas-Mazaricos), and Dumbria. This is a beautiful and lonely route with much trudging though eucalyptus wood. All is not well marked so perseverance is necessary especially in heavy rain. Always carry trail snacks and, of course, sufficient water. After Chorente when the path descends through pines and you FINALLY glimpse the sea all becomes magical.

For detailed maps of the route see the entry of fellow Forum member Peter Robins on his Walking Pilgrim site.

The Galicia Tourist Office in Santiago at 30 rua do Vilar near the cathedral has a good free list of ALL services on the paths to Finisterre and Muxia. This includes food shops, albergues, lodgings, restaurants, bars, banks, buses, etc. Their multilingual staff is also most helpful.

Buen Camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[MKalcolm M]

I walked to Muxia in three days from Santiago, anfd found it a really good way to end the camino. I had walked the North route and found the last stretch when it joined the Frances overwhelmingly crowded, and walking to Muxia restored the balance. There is a great feeling of satisfaction when you see the sea again, and watching the sunset over the ocean is a good memory to take home.

 

[Peadarmac]

Hi there,
Another alternative is to get a bus from Santiago to Finisterre,stay in Finisterre for a night and then walk from Finisterre to Muxia.

The walk from Finisterre to Muxia is a lovely walk and can be comfortably walked in two days (Finisterre to Lires : 14kms and Lires to Muxia : 17 kms)

There is no Albergue in Lires but I can recommend a very nice B&B called As Eiras that does single rooms for about €25 and doubles for about €40.

The Albergue Xunta in Muxia is one of the best municipal Albergues I have stayed in but make sure you have your credencial stamped in Finisterre and Lires in order to secure a bed.

There is an early morning bus from Muxia back to Santiago that arrives in Santiago around 9.30am and I think Aer Lingus fly direct from Santiago to Dublin every Tuesday Thursday and Saturday from around April to September but you should double check their timetables.

Buen Camino !

Peadar

 

[wendelart]

Walking from Santiago to Muxia is no problem, but don't do it the other way around!!! I walked from Muxia back to Santiago and it was awfull, I was lost all the time. I even ended up in the same village where I started an hour earlier, once. Why? When you come from Santiago the shells and arrows are placed in such a way it is logical which way to go, just after forks, bendings and crossroads. When coming from the other way I first saw the shells and arrows and thén a few meters later the crossroad. And then it's a big jigsaw puzzle guessing which direction to take. Also, shells and arrows on tree's and streetpole's are often visible from only one side, so I missed those and never was sure I was still on the right track. It was the most exhausting part of my whole camino and I wouldn't recommend doing it to anyone.

 

[cherrys]

We stayed at As Eiras in October, four beds to a room (there were two of us, my step sister and I) and I believe it was 10 euro each at most. Good meal. And definitely stay at Bela Muxia - very, very pleasant

 

[carolinasf]

Thank you, everyone!

This is my first post so I was stunned by how many of you responded. I've been a lurker for quite awhile to learn from all of you. Your help is invaluable with the resources, ideas, and knowledge that all of you shared. Bela Muxia sounds like a restful place to stay. I appreciate your input about alternatives, too, that I don't know exist.

I didn't know that I could fly out of Santiago. I thought we would need to take the bus back to Santiago, train to Madrid, and fly out of Madrid to Dublin. Flying out of Santiago helps a lot.

We will be flying to Dublin in October. I thought only Ryan Air flew on certain days? I didn't realize that Aer Lingus flew on certain days (I thought they flew everyday) to Dublin so that's very helpful for planning.

Thank you for your kindness.

 

[carolinasf]

Walking from Santiago to Muxia is no problem, but don't do it the other way around!!! I walked from Muxia back to Santiago and it was awfull, I was lost all the time. I even ended up in the same village where I started an hour earlier, once. Why? When you come from Santiago the shells and arrows are placed in such a way it is logical which way to go, just after forks, bendings and crossroads. When coming from the other way I first saw the shells and arrows and thén a few meters later the crossroad. And then it's a big jigsaw puzzle guessing which direction to take. Also, shells and arrows on tree's and streetpole's are often visible from only one side, so I missed those and never was sure I was still on the right track. It was the most exhausting part of my whole camino and I wouldn't recommend doing it to anyone.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, wendelart. Knowing me, I could have been lost on the Spanish coast for days and days

 

[carolinasf]

This is a very beautiful walk and an incredible way to end your journey. It can be done in 3 days if you like. Maybe 90kms. On the 3rd day from SdC, we come to a point where we can choose which way to go, Fisterra or Muxia. I only stayed in the municipal refugio and will choose another soon. I would also like to stay here:

http://www.thelittlefoxhouse.com

In 2012, I believe I took Aer Lingus from SdC to Dublin easily.

Excited for you. Please keep reading and asking. You'll find the kindness of advice here is invaluable.

Trust in the arrows,
Simeon

I'm learning how the camin works and want to say thank you. I posted yesterday and then started to cook dinner. I didn't know that others were already responding to my post. Cooking dinner, I mentioned to my husband that I read something a long time ago about "a fox" but couldn't remember all of it but wanted to find out more. Lo and behold, you brought it up when I didn't even ask...thank you. Yes, trust in the arrows.

 

[Avenelite]

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, wendelart. Knowing me, I could have been lost on the Spanish coast for days and days

Thanks from me too as I was wondering about which way to go: Santigo - Muxia or Muxia - Santiago. If I have enough time and energy, I'll try Santiago - Muxia, Muxia -Finisterre, Finisterre - Santiago. Has anyone walked from Finisterre to Santiago? If so did you experience the same problems that 'wendelart' encountered whilst walking from Muxia -Santaigo? Did the 'backwards' marking system make it difficult for you?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Did the 'backwards' marking system make it difficult for you?

Yes. I had to wait a couple of times for forward direction walkers to appear and show me the correct turn.

 

[Al the optimist]

Note that the Brierley guide takes you Santiago-Finisterra-Muxia- Santiago, so the Santiago/Muxia bit is backwards.

 

[RoryGentry]

Note that the Brierley guide takes you Santiago-Finisterra-Muxia- Santiago, so the Santiago/Muxia bit is backwards.

That's the route we are taking in April. I hope the Muxia to Santiago route isn't as poorly marked as mentioned above!

 

[Avenelite]

Note that the Brierley guide takes you Santiago-Finisterra-Muxia- Santiago, so the Santiago/Muxia bit is backwards.

Hi Al the Optimist. Re walking 'Muxia to Santiago' : Is there any mention in the Brierley guide about the difficulties 'wendelart' encountered, as described above?

 

[Al the optimist]

It only shows Muxia to Olvieroa then you use the Santiago to there backwards.

 

[BeatriceKarjalainen]

I walked Santiago-Finisterre-Muxía-Santiago. The way wasn't well marked between Muxía and Santiago but totally manageable. I did use the GPS map in my phone once or twice when I was unsure. I walked the distance in 6 days so the last part from Hospital to Santiago was still fresh in my memory.

 

[Mark2012]

Walking from Santiago to Muxia is no problem, but don't do it the other way around!!! I walked from Muxia back to Santiago and it was awfull, I was lost all the time. I even ended up in the same village where I started an hour earlier, once. Why? When you come from Santiago the shells and arrows are placed in such a way it is logical which way to go, just after forks, bendings and crossroads. When coming from the other way I first saw the shells and arrows and thén a few meters later the crossroad. And then it's a big jigsaw puzzle guessing which direction to take. Also, shells and arrows on tree's and streetpole's are often visible from only one side, so I missed those and never was sure I was still on the right track. It was the most exhausting part of my whole camino and I wouldn't recommend doing it to anyone.

I had a similar experience last year. I wanted to walk back to Santiago from Muxia, but within an hour of walking up into the hills from Muxia became convinced it was not a good idea for me. My internal GPS isn't all that it might be, and even in that short one hour of walking, I reached a point where I had no idea if I was going the right way or not, and so decided to turn back while I could still retrace my steps to Muxia!

This year, I hope to try something similar, but I'll walk to Muxia before Finisterre this time, and then try to walk back to Santiago from Finisterre. I suspect it's easier that way!

 

[econodan]

We walked from Santiago to Muxia, then on to Finisterre, at the end of our Camino in 2012 (after starting at Montserrat). We didn't want our journey to end, so dawdled along (spent the night in Lires in between Muxia and Finisterre). This is a beautiful piece of the Camino, and quite distinct from others. Don't miss the new and very modern albergue in Dumbria. You can read more details about this part of the journey on our blog here.
Buen Camino.

 

[Thornley]

John Brierley has written a guide: Camino Finisterre, ISBN 978-1-84409-590-2. Well worth the 15.50 euro purchase price (in Santiago). The book suggest 3 long stages for 75km from Santiago to Muxia. I'd suggest 4 days.

I would not waste one cent on Brierley's book
You can get everything you need from this forum or the tourist centre in Santiago.
It is a beautiful walk taking 4 days
It is a race/rush for the new pilgrims doing only this camino.
And its a bloody nuisance the organised groups now using the sparse accommodation.

For the ones who cried/hugged/ attended midday church after 800km and then continued its 4 days.
Please take in this way and approach the sea as the finish.
And spend a little extra and enjoy the hotels/homes on the waterfall/pensions etc........you deserve it.
The Spanish regard Muxia as their finishing point.

 

[Wigglefish]

W

We stayed at As Eiras in October, four beds to a room (there were two of us, my step sister and I) and I believe it was 10 euro each at most. Good meal. And definitely stay at Bela Muxia - very, very pleasant

was the weather very cool walking by the sea at this time of year?

 

[Thornley]

W

was the weather very cool walking by the sea at this time of year?

You only get near the sea with 15km to go.
However mate you are Galicia in October when you leave Santiago.
Hope for the best , prepare for a little drizzle and maybe a down poor and don't worry about the temperature , that part will be fine.

 

[ZsuRa]

Hi Everyone,
I stopped my camino in Santiago on the 20th of August and planning to go back to walk to Muxia than Finisterre in October. Since my Mum and two other friends will join, I would like to take 4 days from Santiago to Muxia and an other from Muxia to Finisterre. Could you recomend stages for me? Its not a problem if we stay in private place or hostel, but I dont want to plan more than 25 km/day.
Thanks
Zs

 

[cherrys]

W

was the weather very cool walking by the sea at this time of year?

Hi - I don't remember it being particularly cold, but it rained heavily from Fisterre to Muxia, and was very windy in places. But out of the whole six weeks that was the only bout of solid rain I'd had, so I didn't mind it. One of my favorite pictures is from the beach in Muxia

 

[Magwood]

Hi Everyone,
I stopped my camino in Santiago on the 20th of August and planning to go back to walk to Muxia than Finisterre in October. Since my Mum and two other friends will join, I would like to take 4 days from Santiago to Muxia and an other from Muxia to Finisterre. Could you recomend stages for me? Its not a problem if we stay in private place or hostel, but I dont want to plan more than 25 km/day.
Thanks
Zs

@ZsuRa you can take a look at my blog - we walked over four days to Muxia and Finisterre.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

This guide shows the way to Olveiroa:
http://www.gronze.com/camino-de-santiago/caminos/guia-del-camino-finisterre
This guide shows a Muxia option:
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/etapa-de-olveiroa-a-muxia

 

[ZsuRa]

Hi Magwood & Falcon,
Thanks for both. I will do the planning tonight.
Zs

 

[Wigglefish]

Hi - I don't remember it being particularly cold, but it rained heavily from Fisterre to Muxia, and was very windy in places. But out of the whole six weeks that was the only bout of solid rain I'd had, so I didn't mind it.View attachment 13104 One of my favorite pictures is from the beach in Muxia

Beauuutiful!