Three days until strike...what to do?

[sonhador]

Finished my Camino yesterday. Really good experience, but I want to go out to the ocean. After checking with the tourism office, there will be no bus service from Tuesday on. This leaves me with three days, walking to the ocean is out. I would like like to go to both Finesterre and Muxia, but um not sure about doing the walk in one (long) day. The 30+ k days I did on Camino saw me not getting in until late. If I have to chose I think I would prefer Muxia as I've been told its quoted, but I can't say I really know. So here are the options I've come up with:

1) Bus to finesterre, walk to Muxia the next day, bus back on Monday.
2) Bus to Muxia Sat pm, spend Sunday in Muxia and return Monday.
3) As above, but to Finesterre.
4) As 2, but then take a commercial tour to Finisterre once then strike starts -I don't leave Santiago until Thursday
5) Some great idea you come up with!

Also, if I do bus out, will there be an issue staying in the albergues?

Thanks!

Erin

 

[jdpiguet]

May be you can find another pilgrim to share taxi costs?

Buen Camino, Jacques-D.

 

[MinaKamina]

No problem staying in albergues if you take the bus. I'd choose Muxía and make an on-line reservation

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I would say,bus to Muxia.

Wish you well,Peter.

 

[KinkyOne]

Finished my Camino yesterday. Really good experience, but I want to go out to the ocean. After checking with the tourism office, there will be no bus service from Tuesday on. This leaves me with three days, walking to the ocean is out. I would like like to go to both Finesterre and Muxia, but um not sure about doing the walk in one (long) day. The 30+ k days I did on Camino saw me not getting in until late. If I have to chose I think I would prefer Muxia as I've been told its quoted, but I can't say I really know. So here are the options I've come up with:

1) Bus to finesterre, walk to Muxia the next day, bus back on Monday.
2) Bus to Muxia Sat pm, spend Sunday in Muxia and return Monday.
3) As above, but to Finesterre.
4) As 2, but then take a commercial tour to Finisterre once then strike starts -I don't leave Santiago until Thursday
5) Some great idea you come up with!

Also, if I do bus out, will there be an issue staying in the albergues?

Thanks!

Erin

I would encourage you to walk 4 easy 20km+/day stages to Muxia (stay at Negreira, Santa Marina, Dumbria and Muxia). If you start Saturday that means you'll be in Muxia on Tuesday. You can walk to Fisterra on Wednesday and return on Thursday if your outbound travel is in the afternoon or evening.

Or walk 3 bit longish stages (stay at Vilaserio, Dumbria and Muxia). That gives you one day more to walk Muxia - Fisterra with intermediate stay in Lires.

Same can be done vice versa first Fisterra then Muxia.

If the strike will be on be sure that there will be plenty of pilgrims sharing the taxis and I bet some locals will fill up the transportation demands.

Congratulations for your achievement!

 

[natefaith]

Erin,
Another idea would be to take the train to and from La Coruña if your highest value is to see the ocean but don't want the stress of having to walk or bus from Finisterre and Muxia. It wouldn't have the same Camino feel as Finisterre and Muxia but Coruña is a beautiful peninsula town with an ocean walk all around it and plenty of spots to sit and look out onto the water. There are several trains between Santiago and La Coruña each day, and it's about a 45-minute ride. So just another option if you need one! Enjoy the rest of your time here whatever you decide!

 

[peregrina2000]

I was going to jump in and correct your post to say that the strikes are only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but a quick online search showed that you are right -- that as of Thursday the 13th the strike will be on every day of the week. http://www.eldiario.es/galicia/economia/huelga-autobuses-Galicia-extiende-semana_0_661783910.html

The article also suggests, though, that some of the basics of an agreement have been ironed out, and this call to expand the strike may be just to impose more pressure for settlement. But I wouldn't change plans, I would just walk the way you were originally intending to walk. If the strike is still on, you will easily find a group of pilgrims to take a cab together back to Santiago. I did that last Tuesday with three others and the cost was 50 euros from Muxia. Divided by 4, it was quite reasonable. From Finisterre it would be a bit more because it's further from Santiago.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I second what Peregrina2000 said.
Find a couple of pilgrims to join you, hire a cab for the day.
Have it take you to Finisterra, then to Muxia for lunch, then home.
Less than $35 each.
We do it each year.

 

[sonhador]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think, at this point, what I need more than anything is some time to rest and reflect. Its funny, I never really got my brain to shut off when I was on Camino. I was always singing a song, or talking, or laughing, if only to myself. So I think I will head to Muxia for a few days, and then if I still feel the need, I'll take a tour out to Finisterre.

 

[KinkyOne]

...I never really got my brain to shut off when I was on Camino. I was always singing a song, or talking, or laughing, if only to myself. ...

Really???
Shutting my brain off was the pure essence of all of my Caminos. I kind of hope I didn't understand your post well, but that just wouldn't do for me what you experienced/did.

When friends asked me what the hell is so tempting with this Camino stuff that I'm into I like to give this explanation.

Let't say you have to walk a 12 kms valley (like from Villamayor de Monjardin to Los Arcos). First you are walking through 4 kms of vineyards and for 15 minutes you brain is OK with that. But after that time it says, WTF, it's all the same, it's boring, we know everything, I'm going to sleep. Not really a sleep!!! But it begins dealing with the things in subconsciousness. Without you do anything in that process, just observing. Then comes 4 kms of olives. Same story repeats, after 15 minutes the brains goes "out", and the same after that with 4 kms of corn field. It's just the nature of our psyche. If we allow it to be!!!

First shutting our consciousness down while walking (don't worry, you'll still see the stones on the path and those yellow arrows ), then just watch it like from a distance or in a movie theater (crying, shouting, laughing allowed) and then, after shower, go for a beer or copa de vino tinto and all will be good

And that is exactly the reason why I love flat stretches or whole flat Caminos. Call it escapism, mantra, theraphy, "dueling banjos" or drug, it's the same. What's the point? The road! What's on the road? That you can choose

Sorry @sonhador , it wasn't like a criticism to your approach, far from that, but maybe it will be useful for some other pilgrim here on the forum.

Hope you'll have most enjoyable few rest days in Galicia!

K1

 

[sonhador]

Let't say you have to walk a 12 kms valley (like from Villamayor de Monjardin to Los Arcos). First you are walking through 4 kms of vineyards and for 15 minutes you brain is OK with that. But after that time it says, WTF, it's all the same, it's boring, we know everything, I'm going to sleep. Not really a sleep!!! But it begins dealing with the things in subconsciousness. Without you do anything in that process, just observing. Then comes 4 kms of olives. Same story repeats, after 15 minutes the brains goes "out", and the same after that with 4 kms of corn field. It's just the nature of our psyche. If we allow it to be!!!

It's funny you mention this stretch of Camino. I remember it in vivid detail. I was fascinated by the path of snails as they crossed the trail, and shocked by their untold numbers. You could see the remnants of their trail as they made their way from one side of the Camino to the other. I thought about how that was their Camino and wondered if this was a daily occurrence, or if any snail decided to go down the road instead of across it what he might think.

I watched the grass ripen and shift in tone as is bent in the breeze and awoke to the warmth of the sun. Watched the butterfly's alight on the wheat, there forms still, even in the breeze. I noticed how I, the sun, and the Camino lined up perfectly to cast my shadow down the length of the trail making me a giant among men.

Then my focus would shift, and I would stagger under the majesty and grandeur of the vista. The rolling hills, each field a slightly different color, the clouds racking across the blue sky.

That is how I spent my Camino, and I loved it.

I guess our two different experiences of the same stretch of road, just prove how different this Camino can be for each person. And that is a beautiful thing...

 

[Rebekah Scott]

If you get to Muxia, I recommend staying with Pepe Formosa at Bela Muxia. He's a camino stalwart!

 

[HikingGeo]

Finished my Camino yesterday. Really good experience, but I want to go out to the ocean. After checking with the tourism office, there will be no bus service from Tuesday on. This leaves me with three days, walking to the ocean is out. I would like like to go to both Finesterre and Muxia, but um not sure about doing the walk in one (long) day. The 30+ k days I did on Camino saw me not getting in until late. If I have to chose I think I would prefer Muxia as I've been told its quoted, but I can't say I really know. So here are the options I've come up with:

1) Bus to finesterre, walk to Muxia the next day, bus back on Monday.
2) Bus to Muxia Sat pm, spend Sunday in Muxia and return Monday.
3) As above, but to Finesterre.
4) As 2, but then take a commercial tour to Finisterre once then strike starts -I don't leave Santiago until Thursday
5) Some great idea you come up with!

Also, if I do bus out, will there be an issue staying in the albergues?

Thanks!

Erin

We took a taxi from Santiago to Muxia. If you are not sure about the 30km from Muxia to Finisterre, a reasonable taxi ride to Lires will cut off half of the distance and leave you with a wonderful 3-4 hour hike to Finisterre with awesome views of the coast.

 

[SusanPaulus]

Also try Blabla car. I found it much more reasonable than a taxi.