Going backwards?

[Ahhhs]

I just finished the walk from Muxia to Finisterre and back to Santiago. It was a lovely walk. I thought it would be nice to finish (again) in Santiago but walking "backwards" from Finisterre on this route with very few waymarks was a real challenge.

Not reading the backwards arrows or markers (the few that there were). Those were easy. It was the lack of ANY markings on many intersections that was very confusing. If there was a marker it was on the path that you were coming out of so you could not tell which of the identical three paths facing you was the correct one. So you pick the one that seems the most likely, look for boot prints in the dirt, and travel a ways hoping to see a clue that you are going the right way. It's pretty easy to guess wrong. The Brierly guide I had was little help.

The few pilgrims I met going back to Santiago all had the same problem. One technique is to wait at an intersection and hope to see another pilgrim coming toward you to see where they came from. I talked to someone who sat at an intersection for 45 minutes and no one came by. Locals do try to help (if there happen to be any nearby) but I did get a few wrong directions from them as well.

Plus most of the people you meet at cafes or Albergues are going "the other way" so meetings are brief.

I would suggest to people interested in this route (especially newbies) to start in Santiago. Or get better maps or apps or gps to avoid getting lost and adding all those extra kms to your walk.

Ultreia and Buen Camino one and all.

 

[ACL]

had a similar problem walking the Camino Portugese except there were no pilgrims!
I ended up just walking north and eventually found some arrows. I was camping so i knew i'd be okay with going off track.
But one crazy experience.

 

[lovingkindness]

...I love the challenge of following a trail in reverse. Some trails are signed in both directions others just one way or not at all. When signing is poor one has to explore every possibility before finally discovering the correct path. This is time consuming. It is hit and miss but after a while the brain adjusts and discovers a reverse logic...

...When in 'backwards' mode I feel quite connected to the ones who decided where the signs would be placed. Some of their choices are ludicrous and I wonder, for Pete's sake Johnny-Girl why did you put the sign behind that boulder in a shaded cranny way up there...

I figure that a one-way trail is signed adequately if, by the end of the day following it in reverse, I arrive within a village or two of my goal....

 

[fraluchi]

A few years ago I walked back to Sarria from Santiago. Although I had walked this Camino the "correct" way on 5 previous occasions, I missed the trail on 2 instances. I didn't get get too far off track, when there was a total lack of pilgrim hordes coming the other way.

 

[Thornley]

...I love the challenge of following a trail in reverse. Some trails are signed in both directions others just one way or not at all. When signing is poor one has to explore every possibility before finally discovering the correct path. This is time consuming. It is hit and miss but after a while the brain adjusts and discovers a reverse logic...

...When in 'backwards' mode I feel quite connected to the ones who decided where the signs would be placed. Some of their choices are ludicrous and I wonder, for Pete's sake Johnny-Girl why did you put the sign behind that boulder in a shaded cranny way up there...

I figure that a one-way trail is signed adequately if, by the end of the day following it in reverse, I arrive within a village or two of my goal....

A few years ago I walked back to Sarria from Santiago. Although I had walked this Camino the "correct" way on 5 previous occasions, I missed the trail on 2 instances. I didn't get get too far off track, when there was a total lack of pilgrim hordes coming the other way.

Very,very difficult from Muxia believe me.
In the end we went back and stayed an extra day...........we love the place.

 

[Devon Mike]

Very,very difficult from Muxia believe me.
In the end we went back and stayed an extra day...........we love the place.

Last year I also walked back from Muxia and found it difficult to find the route to Dumbria so ended up road walking most of the time. After Dumbria it was much easier as the route to Hospital is straightforward, and once there I was reverse walking the route I was familiar with back through Olveiroa and Negreira to Santiago.