Camino dos Faros

[Llew]

I recently walked the Camino dos Faros from Malpica to Finisterre over 8 days and have to say this is hardest and most difficult walk I have ever done. Tough uphills and sharp descents with a lot of rock scrambling, track quite often one boot width wide on the edge of cliffs, scrub often waist high and sometimes shoulder high, gorse and brambles on some sections and at times the trail marking is difficult to locate. At times I walked in rain which increased the degree of difficulty especially on the rocky sections. Other than a couple of day walkers over the weekend I didn't see any other walkers until the evening of day 7 when I met 2 Dutch ladies at the hostel where I was staying. Like me they had found the walk extremely challenging.
To me this is not a walk, it is an obstacle course. I kept trying to come up with a word to best describe it and the best I could think of was "brutal".
In my opinion this walk will never become an official camino. It would be too difficult for most people, very little infrastructre, accommodation is sparse (no albergues) and what there is quite expensive. With the lack of other walkers and the distances between towns if one got an injury it could take a while for someone to come to your aid.
The pluses were the scenery is magnificient, although while looking at the scenery you have to very carefully watch where you are walking, and the people running the accommodation in each of the towns were wonderful.
For anyone considering this walk I would recommend that you seriously reconsider unless you are really fit and also that you travel with a companion.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thanks for your detailed description of your walk on the dos Faro. It actually sounds rather dangerous in addition to your description of challenging and brutal.

I walked the Fisherman's Trail on the Rota Vicentina in Portugal and consider this a great alternative. It has constant gorgeous views of the sea mostly on cliffs, but they are not dangerous. It can be walked in less than two weeks on mostly flat terrain with beautiful flowering succulents, and no scrubs, gorse or brambles to get in your way. There are no albergues, but there is enough infastructure along the way, including some hostals, although booking ahead seemed necessary to do. I absolutely loved it and I am not the most adventurous person.
The only negative opinion I have was walking a few days on deep sand which was very wearing.

 

[wynrich]

I recently walked the Camino dos Faros from Malpica to Finisterre over 8 days and have to say this is hardest and most difficult walk I have ever done. Tough uphills and sharp descents with a lot of rock scrambling, track quite often one boot width wide on the edge of cliffs, scrub often waist high and sometimes shoulder high, gorse and brambles on some sections and at times the trail marking is difficult to locate. At times I walked in rain which increased the degree of difficulty especially on the rocky sections. Other than a couple of day walkers over the weekend I didn't see any other walkers until the evening of day 7 when I met 2 Dutch ladies at the hostel where I was staying. Like me they had found the walk extremely challenging.
To me this is not a walk, it is an obstacle course. I kept trying to come up with a word to best describe it and the best I could think of was "brutal".
In my opinion this walk will never become an official camino. It would be too difficult for most people, very little infrastructre, accommodation is sparse (no albergues) and what there is quite expensive. With the lack of other walkers and the distances between towns if one got an injury it could take a while for someone to come to your aid.
The pluses were the scenery is magnificient, although while looking at the scenery you have to very carefully watch where you are walking, and the people running the accommodation in each of the towns were wonderful.
For anyone considering this walk I would recommend that you seriously reconsider unless you are really fit and also that you travel with a companion.

I really appreciate your posting this. My husband and I have considered doing the Faros and did walk some sections of it during a few-day stay in Muxia last year. Those were spectacular but there were a couple of parts that we found scary. Based on those experiences and what you said, we are disappointed to say that we probably won't try to walk the whole thing. On the other hand, we've walked the Ruta del Cantabrico twice (along the north coast of Galicia). It's not at all scary, it's very well marked, sufficient accommodations, and it's spectacular. I can't recommend it more highly. https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/desarrol...rales/sector-noroeste/cantabrico/default.aspx

 

[Moniq]

I recently walked the Camino dos Faros from Malpica to Finisterre over 8 days and have to say this is hardest and most difficult walk I have ever done. Tough uphills and sharp descents with a lot of rock scrambling, track quite often one boot width wide on the edge of cliffs, scrub often waist high and sometimes shoulder high, gorse and brambles on some sections and at times the trail marking is difficult to locate. At times I walked in rain which increased the degree of difficulty especially on the rocky sections. Other than a couple of day walkers over the weekend I didn't see any other walkers until the evening of day 7 when I met 2 Dutch ladies at the hostel where I was staying. Like me they had found the walk extremely challenging.
To me this is not a walk, it is an obstacle course. I kept trying to come up with a word to best describe it and the best I could think of was "brutal".
In my opinion this walk will never become an official camino. It would be too difficult for most people, very little infrastructre, accommodation is sparse (no albergues) and what there is quite expensive. With the lack of other walkers and the distances between towns if one got an injury it could take a while for someone to come to your aid.
The pluses were the scenery is magnificient, although while looking at the scenery you have to very carefully watch where you are walking, and the people running the accommodation in each of the towns were wonderful.
For anyone considering this walk I would recommend that you seriously reconsider unless you are really fit and also that you travel with a companion.

I am sorry that you had such a bad experience.
I have a different opinion. I loved it. Last year I walked half of it, several sections but not all. I do agree with the bad marking. But if you have the trail on an app with gps that is not a problem. I had it. There are scrambling sections but not dangerous (I had good weather) and lots of easy walking on small paths and yes up and down. We came across other people walking the whole route, not a lot, but no one had an experience like you. The Camino dos Faros is on my list to walk it all.
Probably the weather makes the difference.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Sounds actually interesting to me ... thanks for the report!

 

[High Endeavours]

I walked it in 2016 before it was very well known. Loved it! Yes it is challenging, but so are many other walks. I’m currently walking the Way of St Frances from Florence to Rome. It’s tough and not for everyone. I’ve walked many more difficult routes than the Camino Dos Faros. I say this because it comes down to the individual and what works for you. The Dos Faros is amazing! Unfortunate that it didn’t work for you, but no fear. There are so many others to experience and enjoy. Have fun searching them out!

 

[Llew]

I walked it in 2016 before it was very well known. Loved it! Yes it is challenging, but so are many other walks. I’m currently walking the Way of St Frances from Florence to Rome. It’s tough and not for everyone. I’ve walked many more difficult routes than the Camino Dos Faros. I say this because it comes down to the individual and what works for you. The Dos Faros is amazing! Unfortunate that it didn’t work for you, but no fear. There are so many others to experience and enjoy. Have fun searching them out!

Appreciate your comments. Obviously this is my opinion and I know others will differ. I have walked 6 camino's but this was certainly the most challenging. I watched a number of youtubes on the walk but nothing indicated the walk to be as difficult as it was.

 

[Llew]

I am sorry that you had such a bad experience.
I have a different opinion. I loved it. Last year I walked half of it, several sections but not all. I do agree with the bad marking. But if you have the trail on an app with gps that is not a problem. I had it. There are scrambling sections but not dangerous (I had good weather) and lots of easy walking on small paths and yes up and down. We came across other people walking the whole route, not a lot, but no one had an experience like you. The Camino dos Faros is on my list to walk it all.
Probably the weather makes the difference.

I had no app just the book. Agree there was easy and beautiful walking but there were also sections that in my view were dangerous especially in the wet weather. I guess not meeting anyone else had something to do with it also but I did find it reassuring that the only 2 pople I meet that were walking were of the same opinion as me.

 

[Llew]

Thanks for your detailed description of your walk on the dos Faro. It actually sounds rather dangerous in addition to your description of challenging and brutal.

I walked the Fisherman's Trail on the Rota Vicentina in Portugal and consider this a great alternative. It has constant gorgeous views of the sea mostly on cliffs, but they are not dangerous. It can be walked in less than two weeks on mostly flat terrain with beautiful flowering succulents, and no scrubs, gorse or brambles to get in your way. There are no albergues, but there is enough infastructure along the way, including some hostals, although booking ahead seemed necessary to do. I absolutely loved it and I am not the most adventurous person.
The only negative opinion I have was walking a few days on deep sand which was very wearing.

Meet a few people when I was walking the Portuguese (after the Faros) who had walked the Fishermans Trail and all spoke highly of it.

 

[CWBuff]

2 of mine fellow Camino Frances Pelegrinas are starting de Faros tomorrow

 

[Llew]

2 of mine fellow Camino Frances Pelegrinas are starting de Faros tomorrow

Would be interested to hear what they think of it. One plus is there will be 2 of them walking it.

 

[CWBuff]

I did ask for updates and photos.
Hopefully they will oblige