Caminos Frances/Salvador/Primitivo/Finisterre-Muxia: Possible to visit Cross of Christ?

[SoLive]

2+ questions actually!! LOL! One about The Cross of Christ (I think it's in the Monestary of Lebaniego?) & the other about getting from Muxia to Madrid at the end of my pilgrimage.

I start my first EVER Caminos in Sept.'18! After watching & LOVING several dvd's on the Camino, (recommended by my local REI Rep/fellow peregrino) the dvd 'Footprints: The Path of Your Life' introduced me to the 'Cross of Christ' & I feel if it is even remotely possible, I MUST see it!

1) Is there a way to incorporate a visit into my existing itinerary without actually adding another full camino? And is it possible for a non catholic pilgrim to see, kiss or touch the actual cross? If so how do I gain permission?

2) If walking from Santiago-Finisterre-Muxia how would you recommend getting to Madrid. I've read that some have walked back to Finisterre to a lighthouse & end their pilgrimage by enjoying a sunset there. Anyone have suggestions? This sounds beautiful!

I will being flying back to the states (Atlanta, Ga.) from Madrid but don't really know how to plan to get there nor how to properly end my Camino! (Haven't even STARTED & already emotional by the idea of its ending! LOL!)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

If you really want to see the Liebana cross you will have to take some time out of your planned camino, or go at the very end of your trip. It is in a remote mountain monastery well north of the Camino Frances, the Sanctuary of Santo Toribio de Liebana.
You can walk there from Boadilla del Camino on a waymarked path northward, the Camino Lebaniego Castellano. That takes about 10 days, the scenery is breathtaking. You can download a guide to the trail at www.palenciaturismo. es.
Otherwise, you can take a combination of rail and bus to the Camino del Norte town of San Vicente de Barquera, and walk along the Camino from there down into the mountains to Potes and Santo Toribio. It takes four or five days, it is waymarked and there are places to stay, you can find discussions of it here on the forum.
YOu can also just rent a car in Santiago and drive yourself there. I am not Catholic, and I have seen and touched the cruz... they don't ask you what your religion is! Be there for Mass, (it's good to be there when there's a bus group) and sometimes the priest will get out the cross and let people marvel at it individually. Let him know you've come from afar to see it, they are often very considerate.

When you've finished you can drive yourself down to Madrid and head home from there... or drop off the car in Santander and take the train or bus.

 

[SoLive]

If you really want to see the Liebana cross you will have to take some time out of your planned camino, or go at the very end of your trip. It is in a remote mountain monastery well north of the Camino Frances, the Sanctuary of Santo Toribio de Liebana.
You can walk there from Boadilla del Camino on a waymarked path northward, the Camino Lebaniego Castellano. That takes about 10 days, the scenery is breathtaking. You can download a guide to the trail at www.palenciaturismo. es.
Otherwise, you can take a combination of rail and bus to the Camino del Norte town of San Vicente de Barquera, and walk along the Camino from there down into the mountains to Potes and Santo Toribio. It takes four or five days, it is waymarked and there are places to stay, you can find discussions of it here on the forum.
YOu can also just rent a car in Santiago and drive yourself there. I am not Catholic, and I have seen and touched the cruz... they don't ask you what your religion is! Be there for Mass, (it's good to be there when there's a bus group) and sometimes the priest will get out the cross and let people marvel at it individually. Let him know you've come from afar to see it, they are often very considerate.

When you've finished you can drive yourself down to Madrid and head home from there... or drop off the car in Santander and take the train or bus.

Rebekah Scott! Thank you so very much for this information! I haven't been able to let go of the hope of seeing this cross & the options you've shared offer more & more possibilities!

 

[SoLive]

And the planning continues!.......

Thanks to some wonderful, detailed information from Rebekah Scott, I think I have a 'detour' plan that would allow me to visit both the Cruz de Ferro (which I recently discovered I would have missed out on once I begin the Camino Salvador in Leon) & the Monastery de Santo Toribio!

Plan: On Camino Frances, keep walking from Leon to Cruz de Ferro, taxi back to Leon for the night, rent a car next morning & drive to Monastery De Santo Toribio (looks like visiting hours are from 10am -1pm & 4pm-6pm & it's only 2h 40min from Leon), back to Leon for the night, begin Camino Salvador next morning!!

Anyone have suggestions on where I might be able to get transportation back to Leon from Cruz de Ferro?
From what I've been able to find it looks like the next place to do that is after making the descent in to Molinaseca!

Other thoughts/input are welcome!!!??

 

[Canuck]

@SoLive
Arrange a taxi at Rabanal back to Astorga and bus or train to Leon.

 

[SoLive]

Thank you so much Canuck! I will look into doing just that!