How many days to walk from O Cebreiro to Santiago and on to Finisterre?

[Seth]

I hoping to walk no more than 8-9 days total and hoping to go from O Cebreiro to Finisterre. Can I make it in 9 days? If not, is there a better starting spot farther out than Sarria?

Thanks for the help. Planning to do this in April of 2016.

 

[scruffy1]

You are looking at just under 250k, and yes I suppose you could walk it, provided you don't look too much at the scenery, don't spend too much time in Santiago, don't talk too much with people along the way, it can be done. Starting closer in will of course deny you the Compostela document. If at all possible, try and add another couple of days in order to allow the Camino to reveal itself.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

You are looking at just under 250k, and yes I suppose you could walk it, provided you don't look too much at the scenery, don't spend too much time in Santiago, don't talk too much with people along the way, it can be done. Starting closer in will of course deny you the Compostela document. If at all possible, try and add another couple of days in order to allow the Camino to reveal itself.

Hi @scruffy1 - Can you please elaborate on why a Compostela wouldn't be awarded? Has the kilometers required changed from a minimum of 100 already? I remember talk about that changing but I didn't realize it had already changed. Thanks for the info.

 

[scruffy1]

Hi @scruffy1 - Can you please elaborate on why a Compostela wouldn't be awarded? Has the kilometers required changed from a minimum of 100 already? I remember talk about that changing but I didn't realize it had already changed. Thanks for the info.

Sarria is 100k, if you start closer in you won't have the required 100k.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I hoping to walk no more than 8-9 days total and hoping to go from O Cebreiro to Finisterre. Can I make it in 9 days? If not, is there a better starting spot farther out than Sarria?

Thanks for the help. Planning to do this in April of 2016.

As already stated, you have to walk around 30 km. a day. You don't have any time to look around ore stay a bit longer in places.
Wish you well and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[CatherineAnn]

Seth, welcome to the forum!

I would consider walking from to O Cebreiro to Santiago at a pace that works for you and then seeing if you have time to walk to Finisterre or take a bus to explore the end of the world....

But I must say there is some information missing for me to make an educated comment. How old are you? What kind of physical shape are you in? How much training have you done or plan to? Walking 30k a day sounds like torture to me, but maybe is a stroll for you. I do know if you haven't walked everyday with a pack, you are in for a surprise and the body may need something from you other than the pace your mind has set out.

Regardless of where you start and where you end up~ Have a Buen Camino!

 

[Seth]

Thank you all for the feedback. I think it is probably best to start in Sarria which would potentially leave me time to continue on to Finisterre if I wanted to.

 

[AJ]

O'Cebreiro to Santiago; between 5 and 7 days.

Santiago to finisterre; 3 or 4 days.

 

[Dzyduck87]

Personally, after walking from SJPP to Santiago - we bussed to Finisterre. Our friends that walked said the cafes and stops were few and far between and that they didn't find it that great.

 

[MTtoCamino]

The walk to Finnestere is very long days to do it in 3 days, most walk it in 4. I was glad to end my walk that way, yet I think with your limited time it would be better to enjoy those early days to soak up the Camino. Most of us that continue on to Finnesterre had been walking for weeks so our bodies were well conditioned, I found my first 2 weeks were used to fine tune my body for the walk. We don't seem to always explain how close we get to our family of walkers but it can influence our decisions in a very real way. There is no way to plan for that experience.

 

[peregrina2000]

Personally, after walking from SJPP to Santiago - we bussed to Finisterre. Our friends that walked said the cafes and stops were few and far between and that they didn't find it that great.

To every opinion, there is its opposite! I have to say that I think this is definitely a minority position, however. I walk to Finisterre/Muxia every chance I get. I don't ever carry more water/food than on my camino, but it is true that there are some stretches of maybe 10 km without services. But it's really nothing exaggerated. Highlights are many -- the lovely village of Ponte Maceira, the old stone albergue of Olveiroa and the As Pias meson for a great meal, the Dumbria albergue, the walk out to the beach at Lires, coming to the end of the headlands and looking out over the ocean before Cee. Just depends on whether you walk first to Finisterre or to Muxia, but either way, I think many people find it to be a very enjoyable walk.

So back to the OP -- 9 days for 250 km gives you an average under 30 km a day. Though I would say that's a rate that is higher than the average walker, it isn't extreme. I have walked many times to Finisterre or Muxia in 3 days and think that it's totally doable for someone in good shape, no need to be a star athlete to do that. It is true as MT says that most people walking out to the coast from Santiago have been walking a lot longer than you will have been, but I think that especially if you make your first day out of Santiago to Vilaserio instead of Negreira, the next two days are much more manageable.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[auldies]

To every opinion, there is its opposite! I have to say that I think this is definitely a minority position, however. I walk to Finisterre/Muxia every chance I get. I don't ever carry more water/food than on my camino, but it is true that there are some stretches of maybe 10 km without services. But it's really nothing exaggerated. Highlights are many -- the lovely village of Ponte Maceira, the old stone albergue of Olveiroa and the As Pias meson for a great meal, the Dumbria albergue, the walk out to the beach at Lires, coming to the end of the headlands and looking out over the ocean before Cee. Just depends on whether you walk first to Finisterre or to Muxia, but either way, I think many people find it to be a very enjoyable walk.

So back to the OP -- 9 days for 250 km gives you an average under 30 km a day. Though I would say that's a rate that is higher than the average walker, it isn't extreme. I have walked many times to Finisterre or Muxia in 3 days and think that it's totally doable for someone in good shape, no need to be a star athlete to do that. It is true as MT says that most people walking out to the coast from Santiago have been walking a lot longer than you will have been, but I think that especially if you make your first day out of Santiago to Vilaserio instead of Negreira, the next two days are much more manageable.

Buen camino, Laurie

Hi Laurie
Would you recommend to go to Finisterre first or Muxia?
We are planning to do the round trip from Santiago in May.

 

[MTtoCamino]

To every opinion, there is its opposite! I have to say that I think this is definitely a minority position, however. I walk to Finisterre/Muxia every chance I get. I don't ever carry more water/food than on my camino, but it is true that there are some stretches of maybe 10 km without services. But it's really nothing exaggerated. Highlights are many -- the lovely village of Ponte Maceira, the old stone albergue of Olveiroa and the As Pias meson for a great meal, the Dumbria albergue, the walk out to the beach at Lires, coming to the end of the headlands and looking out over the ocean before Cee. Just depends on whether you walk first to Finisterre or to Muxia, but either way, I think many people find it to be a very enjoyable walk.

So back to the OP -- 9 days for 250 km gives you an average under 30 km a day. Though I would say that's a rate that is higher than the average walker, it isn't extreme. I have walked many times to Finisterre or Muxia in 3 days and think that it's totally doable for someone in good shape, no need to be a star athlete to do that. It is true as MT says that most people walking out to the coast from Santiago have been walking a lot longer than you will have been, but I think that especially if you make your first day out of Santiago to Vilaserio instead of Negreira, the next two days are much more manageable.

Buen camino, Laurie

Laurie
I agree with your assessment, but as we move along we make choices, as really the reason the route to Muxia or Finnesterre is quiet is because most folks stop in Santiago. My point is that for a new person walking, part of the freedom of the Camino is to simply change your mind of what you will do every day. Just as I continued on to Finesterre, with no clear plans to do so in the beginning. I just wonder about those of you that keep returning to new routes do you do more planning, or less? There are simply a lot of options.
Buen Camino
Keith

 

[peregrina2000]

Laurie
I agree with your assessment, but as we move along we make choices, as really the reason the route to Muxia or Finnesterre is quiet is because most folks stop in Santiago. My point is that for a new person walking, part of the freedom of the Camino is to simply change your mind of what you will do every day. Just as I continued on to Finesterre, with no clear plans to do so in the beginning. I just wonder about those of you that keep returning to new routes do you do more planning, or less? There are simply a lot of options.
Buen Camino
Keith

Hi ,Keith,
I like to plan, but not in order to nail down the day-by-day so much as to have an idea of what my options are. I agree with you that having the freedom and flexibility to do whatever fits with how you feel that day is one of the great things about the camino. I always have my camino route clear, and an idea of the number of days it should take me, since I think most of us coming from North America find it much cheaper to have our return ticket bought ahead of time. So what I do is estimate the time my camino will take, add a couple of rest days, and then add on four days for Muxia/Finisterre. Those four days are my wiggle room time and some years I find I add those into my camino and never get beyond Santiago. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi Laurie
Would you recommend to go to Finisterre first or Muxia?
We are planning to do the round trip from Santiago in May.

Hi, Audies,

Decisions, decisions... This post has links to several discussions on this topic. For me both ways are great, but you have to give up something either way. If you walk first to Muxia, you don't get that lovely view of the ocean right before you descend into Cee, and miss that nice coastal walk into Finisterre. If you walk first to Finisterre, and then on to Muxia, you then don't end your camino with a sunset at the lighthouse, which always seems like the right way to end, at least for me. The sun sets in Muxia too, of course, but if you're in the municipal albergue you'll have to content yourself with watching it from the roof patio of the albergue (since it will be closed after 10). I don't know if there's a group that gathers out at the church on the rocks, though, for people with flexibility to come in whenever they want.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...te-from-sdec-towards-muxia.37882/#post-369484

 

[auldies]

Hi, Audies,

Decisions, decisions... This post has links to several discussions on this topic. For me both ways are great, but you have to give up something either way. If you walk first to Muxia, you don't get that lovely view of the ocean right before you descend into Cee, and miss that nice coastal walk into Finisterre. If you walk first to Finisterre, and then on to Muxia, you then don't end your camino with a sunset at the lighthouse, which always seems like the right way to end, at least for me. The sun sets in Muxia too, of course, but if you're in the municipal albergue you'll have to content yourself with watching it from the roof patio of the albergue (since it will be closed after 10). I don't know if there's a group that gathers out at the church on the rocks, though, for people with flexibility to come in whenever they want.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...te-from-sdec-towards-muxia.37882/#post-369484

Hi Laurie
Do you walk back to Santiago?
If so, how long (approx) to do the round trip?
Would you recommend it?
Thank you.
Carol

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi Laurie
Do you walk back to Santiago?
If so, how long (approx) to do the round trip?
Would you recommend it?
Thank you.
Carol

Hi, Carol, I have never walked back to Santiago from either Finisterre or Muxia. I always just hop on a bus. I am so directionally challenged that I know my limits -- walking backwards would result in my getting lost many times. Between Finisterre and Muxia, there's no problem,the arrows are clear in either direction. It's the part back from the ending point that would do me in. There just aren't usually enough pilgrims walking towards Finisterre or Muxia so I could take my cues from the oncoming traffic.

I take four days and walk either Santiago - Vilaserio-Dumbria-Muxia-Finisterre or Santiago-Negreira-Olveiroa-Finisterre-Muxia. I like ending in Finisterre, even though I like Muxia more, so go figure.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[auldies]

Hi, Carol, I have never walked back to Santiago from either Finisterre or Muxia. I always just hop on a bus. I am so directionally challenged that I know my limits -- walking backwards would result in my getting lost many times. Between Finisterre and Muxia, there's no problem,the arrows are clear in either direction. It's the part back from the ending point that would do me in. There just aren't usually enough pilgrims walking towards Finisterre or Muxia so I could take my cues from the oncoming traffic.

I take four days and walk either Santiago - Vilaserio-Dumbria-Muxia-Finisterre or Santiago-Negreira-Olveiroa-Finisterre-Muxia. I like ending in Finisterre, even though I like Muxia more, so go figure.

Buen camino, Laurie

Thank you Laurie
That is most helpful.
I will have my ninja map reading buddy with me but it seems as if I might be being a little fanciful in my expectations.
I'm guessing that not too many perigrinos do the round trip??
I guess we should aim for the stars, expect the unexpected and make contingency plans.
The other unknown for us, is will we have enough time once we (hopefully) reach Santiago.
We have allowed the extra days, but that's assuming all goes to plan.
But as the Forum so often suggests - the best laid plans.............
Carol