- Time of past OR future Camino
- First: Camino Francés 2002; most recent: Norte/Primitivo 2019
Hi everyone,
As part of my recent stint in Spain, I spent some time walking the Ruta do Mar. Or, at times, it would be more accurate to write that I spent time searching for it. For those who haven't read through the other posts in this forum, the information available about it is skeletal. The Lugo Amigos posted a set of maps, but offer no additional information (I received a perfunctory note to this effect when I wrote them). I suspect that they are also the ones responsible for the waymarks that exist, many of which seem to have been painted a few years ago and are aging poorly. A more useful map may be the Wikiloc gps track posted by "forestman," though it doesn't always adhere to the route designed by the Amigos. In case you're wondering, the Ribadeo turismo doesn't know anything about the Mar.
Several forum members have posted valuable resources online of their experiences. Terry and Valerie walked in 2015 and posted their experiences on their blog and in this forum. Alan Sykes also walked in 2015 and posted in this forum on this pinned thread. Magwood walked earlier this year and has a really good account on her blog, too. Thanks to all of them for leading the way on this and being really valuable resources.
When I set out on the Mar, I had a couple of priorities. First, I wanted to stick as closely to the Ruta do Mar as possible. One complicating factor is that a big chunk of the Mar, from Ribadeo to Covas, is now loosely paralleled by the Camino Natural de la Ruta del Cantabrico (gps track here). In places, these routes overlap perfectly. In others, it seems like the Mar has changed to align with the Cantabrico (for example, the original map posted by the Amigos has the route following the highway out of Ribadeo and not joining the coast until later; however, yellow arrows are now evident on the coast soon outside of Ribadeo, and they're evident at various points all the way to Praia das Catedrais). However, in others the Mar still clearly breaks with the Cantabrico. I wanted to catch all of those splits. When time permitted, I also doubled back and walked the Cantabrico, something I was able to do in most of the sections. (For the record, the Ribadeo turismo doesn't have any information about the Cantabrico either. They also can't draw the "official" route for the Camino through town on their town map.)
My second priority was to operate exclusively off of what was visible while walking. While I would look at the map/gps each evening, getting a loose sense of what was in front of me, I wanted to see what could be done with the available waymarks. This is, admittedly, an approach that is often more frustrating than walking with a gps track loaded, but I didn't want to anticipate. I wanted to react, as that's still how most walkers operate.
The outcome was definitely a mixed bag, and it didn't end quite the way I wanted, but I learned a lot. Here are some of the big takeaways, organized by the stages set up by the Amigos. (Note: I'm typing on a chromebook that makes it really hard to use accents or tildes, so you won't see any here. Apologies--it bugs me, too.)
1) Ribadeo - Barreiros: As noted above, the map on the Amigos' site suggests that the Mar doesn't join the coastline until a couple of km before Rinlo, but if you follow the coastline (and Cantabrico) from Ribadeo to Rinlo, you'll find occasional waymarks at a handful of different spots. There just isn't a good argument to be made for following the highway out of Ribadeo instead of the coastline, aside from distance (instead of the 5.7km to Rinlo indicated by the Amigos map, it's actually 11.15km from the center of Ribadeo to the center of Rinlo). The walk is gorgeous, right along the coastline nearly the whole way.
The routes split immediately after Praia das Catedrais. You'll be following a boardwalk, just 100m or so after leaving the beach (you pass a seasonal turismo just before leaving--they know nothing about the Mar, either) and then watch for a small yellow arrow calling for a left off of the boardwalk and onto a minor paved road. If you look to the left at that point, you'll see a larger yellow arrow drawn on a street sign and also an orange arrow post. This is 18.32km from the center of Ribadeo.
So, I turned and followed the waymarks. Over the next 2km, yellow arrows and orange arrows/posts work in unison, leading you eventually to Casa Amadora Hotel on the N-634. At this point, I lost the yellow arrows--couldn't find any. However, the excellent orange arrow-posts and orange arrows spraypainted on the road continued, encouraging me to KSO along the side of the hotel and continuing south. This is where I clearly diverged from the Mar, as waymarked by the Amigos and I should have spent more time hunting around before rolling with the orange. For what it's worth, the orange arrows kind of work. They frequently took me on dirt roads, got me up onto the hillside where I had some nice coastal views, and eventually led me past the Barreiros train station and then reconnected with the Cantabrico near Aspera. They were also super reliable--I never had any doubts about which way to go. But, this route clearly does not align with the Mar. Alas.
2) Barreiros - Fazouro: Near A Espineira, the Cantabrico and Mar sync up. At one point, the Cantabrico forks R onto a gravel road while the Mar forks L under train tracks. (It was here that I first saw the "VM" often paired with yellow arrows spelled out as Variante Maritimo.) Soon after, the two routes rejoin, and this reflects a pattern I saw in other places. At times, the Cantabrico takes the longer route that hugs the coastline, while the Mar might cut inland for the shorter approach. The two routes split again just after crossing the Rio Masma, as the Mar forks left onto the LU-152. The waymark is not easy to catch--there's a yellow arrow on the guardrail down the 152 a bit, but if you're watching for it you can find it. This road leads you into Vilaronte. Before arriving at the bar and church, there's a place you're supposed to fork L. I missed it, but figured it out later and made the adjustment.
What's interesting is that once you get onto the right road (first the Camino Vigo and later the Rua do Camino (which seems a bit redundant)), you overlap with the Camino Natural de San Rosendo, which connects Foz with Lourenza. What I like about this is pilgrims could walk from Ribadeo to Catedrais and Foz on the Cantabrico, and then head back to Lourenza on the San Rosendo (via the Basilica de San Martino), which is just 24km, and continue along the Norte. Could be a cool alternative.
Anyway, the Mar proceeds from Vilaronte past the Capella da Virxe do Carme and later the aforementioned basilica (which features some remarkable wall paintings that are well worth a visit), before descending to the coast. It bypasses Foz, coming in fairly close to the Marzan train station, but it's possible to walk back into the city center from there (3.5km to the port). Or, you could split off on the San Rosendo route, which ends in the port of Foz. In Foz, I stayed at Albergue Ancora, an albergue turistico situated near the port. It was fine. Overpriced, but I was the only person there, so it had its advantages.
As far as I could tell, the Mar does not descend all the way to the coast. Instead, it proceeds along a minor paved road parallel to the coast until just before Fazouro. That's awfully silly. I followed the Cantabrico through the next stretch and then hunted for the Mar in Fazouro.
3) Fazouro - Cervo: It took me longer than I anticipated to find the yellow arrows in Fazouro. The Amigos map makes it look like the route crosses the N-642 into Fazouro and then forks L, but there were no WM to be found. Eventually, though, I hunted them down: if following the Cantabrico into town, as I did, turn L immediately after crossing the small pedestrian bridge. You can find a very faded arrow at the base of a silver sign there. Then, take the next R uphill. The only arrow is actually on the back of the sign in front of you on the right. This has me wondering if the Mar actually loops all the way down to the next bridge down the river, which would then come in from that side (and pass the Igrexa de Santiago). While longer, that would make sense. It would also be inconsistent with the Amigos map.
From there, the route follows paved roads (and minor highways) up onto the hillside, with good views of town and the sea below. Eventually, I screwed up, forking L on the LU-P-2007, when I should have forked R, heading downhill back towards the coast. Until this point, yellow arrows were fairly regular, though sometimes obscured by plant overgrowth. I must have missed something here. Nonetheless, I figured out soon enough the error and it was easy to cut back down and re-discover the Mar.
As the route approaches Cangas de Foz, it turns R near an Onda grocery and then passes by a bar. Soon after, it rejoins the Cantabrico just before Cangas. Or, at least, I think it syncs up with the Cantabrico. The yellow arrows suddenly disappear for a bit as the Cantabrico marks come in, but the route is consistent with the one on the Amigos map. 1.5km later, there's a tricky intersection with yellow arrows pointing in two different directions, but the Cantabrico aligns with one set. My hunch is that, after the Cantabrico was developed, there were places where the new route was so clearly better that Mar advocates changed those WM to follow it. However, there's no way to confirm that. In any case, between Cangas and Burela, it seems like the Mar and Cantabrico sync up.
The one problem there is that major road/rail construction has resulted in the destruction of the Cantabrico just before Burela. There are no detours or warnings, so I had to do a considerable amount of backtracking and ultimately came into the big town along the main road. It's impossible to know how much longer the route will be interrupted.
Walking through Burela, though, I was pleased to discover yellow arrows cutting uphill, to the L off the main road. The road lacked signs identifying the name, but it's located after the Dia supermarket and before the Eroski. (Alternately, to rejoin the Cantabrico, turn R at the Gadis!) This next walk was the real reward for all of the frustration and it's the section of the Mar that I would most strongly advocate people splitting from the Cantabrico for. The waymarks, however, are quite dicey and require care.
The walk from Burela to San Ciprao runs just over 13km. From the aforementioned intersection, you'll proceed uphill for a bit, ascending a series of local roads before the route finally flattens out on the LU-P-1502. This eventually crosses the N-642 and turns onto a dirt road, marked the "Camino Real." 400m later is a critical moment, just as the dirt road flattens out. Beneath a metal power pole, there is a yellow arrow painted on a flat rock that is likely to be obscured by brush. Really, if you aren't watching for it, you'll miss it. Turn R here and soon after you'll descend into a village. WM are good in the village--you'll turn left at a T at the entrance and then loop around the left side, avoiding the center. Soon after, you'll fork left on a paved road with two good, clear yellow arrows. 550m later, there's another very easy turn to miss. You need to turn R on a dirt road. There's a small, aged yellow arrow on a wooden post, but it's largely obscured. Just before the turn, there's a promotional sign in a field for a project sponsored by the Concelleria de Trabajo de Benester, so watch for that as an aid. 250m later, you'll fork L on another dirt road. Watch for a small splotch of yellow paint, but perhaps more usefully look for an informational placard in front of a tree, identifying it as a Buxo tree.
At this point, you're joining the very end of the Senda Botanica, a trail with placards for lots of different local trees. Follow this as it descends and you'll eventually emerge in the Monte de Sargadelos park. This is a lovely spot, with some old buildings, a creek, tons of shade, and lots of benches. There's a bar, too. Descend to the road and proceed R out of the park along that road (the only YA I could find was on the back of a sign that I wouldn't have encountered if not going out of my way). Immediately after the bar, turn L. There are arrows on the second sign down that road. Soon after, you'll fork R onto the Ruta Sargadelos, which is a great walk along a shady footpath along a river, passing extensive old mill ruins along the way. The route delivers you into Cervo (~7.5km from Burela). Waymarks are, once again, limited in Cervo, but turn R at a T as you arrive and then fork left throug the Praza do Soto, where there's a bar, grocery, and hotel (and also a statue dedicated to the queimada). KSO this road (no yellow arrows) as it leads uphill, out of town, and through a roundabout. You'll find a yellow arrow around this point. Descend, intersect the N-642, and then turn L on the other side. Fork right onto a dirt road by a building identified as a "Club." This will become paved eventually, and then you'll turn left onto another minor paved road (decent waymark). 500m later, there's an easy waymark to miss. Just before the road that you're on splits (and with a blue warehouse to the R), fork R onto a footpath. There's a yellow arrow on a metal pole here, but it's likely to be obscured by brush. This footpath will deliver you into a neighborhood--Urbanizacion Rio Covo. At a T, turn right and then just keep straight on. The road will narrow, change names, and proceed downhill into a heavily treed stretch, but keep going. After a km, it will curve left and then back to the right, crossing a bridge over the train tracks. San Ciprao is just below you. The yellow arrows evaporate around this point, but just head down to the water. The lovely and affordable Hostal Buenavista is close by.
4) Cervo - Esteiro: (I know, I already intruded on this stretch in the last section, but you should really stay in San Ciprao.) Leaving San Ciprao, as far as I could tell, the Mar and Cantabrico sync up. There are no evident yellow arrows, though--just Cantabrico markers. However, yellow arrows reappear just over a km outside of town and appear sporadically over the next handful of kilometers. The routes split decisively 7.36km from San Ciprao, with the Camino turning left a bit after Praia do Lago and proceeding soon after into Carballo. 3km later, in Canelas, the two routes reunite, only to split again a kilometer later. Once again, the Mar in this stretch generally follows a straight line along the interior, while the Cantabrico pops out along the coastline and then returns. Eventually, though, there's a problem, as the yellow arrows evaporated. I kept walking for a few km, but I knew the Mar was supposed to enter Esteiro and that we had passed a turnoff for that town a while back. I eventually backtracked and followed that road and rejoined the Cantabrico just before arriving in Esteiro. When I rejoined the Cantabrico there was also a yellow arrow, so either I missed a waymarked turn, or the route is just inconsistent. The Camino is certainly shorter--the Cantabrico covers 21km between San Ciprao and Esteiro and I was probably closer to 15km--but it also misses most of the coast.
(This will continue in a response, as apparently my post exceeded the character limit for the forum. Anybody still reading?)
As part of my recent stint in Spain, I spent some time walking the Ruta do Mar. Or, at times, it would be more accurate to write that I spent time searching for it. For those who haven't read through the other posts in this forum, the information available about it is skeletal. The Lugo Amigos posted a set of maps, but offer no additional information (I received a perfunctory note to this effect when I wrote them). I suspect that they are also the ones responsible for the waymarks that exist, many of which seem to have been painted a few years ago and are aging poorly. A more useful map may be the Wikiloc gps track posted by "forestman," though it doesn't always adhere to the route designed by the Amigos. In case you're wondering, the Ribadeo turismo doesn't know anything about the Mar.
Several forum members have posted valuable resources online of their experiences. Terry and Valerie walked in 2015 and posted their experiences on their blog and in this forum. Alan Sykes also walked in 2015 and posted in this forum on this pinned thread. Magwood walked earlier this year and has a really good account on her blog, too. Thanks to all of them for leading the way on this and being really valuable resources.
When I set out on the Mar, I had a couple of priorities. First, I wanted to stick as closely to the Ruta do Mar as possible. One complicating factor is that a big chunk of the Mar, from Ribadeo to Covas, is now loosely paralleled by the Camino Natural de la Ruta del Cantabrico (gps track here). In places, these routes overlap perfectly. In others, it seems like the Mar has changed to align with the Cantabrico (for example, the original map posted by the Amigos has the route following the highway out of Ribadeo and not joining the coast until later; however, yellow arrows are now evident on the coast soon outside of Ribadeo, and they're evident at various points all the way to Praia das Catedrais). However, in others the Mar still clearly breaks with the Cantabrico. I wanted to catch all of those splits. When time permitted, I also doubled back and walked the Cantabrico, something I was able to do in most of the sections. (For the record, the Ribadeo turismo doesn't have any information about the Cantabrico either. They also can't draw the "official" route for the Camino through town on their town map.)
My second priority was to operate exclusively off of what was visible while walking. While I would look at the map/gps each evening, getting a loose sense of what was in front of me, I wanted to see what could be done with the available waymarks. This is, admittedly, an approach that is often more frustrating than walking with a gps track loaded, but I didn't want to anticipate. I wanted to react, as that's still how most walkers operate.
The outcome was definitely a mixed bag, and it didn't end quite the way I wanted, but I learned a lot. Here are some of the big takeaways, organized by the stages set up by the Amigos. (Note: I'm typing on a chromebook that makes it really hard to use accents or tildes, so you won't see any here. Apologies--it bugs me, too.)
1) Ribadeo - Barreiros: As noted above, the map on the Amigos' site suggests that the Mar doesn't join the coastline until a couple of km before Rinlo, but if you follow the coastline (and Cantabrico) from Ribadeo to Rinlo, you'll find occasional waymarks at a handful of different spots. There just isn't a good argument to be made for following the highway out of Ribadeo instead of the coastline, aside from distance (instead of the 5.7km to Rinlo indicated by the Amigos map, it's actually 11.15km from the center of Ribadeo to the center of Rinlo). The walk is gorgeous, right along the coastline nearly the whole way.
The routes split immediately after Praia das Catedrais. You'll be following a boardwalk, just 100m or so after leaving the beach (you pass a seasonal turismo just before leaving--they know nothing about the Mar, either) and then watch for a small yellow arrow calling for a left off of the boardwalk and onto a minor paved road. If you look to the left at that point, you'll see a larger yellow arrow drawn on a street sign and also an orange arrow post. This is 18.32km from the center of Ribadeo.
So, I turned and followed the waymarks. Over the next 2km, yellow arrows and orange arrows/posts work in unison, leading you eventually to Casa Amadora Hotel on the N-634. At this point, I lost the yellow arrows--couldn't find any. However, the excellent orange arrow-posts and orange arrows spraypainted on the road continued, encouraging me to KSO along the side of the hotel and continuing south. This is where I clearly diverged from the Mar, as waymarked by the Amigos and I should have spent more time hunting around before rolling with the orange. For what it's worth, the orange arrows kind of work. They frequently took me on dirt roads, got me up onto the hillside where I had some nice coastal views, and eventually led me past the Barreiros train station and then reconnected with the Cantabrico near Aspera. They were also super reliable--I never had any doubts about which way to go. But, this route clearly does not align with the Mar. Alas.
2) Barreiros - Fazouro: Near A Espineira, the Cantabrico and Mar sync up. At one point, the Cantabrico forks R onto a gravel road while the Mar forks L under train tracks. (It was here that I first saw the "VM" often paired with yellow arrows spelled out as Variante Maritimo.) Soon after, the two routes rejoin, and this reflects a pattern I saw in other places. At times, the Cantabrico takes the longer route that hugs the coastline, while the Mar might cut inland for the shorter approach. The two routes split again just after crossing the Rio Masma, as the Mar forks left onto the LU-152. The waymark is not easy to catch--there's a yellow arrow on the guardrail down the 152 a bit, but if you're watching for it you can find it. This road leads you into Vilaronte. Before arriving at the bar and church, there's a place you're supposed to fork L. I missed it, but figured it out later and made the adjustment.
What's interesting is that once you get onto the right road (first the Camino Vigo and later the Rua do Camino (which seems a bit redundant)), you overlap with the Camino Natural de San Rosendo, which connects Foz with Lourenza. What I like about this is pilgrims could walk from Ribadeo to Catedrais and Foz on the Cantabrico, and then head back to Lourenza on the San Rosendo (via the Basilica de San Martino), which is just 24km, and continue along the Norte. Could be a cool alternative.
Anyway, the Mar proceeds from Vilaronte past the Capella da Virxe do Carme and later the aforementioned basilica (which features some remarkable wall paintings that are well worth a visit), before descending to the coast. It bypasses Foz, coming in fairly close to the Marzan train station, but it's possible to walk back into the city center from there (3.5km to the port). Or, you could split off on the San Rosendo route, which ends in the port of Foz. In Foz, I stayed at Albergue Ancora, an albergue turistico situated near the port. It was fine. Overpriced, but I was the only person there, so it had its advantages.
As far as I could tell, the Mar does not descend all the way to the coast. Instead, it proceeds along a minor paved road parallel to the coast until just before Fazouro. That's awfully silly. I followed the Cantabrico through the next stretch and then hunted for the Mar in Fazouro.
3) Fazouro - Cervo: It took me longer than I anticipated to find the yellow arrows in Fazouro. The Amigos map makes it look like the route crosses the N-642 into Fazouro and then forks L, but there were no WM to be found. Eventually, though, I hunted them down: if following the Cantabrico into town, as I did, turn L immediately after crossing the small pedestrian bridge. You can find a very faded arrow at the base of a silver sign there. Then, take the next R uphill. The only arrow is actually on the back of the sign in front of you on the right. This has me wondering if the Mar actually loops all the way down to the next bridge down the river, which would then come in from that side (and pass the Igrexa de Santiago). While longer, that would make sense. It would also be inconsistent with the Amigos map.
From there, the route follows paved roads (and minor highways) up onto the hillside, with good views of town and the sea below. Eventually, I screwed up, forking L on the LU-P-2007, when I should have forked R, heading downhill back towards the coast. Until this point, yellow arrows were fairly regular, though sometimes obscured by plant overgrowth. I must have missed something here. Nonetheless, I figured out soon enough the error and it was easy to cut back down and re-discover the Mar.
As the route approaches Cangas de Foz, it turns R near an Onda grocery and then passes by a bar. Soon after, it rejoins the Cantabrico just before Cangas. Or, at least, I think it syncs up with the Cantabrico. The yellow arrows suddenly disappear for a bit as the Cantabrico marks come in, but the route is consistent with the one on the Amigos map. 1.5km later, there's a tricky intersection with yellow arrows pointing in two different directions, but the Cantabrico aligns with one set. My hunch is that, after the Cantabrico was developed, there were places where the new route was so clearly better that Mar advocates changed those WM to follow it. However, there's no way to confirm that. In any case, between Cangas and Burela, it seems like the Mar and Cantabrico sync up.
The one problem there is that major road/rail construction has resulted in the destruction of the Cantabrico just before Burela. There are no detours or warnings, so I had to do a considerable amount of backtracking and ultimately came into the big town along the main road. It's impossible to know how much longer the route will be interrupted.
Walking through Burela, though, I was pleased to discover yellow arrows cutting uphill, to the L off the main road. The road lacked signs identifying the name, but it's located after the Dia supermarket and before the Eroski. (Alternately, to rejoin the Cantabrico, turn R at the Gadis!) This next walk was the real reward for all of the frustration and it's the section of the Mar that I would most strongly advocate people splitting from the Cantabrico for. The waymarks, however, are quite dicey and require care.
The walk from Burela to San Ciprao runs just over 13km. From the aforementioned intersection, you'll proceed uphill for a bit, ascending a series of local roads before the route finally flattens out on the LU-P-1502. This eventually crosses the N-642 and turns onto a dirt road, marked the "Camino Real." 400m later is a critical moment, just as the dirt road flattens out. Beneath a metal power pole, there is a yellow arrow painted on a flat rock that is likely to be obscured by brush. Really, if you aren't watching for it, you'll miss it. Turn R here and soon after you'll descend into a village. WM are good in the village--you'll turn left at a T at the entrance and then loop around the left side, avoiding the center. Soon after, you'll fork left on a paved road with two good, clear yellow arrows. 550m later, there's another very easy turn to miss. You need to turn R on a dirt road. There's a small, aged yellow arrow on a wooden post, but it's largely obscured. Just before the turn, there's a promotional sign in a field for a project sponsored by the Concelleria de Trabajo de Benester, so watch for that as an aid. 250m later, you'll fork L on another dirt road. Watch for a small splotch of yellow paint, but perhaps more usefully look for an informational placard in front of a tree, identifying it as a Buxo tree.
At this point, you're joining the very end of the Senda Botanica, a trail with placards for lots of different local trees. Follow this as it descends and you'll eventually emerge in the Monte de Sargadelos park. This is a lovely spot, with some old buildings, a creek, tons of shade, and lots of benches. There's a bar, too. Descend to the road and proceed R out of the park along that road (the only YA I could find was on the back of a sign that I wouldn't have encountered if not going out of my way). Immediately after the bar, turn L. There are arrows on the second sign down that road. Soon after, you'll fork R onto the Ruta Sargadelos, which is a great walk along a shady footpath along a river, passing extensive old mill ruins along the way. The route delivers you into Cervo (~7.5km from Burela). Waymarks are, once again, limited in Cervo, but turn R at a T as you arrive and then fork left throug the Praza do Soto, where there's a bar, grocery, and hotel (and also a statue dedicated to the queimada). KSO this road (no yellow arrows) as it leads uphill, out of town, and through a roundabout. You'll find a yellow arrow around this point. Descend, intersect the N-642, and then turn L on the other side. Fork right onto a dirt road by a building identified as a "Club." This will become paved eventually, and then you'll turn left onto another minor paved road (decent waymark). 500m later, there's an easy waymark to miss. Just before the road that you're on splits (and with a blue warehouse to the R), fork R onto a footpath. There's a yellow arrow on a metal pole here, but it's likely to be obscured by brush. This footpath will deliver you into a neighborhood--Urbanizacion Rio Covo. At a T, turn right and then just keep straight on. The road will narrow, change names, and proceed downhill into a heavily treed stretch, but keep going. After a km, it will curve left and then back to the right, crossing a bridge over the train tracks. San Ciprao is just below you. The yellow arrows evaporate around this point, but just head down to the water. The lovely and affordable Hostal Buenavista is close by.
4) Cervo - Esteiro: (I know, I already intruded on this stretch in the last section, but you should really stay in San Ciprao.) Leaving San Ciprao, as far as I could tell, the Mar and Cantabrico sync up. There are no evident yellow arrows, though--just Cantabrico markers. However, yellow arrows reappear just over a km outside of town and appear sporadically over the next handful of kilometers. The routes split decisively 7.36km from San Ciprao, with the Camino turning left a bit after Praia do Lago and proceeding soon after into Carballo. 3km later, in Canelas, the two routes reunite, only to split again a kilometer later. Once again, the Mar in this stretch generally follows a straight line along the interior, while the Cantabrico pops out along the coastline and then returns. Eventually, though, there's a problem, as the yellow arrows evaporated. I kept walking for a few km, but I knew the Mar was supposed to enter Esteiro and that we had passed a turnoff for that town a while back. I eventually backtracked and followed that road and rejoined the Cantabrico just before arriving in Esteiro. When I rejoined the Cantabrico there was also a yellow arrow, so either I missed a waymarked turn, or the route is just inconsistent. The Camino is certainly shorter--the Cantabrico covers 21km between San Ciprao and Esteiro and I was probably closer to 15km--but it also misses most of the coast.
(This will continue in a response, as apparently my post exceeded the character limit for the forum. Anybody still reading?)
