Which route to go?

[Una_banuna]

3 weeks from today, my dad is flying in to meet me in Santiago when I finish my Camino Portugues. We hope to walk for 3 days out near Finisterre. He is not a walker and has done little to no training so the full Camino Finisterre is out.

Originally I hoped to get out towards Maronas and divide the trip into 3 15 kms days (approx) finishing in Finisterre and getting the bus back to Santiago from there. But there doesn't seem to be a bus that stops in Maronas? And a Neigrera-start could potentially leave the days too long for him to deal with.

What do people think of a bus to Cee and walk to Finisterre (day 1) and then divide Finisterre to Muxia over 2 days, stopping in Lires or Frixe? I want to give him a taste of the Camino without killing him, so I'm a bit concerned about that incline before Muxia? Is it a tough climb? And finally, buses back to Santiago from Muxia?

Apologies for the long winded ramble!

 

[jsalt]

Hi, if your Dad is not a walker he is not going to enjoy walking. And I think you can only get a taste of the camino when walking TO Santiago. What about booking a place to stay in Finisterre for 2 nights, and in Muxia for 2 nights; then get the bus Santiago – Finisterre – Muxia – Santiago. You can pick up the bus timetable at the tourist office in Santiago. Then you have a full day in each place to explore. You can walk from Finisterre to the lighthouse and back, and there is a lovely walk around Muxia, so you can still get some walking in by taking a bus to each place. Jill

 

[Una_banuna]

Thanks Jill - that's a great option and I might run it past him. He wants to be a walker and has plans to maybe do the Camino at some stage but has been restricted by my mum having a bad hip which has just been replaced (hence her not joining us on the trip).

So I hope to whet his appetite for a future Camino of his own!

 

[MTtoCamino]

I found the walk to Finnesterre from Santiago to be long when doing it in 3 days. Your idea of Cee is a good one. Very nice walk. Not a lot of albergues

 

[Tincatinker]

Two days walking Fisterra - Lires, Lires to Muxia could be doable and is lovely walking - not very Camino though, very few pilgrims.

Happy planning

 

[Marc S.]

A three day walk from Cee to Muxia sounds excellent and doable to me. There may be fewer pilgrims around (which is not a bad thing as such) and I found the walk between Finisterre and Muxia particularly beautiful. If your dad is not a walker yet, this may make him become one. The elevation gain between Lires and Muxia is about 250 meters, I would not call it a tough climb, and it will be your last day of walking, so I hope your dad will manage. There are busses going back from Muxia to Santiago, but I think there are more busses from Finisterre. (I think there is a thread on bus times somewhere on this forum).

Actually, another possibility would be to take a bus to Muxia, walk from Muxia to Finisterra in two days, and spend the third day in Finisterra to walk to the lighthouse and back.

 

[Introibo]

Hi Hi Una_banana, or may I call you Una ?

How about going back out of Santiago to say Arzua and a mixture of walking and buses / taxi
with your father. Or backtracking on your own Camino route ? That way your dad would get
to feel some of the excitement of arriving in Santiago.

Bom Caminho

 

[Una_banuna]

Thanks all - loads of options! @Introibo it's pure selfishness on my part that I want to see Finisterre - before he decided to join me, I had planned on going all the way to Finisterre and am trying to adjust my plans accordingly now. Gives me an excuse to add the whole section to my next camino!

 

[Former member 42123]

3 weeks from today, my dad is flying in to meet me in Santiago when I finish my Camino Portugues. We hope to walk for 3 days out near Finisterre. He is not a walker and has done little to no training so the full Camino Finisterre is out.

Originally I hoped to get out towards Maronas and divide the trip into 3 15 kms days (approx) finishing in Finisterre and getting the bus back to Santiago from there. But there doesn't seem to be a bus that stops in Maronas? And a Neigrera-start could potentially leave the days too long for him to deal with.

What do people think of a bus to Cee and walk to Finisterre (day 1) and then divide Finisterre to Muxia over 2 days, stopping in Lires or Frixe? I want to give him a taste of the Camino without killing him, so I'm a bit concerned about that incline before Muxia? Is it a tough climb? And finally, buses back to Santiago from Muxia?

Apologies for the long winded ramble!

Una,whatever you end up doing ,the great thing is your dad will be with you.I wish so much that I could get my sons to even understand my addiction to the Camino never mind walk with me.I hope he sees what you see in this experience.Buen Camino.

 

[SabsP]

Una, have fun walking with your dad. But yes the suggestion of walking a part of your Portugues again with him sounds very nice. But then again I'm very subjective just having walked this beautiful Camino. Or maybe walk one day into SdC and another one bussing to Finisterrre. IMHO it is also nice spending at least a day in SdC and just relax a bit...

 

[wayfarer]

Hi Una, you can get a bus from Santiago to Cee and there is private accommodation there, the walk out of Cee is a bit steep but very doable if you take it easy with your dad. The views after that are beautiful especially coming into Finisterre. The walk to Muxia is very pleasant, some road, some woodland and stretches by the shore. Muxia is the best place to finish the Camino IMO as it is a lovely town and not commercialised like Finisterre.
Whatever you decide, enjoy it all.
Buen Camino.

 

[Seabird]

3 weeks from today, my dad is flying in to meet me in Santiago when I finish my Camino Portugues. We hope to walk for 3 days out near Finisterre.

I'll be very interested to know what you end up doing. My husband is meeting me in Santiago, and we've talked about doing something similar. A way for he and I to reconnect, with some flavor of the camino. He doesn't have walking limitations, but we're trying to figure out timetable before going to Valencia to meet up with cousins, then on to Barcelona.

So, let us know!

 

[Una_banuna]

Una, have fun walking with your dad. But yes the suggestion of walking a part of your Portugues again with him sounds very nice. But then again I'm very subjective just having walked this beautiful Camino. Or maybe walk one day into SdC and another one bussing to Finisterrre. IMHO it is also nice spending at least a day in SdC and just relax a bit...

Thanks Sabine - we are really spoiling ourselves. I have 2 days in SdC before he arrives (if my planned route doesn't get scuppered with any more storms!) And then we have 3 nights in SdC at the end before we fly back to Ireland - mainly so I don't go straight from Camino back into work and have a little time to decompress first!

 

[Una_banuna]

Hi Una, you can get a bus from Santiago to Cee and there is private accommodation there, the walk out of Cee is a bit steep but very doable if you take it easy with your dad. The views after that are beautiful especially coming into Finisterre. The walk to Muxia is very pleasant, some road, some woodland and stretches by the shore. Muxia is the best place to finish the Camino IMO as it is a lovely town and not commercialised like Finisterre.
Whatever you decide, enjoy it all.
Buen Camino.

Thanks Wayfarer - I think this option is winning so far!

 

[SabsP]

Perfect! I too had three days at SdC after 13 walking days from Porto.

 

[Una_banuna]

I'll be very interested to know what you end up doing. My husband is meeting me in Santiago, and we've talked about doing something similar. A way for he and I to reconnect, with some flavor of the camino. He doesn't have walking limitations, but we're trying to figure out timetable before going to Valencia to meet up with cousins, then on to Barcelona.

So, let us know!

Hi Seabird - at the moment the plan that seems to be coming together is bus to Cee, walk to Finisterre and stay a night there, then to Muxia with a night halfway along. That may change and if it does I'll let you know!

 

[NualaOC]

What do people think of a bus to Cee and walk to Finisterre (day 1) and then divide Finisterre to Muxia over 2 days, stopping in Lires or Frixe? I want to give him a taste of the Camino without killing him, so I'm a bit concerned about that incline before Muxia? Is it a tough climb? And finally, buses back to Santiago from Muxia?

Apologies for the long winded ramble!

Hi Una, my husband and I did this in June. We wanted 4 days of strolling at the end of our Camino. It worked perfectly for us - hopefully it will for you and your Dad too. Buen Camino!

 

[jsalt]

at the moment the plan that seems to be coming together is bus to Cee, walk to Finisterre and stay a night there, then to Muxia with a night halfway along

Hi Una, that plan sounds good. Maybe have Plan B if things go a bit wonky: e.g. have the phone number of a nearby taxi on you. Inexperienced walkers often do not realise when blisters are forming until they tell you too late . I can highly recommend As Eiras at Lires between Finisterre and Muxia. They have private rooms as well as a dorm for pilgrims http://www.ruralaseiras.com/ Not expensive, and a lovely family run it. The restaurant is very popular with the locals in the evening . Buen camino. Jill

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You can road walk from Cee to Muxia in a day, and save several hours. The road is lightly traveled, and has some places for food and beverage.

 

[Jellycat]

Hi Una,

I agree with Wayfarer that Muxia is a lovely place to finish the camino. I actually walked from SdC to Muxia this year but did SdC to Finesterre 4 years ago and I found both routes to be lovely and peaceful, beautiful walking through long stretches of natural landscapes and with some great places to stay. I loved Muxia - it is small (much quieter than Finisterre) and has a vibe all of it's own, is lively and bustley on market days, has great seafood restaurants, and sitting watching the sunset at Nosa Señora da Barca is an experience I will never forget. I stayed in one of my favourite albergues on the Camino - Bela Muxia - which is central and only 5 minutes walk from Nosa Señora, it's extremely comfortable - offers twin/double rooms but the dormitories are so comfortable, quiet and well-equipped (beds screened off, individual bedside lights etc) you really don't need a private room and the lovely, comfortable well-equipped kitchen which would enable you to sit and chat with other pilgrims. Best of all it is run by such a lovely couple who just can't do enough for you and are so warm and welcoming, helping make this a really positive end to many pilgrims' journey. I spent 3 days there in the end I loved it do much! http://www.belamuxia.com/en/

 

[NualaOC]

Hi again Una - @Jellycat has very eloquently expressed what many of us find so special about Muxia. It's a wonderful little place. But if you don't get there this year, you can always go back!

 

[Una_banuna]

Thanks all - my poor dad hurt his back gardening so our plans have been largely scuppered. I've booked 2 nights in Finisterre and we'll get the bus there and back and walk around there, including up to the Lighthouse.

I've decided that Muxia will wait for another trip (largely because he is finding it difficult to sit for prolonged period at the moment so I don't want to have him on buses too much).

That said, as I sit in Padron 2 days from finishing Camino Portugues (little toe blisters are keeping my mileage low so I'm breaking the final stage) I know I'll need back and I think next in my hit list is to walk to Finisterre and Muxia from SdC, hopefully this time next year.

Thanks for all your advice. I've really appreciated it, even if plans ended up changing!

 

[Jellycat]

Oo, so sorry to hear about your Dad's back Una. Finisterre is lovely too, and the lighthouse is well worth a visit. Hope you have a lovely couple of days together and as you say, you can do Muxia another time

 

[NualaOC]

Thanks all - my poor dad hurt his back gardening so our plans have been largely scuppered. I've booked 2 nights in Finisterre and we'll get the bus there and back and walk around there, including up to the Lighthouse.

So sorry to hear that Una, hope your Dad recovers soon. Buen Camino to you both.