Last summer I hike the last part of the Camino de Santiago.
The one that goes from Santiago to Fisterra, the end of the world as the Romans
used to called it. This path always attract me because has more relation with
the pagan than with the religious side.
We start in Santiago, with the beautiful cathedral and the
old city. This old city is really amazing, full of life and tradition. The exit
of Santiago is not very glamorous, you escape throw the back door across some neighbourhoods
with some crazy constructions....
But soon you get into the real Galicia , full of green,
water and moderate mountains. You reach
Pontemacira. What a wonderful place to stop by the river and drink one of those
local beers called Strella Galicia with so many hops, it is like a I.P.A made
in Galicia.
We stay in the new San Jose hostel in Negreira , super comfortable, all
the facilities. Now , what is really really important in Negreira is this
restaurant : O Barqueiro . The best steak ever, very popular. This is not air-talk. It is butter meat. Forget the starts
Michellin restaurant, go to his place.
The second day starts with a 5 km of smooth ascension. It is
a trail in deep the forest. After, we have some parts of tarmac. We entry in
Mazaricos, nice area, it is a mix of hills, agriculture and rural areas. We
left the Fervenza Lake on the right side and little bit later we reach the
Alberge in Olveiroa. The perfect place to relax after the walk. It is a small
town with few bars and the typical Spanish good food.
The last sting of the Path of St James must be one of the
best ones, no doubt, and also quite hard for this path. You have a wild stretch
of 10 km without civilization, really appreciated. But even better, you finally
reach the coast from the mountain with some fantastic views, Enjoy! A few more
kilometres between forest, beaches and towns and you are in Finisterre. Now the last push up to the lighthouse. In a
sunny day it is so beautiful that nothing hurt, you are in the end of the
world.
The Tradition is to burn your boots and clothes as a symbol
of leave everything behind you, a sign that the pilgrimage is over. I skip this part as my nike air were in a
perfect state. This is another thing that I don’t understand. Why most of the pilgrims
wear those huge boots, I know I don’t wear the most optimal but boot? Any
running shoes would be more comfortable....
I did the new tradition of doing the last part in this
style: called “carretilla”
Time to celebrate it eating some quality fish with a
Albarinho wine from the region. My recommendation is Mar Viva restaurant. First
you choose the fish and wine from the market, after take a seat upstairs, they
will do for you the hard job of prepare. The cooking times are perfect and the
best product. This is restaurant is in Corcubion, you would need a ride.
The best of the Camillo is the lightweight. You don’t need
much. Always there are alberges, restaurants, bars and the best food in Spain,
in the north. Good food, good wines at a cheap price, nice beer. I know this is
not very religious but hike your own hike my friend.
This is not a typical natural park trail .This is a historic
path that mix wilderness and culture.
Enjoy!
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