Day 30 – Olveiroa to Fisterra – 33km + 6km
After the 20+ mile scorcher to Olveiroa, David and I decided to get an early start on the day to get as much walking in during the cool morning weather as possible. However, this last day to Finisterre was quite beautiful. The walk out of Olveiroa was peaceful and quiet. We had great cool weather for the early part of the day, and it was a great opportunity for us to shoot the breeze for endless hours, as we took our last long hike for at least a long while.
We had a pleasant surprise as we descended from a high ridge steeply towards the bay side twin towns of Cee and Corcubión – the skies were crystal clear and we had a clear view all the way to Finisterre, all the way to the lighthouse that would mark the end of our journey and what the Romans one thought was the “end of the world.” And we also happened upon a little medieval festival and market in Corcubión that helped break up this super-long final hike. 10 more miles of pleasant but hilly hiking and we hit the long crescent-shaped beach that takes you directly into Finisterre town.
We eventually got to Finisterre and stayed at the same albergue we’ve been to twice before. After a break and a frigid swim in the bay, we made our third climb to the lighthouse where we, plenty of hikers, and a lot of other tourists enjoyed a magnificent sunset. David and I took the opportunity to quietly revel in what we had done, and the good fortune we have to have been able to make this amazing Camino journey three times in just five years. It was a beautiful, peaceful, and very fun moment and a wonderful way to say goodbye to the Camino for a while.
The next day we returned to Santiago, and that gave us the opportunity to relax, reflect, and contemplate our journey.
David’s Observations
Today was our final day walking! After 29 out of 30 days on the road it all came to an end today. It’ll take a while to process the entire experience but I’m feeling ready to be done. We’ll be spending one night in Fisterra and then one more in Santiago before going our seperate ways.
We’ve gotten very lucky with the weather the three days and today was no different. An early fog cleared to breezy blue skies which allowed for some incredible views of the ocean and surrounding towns.
The trail was very pleasant today mostly on gravel over rolling hills of forest and fields. Eventually it leads sharply down to sea level where you begin passing through towns. Today there was actually a little Renaissance market that had music and food tents setup. It was the other lunch stop!
After that it was about 10km more that included some road walking but most memorable were spectacular views of Fisterra as you approach from above.
The last part of the walk along the beach is very refreshing as we walked barefoot through shallows. It’s a great ending to a long day feeling the cold water on your feet.
After some rest at the hostel it was time to walk again(yay), 4km to the lighthouse to catch the sunset. Two years ago we had overcast weather so we were looking forward to a good one this year. It definitely lived up to it!
After the sunset we decided to stay until darkness to see the stars. Even though it was a clear night, it was super windy and chilly so we didn’t stay long. The night sky was a spectacular with thousands of stars which you definitely don’t get to see in the city.
In the morning we took the daily bus which we’ve dubbed the Pilgrim Express back to Santiago for one last time. After not being in a motorized vehicle for a month it’s always amazing how fast they go!
