Advice please for best use of 3 days - Fisterra/Muxia

[Seabird]

My husband is meeting me in Santiago on Monday, May 30. We want to spend some time walking part of the Fisterra/Muxia route. We will leave Santiago on Wednesday and return in time to catch the plane in Santiago on Saturday at 17:40. Husband Joe is fit and active, but won't have specifically trained for this. So I don't want long days of walking. After reading in the forum, I have tentatively decided to take the bus either to Cee or all the way to Fisterra on Wednesday, and need some help on best options:

Wed: Take the 9:00 bus to Cee, arriving at 11, walk to Fisterra. As best as I could find, the 9:00 bus is to Fisterra, but stops in Cee. If it doesn't stop, there is a 10:00 bus to Cee, that arrives at 12:40. Would we have time on this day to also explore the Cabo, or should that wait until the next day?

OR:

Wed. Take the bus all the way to Fisterra, leaving plenty of time to explore the city and the Cabo

Thursday: Walk to Lires

Friday: Walk to Muxia

Saturday: Bus to Santiago The only bus time I could find is leaving at 7:30. Other than a taxi, are there any later alternatives to leaving that early?

I would really appreciate your help in deciding whether to take the bus all the way to Fisterra or stop in Cee. I don't know how long to allow to explore the Cabo. Or other alternatives are welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I believe that there are a lot more buses in and out of Finisterre than Muxia. I think your options are better in the north to south direction. So this is my suggestion: First bus to Muxia then walk to Liraes and then to Finisterre. Decide whether to explore the town and cape or walk to Cee. Get a later bus back to Santiago. The days you pick to walk or rest or explore depend on the bus schedule.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

We will leave Santiago on Wednesday and return in time to catch the plane in Santiago on Saturday at 17:40.

I checked some bus schedules for you.

This shows buses from Muxia to Santiago at 7:30 and 14:30 on Saturday June 4, 2016.
http://www.concellomuxia.com/ga/upload/not/50-d-santiagomuxia13.pdf

This shows buses from Finisterre to Santiago at 11:45, 15:00, 16:45 and 19:00 on Saturday June 4, 2016.
http://www.monbus.es/es/rutas-puntos-de-venta/465/viajar-fisterra-santiago-de-compostela/

 

[Seabird]

I believe that there are a lot more buses in and out of Finisterre than Muxia. I think your options are better in the north to south direction. So this is my suggestion: First bus to Muxia then walk to Liraes and then to Finisterre. Decide whether to explore the town and cape or walk to Cee. Get a later bus back to Santiago. The days you pick to walk or rest or explore depend on the bus schedule.

I really like this idea. Not sure why I was focusing on going to Fisterra first. I think this would be a much better option.

Thanks so much!

 

[gittiharre]

Do you think one has to buy a bus ticket in advance? For Sat 7.30 am at the end of June?

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Do you think one has to buy a bus ticket in advance? For Sat 7.30 am at the end of June?

Going from Santiago to Finisterre or Muxia I would say yes. Be on the safe side; on the weekends the locals may want to go to the beach (and they may want to return too. )

On the other hand, my wife just walked down to Santiago's bus station and picked up a ticket for the first bus to Finesterre. That was on a Tuesday morning in mid July.

 

[peregrina2000]

I like Rick's idea. Take a bus to Muxia from Santiago (there are two each weekday, one at 8:45 am, one at 4:45 pm).
http://www.concellomuxia.com/ga/upload/not/50-d-santiagomuxia13.pdf

If you take the early bus on Wednesday, you then have most of Wednesday to enjoy Muxia, it is a very lovey place. Then Thursday walk to Lires (make sure to go out to the ocean there, there's a very nice cafe and beautiful views), Friday walk to Finisterre and pray for a clear sunset, and Saturday come back to Santiago from Finisterre. Lots of buses, and though most of them take a pretty convoluted route along the coast, it's pretty to watch.

It is true that the walk along the coast on the way into Finisterre is pretty, so your Cee idea is a good one too.

I think you will find it very fitting to end your walking (even if you've had a bus interlude) in Finisterre. I think Muxia is a nicer place, but there's something really special about that last night walking to the lighthouse in Finisterre and seeing (if you're lucky and it's not cloudy) the sunset from the lighthouse.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

there's something really special about that last night walking to the lighthouse in Finisterre and seeing (if you're lucky and it's not cloudy) the sunset from the lighthouse.

We walked to the lighthouse at the tip of the cape as a day trip. On the map below notice all the trails and also how steep it is at the tip of the cape. It is not safe to reach the ocean here. I wanted the beach to the west of town (marked in yellow on the map) to be the end of my camino from France to Atlantic (the next two days trip to Muxia was desert.) That is where we had a bottle of cava to celebrate and where I let my Cape Cod beach stone free to swim back home on its own.

In the evening we tried to get a nice sunset at the beach but there was too much haze. From the beach it was a shorter walk back to town. Sunsets come very late in Spain and we were usually tired enough to be already in bed by then so the shorter walk was a plus.

 

[Seabird]

@Rick of Rick and Peg -- Thanks for the map and the additional ideas. Was debating about whether to make reservations for Muxia/Lires/Fisterra. We'll be there June 1/2/3, so assuming it's getting busy. Any thoughts?

 

[Kiwi-family]

I, too, favour the Muxia first option. The only thing to consider if you come to walk back to Cee is there is a pretty steep rocky climb out of Finisterre which might be an issue for your husband. On the other hand, if he is willing to take his time and take small steps he will get to the top of it eventually!

 

[Seabird]

I, too, favour the Muxia first option. The only thing to consider if you come to walk back to Cee is there is a pretty steep rocky climb out of Finisterre which might be an issue for your husband. On the other hand, if he is willing to take his time and take small steps he will get to the top of it eventually!

Thank you! Very helpful.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Thank you! Very helpful.

You can see it looks worse on the elevation profile than the track really is!

 

[Seabird]

You can see it looks worse on the elevation profile than the track really is!

Yes, I guess it's all in the distance over which you're slogging through the elevation. He's quite the goat -- he'd probably love those rocks.

 

[Kiwi-family]

In that case, I'd choose the walk over spending time in Fisterra - but that's me!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Was debating about whether to make reservations for Muxia/Lires/Fisterra. We'll be there June 1/2/3, so assuming it's getting busy. Any thoughts?

While I was hiking to Finesterre Peg stayed in Santiago and spoke to people and got recommendations for places to stay. For ambiance and value she settled for:

Albergue do Sol e da Lua, in Finisterre. At least one private room across the street from the albergue. The door didn't lock but a large armoire did. Shared bathroom with the owners, tub filled with toys. They served a communal vegetarian dinner but it wasn't required. A Hippie atmosphere.

Rural As Eiras, in Liraes. A modern albergue connected to a bar/restaurant.

Casa Isolina in Muxia. Guest house with private rooms but shared bath. We had a small glassed in porch attached to the room that jutted out over the street. A garden in the back with trouths and other farm equipment. The neighbor's cats loved the garden. Just stayed one night. We would have loved another but we would have had to stay for two more because of the bus schedule. Our camino was over and we only had a week more to vacation along the north coast of Spain (eventually getting back to Pamplona and then Barcelona.)