My 2012 camino is done, and one of the best parts was my walk from Santiago. Though there is some road walking, there's not a lot, and the marking is very good. Here are a few random observations.
My stages were Santiago-Vilaserio - Dumbria - Muxia- Fisterra, and I really liked ending in Fisterra.
Negreira -- I saw the private albergue right on the camino mentioned in another post, it's right on the main street in town.
-- If you're looking for a nice bar with a place to sit outside and relax, there's a bar on the left right before you cross the river leaving town. Named Porto, I think. There's a nice terrace out back and it is shaded and looks over the river. Nice spot to rest up, especially if you're continuing on to Vilacerio as I did.
Vilkacerio -- private albergue with basic platos for meals in the bar. Nice albergue. There's also a municipal albergue in town.
New albergue in Santa Marinha, on highway next to bar, about 8 or 9 kms from Vilacerio.
Olveiroa -- every time I walk through that town there is a new facility. New pension/albergue/cafe bar combination right as you come in to town. The family run place is in the process of adding a restaurant, I was told it might be an "all you can eat" buffet type place. Not sure what I think of that.
3kms after Olveiroa, detour marked for a pension called A Pedra 981-72 76 02. No backtracking would be required, it's just a km on the highway from there up to the bar at Hospital, which is right next to the split for Muxia of Fisterra.
Dumbria -- all alone in the huge albergue. Though the sign on the door says it only opens at 3, the guy who came down at 3 told me that if I had tried the door I would have seen it was open. The people in charge work at the polideportivo next door, where there is free internet and a cafe bar. Very nice people. They opened a can of pimientos for me. There are two food stores in town (it would be quite a stretch to call them supermercados) but one was closed when I was there.
Quintans -- maybe about 10-12 kms from Dumbria, was the first place with a bar that I saw.
San Martinho (about 2 kms beyond Quintans) -- saw a sign for a new private albergue coming soon.
Moraime -- two stunning decorated doorways in the 12th century church. From there it's a stone's throw to Muxia.
Muxia -- now has a private albergue. Pretty big, huge kitchen, some of the nicest bathrooms I've seen (with separate private dressing cubicle at the entrance to each shower stall). I stayed in the municipal albergue, but this private place is doing a great business. I think there are more than 40 beds. Bela Muxia, 981 742041, Rua de Encarnacion, 30, http://www.belamuxia.com Lots of peregrinos who took the bus out stayed here, as well as some who walked.
Finisterre -- The road from Muxia to Finisterre is well marked, and there is only one place where there is confusion. You will be walking down towards the ocean on a road and you will see arrows pointing you to the left (the arrows are painted on the road). About 50 m continuing straight on, you can see a mojon that is taking you to the right. Ignore that mojon and follow the arrows.
There is now a bridge off to the side of the submerged stones. This is no wooden footbridge, it's a big imposing concrete mama of a bridge. Way over the top, IMO, nearly wide enough for vehicles, and the approach is now a wide path of many stones and slabs.
Right after the bar in Lires (or right before if you're coming from Fisterra), there is a marked detour to the Lires beach, where there is another bar. I didn't take it, but saw later that it must be a short detour that is well marked and involves no backtracking. There were two well-marked detours off the camino about a km apart. I would take it next time because it would get you to the beach!
Fisterra has a few new albergues, but I stayed in the municipal one. We saw five women get out of a taxi and get in the albergue line. When the albergue opened, the hospitalera invited them to enter first, so they must have been friends of someone. A little annoying, but there is no shortage of places to stay in Fisterra/Finisterre.
The 8:20 am bus back to Santiago takes a very different route than the route I've taken in the past. It hugs the coast almost all the way to Noia and then gets on a divided road for the last 25 kms into Santiago. It was nice to see all the coastal towns, and I thought Muros looked like a very nice place to spend a few days.
I know the numbers of people walking this route are growing and it's nice to see how private initiative is kicking into gear to provide accommodations. Buen camino, Laurie
My stages were Santiago-Vilaserio - Dumbria - Muxia- Fisterra, and I really liked ending in Fisterra.
Negreira -- I saw the private albergue right on the camino mentioned in another post, it's right on the main street in town.
-- If you're looking for a nice bar with a place to sit outside and relax, there's a bar on the left right before you cross the river leaving town. Named Porto, I think. There's a nice terrace out back and it is shaded and looks over the river. Nice spot to rest up, especially if you're continuing on to Vilacerio as I did.
Vilkacerio -- private albergue with basic platos for meals in the bar. Nice albergue. There's also a municipal albergue in town.
New albergue in Santa Marinha, on highway next to bar, about 8 or 9 kms from Vilacerio.
Olveiroa -- every time I walk through that town there is a new facility. New pension/albergue/cafe bar combination right as you come in to town. The family run place is in the process of adding a restaurant, I was told it might be an "all you can eat" buffet type place. Not sure what I think of that.
3kms after Olveiroa, detour marked for a pension called A Pedra 981-72 76 02. No backtracking would be required, it's just a km on the highway from there up to the bar at Hospital, which is right next to the split for Muxia of Fisterra.
Dumbria -- all alone in the huge albergue. Though the sign on the door says it only opens at 3, the guy who came down at 3 told me that if I had tried the door I would have seen it was open. The people in charge work at the polideportivo next door, where there is free internet and a cafe bar. Very nice people. They opened a can of pimientos for me. There are two food stores in town (it would be quite a stretch to call them supermercados) but one was closed when I was there.
Quintans -- maybe about 10-12 kms from Dumbria, was the first place with a bar that I saw.
San Martinho (about 2 kms beyond Quintans) -- saw a sign for a new private albergue coming soon.
Moraime -- two stunning decorated doorways in the 12th century church. From there it's a stone's throw to Muxia.
Muxia -- now has a private albergue. Pretty big, huge kitchen, some of the nicest bathrooms I've seen (with separate private dressing cubicle at the entrance to each shower stall). I stayed in the municipal albergue, but this private place is doing a great business. I think there are more than 40 beds. Bela Muxia, 981 742041, Rua de Encarnacion, 30, http://www.belamuxia.com Lots of peregrinos who took the bus out stayed here, as well as some who walked.
Finisterre -- The road from Muxia to Finisterre is well marked, and there is only one place where there is confusion. You will be walking down towards the ocean on a road and you will see arrows pointing you to the left (the arrows are painted on the road). About 50 m continuing straight on, you can see a mojon that is taking you to the right. Ignore that mojon and follow the arrows.
There is now a bridge off to the side of the submerged stones. This is no wooden footbridge, it's a big imposing concrete mama of a bridge. Way over the top, IMO, nearly wide enough for vehicles, and the approach is now a wide path of many stones and slabs.
Right after the bar in Lires (or right before if you're coming from Fisterra), there is a marked detour to the Lires beach, where there is another bar. I didn't take it, but saw later that it must be a short detour that is well marked and involves no backtracking. There were two well-marked detours off the camino about a km apart. I would take it next time because it would get you to the beach!
Fisterra has a few new albergues, but I stayed in the municipal one. We saw five women get out of a taxi and get in the albergue line. When the albergue opened, the hospitalera invited them to enter first, so they must have been friends of someone. A little annoying, but there is no shortage of places to stay in Fisterra/Finisterre.
The 8:20 am bus back to Santiago takes a very different route than the route I've taken in the past. It hugs the coast almost all the way to Noia and then gets on a divided road for the last 25 kms into Santiago. It was nice to see all the coastal towns, and I thought Muros looked like a very nice place to spend a few days.
I know the numbers of people walking this route are growing and it's nice to see how private initiative is kicking into gear to provide accommodations. Buen camino, Laurie
) but there was only about a 20 minute difference in total travelling times between the 2 routes to Santiago and this year I was able to use the walk from the bus station to visit Museo do Pobo Gallego to see some of the 'On the Road' installations then sit for a while chilling in San Domingos de Bonoval Park before visiting Mercado de Abastos and then finally after a leisurely late breakfast at Pub Agarimo in Rua do Preguntoiro, checking in to my pilgrim room in Hospederia San Martin Pinario which for me was a lovely change of pace after my average 38 km days. 
