The 'End of the World'
- Stephanie Heathfield
- Jun 24, 2023
- 5 min read
Medieval pilgrims believed, as the name suggests in Latin, that Finisterre (or Fisterra) was literally “the end of the world”. So, we followed in their footsteps from Santiago to Finisterre which was a further 95km. In fact this route is a separate Camino in its own right (Camino Finisterre), although for us it felt more like an extension; a continuation and a very 'natural' ending point for our journey. We walked for 4 more days, remaining in the beautiful region of Galicia throughout. The landscape continued to offer mostly eucalyptus forests through which to walk, terrain with peaks and troughs, and pretty, quiet, quaint Spanish villages to meander through. We experienced an uneventful few days.
One thing we did notice was how less busy this route was with pilgrims, compared with the Camino Francés. Although it was lovely to take time to disconnect after reaching Santiago, I missed the camaraderie and the banter with others. We did meet new pilgrims, but they were few and far between compared with the previous 40 days. However, we had a lovely moment when, walking in the opposite direction from us we spotted a pilgrim in the distance who we recognised. We'd spent quite a bit of time with him on the Francés route but had lost contact about 2 weeks before reaching Santiago. Here he was, having left Santiago and walked, not only to Finisterre, but also to Muxia (another coastal Camino destination) and was on his way back to Santiago to finish and fly home to the US. We stopped to chat and to catch-up, but had to disperse relatively quickly when the path became filled with a herd of cows on their way back to the farm for milking and we all needed to move out of the way.
The weather mainly stayed dry and sunny and you could feel the temperature slowly beginning to rise, although we never experienced temperatures hotter than the 30 degree walk into Pamplona all those weeks ago. After a couple of days of walking the eucalyptus forests gave way to pine trees and the paths underfoot began changing from stony to more sandy. Although we couldn't see the ocean yet, there was a distant distinct smell of salt permeating the warm gentle breeze. I was reminded of the game we used to play as children, going on holiday, when everyone in the car had their eyes firmly fixed on the horizon and always wanted to be the first to shout "I can see the sea!" On Day 3 we spotted the sea for the first time (I didn't shout out!), our spirits were lifted and we spent the next day or so striding onwards with a newfound energy knowing that the end was now very much in sight. Although I had felt ready to start walking again after our short break in Santiago, my body now began to let me know that, having been 'on the go' since 1st May, all the physical activity was starting to take its toll and I was beginning to feel tired, particularly at the end of a very hot Day 2 when we covered over 30km.
Day 4, our final day, dawned wam, sunny and clear and I could sense it was a perfect day to finish. We'd arrived in Santiago in the pouring rain so I inwardly smiled realising we'd have a perfect (weather-wise) day to complete our adventure in full. We probably took our time a little agin, savouring the experience and both wanting our walking to finish, but not wanting it to finish, in equal measure. Our breakfast stop that morning was a beautiful cove we found by chance and for the first time since we'd left Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port I felt like I was on holiday!
We reached the pretty town of Finisterre around lunchtime, only to realise that the 'official' end point, ie the peninsula with lighthouse and 'zero km marker' was another 4/5km . . . . . . uphill! I inwardly groaned and took a deep breath, as all I wanted now was to get there. We slowly ascended the beautiful cliff-top coastal path alongside clear crystal blue and green waters for the final stretch. The route got busier now, as day trippers visiting Finisterre walked up with us and alongside us on the road a number of coaches, cars and motorbikes were transporting passengers to the top.
A few more strides, the route flattened out and we were there! What welcomed us at the top was a lovely atmosphere of friendliness and celebration plus the most stunning views. We'd done it! We'd actually done it! Just like Santiago, a piper piped us along the short walk past the lighthouse and on to the Finisterre peninsula. Seeing us happy and smiling and congratulating one another, an older couple approached us and asked whether we'd just completed the Camino. "Yes" I said, "how far have you walked?" they asked. I opened my mouth to tell them when I was overcome with emotion, couldn't get the words out and just started crying. Fortunately they could relate to how I was feeling. They smiled at me gently and reassuringly. They had just walked the Francés route, finished in Santiago and had hopped on a bus to visit Finisterre for the day. One of the couple had just celebrated their 72nd birthday along the way. A few years ago they had also completed the route we just had (all 900km), so knew exactly how I was feeling. They were very compassionate and told me it was perfectly 'normal' to feel so emotional and I was allowed to cry as it was a great achievement!
We sat and ate sandwiches for lunch out on the peninsula overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The sun shone, the sky and the sea a brilliant blue, and there was nothing as far as the eye could see. We rested and soaked up the atmosphere, with a number of other people (pilgrims and tourists) who'd had the same idea. Next we headed up a flight of steps on the peninsula to a little bar, mainly to gain more altitude and to continue to enjoy the views and take a few more photos. We were delighted, on arrival, to see a number of other pilgrims we had met along the way who had arrived a little earlier than us and were already enjoying a celebratory drink or two. We joined them to spend time basking in our mutual successes, enjoying the moment and not quite wanting to leave.
Since the weather was so good, what better way to finish than to head back into Finisterre, find the lovely sandy beach that we had walked past on our way into town, and go for a swim, which is what we did! However, not before our very last photo opportunity which was beside the '0 km' Camino marker, confirming that our journey had most definitely, for now at least, come to an end.
In order to mark the end of our walk, we had planned to trek back up to the peninsula again that evening to sit and watch the sun go down over the ocean. However, earlier in the day another pilgrim had mentioned a sunset boat tour leaving Finisterre harbour at 8:30pm, which we liked the sound of. When we reached our accommodation that afternoon, we were able to buy tickets at reception. It was a great decision. We hadn't expected the boat trip to travel out further than the bay, but we ended up sailing out and around the 'end of the world' peninsula as the day drew to a close. So with a drink in one hand, tapas in the other, gentle Gaelic music playing in the background, we enjoyed the warm evening watching the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean as far west as we could see. Tired, but very happy, it really was the most perfect ending to a great day and to our wonderful (blister-free) journey!
Just FYI - my next post will be my last for this blog
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