Off-track adventure

Until today, following markers on the road has been easy. The yellow arrows are frequent and placed in very visible positions. This applies to the whole Camino Francés to Santiago, to the routes from Santiago to Finisterre and Santiago to Muxía, and the route between Finisterre and Muxía, in both directions. But going from Muxía TO Santiago is not well marked at all.
For that reason, today I missed a turn. I was following a busy road for a few hundred metres without any arrows (the arrows pointing to Muxía were still useful to confirm I was on the right track), so I checked the map in the Buen Camino app and I saw the missed turn. I could have walked back to follow the route correctly, but where I was standing there was a dirt track going left (dotted red line in the first map) and I decided to follow it, guessing that it might join the Camino. But no. The track just disappeared in the bush.
Again, I could have walked back, but in the spirit of Ultreia, I kept moving forward,. I checked the All Trails app, where I could see the dead-end track that I took, and could also see another track that would lead me to the Camino. I bush-bashed my way to the second track, between trees, tall ferns and some thorny berry plants. The last map shows the route I walked, effectively taking a shortcut on the Camino, but one that probably contributed to my being so tired by the end.
I have walked off-track many times in Australia, and the idea of it doesn't concern me at all. I have walked in more difficult conditions too (planned and unplanned 🤣). But I must admit, I got a little nervous when I remembered that there could be wild pigs or hunters 😬. Fortunately, I found neither 😅 Czytaj więcej