El Camino de Santiago

This is the final day of our trip, 42 days since we set off for Biarritz and today was the first day I struggled to get out of bed. Two days off on the trot is already making me lazy.

My one regret as the trip went on was not including the walk from Santiago on to Finesterra (literally, lands end), on the Atlantic coast. 4 days walk away. Though that has been tempered a little by the fact it has and will be raining for what would have been those additional days.

So instead today, on Carol's birthday, we've taken a coach trip out to Finesterra and the surrounding areas. The first time I've been anywhere other than on my own two feet for the last 39 days. At Finesterra we bumped into the Irish couple we'd spent the evening with in Triacastela, doing the same thing but on a different tour. The highlight of the day was Muxia, which had a church dedicated to sailors, a lighthouse and large man made standing stones, all with the backdrop of heavy white water as the sea crashed onto the rocks.

We got back into Santiago around 17:40, just in time to catch the Liverpool v Chelsea game and were joined by Matt, the guy we met on the second day who was really struggling with blisters. So we all had a couple of birthday drinks and Carol and I went on for a meal. Then via a bit of a boogie in the cathedral square we had a final nightcap and then back to the hotel.

So we walked for 33 days with 4 rest days and covered 484 miles, took a handful of wrong turns but never by more than a 100 yards. Across the route, but particularly in Galicia the signage was fantastic.Read more