Cycling the Camino 5

Sadly my last blog!! Back to Olveiroa. The weather God's were not happy with us getting there. We were both soaked to the bone. Never had a hot shower been so welcome. All the walkers looked like mobile gnomes in their ponchos....

Never pays to look back, but Helen did.......it was almost like Santiago's skyline was beckoning her to return...

Wednesday was a mammoth day for Helen. She walked for 9 hours (36km) in difficult conditions. I expected to see her at the end bedraggled and aching, but her grit and determination won the day. I had time to explore little Olveiroa while waiting for her. The traditional architecture has been well preserved, and the people could not speak English at all. We got by with my shocking array of Spanish nouns!! The food at our 'pension rustico' was traditional fare,.....certainly wouldn't pay to be a vegetarian!

The weather forecast for yesterday [Thursday] was shocking, so we were dreading another soaking. But amazingly, overnight the sky cleared and we had blue skies again. This time on the trail to Cee. Most of it was cycle-friendly, but the steep inclines gave my leg muscles a nudge, and the large gravel and deep ruts pushed my bike sideways. At one stage the track gave a choice of gravel or cobblestone! It didn't matter......both were uncomfortable, but there were beautiful spots along the way though....

And the towns held their usual fascination....

And so, on to Cee, and a refreshing breath of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is referred to as Death Coast because it is splattered with shipwrecks. Cee is a struggling little seaside town, dependent on fishing and tourism. Medieval architecture has left its footprint, but many buildings are left empty and derelict.

We wandered around the waterfront to Corcubion, with it's own unique old quarters. It's iconic Gothic church is called Church of St Marcos, devoted to the town's patron Saint.

Today we hit the trail for our final leg to Finisterre literally meaning 'the end of the earth'. Silly me...I was expecting an easy ride, but my first encounter was a series of steep stone steps. I was committed about half way up and had to walk my bike up the rest of the way. 

This photo doesn't look impressive so I know I won't get any sympathy!! At least Finisterre was the reward. This is another fishing town, and alive with albergues, boutique shops and seafood restaurants. 

But the trail doesn't stop there,.......another 3-4km further on is the lighthouse, the official endpoint. The modern pilgrims used to burn their smelly socks here, but that ritual is not allowed anymore. 

It is also a magnificent spot to watch the sun set, but not tonight. Walking around Finisterre is a lot of tired bodies and sore feet. In my case other bits are sore and tomorrow I will gladly trade my bike seat in for an aeroplane seat. 

What a fantastic experience. Got the shirt! Nothing else for it now but to sign up for Tour de France!!

Buen Camino!