The Finisterre Way

The Finisterre Way begins at praza do Obradorio in Santiago, from where one must descend to rúa das Hortas, until arriving at rúa Campo das Hortas.

Once on this road, turn left into rùa do Pombal and continue further into rùa Campo do Cruceiro do Gaio and rúa da Poza do Bar. We then come to a small park, where, following the Camino signs, we continue down a slope, then cross a bridge and continue to the left.

At this point, the path crosses a grove and climbs slightly to Sarela do Baixo, from where there are wonderful views of Santiago and its cathedral. You still follow the road, then turn right and continue to O Carballal and again later to Quintáns.

From here we continue to follow the crossroads of the Camino and pass through a number of towns and villages, until we reach Aguapesada, from which we continue along a forest climb to the towns of Alto do Mar de Ovellas, Carballo and Trasmonte.

Continuing along the path we come to Ponte Maceira, a splendid 14th-century Gothic bridge across the rio Tambre, which should be crossed and then turned left.

Now we pass through the towns of Barca and A Chancela and shortly afterwards finally reach Negreira.

This town is the canonical stage end that is often mentioned in the guidebooks for the Finisterre Way, but, if you still have enough strength, I suggest continuing further to the town of A Pena, which is about 6/7 kilometers after Negreira, in such a way as to shorten the subsequent stages. Before you do this extension, however, make sure there is room to sleep in the albergues in Alto da Pena, as there are currently only two and in the busiest seasons you may not find room. For those who decide to continue to A Pena, the trail continues from the end of Negreira, through countryside and mostly forest, until it ends along a rise and finally arrives at A Pena.

Starting from A Pena, you leave the small town, following some wonderful roads immersed in the countryside and continue skirting the provincial road for a stretch and then turning right, you re-enter along the path into the countryside.

At this point continue to Maroñas and again to Santa Mariña, and then continue along the trail through the forest and through some smaller villages and towns. We then continue along a small uphill road, which leads up to a nice vantage point on the Fervenza Reservoir.

Now go downhill, until you reach the town of Lago, where you can find bars and accommodations, and continue along the main road, passing through the towns of Abeleiroas and Corzón and reaching Mallón.

From here you take the provincial road and continue on it across Ponte Olveira, which allows you to arrive shortly after in Olveiroa. There are a few albergues and places to eat here, but as with the previous stage, I suggest continuing for a few more kilometers, so as to lighten the next day’s stage (especially if you want to get all the way to the Finisterre lighthouse and not just the town). Again it is advisable to call the albergue located in O Logoso, as there are not many nearby and in case there is no room you would still have to walk quite a bit.

If one decides to continue to O Logoso, one continues following the signs of the Camino de Santiago, passing along a lovely path along the slopes of Mount O Sino and with a panoramic view of the river below, descending a little bit and then climbing back up the last stretch to arrive at the locality of O Logoso.

From O Logoso we start by crossing a beautiful forest path to Hospital, from where we continue up a small hill, but unfortunately with a view for a short distance of an ugly industrial building. Continue along the road until you come to a traffic circle, where there are two markers indicating the separation between the routes leading to Muxía and Finisterre. If you want to continue to Finisterre (this route is followed in this description), you head left and shortly after, for the first time in the entire Camino, you can catch a glimpse of the sea.

Shortly after, turn right onto a forest path, arriving at the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves and, continuing for about 40 mintui more, you will reach the Ermita de San Pedro Martír, near which there is a spring, whose water is said to have beneficial effects for certain diseases.

You continue further into the forest and arrive at Camiños Chans, and then continue down the slope to a crossroads, where you keep going straight on the trail to Cee, a beautiful seaside town where you can find everything you need.

At this point we follow the path that winds through the city, until we reach Corcubión, another really beautiful location. From here we continue along a narrow climb through vegetation that leads to Vilar. We then follow the road and then return to the forest, and thus have a fantastic view of Estorde Beach. Now you continue to follow the path signs and pass along the main road and along the footpath, and finally reach the playa da Langosteira, an incredible ocean beach about 2 km long where, according to tradition, pilgrims take a swim upon arrival.

By now you have practically reached Finisterre, which is a few hundred meters to the left, after the end of the beach. From Finisterre, however, one can continue along a fairly steep ascent to the Lighthouse (the final destination of this walk, which is about an hour from Finisterre), where there is a sign for kilometer 0 of the Camino de Santiago and from where one can watch a breathtaking sunset overlooking the ocean.