Lires to Muxia – about 16 km

This was to be, and was, another easy walking day with attractive scenery. There were no or few clouds so it was sunny but not hot.  And we passed few others on the trail.

When we left Lires we had a gentle climb for about 10 km. I think we climbed about 300 meters, but once we reached the top and the terrain rolled over we lost that altitude quickly.

Cows have the right of way on this narrow road out of Lires.

We were warned that there were no services once we left Lires, except for for a place about 8 km down the road where a man offered snacks and coffee on a donation basis. The place was Crudeiro y Fuente and the fountain had sweet cold water to fill our bottles. We also treated ourselves to coffee and some cake and fruit and donated (of course) about 50% more than it would have cost us at a bar.

The man who ran the refreshment stand was from the Croatia and told us he left there after the war.  In Galacia he had found his place on earth.  He was quite chatty but not overbearingly so.  He had set up a few tables and chairs with a view over the valley that was so peaceful.  The only sound was from the fountain.  A few other walkers came by, but most just continued on.  He said most did not stop.  That was puzzling to me due to the serene view, the sweet water, his polite company and the available chairs and tables.   It was and still is, hard to understand why so many bypassed him.  Maybe the desire to complete the walk from Fisterre to Muxia in one day does not allow for the extra half hour to enjoy the Spanish countryside.  Or maybe there is a need, after 20 or 30 days of walking to continue to keep the endorphins flowing into the bloodstream.

I wanted to ask him about the war, but thought better of it. Clearly he had found his place and was at peace with the world and himself.

At about 11km we started the decent to Muxia. The dirt road was washed out, rocky, rough and had small streams flowing both down and across it that had to be navigated carefully to keep our shoes dry.  The downhill going was slow because the footing was so treacherous.  I was thankful we were decending and not climbing at the top, but mid way down I was not sure  because of the constant braking and pressure on my knees.  The further down the hill we went,  the steeper it became until we were almost at the bottom.

When the route flattened out we were about 3 km from Muxia and were walking along a road by the ocean. We passed a fabulous beach with no one on it.   Note that on the hill overlooking the beach there appeared to be a development which I thought was unfortunate given the beauty of the beach.

We checked into our hostel room then walked around the town. We had a really nice but small dinner.  The Pulpa was the best I have ever tasted, in fact the whole dinner was exceptionally good.

The next morning we walked to the Church at the point and took a few photos, then back to our room, packed and were on the 2:30 bus back to Santiago.  We rented the same flat we had rented before which allowed us to do laundry and frequent the tapas restaurants we had come to enjoy.

Santuario Nuestra de la Barco at Muxia – the finishing point.

So tomorrow it is the bus to Santiago then the train to Madrid the following morning.