Day 35 - Santiago de Compostela to Negreira (22km)

Last night we enjoyed a good meal in the hotel courtesy of Steve, a significant step up from the 'pilgrim menus' of the last few weeks, and said our farewells to Robin, Steve and their grandson Liam. The plan today for the rest of us was to begin a three day walk to Finisterre although getting there and getting back in time for some to catch flights was going to be a challenge. We had also decided to reduce our pack numbers for the walk with Gale and I carrying everything for the group.

We eventually got sorted, dropped the unwanted bags in storage, had breakfast and headed off. The first issue was to find our way out of the city; the route was supposedly well marked but we couldn’t find it, not helped by the fact we didn’t have a map and the place we had been told to get one was shut yesterday. After asking various locals we were on the route and heading out of town. By this time we had decided that our plan would be to walk as far as we cared to today and then get a bus tomorrow in order to be able to spend a night in Finisterre before heading back to collect our stuff and for Myra and Janna to get flights.

Before long we were out of the city and in woodland: tall eucalyptus trees and oak with ferns lining every foot of the path reminded me more of rainforest than temperate woodland. It was quiet and totally peaceful. We each walked in our own personal silence enjoying the moment and for my part there was an added sense of calm knowing there was no need to reach a particular destination, no need to rush: it was very relaxing. At those moments that it registered it did feel strange knowing you were walking away from Santiago, a place I had spent the last month getting to, but generally I just enjoyed a slow pace and the tranquility of the surroundings.

We walked through the occasional small hamlet, modern and red roofed but with very few houses, and saw hardly anybody. We made a steep climb through more woods and by mid afternoon we arrived at the old village of Ponte Maceira where the little information we did have suggested we

would find accommodation. It proved not to be the case so we are now two miles further on in a small hotel in Negreira, a place that passes as a relatively large town around here. We are not inclined to go exploring, more because we all feel like relaxing as the last month catches up with us rather than the uninteresting surroundings. So tonight we will eat in the hotel before making arrangements to catch a bus tomorrow to Finisterre.