A Pilgrim’’s Guide to the Camino Finisterre: Including Múxia Circuit: Santiago -- Finisterre -- Muxía -- Santiago

Camino Finisterre: Pilgrims who continue to the ’End of the Earth’ Finis Terrae often refer to this as a highlight in their journeying. In the fi rst edition it was described as the road less travelled but that acclaim has now passed to Muxía which has become the ideal extension for those seeking space for rest and reflection before returning home. The paths to Finisterre and Muxía are uniquely beautiful, full of the flavours of Galicia and her deliciously authentic culture. The spirit of St. James is alive in the deep river valleys and rolling hills that make up her Landscape Temple. Come and experience her untamed beauty and the purity of the light that has attracted spiritual seekers for countless millennia. The light, while obscured, lies hidden in our memory. It is no coincidence that the path to the end of the world ends at a lighthouse and the Ara Solis.

This guidebook describes the only camino that departs from Santiago. However, in recent years it has been recognised for a Compostela when walked in reverse from Finisterre / Muxía back to Santiago as the route provides the minimum distance required; but that is not its primary purpose. For those who have already walked to Santiago it provides an opportunity to integrate that earlier experience and a wonderful introduction to Galicia for everyone - novitiate or veteran. Many choose to visit Finisterre by bus but this is no substitute for walking this stunning landscape which offers immersion in the legends that brought St. James to the ’end of the world’.

This guidebook also seeks to find a balance between the outer and inner journey, between the practical and spiritual, which is why it is subtitled A Practical & Mystical Manual - that we might find a place to eat and sleep at the end of a hard day’s walk but also, and crucially, that we might find the courage to dive into the mystery of our own soul awakening.

John Brierley is a former charter surveyor who promotes business sabbaticals and pilgrimages as a way to reappraise life’s purpose. He is the author of several collections of maps and guides to different Camino de Santiago routes.