The Camino Finisterre & Múxia

The bar here is the last place to stock up on food and water before the paths diverge. If you're heading to Finisterre, there's a fountain between here and Cee but very little else. If you're heading to Muxia, Dumbria has a small shop but it's a good distance ahead. Either way, eat and drink here.

Shortly after Hospital, in the middle of a large roundabout, a double mojon marks the choice between Finisterre and Muxia. This is where the two routes diverge.

Left takes you to Finisterre -- roughly 30 km, descending dramatically from the highlands to the coast at Cee, then following the shoreline to the end of the world. Right takes you to Muxia -- roughly 30 km through quieter inland territory, arriving at the Atlantic sanctuary from above.

Most pilgrims walk both, either as an out-and-back from Finisterre or as a loop connecting the two. The connecting route between Finisterre and Muxia is roughly 29 km and runs along the Costa da Morte.

A tiny hamlet on the road between The Great Divide and Dumbria. No services. The camino follows quiet roads through increasingly remote countryside.

Dumbria is small, but it's the only town on the Muxia branch with a shop for staples. There are a few restaurants as well. If you need anything between The Great Divide and Muxia, this is your chance.

The name comes from a Celtic root meaning "dark waters," a reference to the Rio Xallas that runs through the valley. The town sits in one of the least populated corners of Galicia, which is saying something.

A hamlet between Dumbria and Senande. The camino requires you to cross the busy AC-552 road here -- it's in a bend where drivers can easily overlook a crossing pilgrim. Be careful.

Two bars along the main road, and a third with a small shop after you leave the road toward A Grixa. A useful resupply point, though don't expect a wide selection.

A hamlet on the trail between Senande and Quintans. No services. The walking through here is quiet Galician countryside -- eucalyptus groves, stone walls, the occasional farm dog.

Not to be confused with the other Quintans near Santiago. This one is a small hamlet on the Muxia branch with no services.

There's a donative-based cafe here, adjacent to one of the longest horreos in the area -- worth a look even if you don't stop for coffee. If that's not your speed, a roadside bar sits a short way off the camino, easy to find if you follow the signs.

The climb ahead to Vilar de Sobremonte is fairly steep, but not far beyond the top you're rewarded with your first view of the sea.

A hamlet near the top of the climb from San Martino de Ozon. If the weather is clear, the Atlantic is visible ahead. The descent from here toward Moraime begins shortly.

The signage here is misleading. Stick to the smaller road downhill and avoid the road that goes uphill. Both bring you to Moraime, but the smaller road is the safer of the two.

The Iglesia de San Xulian de Moraime is what remains of a 12th-century Benedictine monastery, and the Romanesque portal is genuine -- carved capitals, archivolts, and a tympanum that survived because nobody thought to renovate them. The church sits in a grove of trees with the kind of quiet that only comes from eight centuries of patience.

The albergue occupies a well-restored building but lacks proper cooking facilities, and there are no restaurants nearby. Bring food if you're staying.

The last real ascent before Muxia. From the chapel the terrain tilts downhill through Chorente, and from there it's a descent to the beaches at the edge of town. You can see the Santuario da Virxe da Barca in the distance if the weather cooperates.

A hamlet on the descent into Muxia. The ocean is close now, and you can smell the salt.

Muxia is the quieter ending. Where Finisterre attracts crowds and has something of a festival atmosphere, Muxia skips the show and gets straight to the essential business of sitting on rocks and staring at the Atlantic. Give it a try -- the massive granite boulders surrounding the Santuario da Virxe da Barca at the far end of the cape are yours for as long as you can keep your feet on them.

The Santuario itself sits on the rocks at the tip of the cape, exposed to the full force of the ocean. It was destroyed by a lightning strike on Christmas Day 2013 -- a fire that felt like a judgment to the community. The rebuilding was completed by 2015, and the restored sanctuary stands exactly where the old one did, facing the same Atlantic.

The legend says the Virgin Mary arrived here in a stone boat to encourage Santiago during his preaching. The remains of her vessel are the stones around the sanctuary: the Pedra da Barca (the hull) and the Pedra de Abalar (the sail), which tradition said would rock if a person of pure faith stood on it. The Pedra de Abalar no longer oscillates -- storms broke it in 2014 -- but the stones themselves remain, massive and ancient. Pre-Christian stone worship was widespread along this coast, and the Virgin's arrival by boat is almost certainly a Christianization of much older traditions.

Near the sanctuary stands A Ferida -- the Wound -- an 11-meter monolithic sculpture weighing 400 tonnes of granite, the largest sculpture in Spain. It was installed as a memorial to the Prestige oil spill of 2002. The tanker broke apart off this coast in November of that year, releasing 77,000 tonnes of fuel oil that devastated the Galician coastline. The cleanup took years, mobilized 65,000 volunteers, and the Nunca Mais (Never Again) movement it spawned permanently changed Galician politics. The monument is a split stone, an open wound that doesn't close.

There are two small beaches in Muxia, both on the camino from Hospital and both reasonably protected from wind and waves.

The Muxiana certificate is available at the tourism office.

Bus service back to Santiago operates daily.