Today would see us walk our last day from Olvieroa to Finisterre. Olvieroa is a tiny village with a population of 128, this probably trebles when all the albergues and the single hotel are full. There is a lot of restoration / regeneration in the village due to its place on the Jacobean route.
As ever we started the day with a climb up into the woods and, as yesterday, there was quite a mist hanging over everything, with the sun trying to peek through in places.
There were nice views of the Rio Xallas in the valley below as the mist slowly dissipated and some large displays of honeysuckle to provide a bit of a chance in scenery.
Some road walking, some gravel path walking before we headed back into the woods and came across an almost five-meter-high statue of the werewolf from the legend of ‘Vákner’, the human monster that has not been seen since the Middle Ages. This legend originated 500 years ago after an Armenian bishop who made the Camino from Santiago to Fisterra left a written testimony for the first time. The text in which he tells about the existence of the ‘Vákner’ dates from between 1491 and 1493. It records his encounter with a figure who is not clear whether he looked like a bull, a wolf or a dragon. Many hypotheses were considered but the description that best fits what the pilgrim reported is that it was a werewolf, a ‘lobisome’ as they are known in Galicia.
By now the sun was out and, although not fierce, was sufficiently hot that we were pretty much soaked through. Other than the sound of our footsteps it was perfectly still and quiet with both the sounds of birds singing to be heard.
Finally we came down(steeply of course) from the hills and woodlands to see, and then walk into the town of Cee. There is abundant documentation of Cee in the sixteenth century and fishing was of considerable importance, especially that of cetaceans. It was then that the church or sanctuary was built, in late Gothic style. The church was rebuilt after the destruction caused by the French, but it preserves some parts of that old building.
A few more hikes up into woodlands overlooking beautiful beaches and we found ourselves at the town of Finisterre and a great view from the hotel room.
After a freshen up and some lunch while we waited for the tourist office to open, we then received our certificates for the camino and went to the end of the world lighthouse to finally round out what has been a really enjoyable jaunt up the coast, and cross country, from Porto to Finisterre. Nest stop Camino Frances in 2026
