Day 21 - Olveiroa to Muxia

It seems that on this trip I have been doomed to sleep above or next to the loudest snorer in the room, and last night did not break this trend. I’d had enough by this stage and grabbed my stuff and slept on the couch in the common room, and believe it or not I could STILL hear this guy snoring through the wall. 

Because I was now sleeping in the common room I had to wake up with the early risers who were prepping their stuff around me, so today got off to an earlier, darker, and altogether crappier start than expected.

On the way out of town this morning there was a large billboard of a snarling wolf’s face with a Spanish word that I didn’t understand in a scary font and the word “territory” next to it. Great, I’m leaving town in the dark and it seems I’m entering what I can only assume is werewolf territory. A quick look at the crescent moon put my mind at ease, however. Somewhat.

Seeing how dark the track was in front of me I rooted through my backpack and whipped out my headlamp…which had a flat battery. Could this morning get any crappier? Thankfully the answer was “No” and I walked by the light of the crescent moon until sun up.

Not long after sunrise I crested the first large incline of the day and saw the Atlantic Ocean far off in the distance. My destination, Muxia, sat somewhere out there on the coast, approximately 30 km away, so whilst I was excited to see it I knew I still had some work to do.

Like yesterday the terrain wasn’t the issue, it was both the distance and the large amount of road walking. My feet were yelling to stop! I pushed on however and was rewarded when I finally turned a bend about 7.5 km from my destination and saw the sparkling blue water spread out before me and knew that I’d finally reached the coast. 

I’ve become so immersed in the landscape, soundscape, and…aromascape (?) of the mountains and countryside these past three weeks that the moment that something different appeared, like the sound of waves and the smell of salt, it was like experiencing it again for the first time. It was an unexpected and interesting experience.

From that point on it was an easy stroll along the coast into the beautiful coastal town of Muxia, which is my destination for this evening and home to the first 0KM bollard of my trip. This is not my 0KM marker however as I still have my final 28KM to Finisterre yet to walk. But that’s tomorrow, for now, it’s time for a beer and a seafood lunch.

Distance - 32.8Km 

Difficulty - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ & a half/5

Camin-oh no! - Knowing that tomorrow is my last day of walking on The Camino.

Camin-oh hell yeah! - Obtaining the third certificate of the trip: My Muxiana.

@caminoagogo