If you haven’t taken any rest days then you may be feeling the pace by time it gets to day seven.
And you probably will want to make it to picturesque Lires at the end of the day, rather than stopping at Nemiña beach as suggested by the organisers, as the latter is short of accommodation and full of surfers.
It is 29km from Muxía to reach Lires, an estuary village which is an ornithologist’s dream.
This stage of the Camiño dos Faros is a hilly and winding one, with some steep ascents and descents.
Due to the snaking nature of the trail, almost doubling back in parts, some sections can be omitted to save the legs. Your choice.
You may already have felt the presence of pilgrims in Muxía and leaving the town in the morning you will be joined by a steady stream of them as they head for Finisterre on the Camino.
Our route and theirs heads out of the back of Muxía on the DP-5201 road, which has a good pavement running along the side.
After walking just under 2km, our routes diverge. They take the high road and we take the low, turning right to go down to the Praia de Lourido.
Crossing the beach, you may find time for an early paddle. On the other side, take the path up the fern-clad headland, passing below the Costa da Morte parador hotel and following the green arrows out onto the Punta Lourido.
It’s around 1km from the beach to get to the start of the climb of the Monte Cachelmo.
There’s 130 metres of ascent to reach the rocky top of this coastal hill; fortunately, you will want to pause to admire the views back over Muxía and beyond; in the other direction we can see the route to come, which is down and up to go out along the Cabo de la Buitra (the vulture’s cape).
We cross the top of the Monte Cachelmo before starting the steep climb down towards the Arnela beach.
The path skirts the beach and embarks on a steep ascent through the trees to reach a wide track.
The Camiño dos Faros bears right to go out to the Buitra point; however, walkers who want to shave off a couple of kilometres can turn left.
To see the Buitra cape follow the wide track (right) for around 1.5km. At the point, there are panoramic views once again; back over Muxía and on towards the Touriñán cape which is the most westerly point on the Spanish coast.
From Buitra, turn away from the sea to walk up the slope; there is a green arrow which shows the ascending path.
The path leads up to a track, which climbs back towards the wide track which was walked earlier.
On my route we leave the Camiño dos Faros to avoid an overgrown section on the path.
Reaching the wide track, walkers will see that they they are only a few metres from the point where they emerged from the earlier climb from Arnela beach, nearly an hour earlier.
Take the wide track, walking away from the Buitra cape. Arrive at a road, which is the DP-5201, and turn right.
Walk down the road for around 500m, passing the 6km sign. Notice the turning on the right (before reaching Cuño).
This track goes down to the coast and joins the Camiño dos Faros once more. The track bears left to go along the shore.
The route bears left again, heading away from the coast to start the long ascent to the top of the Monte Pedrouzo at 269 metres.
It’s a long climb, quite steep in places, more steady in others. Around 250m of height is gained over 2km.
The path is overgrown at first, before heading into the trees. It’s mostly shady, ascending through the trees, on a track and path, which helps to reduce any discomfort from the sun.
After the final push, the path emerges at the top. There are panoramic views back to the Buitra headland and along the coast to the next port of call, the Touriñan cape.
Part 2 follows
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