Day 35 - Olveiroa to Corcubion
An easy day today, with only a 22km route to a seaside town,
just down the road from Finisterre. As it was still dark and little traffic on
the main road, I decided to walk on the road again rather than the path. I didn’t
realise at the time, but the road went over the top of a mountain and the path
stayed at a lower level, so it may not have been the wisest choice. My legs were
still fresh and so I walked quite quickly up the hill and down into the village
of Hospital. I think there was a major hostel here for the original pilgrims. I
assume that the name of the town came from the hospitality that was shown to
them rather than making them better - although I’m sure they would have done
that as well.
Hospital is a major fork in the route; you can either go
left for Finisterre, or right for Muxia. I went left for Finisterre and if the
weather forecast is ok, I’ll then walk to Muxia, from Finisterre, on Sunday.
It was a very cloudy start to the day and I think this is a
sign of a break in the wonderful weather that I have enjoyed for many weeks
now. Rain is forecast for tomorrow but hopefully I will be in Finisterre, before
it arrives.
After Hospital, the track goes over open moorland and
through woods as it gradually slopes down to the coast. It was a beautiful walk,
over wide gravelly paths. Eventually the clouds started to break up and I felt
the warmth of the sun for the first time that day.
Earlier, I had seen the light from the lighthouse, at the tip
of land at Finisterre point – faro de Cabo Finisterra. Now, I could see the sea
for the first time and what a lovely sight from high up on the heathland. I
really felt that I was near the end of my walk.
I made my way into the town of Cee, where there was a beach,
fishing boats and sailing dinghies in the water. Nobody was on the sand, as I
guess this is a seaside resort, and out of season. I made my way, a short way along
the coast, to the next small town of Corcubion. This is a lovely place with big
fishing boats tied up alongside the quay and then a lovely sandy beach in front
of my albergue for the night.
This albergue is very strange. It still has a hotel sign
outside. It is locked up and looked very closed. I had already resigned myself to
a search for another hostel as I couldn’t believe that I would be staying here.
But I saw a number up by reception, telling me to call when I arrived. It was
the same number I had used to make my reservation. I called the number and the
same guy answered it and said he would be with me in 5 minutes. This all felt
very strange. If I was buying a used car of him, I would have left already.
A couple of minutes later, another peregrino appeared, also
looking for the accommodation. I told him the guy was on his way and a few
minutes later he turned up in a car. He let us in, did all the paperwork and
took our money. Then he showed us the rooms which all had bunk beds in. ‘Choose
your own rooms’ he said and showed us how to make our own coffee in the
kitchen. It was all a bit surreal, and like a place someone might hide illegal immigrants
or be growing special indoor plants under controlled conditions. The Dutch pilgrim (his name is Lae) and I kept looking
at each other, both of us thinking ‘this doesn’t seem right’. Then the
owner (?) left and said that he had other things to do and would be back in an
hour. We never saw him again.
So, we each choose a bedroom for ourselves. Mine had a
balcony overlooking the beautiful beach. As soon as I had made my bed, I said to
Lae, ‘I am going swimming’. He wasn’t too keen but said that he would
watch me out of the window and come running if I needed rescuing.
The beach was sandy and the water lovely and clear. I
eventually braved the cold water and got in. The sun was out and it wasn’t too
cold. I had a great swim for about 20 minutes and then got out and went back to
the hostel which was only about 50m away. What a lovely way to end the day, and
nearly the end of my trip.
We are planning to go out for a meal tonight and Lae likes
the place so much, he may stay and extra night tomorrow.
I know it sounds weird, but your experience is quite common if you book with something like Airb&b. We’ve stayed in places in Tasmania and WA and even Tunbridge Wells where meeting the owner is exactly like that.
ReplyDeleteLater I learnt that Lae said that he had been talking to the owner but he has just kept talking about how bad business had been with COVID.
DeleteIt must have been lovely to get to the sea and have a swim!
ReplyDeleteBut even with the nice balcony, I wouldn't spend a night or even an hour in that place! 😱 😬 😰
Yes the swim was lovely, like a real celebration of the end of my Camino.
DeleteThe albergue was a bit odd and I was glad that Lae was there too.
Must have been wonderful to be able to have a relaxing swim after your long hot walk!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a real treat!
Delete