Discovering the Camiño dos Faros

We arrived after a week’s heavy rain and some of the paths and ancient green lanes were very wet, reminding us with force that granite is an impermeable rock. We walked for a day with an experienced Galician walker (Tranos) who assured us that we had been unlucky with the weather and that after a dry autumn, the Galician spring had been exceptionally wet.

I underestimated the time needed to walk this most coastal of coastal paths, and should have built more flexibility into my schedule. It rained heavily on two of the six days we walked: of course you can walk in the rain, but with hindsight it would have been much better to have built some half day options into the schedule and used local taxis (cheap and plentiful) to reach places to stay at night. The Galician coastline is even more beautiful when the sun is out and you can enjoy the special qualities of its soft, clear light.

Despite the weather, the walking was fantastic. Particularly wonderful was the stretch from Corme to Laxe, which included all the elements that make the Camiño dos Faros special. This first couple of hours, in brilliant early morning sun, involved some gentle cliff walking. After crossing sandbanks and a nature reserve, we stopped for coffee and tapas at Ponteceso before heading west again along a wonderfully engineered path – a classic example of Spanish municipal extravagance. Instead of following the route inland to the Dolmen de Dombate, perhaps the most important megalithic monuments in Galicia, we took a shortcut (after more tapas at Vilaseco) and continued along a stunning stretch of coastal walking to Laxe. As well as grassy hillsides, rugged gorse-covered cliff tops and perfect sandy beaches, there were two tiny wooded valleys where waterfalls announced the arrival of streams to the sea.

On the last stretch, we joined a party of Tranos (about 400 of them) enjoying a Sunday out on the Camiños dos Faros. Spanish walkers in a group are colourful, noisy and gregarious and we all finished the day sharing beer, tapas (and Camiño dos Faros lime green merchandise) outside a bar in Laxe.

Days were best when the sun was shining, but the truth is, the weather in Galicia can be wet. It is slightly wetter, for example, than Cornwall – although the general consensus is that it’s dryer on the coast than inland. It’s also mild and, if you can cope with wet feet, you could potentially walk here all year round. On average, it’s about two or three degrees warmer than it is in Cornwall.

My own preferred style of walking is to finish each day in accommodation on the route. Generally speaking this is feasible on the Camiño dos Faros, and the hotels are excellent value and good fun (but watch out for Monday closures). There are a couple of places where lack of accommodation contributed to unrealistically long days and, with hindsight, I should have been a bit more creative with taxis – which are not expensive – or public transport.

The scenery is the biggest attraction of the Camiño dos Faros, but it’s not the only one. It’s also an interesting place. Although it’s part of Spain, sharing many of the country's wider problems, including dreadful youth unemployment, it’s also a distinct region. The local take on Spain’s wider food revolution is has a particular Galician twist. In the best places (and there are lots to choose from, including a Michelin starred restaurant on the route) everything (wine, water and all the ingredients) is locally sourced and given the quality of local produce, all the better for it.