Camino Biking Trip Summary and Advice

Route: St. Jean Pied de Port (France) to Finisterre, return via Muxía to Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

Time: 15 days

Distance – 1126km / 700 miles*

Climbing – 17,653m / 57,916 ft

*note that I added some extra distance riding and climbing around cities for research and exploration. If staying only on the route with no detours, this would have been about 100km / 60 miles shorter.

As someone who has walked the Camino Francés multiple times, I also really enjoyed biking the route. It was a very different experience given the pace, social implications of traveling as a solo cyclist, and all of the differences between biking and hiking that offer advantages and disadvantages. I would definitely recommend the Camino as a bike tour, and feel the the infrastructure and incredible points of interest along the way make it a compelling way to experience this ancient pilgrimage route and explore Spain by bicycle.

Major highlights of my trip included:

  • Crossing the Pyrenees from France to Spain
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  • Meeting cycling tourists from all over the world
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  • Experimenting with the logistics of a bike packing setup and Surly World Troller with S&S Couplers
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  • Riding winding trails through the thick forests of Galicia
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  • Experiencing the joyful energy upon arrival to Santiago and watching the pilgrims stream to the cathedral
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  • Finishing the journey at the end of the earth by continuing onwards to Finisterre and Muxía
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6 Lessons Learned:

  1. Cycling the route is faster than walking, but not necessarily easier. The hills from St. Jean to Logroño and from Astorga to the end make for challenging riding and can push anyone’s ability. The flat, central Meseta region is easy/boring riding, a great way to accelerate this section.
  2. The decision to ride the trail or the roads offers very difference levels of challenge. Some cyclists stay entirely on the roads and most ride a combination of the two. Around 40% of the signed walking route is paved anyways, so you still get breaks from the dirt paths and trails either way. Taking a mountain bike with wide tires and front suspension offers the most options. If you use a lighter touring bike with thinner and faster tires only for the road, the trip will be easier and faster (but require more attention in navigation as road cycling route are not signed).
  3. It is very possible to coexist with walking pilgrims, but does take a level of effort. Ringing your bell and keeping a positive tone goes a long way to promote good will and safety when passing hikers. If you time your riding well, your will likely pass two concentrated waves of walkers and have most of the afternoon with more vacant trails. When the path follows directly alongside a quiet, low-traffic road, ride the road to give walkers space. As another bicycle touring pilgrim stated, not doing so is like “having a bed and sleeping on floor next to it.”
  4. On renting vs. bringing your bike, it’s really a matter of personal preference. Renting is much simpler, usually more affordable, and many quality bikes are available for rent. Renting is more advisable for cyclists flying from overseas. Bringing your own bike that you know and trust its capability and fit also brings peace of mind, but be willing to navigate extra travel logistics and maybe pay a little more (depending on the length of your trip). It’s more straightforward to ship your bike to/from the Camino within Europe than to fly with it.
  5. Choose accommodations that offer secure bike storage and make reservations. I slept much better at night knowing my bike was in a  safe place, and enjoyed taking my time throughout the day if I had a bed or room reserved. Having a reservation allowed me to spread out my riding into the afternoon without stressing over bed availability, offering open trails after most walkers had already completed their day’s journey.
  6. Cycling the route alone can be a solitary experience. When walking solo, it’s easier to meet and get to know others that you will encounter day after day. As there are fewer cyclists and your daily distance is farther, the community traveling experience is more limited as it’s less likely to see other cyclists again as you progress. It’s worth considering biking with a companion to share the experience.

I’m happy to offer advice to others interested in biking the Camino, and will be incorporating more resources into this website in the coming weeks. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, ideas or thoughts that could be helpful.

Daily blog entries:

 

Related articles coming soon:

  • Bike & gear breakdown and reviews
  • Coexistence of walkers and bikers

Days 13-15: To the end of the world & back! (Santiago – Finisterre – Muxía – Santiago)

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Starting the path to Finsiterre

After taking a rainy rest day in Santiago de Compostela, I was ready to hit the trail again and make the journey to the Atlantic Coast. Two fitting destinations mark the end of the path, one called Finisterre (literally “end of the earth”), and the other is the village of Muxía, which has a chapel right on the rocky coastline with waves crashing nearby.

I decided to split the journey into three days, including the last day to return to Santiago by bike. There is an option to head straight to either Finisterre or Muxía, so I rode back in part to check out the other way to option to Muxía. It’s pretty easy to take a bus back to Santiago too if that’s your preference.

The route is a mix of trails and roads, which a higher percentage of paved roads than most of the Camino Francés. While this makes the riding a little faster and smoother, it still was a somewhat challenging itinerary to go all the way to the coast from Santiago in a day. If I had wanted to return by bus, I probably would have done two days (first to Dumbriai, second ending in Finisterre with a stop in Muxía). Here’s what I did:

Day 13: Santiago to Finisterre

Distance: 59.4 miles (95km)

Climbing: 6,325 feet (1928m)

Day 14: Finisterre to Muxía

Distance: 20.6 miles (33km)

Climbing: 2,339 feet (713m)

Day 15: Muxía to Santiago

Distance: 55 miles (88km)

Climbing: 6,145 feet (1873m)

Overall it was a great ride and a fitting epilogue to the journey. I decided to light my load even more and leave some gear in Santiago to pick up when I returned. The temperature had cooled dramatically after the big rain story, and these days were the only of my entire trip where I had any fog and rain, which was still quite minimal. The Galician forest trails felt especially dark and tangled with the shift in weather.

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Twisted trees soon along the path soon after Santiago de Compostela.

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Lots of water in the river after the big rain storm.

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Trail marker showing option to head either to Finisterre (28km) or Muxía (27km).

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Beautiful long section of dirt roads from Logoso to Cee- one of the longest breaks from pavement on the the route.

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The descent to Cee on the Finisterre route. First glimpse of the ocean and a good time to check your brakes.

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Chapel in Corcubion

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Almost to Finistere!

When you finally reach the ocean and run out of land to continuing biking onwards, there is no other option than to feel justified that your path is complete.

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Kilometer marker 0.0 at the Finisterre lighthouse.

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Celebration photo with my lightened load at Finisterre’s lighthouse.

I enjoyed a nice seafood dinner at Finisterre, and then headed out to Muxía the next morning for a shorter riding day.

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The route has a few views of the rugged coastline, but less than many expect. A new hiking route called “Camino dos Faros” (Way of the lighthouses) runs right along the coast and connects Finisterre to Muxía.

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Capela de Santa María in Muxía – this is where the final scene of the movie “The Way” takes place.

The ride back to Santiago from Muxía was nice, and I followed the trail up to the splitting point near Olveiroa. From there, I decided to make better time and took the road back to Santiago, which ran parallel to the trail much of the way (a good option for those who want a more relaxed ride).

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Nice forest paths.

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Church in Galicia

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The longest Horreo I have ever seen.

Back in Santiago I was exhausted but very happy to have made the full journey to the coast. At my albergue, I encountered this German “cyclist” who had ridden a fully wooden bike (from the 1800s) all the way from Austria. This was something that you don’t see every day!

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Wooden bike Camino Cyclist coming from Austria. The bike has no pedals, and is pushed sort of like a scooter. The rider said after this journey it would be the last time he ever rides this bike.

After completing the journey, I’m headed back to the US via Madrid, and will be posting some reflections and lessons learned in another final most. Most soon!