The Camino is also popular with hikers and outdoor enthusiasts who want a bit of a challenge, especially during the summer.
Many travellers, after reaching the shrine of St. James, continue even further to the west coast of Galicia to a town called Fisterra. This place was called Finisterre, "the end of the world", by the Romans who conquered Spain and believed this place to be the most western point in the known world. Pilgrims typically walk the final approximately 50 miles to Fisterra to collect a seashell commemorating their journey before returning home.
People more or less exclusively walk the roughly 500 miles that make up the trail. The Camino Francés typically takes about a month to complete, meaning that the pilgrims walk about 16.5 miles per day. They are guided by frequent markers and by the blue and yellow concha (seashell), the symbol of the Camino. Cyclists also frequent the routes, making their way alongside the pilgrims on their way to Santiago. Some travellers even attempt to imitate the medieval pilgrims by traversing the routes on horseback or by donkey.
Thus far, I have only walked along the sections of the Camino which run through the city of Santiago itself. The Camino Portugués, the Portuguese route, actually runs along the road that I take to get to the school where I teach every day! So, I have walked along that section many times and have had the good fortune to meet a few pilgrims on the final leg of their great journey. I did make the journey to Fisterra, though it was by bus instead of on foot.
