Camino Espiritual - last 100 kms and luggage

[slara]

Hello! My mother, my sister, and I will be walking the Camino in April. We have about 8 days to walk and would like to do the last 100 kms and get a compostela. My mom is a senior and prefers to walk ~10 kms daily the first 3 days, more the last 5, in order to complete the 100. We prefer hotels–ideally one room with triple beds. Simple, clean hotels. I have a few questions, hoping someone might have more info:
-Is it possible to get our compostela if we start in Pontevedra, take the spiritual way to Padron (76 kms), and then walk from Padron to Santiago (25 kms)? Or is this not enough kms? I find conflicting info online.
-In the spiritual way, are there hotels or similar accommodations for people who walk shorter distances between towns?
-What would be a good place to look for baggage transport?
We prefer to book things ourselves, to make it more affordable.
Thank you,
Michelle

 

[auburnfive]

Caminofacil will do luggage transfers on that route. You will need to start in Vigo to get a compostela.
There is a thread dedicated to the Espirtual Vairante which will give you more information on accommodations

 

[MickMac]

Brother is walking this route in May with two others he used airb&b, might be an option to look at.

 

[MariaSP]

You need to start in either Porriño or Vigo in order to qualify for a Compostela.
Regarding luggage transfer, you can check Correos.

 

[kenwilltravel]

Hello! My mother, my sister, and I will be walking the Camino in April. We have about 8 days to walk and would like to do the last 100 kms and get a compostela. My mom is a senior and prefers to walk ~10 kms daily the first 3 days, more the last 5, in order to complete the 100. We prefer hotels–ideally one room with triple beds. Simple, clean hotels. I have a few questions, hoping someone might have more info:
-Is it possible to get our compostela if we start in Pontevedra, take the spiritual way to Padron (76 kms), and then walk from Padron to Santiago (25 kms)? Or is this not enough kms? I find conflicting info online.
-In the spiritual way, are there hotels or similar accommodations for people who walk shorter distances between towns?
-What would be a good place to look for baggage transport?
We prefer to book things ourselves, to make it more affordable.
Thank you,
Michelle

As others have noted, you need to start in Vigo or Tui to quality for the Compostela if you intend to include the Spiritual Variant. You can easily reserve hotel rooms on booking.com. My advice is to always use the free cancellation option in case you need to change your itinerary. Since you've got plenty of time, you might want to sit down now and plot out an itinerary that accommodates your kilometres preferences and even make hotel reservations (you can always cancel later). Play around with it until you've got a plan that seems to work for you.

 

[Baliparadise]

I researched from Pontevedra to Padron 58 km instead of 76 km and from Padron to Santiago de Compostela 18 km so my suggestion to you. Walking camino from Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis 23 km and then continue from Caldas de Reis to Padron 18,6 km
It’s beautiful walk and crossing numerous rural villages and charming towns, waterfalls of Ria Baroa Natural park.
For luggages transfer up to 15 kg by Tuitrans.com

 

[Tincatinker]

I researched from Pontevedra to Padron 58 km instead of 76 km and from Padron to Santiago de Compostela 18 km so my suggestion to you. Walking camino from Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis 23 km and then continue from Caldas de Reis to Padron 18,6 km
It’s beautiful walk and crossing numerous rural villages and charming towns, waterfalls of Ria Baroa Natural park.
For luggages transfer up to 15 kg by Tuitrans.com

Wherever you have done your research amigo you have been seriously misguided. Pontevedra to Padron is around 40km by any standard measure. Padron to SdC is 24km. Perhaps you are using Godgle.maps driving routes? Even so the results are hopelessly inaccurate

 

[Baliparadise]

Wherever you have done your research amigo you have been seriously misguided. Pontevedra to Padron is around 40km by any standard measure. Padron to SdC is 24km. Perhaps you are using Godgle.maps driving routes? Even so the results are hopelessly inaccurate

Thank you so much for your correction Amigo. I plan to walk from Pontevedra to Caldas Reid 21.5km stay over night and the continue to walk Padrón for 19.2 km

 

[KariC]

Hello! My mother, my sister, and I will be walking the Camino in April. We have about 8 days to walk and would like to do the last 100 kms and get a compostela. My mom is a senior and prefers to walk ~10 kms daily the first 3 days, more the last 5, in order to complete the 100. We prefer hotels–ideally one room with triple beds. Simple, clean hotels. I have a few questions, hoping someone might have more info:
-Is it possible to get our compostela if we start in Pontevedra, take the spiritual way to Padron (76 kms), and then walk from Padron to Santiago (25 kms)? Or is this not enough kms? I find conflicting info online.
-In the spiritual way, are there hotels or similar accommodations for people who walk shorter distances between towns?
-What would be a good place to look for baggage transport?
We prefer to book things ourselves, to make it more affordable.
Thank you,
Michelle

The stages were pretty set in the Variante Espiritual when I did it in 2016. I actually got almost stuck because the tourism office in Pontevedra, Google maps, and one other place all said there was lodging in Ribadumia, a point between the Armenteira and Vilanova. But there wasn't. Maybe there is now. You might also consider taking the boat up the Rio Ulla - not only is it magical, gorgeous, and mystical, but the alternative is reputed to be along a highway and not that great a walk. That would mean you'd need to back up your starting point to get in 100km. Tui is a more typical starting point.

 

[Vacajoe]

Your ACTUAL walked miles/kms do not matter when seeking a Compostela - it is based on what the Church says the distance is from the city where you started walking. For example, if you started in Padron and walked a wandering route for weeks on end totaling 500kms before reaching SdC, they are simply going to measure your pilgrimage as being from Padron and no Compostela will be issued.

 

[slara]

Thank you KariC and Vacajoe! Yes, I think we will take the boat up the Ulloa River, makes much more sense. My question now is about accommodation. We will travel in April and there is nothing available in Booking/travelocity between Armenteira and Vilanova! Any suggestions as to what would be possible for accommodation in that area? E.g., are there hostels or lodges that function on a walk-in basis?
Thank you in advance, Michelle

 

[slara]

As others have noted, you need to start in Vigo or Tui to quality for the Compostela if you intend to include the Spiritual Variant. You can easily reserve hotel rooms on booking.com. My advice is to always use the free cancellation option in chase you need to change your itinerary. Since you've got plenty of time, you might want to sit down now and plot out an itinerary that accommodates your kilometres preferences and even make hotel reservations (you can always cancel later). Play around with it until you've got a plan that seems to work for you.

Thanks so much! I am doing that right now, but realizing there is no accommodation available between Armeria and Vilanova. Do you know if there are albergues that work on a walk-in basis? Thanks again, Michelle

 

[KariC]

Thank you KariC and Vacajoe! Yes, I think we will take the boat up the Ulloa River, makes much more sense. My question now is about accommodation. We will travel in April and there is nothing available in Booking/travelocity between Armenteira and Vilanova! Any suggestions as to what would be possible for accommodation in that area? E.g., are there hostels or lodges that function on a walk-in basis?
Thank you in advance, Michelle

Ribadumia had an empty building built as a hotel, but under a previous president, and the new one hadn't given it approval to open. Perhaps they have sorted it out by now. A local in 2016 told me there was nowhere. Chances are it's changed ny now.

 

[auburnfive]

There is a small restaurant with private rooms available in Ribadumia. You can email them at oscastanos@oscastanos.es

 

[Vacajoe]

Booking.com doesn’t have everything. Use Google maps and search for “hotel” in the area you want to stay. For example, Hostal Santa Baia (www.hotelsb.es) is near Ribadumia but not on Booking.

 

[kenwilltravel]

Thanks so much! I am doing that right now, but realizing there is no accommodation available between Armeria and Vilanova. Do you know if there are albergues that work on a walk-in basis? Thanks again, Michelle

We stayed in the Os Castanós tavern mentioned by auburnfive. It was perfectly fine and the food was good. But you need to email or telephone them to reserve a room. Here's the website: https://www.xn--oscastaos-r6a.es/

 

[MaxHelado]

Hello! My mother, my sister, and I will be walking the Camino in April. We have about 8 days to walk and would like to do the last 100 kms and get a compostela. My mom is a senior and prefers to walk ~10 kms daily the first 3 days, more the last 5, in order to complete the 100. We prefer hotels–ideally one room with triple beds. Simple, clean hotels.

Hi, Michelle,
I am a "senior" pushing 70 and walked for the first time last year. Our route was from Vigo to Santiago via the Variante Espiritual. You have chosen a truly wonderful journey.
A couple of points that I hope will help:
1. Distance: I wonder if you were including the boat ride in your calculation of 100km? You are "allowed' to take the boat but sadly the distance travelled is not included in your 100k. You must walk 100k. So, as others have said, it's a start in Vigo or Tui.
2. Accommodation: There is not a lot of it on the Variante. We too (I walked with my wife) had a preference for staying in hotels and so (whisper this quietly) at the end of a day when we had gone as far as out little legs wished to carry us, we stopped at a bar and had a cold beer while waiting for a cab. The following morning we took a cab back to the same bar, had a coffee, and restarted our Camino. This allowed us to walk as far or as little in any day as we felt able to, to spend 2 nights in a hotel rather than packing and unpacking every day and we still walked every km of the Camino. For example, if Ribadumia looks like the right sort of distance for you (and your Mum) then walk there, have that cold beer and take a cab to Cambados. Beautiful town on the coast.
3. Luggage transfer: We used Tuitrans. It worked fine except that they did not provide us with any labels and we were always concerned that our unlabelled bags would be swept along with perfectly labelled bags of other pilgrims and end up in the wrong place. We reduced that risk with some home-made labels. Next time we'll take some baggage tags.

 

[Tammom]

Thank you KariC and Vacajoe! Yes, I think we will take the boat up the Ulloa River, makes much more sense. My question now is about accommodation. We will travel in April and there is nothing available in Booking/travelocity between Armenteira and Vilanova! Any suggestions as to what would be possible for accommodation in that area? E.g., are there hostels or lodges that function on a walk-in basis?
Thank you in advance, Michelle

Do you happen to have information on the boat ride?

 

[MaxHelado]

Do you happen to have information on the boat ride?

https://www.labarcadelperegrino.com/#rutas
These people are fabulous and extremely helpful. I can't recommend them too highly.

 

[JWB]

Here a thread with 3 boat companies listed.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/camino-portugues-september-2021.71145/

 

[FirstSteps]

The stages were pretty set in the Variante Espiritual when I did it in 2016. I actually got almost stuck because the tourism office in Pontevedra, Google maps, and one other place all said there was lodging in Ribadumia, a point between the Armenteira and Vilanova. But there wasn't. Maybe there is now. You might also consider taking the boat up the Rio Ulla - not only is it magical, gorgeous, and mystical, but the alternative is reputed to be along a highway and not that great a walk. That would mean you'd need to back up your starting point to get in 100km. Tui is a more typical starting point.

 

[FirstSteps]

I’m starting in Baiona and walking the Variant Espiritual. That’s another alternative that allows for a Compostela.

 

[kenwilltravel]

I’m starting in Baiona and walking the Variant Espiritual. That’s another alternative that allows for a Compostela.

If you start in Baiona you're well within the 100 km rule. No problem at all. Just remember to get your two stamps per day.

 

[Yoyo]

Do you happen to have information on the boat ride?

I took the boat from Vilanova de Arousa last September.
I bought the boat ticket on arrival in town for the next day.
The time the boats leave varies, depending on the tides.
This was our boat. It left at 10 a.m. that day, but there was also an earlier option which was booked out.

 

[slara]

Hi everyone– Thank you so much for all the helpful suggestions! I will look for hotels with google as well, and will check out the various links to possible rooms you have sent. The cab back & forth is also a great suggestion. And yes, we definitely would need to start in Vigos to get the compostela. Trying to see if we can fit those extra 2 days into our timeframe....
By the way, for the luggage transfer, I just found out that as of April 1st 2023 Correos will be offering this service in the Variante Espiritual. We are in luck! It's 6 euro per piece, per transfer.
Thanks again, this site is wonderful!
Michelle

 

[slara]

Caminofacil will do luggage transfers on that route. You will need to start in Vigo to get a compostela.
There is a thread dedicated to the Espirtual Vairante which will give you more information on accommodations

Thanks! Will check them out!

 

[slara]

Here a thread with 3 boat companies listed.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/camino-portugues-september-2021.71145/

Thanks! I will look into them.

 

[slara]

https://www.labarcadelperegrino.com/#rutas
These people are fabulous and extremely helpful. I can't recommend them too highly.

Thanks!

 

[Lizbird58]

Like you, I am planning to walk from Tui to Santiago, but I'm starting in Valenca (last city in Portugal) and will walk from there to Tui so I can cross over the international bridge by foot. To get to Valenca, I'm flying in to Porto and will arrive by bus. After much thought and reading all these posts, I have decided I can add in the boat ride from Vilanova de Arousa, which is part of the Variant Espiritual. I don't have 2 extra days to walk the actual Variant Espiritual, from Pontecesures to Vilanova de Arousa with an overnight in-between, but realized I could take the train from Pontecesures to Vilagaracia de Arousa, then catch the boat (which will let me experience the route by sea that transported St. James body) to Pontecesures and I will resume my walk from there.

I should add, I'm a first time walker and plan to walk in October of this year.

Here is my plan:
1. Fly to Porto - arrive before noon - take bus to Valenca, walk over bridge to Tui,
2. Tui to O Porrino
3. O Porrino to Redondela
4. Redondela to Pontevedra
5. Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis
6. Caldas de Reis to Pontecesures (which is south of Padron) I will take a 15 min train that arrives in Vilagarcia De Arousa and costs $3 I will stay the night there instead of staying in Padron.
7. In the morning I will take a cab to the boat dock in Vilanova de Arousa (I got the 2 mixed up for a while and take the pilgrims boat to Pontecesures - the departure times are based on the tides. Then after the boat ride, I will walk a short 5 KM walk from Pontecesures to A Escravitude
8. A Esravitude to Santiago de Compostela

This plan should meet the requirements for the Pilgrims certificate, but since my walk is a spiritual walk if for some reason, I cant make part of the plan, I will take a bus or cab to the next city and forego the certificate. Also since my route is fairly fixed, I have decided to book ahead. I'd love to "wing it" and let the camino provide, but I only have 7 days and need to cover a certain amount of KMs each day.

Feel free to pm me, if you want to compare notes.

Also if anyone reading this sees an "error" in my plan, feel free to comment.

Buen Camino!

I posted this today on another thread - maybe it will help you with your planning. I looked into the Spiritual Variant starting in Pontecesures, but decided it was too ambitious since it added 2 days of walking with approx. 15 miles a day and like your mom, I'd prefer to take is slower. You can make more overnight stops with the above plan if you have the time, and want to limit the number of kms or miles you walk each day. Hope this was useful.

 

[slara]

I posted this today on another thread - maybe it will help you with your planning. I looked into the Spiritual Variant starting in Pontecesures, but decided it was too ambitious since it added 2 days of walking with approx. 15 miles a day and like your mom, I'd prefer to take is slower. You can make more overnight stops with the above plan if you have the time, and want to limit the number of kms or miles you walk each day. Hope this was useful.

Thank you LizBird58! In the end, we will walk the variante espiritual in shorter distances, starting in Pontevedra and making it up to Santiago. We will forego the "compostela" because we don't have that much time. We are focusing on being together and walking the camino our way, knowing the certificate is a nice thing to have, but just a paper in the end . We are really looking forward to doing this! Thanks for your help,
Susanna

 

[trecile]

There's an entire subforum for the Variante Espiritual: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/caminho-variante-espiritual-from-pontevedra.165/

​

 

[Wippe]

Hello! My mother, my sister, and I will be walking the Camino in April. We have about 8 days to walk and would like to do the last 100 kms and get a compostela. My mom is a senior and prefers to walk ~10 kms daily the first 3 days, more the last 5, in order to complete the 100. We prefer hotels–ideally one room with triple beds. Simple, clean hotels. I have a few questions, hoping someone might have more info:
-Is it possible to get our compostela if we start in Pontevedra, take the spiritual way to Padron (76 kms), and then walk from Padron to Santiago (25 kms)? Or is this not enough kms? I find conflicting info online.
-In the spiritual way, are there hotels or similar accommodations for people who walk shorter distances between towns?
-What would be a good place to look for baggage transport?
We prefer to book things ourselves, to make it more affordable.
Thank you,
Michelle

100 kilometers Pontevedra toPadron 76and Padron to Santiago 25 , there you have 101 kilometers.

 

[MaxHelado]

1. Distance: I wonder if you were including the boat ride in your calculation of 100km? You are "allowed' to take the boat but sadly the distance travelled is not included in your 100k. You must walk 100k. So, as others have said, it's a start in Vigo or Tui.

From my earlier post in this same thread.
I believe that 100k is the distance from Pontevedra to Padrón via the Variante Espiritual only if you include the boat journey.

 

[Vacajoe]

The calculation for meeting the 100km minimum is made from your starting point. If you start in Pontevedra, they will clearly explain that you did not meet that minimum. Save yourself the disappointment and listen to the wealth of advice posted here: start in Tui/Valenca or Vigo.

 

[Vacajoe]

Didn’t say that those cities were at the 100km mark, but simply to follow all of the advice and start at one of those. They are easy to reach, provide pilgrim support, have plenty of accommodations, and are beautiful.

 

[MariaSP]

100 kilometers Pontevedra toPadron 76and Padron to Santiago 25 , there you have 101 kilometers.

Walking from Pontevedra will not get you a Compostela. You must start at least from Vigo or Porriño to get one.

 

[BarbC]

Hi, Michelle,
I am a "senior" pushing 70 and walked for the first time last year. Our route was from Vigo to Santiago via the Variante Espiritual. You have chosen a truly wonderful journey.
A couple of points that I hope will help:
1. Distance: I wonder if you were including the boat ride in your calculation of 100km? You are "allowed' to take the boat but sadly the distance travelled is not included in your 100k. You must walk 100k. So, as others have said, it's a start in Vigo or Tui.
2. Accommodation: There is not a lot of it on the Variante. We too (I walked with my wife) had a preference for staying in hotels and so (whisper this quietly) at the end of a day when we had gone as far as out little legs wished to carry us, we stopped at a bar and had a cold beer while waiting for a cab. The following morning we took a cab back to the same bar, had a coffee, and restarted our Camino. This allowed us to walk as far or as little in any day as we felt able to, to spend 2 nights in a hotel rather than packing and unpacking every day and we still walked every km of the Camino. For example, if Ribadumia looks like the right sort of distance for you (and your Mum) then walk there, have that cold beer and take a cab to Cambados. Beautiful town on the coast.
3. Luggage transfer: We used Tuitrans. It worked fine except that they did not provide us with any labels and we were always concerned that our unlabelled bags would be swept along with perfectly labelled bags of other pilgrims and end up in the wrong place. We reduced that risk with some home-made labels. Next time we'll take some baggage tags.

Sounds fabulous - very smart to do the route you wanted and have some little work arounds to make it a bit easier for you - but still a legal walk. Cheers!

 

[BarbC]

Hello! My mother, my sister, and I will be walking the Camino in April. We have about 8 days to walk and would like to do the last 100 kms and get a compostela. My mom is a senior and prefers to walk ~10 kms daily the first 3 days, more the last 5, in order to complete the 100. We prefer hotels–ideally one room with triple beds. Simple, clean hotels. I have a few questions, hoping someone might have more info:
-Is it possible to get our compostela if we start in Pontevedra, take the spiritual way to Padron (76 kms), and then walk from Padron to Santiago (25 kms)? Or is this not enough kms? I find conflicting info online.
-In the spiritual way, are there hotels or similar accommodations for people who walk shorter distances between towns?
-What would be a good place to look for baggage transport?
We prefer to book things ourselves, to make it more affordable.
Thank you,
Michelle

Check out Caminofacil for transfers. I think they are a bit more flexible on their pick-up locations - and they allow 20Kg per bag - many only allow 15. Just in case - right?