janetonthecamino
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Final stage of the Camino Frances - complete
Camino Portugues, from Porto - complete
My experience - Camino Portugues, coastal route:
Hi folks, I found this forum very useful when I was planning my camino so I want to add to its success by providing an overview of my camino experience. Unfortunately, I did not keep a journal during my camino so I don’t have the level of detail I would like at this point. Note 1: Keep a journal!!
There is certainly a growing interest in the Portugues coastal route, I learned this from people I met in Santiago and Finesterre who had walked other more popular routes. A lot of people did seem to be concerned about way-marking and accommodation. My experience was that way-marking was 100% & there is a variety of accommodation options. I found this camino as straightforward as the final stretch of the camino frances (from Sarria) that I did in 2012.
Regarding gradient and terrain, its pretty flat and uncomplicated the entire route & at least 60% is on trails/paths.
I walked the camino in August, which is the busiest month but still there were only a few pilgrims. The portuguese coastal route is definitely a good option if you are looking for a little solitude as you walk.
DAY 1: MATOSINHOS TO VILA DO CONDE 23kms
Start date: 03Aug14
I took the metro to the Mercado stop in Matosinhos (Porto). From the stop its 15min walk to the beach promenade where you meet the first camino sign. The boardwalk continues until about 5km shy of Vila do Conde, at this point you have the option of walking on the sand or diverting around the reserve and meeting the road.
Accommodation: Bellamar hostel. I think it was €16 & it included breakfast. It’s a very nice new hostel with attentive and interested staff.
DAY 2: VILA DO CONDE TO FAO 22kms
With my new walking partners, I walked to Fao. In hindsight walking as far as Esposende might be a better option as it will shorten the following day. In contrast to the first day there was not so much coastal walking.
Accommodation: Fao Pousada de Juventud. €6 I think! Nice clean etc. but not necessarily the most central location, again I advocate staying in Esponende.
DAY 3: FAO to VIANA DO CASTELO 27kms
Nice route, woodland paths, rivers. Again not so much coast.
Accommodation: Albergue de Peregrinos. €6. I got destroyed by bedbugs here, and woke with a nasty mosquito bite. I was unlucky though, or just far more attractive to insects than my companions as they fared much better. I would suggest if you stay here ask for disposable sheets, they were standard in all other albergues I stayed at except here, maybe it was an oversight by the guy working that night.
DAY 4: VIANA DO CASTELO TO AFIFE 18kms
We decided to split the Viana do Castel to Caminha stage and stay at Afife. One thing about splitting stages is that you are left trying to find a place to stay without much guidance & you have to leave the yellow arrow trail which can add time and confusion into proceedings. We spent about an hour wandering about Afife looking for a place to stay when we met a very nice lady who brought us to a beautiful bed and breakfast, called Casa Santa Filomena. We paid €17 each including breakfast and the house and gardens were beautiful. I would NOT recommend breaking off in Afife without having prearranged accommodation, but do try Casa Filomena (google it for details) it’s really beautiful & a great price.
DAY 5: AFIFE TO CAMINHA 16kms
I can’t remember the name of the place we stayed in Caminha, but there is an albergue and more budget options available.
From Caminha you have an option to go inland & join the Camino Central at Tui or continue up the coast. We decided to join the central route, for no apparent reason. As it happens I was always left curious about the section of coast I diverted from (Caminha – A Guarda to Vigo) & returned to walk these two stages in reverse after my stay in finesterre. I will talk about those stages in due course.
One reason for going inland during the summer months is the unavailability of the ferry crossing to A Guarda. There are however taxi boats crossing for a nominal fee, you can get info on there in the albergue or the tourist office.
DAY 6: CAMINHA to VILA NOVA DE CERVEIRA 15kms
This was another half-stage & I would recommend it for the following reasons. Vila Nova de Cerveira is a charming town and the HI hostel is nicely located and well equipped. The route is pretty, skirting the Minho river seperating Portugal from Spain.
Accommodation: Pousada de Juventud. €10
DAY 7: VILA NOVA DE CERVEIRA TO TUI 16kms
The route, in terms of situation and scenery is similar to the previous day. You have left the sea well behind at this point! Immediately prior to Tui, which is Spain, you come to Valenca. Both towns are beautiful with a vibrant tourist trade.
Accommodation: Albergue de Tui. €6. Situated very close to the cathedral. Its a bit noisy, especially on the weekend, there seems to be a nightclub nearby which naturally results in a plenty of street activity.
DAY 8: TUI TO MOS 16kms
Another half-stage. This was a very wet day and my companions, used to sunnier climes, were struggling under their sodden ponchos.
Accommodation: Mos albergue. €6. Nice bar/restaurant, a café ain the village.
DAY 9: MOS TO PONTA VEDRA 30kms
There were some very lovely woodland paths along the way but the final stretch into Ponta Vedra seems interminable.
Accommodation: Hostal Aloxa. €12. This hostel is located a couple of hundred metres after the albergue. It was bright, spotless, spacious, probably the nicest hostal I stayed in along the route.
DAY 10: PONTA VEDRA TO CALDAS DE REIS 23kms
A mixture of scenery, and as usual roads and pathways.
Accommodation: Hotel O’Cruicero. Hotel rooms converted into mini dorms. Very good facilities. Offers a really nice menu del dia.
DAY 11: CALDAS DE REIS TO PADRON 18.5kms
Accommodation: I cannot recall the name of the place we stayed here. There were quite a few budget accommodation options around the town. Padron is famous for the pimientos de padron, a must have!
DAY 12: PADRON TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 25kms
Last day, early start and a nice walk. Until you get to the edge of the city and start to feel like you will never actually arrive! There are a few hills as well as you enter Santiago, which makes it a little more challenging. Of course its all worth it as soon as you come to the cathedral and meet all the other pilgrims that have made the journey. So many pilgrims are limping and bandaged or on crutches it’s a very particular experience to feel part of this communion of pilgrims.
Accommodation: The Aquario albergue. This albergue and another called ‘end of the world’ or something like that are located in the same area, and are a good distance from the centre. They have the benefit of being a gathering of all the pilgrims but the downfall is it’s a 45min walk into the centre.
After spending two nights in Santiago I walked out to Finesterre. I won’t go into detail here as it’s not the right place and that part of the camino is very well documented already. Suffice to say it is so very much worth doing this part of the camino on foot. A lot of pilgrims chose to bus it out but it’s really very beautiful and for me was a very special part of my camino. I stayed on in Finisterre for another week, as I had the time and the company and the weather was fabulous. In Finisterre I would recommend to stay at Cabo da Vila.
*************************************************************************
CAMINO IN REVERSE…..As said earlier, I walked two stages of the coastal route in reverse en route for Porto. I was very curious about the sections of coast that I had missed and my camino companions had moved on at this point so I felt some alone time would give me the opportunity to reflect on the experience.
VIGO TO BAIONA: 25kms
The first half of this journey was picturesque and along the coast. There is a lot more roadwalking than in other stages I noted. When I arrived in Baiona I discovered there was no budget accommodation available and it was august and the weekend so that made things a little more complicated. By best option was to go a further 8kms to an albergue in between Baiona and Oia. This additional 8kms opened up some spectacular coastal scenery, the nicest I had seen.
Accommodation:Albergue Aguncheiro, Mougas, Oia. €8. Very quiet spot and quite beautiful. Café/bar next door.
Hostel in Mougas OIA TO A GUARDA 24.5kms
More spectacular coastline. So happy I decided to complete these missed stages. Arriving in A Guarda is really lovely too. It’s surrounded by rugged coastline and then some quieter spots. The sort of place that would be nice to stay and explore for a few days.
Accommodation: Albergue. €6
I hope some of you find this useful in your planning. A final word of advice is, not to worry about planning so much and wait and see what turns up; that after all is the beauty of the camino, allowing yourself to escape from our routine structures and instead be free to explore the simplicity of an existence that involves nothing more than walking, eating and sleeping. Buen camino!
Hi folks, I found this forum very useful when I was planning my camino so I want to add to its success by providing an overview of my camino experience. Unfortunately, I did not keep a journal during my camino so I don’t have the level of detail I would like at this point. Note 1: Keep a journal!!
There is certainly a growing interest in the Portugues coastal route, I learned this from people I met in Santiago and Finesterre who had walked other more popular routes. A lot of people did seem to be concerned about way-marking and accommodation. My experience was that way-marking was 100% & there is a variety of accommodation options. I found this camino as straightforward as the final stretch of the camino frances (from Sarria) that I did in 2012.
Regarding gradient and terrain, its pretty flat and uncomplicated the entire route & at least 60% is on trails/paths.
I walked the camino in August, which is the busiest month but still there were only a few pilgrims. The portuguese coastal route is definitely a good option if you are looking for a little solitude as you walk.
DAY 1: MATOSINHOS TO VILA DO CONDE 23kms
Start date: 03Aug14
I took the metro to the Mercado stop in Matosinhos (Porto). From the stop its 15min walk to the beach promenade where you meet the first camino sign. The boardwalk continues until about 5km shy of Vila do Conde, at this point you have the option of walking on the sand or diverting around the reserve and meeting the road.
Accommodation: Bellamar hostel. I think it was €16 & it included breakfast. It’s a very nice new hostel with attentive and interested staff.
DAY 2: VILA DO CONDE TO FAO 22kms
With my new walking partners, I walked to Fao. In hindsight walking as far as Esposende might be a better option as it will shorten the following day. In contrast to the first day there was not so much coastal walking.
Accommodation: Fao Pousada de Juventud. €6 I think! Nice clean etc. but not necessarily the most central location, again I advocate staying in Esponende.
DAY 3: FAO to VIANA DO CASTELO 27kms
Nice route, woodland paths, rivers. Again not so much coast.
Accommodation: Albergue de Peregrinos. €6. I got destroyed by bedbugs here, and woke with a nasty mosquito bite. I was unlucky though, or just far more attractive to insects than my companions as they fared much better. I would suggest if you stay here ask for disposable sheets, they were standard in all other albergues I stayed at except here, maybe it was an oversight by the guy working that night.
DAY 4: VIANA DO CASTELO TO AFIFE 18kms
We decided to split the Viana do Castel to Caminha stage and stay at Afife. One thing about splitting stages is that you are left trying to find a place to stay without much guidance & you have to leave the yellow arrow trail which can add time and confusion into proceedings. We spent about an hour wandering about Afife looking for a place to stay when we met a very nice lady who brought us to a beautiful bed and breakfast, called Casa Santa Filomena. We paid €17 each including breakfast and the house and gardens were beautiful. I would NOT recommend breaking off in Afife without having prearranged accommodation, but do try Casa Filomena (google it for details) it’s really beautiful & a great price.
DAY 5: AFIFE TO CAMINHA 16kms
I can’t remember the name of the place we stayed in Caminha, but there is an albergue and more budget options available.
From Caminha you have an option to go inland & join the Camino Central at Tui or continue up the coast. We decided to join the central route, for no apparent reason. As it happens I was always left curious about the section of coast I diverted from (Caminha – A Guarda to Vigo) & returned to walk these two stages in reverse after my stay in finesterre. I will talk about those stages in due course.
One reason for going inland during the summer months is the unavailability of the ferry crossing to A Guarda. There are however taxi boats crossing for a nominal fee, you can get info on there in the albergue or the tourist office.
DAY 6: CAMINHA to VILA NOVA DE CERVEIRA 15kms
This was another half-stage & I would recommend it for the following reasons. Vila Nova de Cerveira is a charming town and the HI hostel is nicely located and well equipped. The route is pretty, skirting the Minho river seperating Portugal from Spain.
Accommodation: Pousada de Juventud. €10
DAY 7: VILA NOVA DE CERVEIRA TO TUI 16kms
The route, in terms of situation and scenery is similar to the previous day. You have left the sea well behind at this point! Immediately prior to Tui, which is Spain, you come to Valenca. Both towns are beautiful with a vibrant tourist trade.
Accommodation: Albergue de Tui. €6. Situated very close to the cathedral. Its a bit noisy, especially on the weekend, there seems to be a nightclub nearby which naturally results in a plenty of street activity.
DAY 8: TUI TO MOS 16kms
Another half-stage. This was a very wet day and my companions, used to sunnier climes, were struggling under their sodden ponchos.
Accommodation: Mos albergue. €6. Nice bar/restaurant, a café ain the village.
DAY 9: MOS TO PONTA VEDRA 30kms
There were some very lovely woodland paths along the way but the final stretch into Ponta Vedra seems interminable.
Accommodation: Hostal Aloxa. €12. This hostel is located a couple of hundred metres after the albergue. It was bright, spotless, spacious, probably the nicest hostal I stayed in along the route.
DAY 10: PONTA VEDRA TO CALDAS DE REIS 23kms
A mixture of scenery, and as usual roads and pathways.
Accommodation: Hotel O’Cruicero. Hotel rooms converted into mini dorms. Very good facilities. Offers a really nice menu del dia.
DAY 11: CALDAS DE REIS TO PADRON 18.5kms
Accommodation: I cannot recall the name of the place we stayed here. There were quite a few budget accommodation options around the town. Padron is famous for the pimientos de padron, a must have!
DAY 12: PADRON TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 25kms
Last day, early start and a nice walk. Until you get to the edge of the city and start to feel like you will never actually arrive! There are a few hills as well as you enter Santiago, which makes it a little more challenging. Of course its all worth it as soon as you come to the cathedral and meet all the other pilgrims that have made the journey. So many pilgrims are limping and bandaged or on crutches it’s a very particular experience to feel part of this communion of pilgrims.
Accommodation: The Aquario albergue. This albergue and another called ‘end of the world’ or something like that are located in the same area, and are a good distance from the centre. They have the benefit of being a gathering of all the pilgrims but the downfall is it’s a 45min walk into the centre.
After spending two nights in Santiago I walked out to Finesterre. I won’t go into detail here as it’s not the right place and that part of the camino is very well documented already. Suffice to say it is so very much worth doing this part of the camino on foot. A lot of pilgrims chose to bus it out but it’s really very beautiful and for me was a very special part of my camino. I stayed on in Finisterre for another week, as I had the time and the company and the weather was fabulous. In Finisterre I would recommend to stay at Cabo da Vila.
*************************************************************************
CAMINO IN REVERSE…..As said earlier, I walked two stages of the coastal route in reverse en route for Porto. I was very curious about the sections of coast that I had missed and my camino companions had moved on at this point so I felt some alone time would give me the opportunity to reflect on the experience.
VIGO TO BAIONA: 25kms
The first half of this journey was picturesque and along the coast. There is a lot more roadwalking than in other stages I noted. When I arrived in Baiona I discovered there was no budget accommodation available and it was august and the weekend so that made things a little more complicated. By best option was to go a further 8kms to an albergue in between Baiona and Oia. This additional 8kms opened up some spectacular coastal scenery, the nicest I had seen.
Accommodation:Albergue Aguncheiro, Mougas, Oia. €8. Very quiet spot and quite beautiful. Café/bar next door.
Hostel in Mougas OIA TO A GUARDA 24.5kms
More spectacular coastline. So happy I decided to complete these missed stages. Arriving in A Guarda is really lovely too. It’s surrounded by rugged coastline and then some quieter spots. The sort of place that would be nice to stay and explore for a few days.
Accommodation: Albergue. €6
I hope some of you find this useful in your planning. A final word of advice is, not to worry about planning so much and wait and see what turns up; that after all is the beauty of the camino, allowing yourself to escape from our routine structures and instead be free to explore the simplicity of an existence that involves nothing more than walking, eating and sleeping. Buen camino!
