My first Camino - Portuguese from Porto, May 2023

[dugavski]

Hi,

I will arrive in Porto late afternoon on May 6th and start walking on May 8th – first day coastal, then central route + spiritual variant.
I found most of the answers and instructions here on the forum and in couple of books and guides.
I am happy to explore a bit of Porto and I have two full weeks to finish my first Camino.
The equipment is almost ready, I'm ready and I can't wait to start walking.
My only concern is about the bed bugs but I'll get over it somehow.
Plan is not to take the boat from Vilanova De Arousa and to walk all the stages.

This is a short introduction and I hope everything goes well (after some airliner cancelation but this is solved now).

Bom Caminho Pilgrims!


P.S. Camino Primitivo is already somewhere in my mind…

 

[Fr Scott]

Sounds like a plan!! The only thing I would do differently, I would not spend two days in Porto, you may need the extra days to make it to Santiago.

 

[dugavski]

Thank you! I have flight back from Santiago on 21st early in the morning - that means I have 13 days after leaving Porto... but will check my stages once again

 

[Gwill21]

Having just walked the Central route in October - I believe you can easily make it in 12 days depending on your health and condition. I would consider the coastal out of Porto for the first few days. I found the first two days on the Central out of Porto were not very enjoyable due to cars, noise, cobblestones and road / very close to road walking. By day 3 things were fine.

 

[dugavski]

I will start with the Coastal (Litoral) and join the Central on the second day via Vila do Conde.

 

[Lynn R Kelly]

Having just walked the Central route in October - I believe you can easily make it in 12 days depending on your health and condition. I would consider the coastal out of Porto for the first few days. I found the first two days on the Central out of Porto were not very enjoyable due to cars, noise, cobblestones and road / very close to road walking. By day 3 things were fine.

Absolutely take the coastal route out of Porto (even senda littoral). Going through Maia, dodging cars and spraining ankles on the cobblestones is not fun!! The only thing I liked about the cobblestones is that you could hear the cars coming!! Enjoy.

 

[dugavski]

I'm home!

I took the coastal route out of Porto and than joined central from Vila do Conde (by aqueduct).
I also took the Spiritual way.
12 days of walking, beautiful scenery, nice weather and great people all the way.
I'm already planning my next camino

Ultreia!

 

[peregrino_tom]

I took the coastal route out of Porto and than joined central from Vila do Conde (by aqueduct).

Hi dugavski - great to hear your camino went so well - and it sounds like you have the camino bug now

When you wrote that you joined the central from Vila do Conde (by aqueduct) I wondered whether they/you had made a variant path that followed the route of the aqueduct?
So I looked it up on Mapy.cz but I can't see a path, although a small road seems to follow alongside.
However.. you have made me think that there could be a really interesting variant which would only add a km to the route to Rates and be much more interesting thant the current one.
One could follow the aqueduct to the village of Beiriz, where it ends. Then walk along small lanes to the archeological site of Cividade de Terroso - an important hill-fort town in pre-Roman times. Then walk along small lanes going east to Sao Pedro de Rates.

Sorry for hijacking your thread!

 

[David Tallan]

Hi dugavski - great to hear your camino went so well - and it sounds like you have the camino bug now

When you wrote that you joined the central from Vila do Conde (by aqueduct) I wondered whether they/you had made a variant path that followed the route of the aqueduct?
So I looked it up on Mapy.cz but I can't see a path, although a small road seems to follow alongside.
However.. you have made me think that there could be a really interesting variant which would only add a km to the route to Rates and be much more interesting thant the current one.
One could follow the aqueduct to the village of Beiriz, where it ends. Then walk along small lanes to the archeological site of Cividade de Terroso - an important hill-fort town in pre-Roman times. Then walk along small lanes going east to Sao Pedro de Rates.

Sorry for hijacking your thread!

I believe the Wise Pilgrim Portugues app shows the aqueduct route connecting Vila do Conde and Rates.

 

[dugavski]

Hi dugavski - great to hear your camino went so well - and it sounds like you have the camino bug now

When you wrote that you joined the central from Vila do Conde (by aqueduct) I wondered whether they/you had made a variant path that followed the route of the aqueduct?
So I looked it up on Mapy.cz but I can't see a path, although a small road seems to follow alongside.
However.. you have made me think that there could be a really interesting variant which would only add a km to the route to Rates and be much more interesting thant the current one.
One could follow the aqueduct to the village of Beiriz, where it ends. Then walk along small lanes to the archeological site of Cividade de Terroso - an important hill-fort town in pre-Roman times. Then walk along small lanes going east to Sao Pedro de Rates.

Sorry for hijacking your thread!

I was starting to follow the river route (as suggested in the tourist info office) but then after some time I lost arrows. After 10 minutes of walking through the streets, I saw an aqueduct on my left and decided to follow it. Once I reached the aqueduct the route was very pleasant and well marked.

 

[dugavski]

And I missed archeological site of Cividade de Terroso... since I didn't want to use mobile apps and maps.
I had a plan not to depend on my phone so I was enjoying old fashioned walk with following the arrows. Maybe I missed some nice spots but it was very relaxed for me.