Hi everyone from super sunny Porto!
It feels like an eternity from when I posted a week ago & I can’t believe I’m in Porto already! Well, Gaia, 4.2km from the Porto cathedral! But after my week I’m saying I’m here ha ha!
I was caught off guard a little, like when I walked into Coimbra as the ‘urban’ built up areas started 12km south of the city but I got lucky with a picnic park that I found to spend the night. Porto effectively starts 38km before being central! Last night I camped on the beach close to Ovar. I woke up with ice on the tent & in no particular hurry & it was a pleasant walk to ‘Espinho’ where the big supermarkets seem to be ensuring toilets & hot, fresh food. From then on it was as if everything had changed? All of a sudden there were many more people about & whilst the boardwalks allllllllllllll the way! Is nothing short of impressive, when it got to 4pm & getting closer there appeared to be zero stealthy camping opportunities. Perhaps it’s a Friday afternoon thing? The golf courses I passed (2) were busy, hopeful of a bush to hide behind for the night, as well as the number of people acting oddly? I opened ‘Booking.com’ & there really wasn’t much & nothing under 100€ for the night! So I carried on walking & walking & got to where I am now! How my phone lasted on 1% long enough to get me booked & here I don’t know!
Now all this said! Its 3.30am as I write & I never sleep well the first night in a hotel since I’ve began this journey! But going back to last week, the journey from FDF up to Ovar has been the most isolated journey of my journey so far! Maybe that could account for my scattyness as suddenly ‘people’ are stealing all my energy. I need to write a more in-depth account but from FDF to Mira is pretty much just ‘desert’ & you need to be equipped with supplies accordingly, the beach is just super soft sand, the tracks following the beach resembling road tracks on google earth are just soft sand so it’s the ‘Florestal 1’ & wow what a road that is! It’s just straight 30km & closed in the middle as it’s collapsed! Forcing me to brave the river crossing! Well more like a stream but river sounds far more dramatic as I write & it’s a good 2 days to reach Mira which is like an oasis of green & shops & toilets!
I’m going to struggle to picture all of these events in 10 pictures attached! But for now I’m planning to be up & out of Porto asap. Adventure awaits! And following the yellow arrows from here on!