A silly sand question

[StevethePlanner]

If the weather is good I plan to take the Coastal route after Porto from Matosinhos to Vila de Conde to Rates and link back up with Central. Current plan has me leaving Porto May 18. Maybe I think about this too much, but I wonder how much of the route is boardwalk vs just sand. I would hate to have sand get in my hiking boots and be so difficult cleaning out that I end up with sand grains giving blisters for following days (I know silly). I could switch to my sandals, but don't know how long my feet could take that. Comments?

 

[amorfati1]

If the weather is good I plan to take the Coastal route after Porto from Matosinhos to Vila de Conde to Rates and link back up with Central. Current plan has me leaving Porto May 18. Maybe I think about this too much, but I wonder how much of the route is boardwalk vs just sand. I would hate to have sand get in my hiking boots and be so difficult cleaning out that I end up with sand grains giving blisters for following days (I know silly). I could switch to my sandals, but don't know how long my feet could take that. Comments?

i was happy to 'stick' to the wooden boardwalk as much as i could. walking across sand (the beach was rather sloped in many parts) with a rucksack was not my idea of a "fun" walking experience. walked there last May - and we got really lucky w/ fine weather and not much of a breeze/wind on that day.
all was lovely and enjoyable except those very VERY pesky tiny black flies that swarmed about en masse.
but never felt tempted to take me plus rucksack onto the sands ...
bom caminho!

 

[Camembert]

Man suffers most from what he fears !

We walked from Matosinhos to Vila do Conde in May 2013 and the only part we walked on the sand was about 200 to 300 yards with by the way a steep inclination onto a dune not far from an Obelisk monument on top of that dune. In Brierley'sguide it is called the praia the Memoria..but having said this there is a tarmac road following the coast so with a short detour you can avoid walking the sand. And what is the fun of the detour. You'll find a place to drink a coffee of beer on the detour.

Furthermore from Mindelo keep a good eye on the waymarking because the arrows point off from the beachside at a certain moment and lead you into a kind of nature area instead of following the coastline. (People who kept on following the coastline walked on the sand for a while.)
At the end of the nature area , you'll end up in the outer suburbs of Vila do Conde and among others you'll pass the Arvore campingsite where we rented a summerhouse for one night.. Nice swimmingpool and a small groceryshop.

Happy planing SteveThePlanner ! Winners do have a plan !
Bom caminho

 

[Camembert]

If the weather is good I plan to take the Coastal route after Porto from Matosinhos to Vila de Conde to Rates and link back up with Central. Current plan has me leaving Porto May 18. Maybe I think about this too much, but I wonder how much of the route is boardwalk vs just sand. I would hate to have sand get in my hiking boots and be so difficult cleaning out that I end up with sand grains giving blisters for following days (I know silly). I could switch to my sandals, but don't know how long my feet could take that. Comments?

By the way @StevethePlanner if the weather is not good (here in Holland is a saying " if..heaven comes down, we all wear a blue hat " or if ..my aunt should have b*lls, we should have to call her "uncle ") your alternative is a very "attractive " walk out of Porto through the busy infrastructure with heavy traffic, walking on the narrow hardshoulder of busy and dangerous roads and cobblestones roads .!
This is the walk from Porto to Vilarinho. Not my piece of cake.I drove the part with my car and campingtrailer last year. The traffic was so heavy and some Portugese drivers tried to merge into the trafficline between my car and the towed on trailer !
Happy planning and bom caminho outra vez !

 

[Camembert]

This was the part we walked on sand but we could have walked on tarmac detour and had a drink with the fellow on the last picture. Cheers !

 

[StevethePlanner]

All,

Thanks for all the information. And the pictures are great. And now looking at JB's guide, I can see the areas that cross the beach. My mind is at peace.
At Obelisco I'm thinking an ice cream treat with the dead pirate will be worth a small detour! Arrrr!!

Pirate Captain Steve

 

[Utgaard]

Just repeating what Albertinho said, you will have good boardwalk, trail, or pavement between Matoshinhos and Vila do Conde. I did one short sand walk, but the people just behind me found a trail maybe 20m inland that I missed. If you come face to face with an unwanted beach walk check around and you should find some alternative.

Bom Caminho!

 

[PBC]

If the weather is good I plan to take the Coastal route after Porto from Matosinhos to Vila de Conde to Rates and link back up with Central. Current plan has me leaving Porto May 18. Maybe I think about this too much, but I wonder how much of the route is boardwalk vs just sand. I would hate to have sand get in my hiking boots and be so difficult cleaning out that I end up with sand grains giving blisters for following days (I know silly). I could switch to my sandals, but don't know how long my feet could take that. Comments?

Thank you for posting this question. We did a coastal hike this weekend as a test run for the Portguese coastal route. I was thinking it would be cooler weather on the coast for walking. But from this weekend's experience I underestimated how abrasive sand can be even if walking only for a little while. Now I am rethinking my footwear. Much appreciation for those who replied to stevetheplanner's question.

 

[Margaret Spencer]

I am finding all these postings so informative and exciting as I plan my first (and probably only) Camino from Lisbon to Proto and then on to Santiago via the coastal route in Septmeber 2016