I agree with Nick, @jungleboy. Viana do Castelo is quite nice and the walk out of it on the Senda Litoral. It makes for a long day if you do the forest alternative (much nicer!) all the way into Caminha, but you can always stay on the penninsula at the Camping Orbitor and get the Taxi Boat...
Just finished the WHW, mid-May and it was very, very busy. All accommodations were fully booked and folks were being shuttled to nearby places through their tour companies. I have been told by the locals that May is the busiest month. I had to book out accommodations a full year ahead. If you...
I liked it! After having just completed the West Highland Way, while not a truly long distance "through hike," I found myself being unable to stop calling the other walkers "pilgrims." The "sacred" beauty of the wild places in Scotland, that yes, was shared by many others, did not fail to strike...
I agree that Viana do Castelo is nicer than Caminha. However, I have been to Santa Trega and that is also worth it, however, it will take a lot more time/money to go there from Caminha, across the river. If you want to see Santa Trega, consider staying in A Guarda.
Indeed, I am in the throes of my updates, just having returned a few weeks ago. Judging from the amount of traffic to my webpages for this section and the number of pilgrims I just saw on the road, this route has gained enormously in popularity! I just summarized my experience in this thread...
I forgot to say that you may wish to shorten your stages whenever possible, as the heat, sweat and rough cobblestone streets created blisters in almost everyone I talked to! Me included!!
Hi @dalessandrodd! I just rewalked the routes from Porto to SdC last Sept/Oct and the Lisbon to Porto route in April!
I did not want to carry any bedding so we booked exclusively in private albergues with sheets provided or family run, inexpensive hotels with private rooms/baths. I assure you...
@yogaflowjo that is a very long day! The shelf road after Vigo is easy at 16.5 km but you have to climb out of Vigo first to get to it. You don't say which route you wish to do, but the Coastal from A Ramallosa to Vigo would definitely be shorter and avoid the major part of downtown Vigo. You...
I am counter-culture here, because I found walking through Porto to be pleasant. But I like distractions of the city. If you wish to see my day to Vilarinho with lots of photos, click here for my day fifteen on the Central Route. I really hope to convince pilgrims that this walk is really not...
If you are on FB, I posted there:
The plan is to do a write up on pilgrimagetraveler.com too. Before that happens, I also just rewalked the Lisbon to Porto route and need a month or so to update that first, before starting a new project!
Well, for me Chrissy, long downhills are problematic, but I experienced nothing on this section. This was after I suffered horribly on the San Salvador, the section from San Miguel del Rio to Campomanes. I blame the fact that it was on pavement, and I was pulling through each step too hard with...
Hi there, I have not walked the Via Francigena, but the Via di Francesco from La Verna to Assisi. We did this portion in 10 days. The summary of our walk with Nick can ve found here: https://www.pilgrimagetraveler.com/way-of-st-francis.html. Nick will add links as well, including the onward...
More than halfway from Lisbon to Porto, now in Coimbra. There are more new pilgrims we are seeing each day. A total guess is about 25-30 we have seen moving in similar stages.
The municipal albergue in Cernache is closed making Conimbriga a pinch point. Only one 10-bed private albergue and...
Buen Camino my friend. We are in Santarém now, day 3 on Lisbon to Porto. Very busy here! I'm not energetic enough to post yet. Enjoy the Sanabrés. You will love it!
Wikiloc is an app that you can use to find trails and tracks. Just search on the app to find what you want. Lots of people use it and there are lots of tracks!
@JillGat, the route you took is the old route. After researching on many recent wikiloc tracks, you are right, no one goes this way anymore. The way through Aciberos used to stay on the highway, for a much longer way to Lubian. However, that is now changed and goes on trails just like the one...
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