Are hiking poles needed for Porto to Vigo?

[NamaMama]

Are hiking poles required for the Porto to Vigo portion of the Coastal route? I looked at Gronze and the elevation does not appear to be too bad. We are flying from Canada. I would prefer to leave our poles behind if we can manage without them. We walked CF in 2018 and Tour du Mont Blanc last year and certainly understand the value of poles when needed. Thanks!

 

[Sirage]

There is an opinion that 2 poles are needed for every Camino.

Facts are scarce.

 

[kenwilltravel]

Are hiking poles required for the Porto to Vigo portion of the Coastal route? I looked at Gronze and the elevation does not appear to be too bad. We are flying from Canada. I would prefer to leave our poles behind if we can manage without them. We walked CF in 2018 and Tour du Mont Blanc last year and certainly understand the value of poles when needed. Thanks!

No poles needed from Porto to Vigo. There's no elevation, for one thing. Secondly, poles are a nuisance on the boardwalk because they go click-clack as you walk along. We found the noise distracting.

 

[trecile]

There is an opinion that 2 poles are needed for every Camino.

And some will tell you that poles are not needed for any Camino.
It's definitely personal preference.

 

[dougfitz]

Are hiking poles required for the Porto to Vigo portion of the Coastal route? I looked at Gronze and the elevation does not appear to be too bad. We are flying from Canada. I would prefer to leave our poles behind if we can manage without them. We walked CF in 2018 and Tour du Mont Blanc last year and certainly understand the value of poles when needed. Thanks!

I wouldn't walk without poles, but if you think you can do without them, that's fine. According to Brierley, there is about 2,200 m of climb from Vila do Conde to Vigo, so even walking along the coast, you will be doing a fair bit of climbing each day. Not as much as other routes, but its not a flat and level walk along a beach.

I have walked on boardwalk elsewhere. It pays to remove rubber pole tips. I don't know about you, but the tips seem to find their way into the cracks on boardwalks with monotonous regularity.

 

[Camembert]

Are hiking poles required for the Porto to Vigo portion of the Coastal route? I looked at Gronze and the elevation does not appear to be too bad. We are flying from Canada. I would prefer to leave our poles behind if we can manage without them. We walked CF in 2018 and Tour du Mont Blanc last year and certainly understand the value of poles when needed. Thanks!

walking alongside , sometimes at the shoulder of narrow roads with the knowledge that especially many Portuguese drivers think they are Formula 1 actors, poles are vey handy to force them away from you. It saved our lives sometimes

 

[ChristelMarcAntwerp22]

And some will tell you that poles are not needed for any Camino.
It's definitely personal preference.

Last year we walked the CP from Porto to Santiago and later on to Fisterra via Muxia both fantastic experiences, my wife mostly without and me with hiking poles. For me they provided stability when needed and support for the weight one is carrying. I can only recommend from my own experience each person makes his own decision.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

Are hiking poles required for the Porto to Vigo portion of the Coastal route? I looked at Gronze and the elevation does not appear to be too bad. We are flying from Canada. I would prefer to leave our poles behind if we can manage without them. We walked CF in 2018 and Tour du Mont Blanc last year and certainly understand the value of poles when needed. Thanks!

We always carry poles. We never used them on the coastal, but we were glad brought them since we zigzagged between coastal and central. We did need them at times on the Central after Barcelos.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

We always carry poles. We never used them on the coastal, but we were glad brought them since we zigzagged between coastal and central. We did need them at times on the Central after Barcelos.

I should have added that it is wise to always carry hiking poles. I rarely trip or fall. I did once on a teeny, tiny step after visiting a church. I was so angry with myself. My one leg was hurting badly. Having my pole, which can become one of your best friends (I named it SMV...for salve mi vida), was vital to completing that camino.

 

[musicman]

Except for the boardwalks where they can get stuck eternity sections, 2 poles used correctly are greatly beneficial on successive day walking - gait, joints and stride are all improved …if used correctly. Pacerpoled website has good info. even if you’re not buying their kit.

 

[trecile]

I don't just carry poles, I use them.

 

[karyn61]

Having poles helps keep my hands from swelling with a pack on which is my primary reason for using them when I walk. I also like having them for weight transfer when going up or down, saves my knees. I think having removable rubber tips is essential to stop the click clack noise when on pavement. It's not "necessary" on this part of the coastal Camino, but I wouldn't walk without them. Buen Camino!

 

[CWBuff]

"Need" IMHO is a bit of a strong expression.

That said, Chalk up another one for the pro-poles crowd. Fully understanding that it is a totally personal preference I would not even BEGIN TO DREAM of any hike without my poles. Even of the flat of the flattest they help me with my balance, posture and in some way load distribution.

My wife on the other hand really does not like them. When she joined me to do SdC --> Finisterre, no pleading of mine (being the "wise and experienced Pilgrim" now after hoofing it up the whole 800km ) would change her mind...
..That is until she encountered some of the initial elevations and meekly accepted one of my poles that I offered. She found that it helped. (She still insists that she does not need a full pair for all of the time, but I think my case was proven)

Good luck no matter what you decide.

P.S. Click-clacking noise... I'm slightly confused. The only time my poles did so was when i TOOK the rubber tips off and thus exposed the metal points. So.. what am I missing here folks?

 

[dougfitz]

P.S. Click-clacking noise... I'm slightly confused. The only time my poles did so was when i TOOK the rubber tips off and thus exposed the metal points. So.. what am I missing here folks?

Nothing. However, even with the rubber tips on, the pole is a long vibrating shaft, it will vibrate each time the tip hits the ground. That will make some noise, but not the sharp, metallic, noise of a metal tip hitting concrete or asphalt that some people find annoying.

 

[karyn61]

"Need" IMHO is a bit of a strong expression.

That said, Chalk up another one for the pro-poles crowd. Fully understanding that it is a totally personal preference I would not even BEGIN TO DREAM of any hike without my poles. Even of the flat of the flattest they help me with my balance, posture and in some way load distribution.

My wife on the other hand really does not like them. When she joined me to do SdC --> Finisterre, no pleading of mine (being the "wise and experienced Pilgrim" now after hoofing it up the whole 800km ) would change her mind...
..That is until she encountered some of the initial elevations and meekly accepted one of my poles that I offered. She found that it helped. (She still insists that she does not need a full pair for all of the time, but I think my case was proven)

Good luck no matter what you decide.

P.S. Click-clacking noise... I'm slightly confused. The only time my poles did so was when i TOOK the rubber tips off and thus exposed the metal points. So.. what am I missing here folks?

I think I misspoke about the removable rubber tips on the poles - I put them on when walking on pavement or boardwalks to stop the click clack, and remove them for long sections of dirt path or unpaved surfaces. I just re-read my post, and it was confusing. I attribute that to the rosé that I drank tonight!

 

[katt]

And where is the easiest place to pick up hiking sticks in Porto?

 

[trecile]

And where is the easiest place to pick up hiking sticks in Porto?

Decathlon in Porto

Decathlon Porto Boavista · Rua Gonçalo Sampaio 350 Loja Decathlon, Praça do Bom Sucesso n.º 23, 4150-365 Porto, Portugal

★★★★☆ · Sporting goods store

goo.gl

 

[katt]

Thanks. I’ll check them out.

 

[Frankybaby66]

No poles needed from Porto to Vigo. There's no elevation, for one thing. Secondly, poles are a nuisance on the boardwalk because they go click-clack as you walk along. We found the noise distracting.

I love my Pacerpoles! Did a day if walking boardwalks before joining the Central route last year, and it's pretty tricky. Despite my best efforts, it's easy for a pole to disappear down one of the gaps between the boards (I lost one if my poles' 'Street feet' because of this).
If you are someone who only uses poles on inclines/declines, I'd probably advise to not take them.
Personally, I always use them if carrying my 'Camino' pack. (old knees; what can I say!)

Have fun, and Buen Camino

 

[OZAJ]

I walked a lot of caminos without poles. Then I started to use them: pacer poles. My knees thanked me profusely.

Sure, you don't NEED them, especially if you are young. But when you get older your knees especially and also hips and ankles will be in much better condition if you HAVE used them, and this applies to any terrain, not just steep ascents or descents. He who tastes, knows. Better to taste sooner than too late.

 

[woody66]

Brought my poles in Porto for twelve Euros.
Best Twelve Euros I ever spent!
They give you extra points of contact with the ground.
Saved my bacon a hundred times a day from trips and falls.
Without them i think i wouldn't have made it!
Will always use them.
Woody