Badajoz variant?

[alansykes]

At the moment for my next camino I'm planning on leaving the Vía de la Plata at Salamanca to take the Camino Torres to Portugal. But I read about the possibility of walking from Mérida to Badajoz and into Portugal, passing temptingly close to Fátima and then either heading for the coast or up to Viseu and continuing on the Camino Portugués Interior.

Anybody heard anything about this? Other than a wikiloc, Google yields few results, and nor does foroperegrinos.es (that I can find). I think that Badajoz-Mérida is marked easterly, but doubt there will be any other arrows until reaching one of the official Portuguese routes.

 

[hel&scott]

We looked at doing this when we did the vdp as Badajoz is an interesting destination in itself. However we stuck to the Spainish side and toured Portugal later. Oddly, we were visited by a Portugese walnut grower from that area last year, she came to see our trees, and we ended up having an discussion about it, you are right it isn't a marked route and most of the arrows around there are the blue Fatima ones, but in these days of gps or a good map it wouldn't be hard to make your own route. I'd be interested in hearing about it if you did.

 

[SabsP]

At the moment for my next camino I'm planning on leaving the Vía de la Plata at Salamanca to take the Camino Torres to Portugal. But I read about the possibility of walking from Mérida to Badajoz and into Portugal, passing temptingly close to Fátima and then either heading for the coast or up to Viseu and continuing on the Camino Portugués Interior.

Anybody heard anything about this? Other than a wikiloc, Google yields few results, and nor does foroperegrinos.es (that I can find). I think that Badajoz-Mérida is marked easterly, but doubt there will be any other arrows until reaching one of the official Portuguese routes.

Is this the same route as the Camino da Estrela ?

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Alan - I think Alison Raju gives a description of this variant to the VdlP in her guide. I think there is also information in the CSJ summary guide. The route goes over the mountains into Portugal. I don't have a copy here but if you contact the office I'm sure they'll dig out the info they have.

John

 

[alansykes]

Is this the same route as the Camino da Estrela ?

I think that one leaves the VdlP about 100km to the north, from Cáceres, going past San Pedro de Alcántara's birthplace and then into Portugal.

Another one to add to the list of possibilities for this autumn ...

 

[SabsP]

I think that one leaves the VdlP about 100km to the north, from Cáceres, going past San Pedro de Alcántara's birthplace and then into Portugal.

Another one to add to the list of possibilities for this autumn ...

Ah yes now I remember. I travelled that region by car on our regular holidays. Beautiful region and Alcantara is wonderful, Brozas too.

I myself am interested in the parts around Guadalupe, also another for the list.

Anyway, back to the topic...Badajoz has their own Amigos group.
http://badajozjacobea.org/

 

[alansykes]

Alan - I think Alison Raju gives a description of this variant to the VdlP in her guide. I think there is also information in the CSJ summary guide. The route goes over the mountains into Portugal. I don't have a copy here but if you contact the office I'm sure they'll dig out the info they have.

John

There is the alternative route that goes into Portugal from Zamora, rejoining the Sanabrés shortly before Verín, which I seem to remember my (decade old) Raju guide mentioned, but I don't remember her covering Portuguese variations further south (although I haven't got her new edition, if it's out).

So, it seems that there are at least 4 ways of leaving the Vía de la Plata and going through some of Portugal: The Badajoz version, Sabine's Camino da Estrela, the Camino Torres from Salamanca and the Zamora variant.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[alansykes]

Ah yes now I remember. I travelled that region by car on our regular holidays. Beautiful region and Alcantara is wonderful, Brozas too.

I myself am interested in the parts around Guadalupe, also another for the list.

I loved Guadalupe, and it's possible the route I'm thinking of via Badajoz was used by Portuguese pilgrims to Guadalupe from Lisbon, and was called the camino de Guadalupe Lisboeta.

There's quite a good website with alternative ways of getting to Guadalupe (I took the Mozárabe one last year and loved it - the marking is not brilliant, but, as @hel&scott says above, with gps or a map it's pretty easy to find one's own way):

http://caminosaguadalupe.com/caminos-a-guadalupe/

 

[KinkyOne]

I think that one leaves the VdlP about 100km to the north, from Cáceres, going past San Pedro de Alcántara's birthplace and then into Portugal.

Another one to add to the list of possibilities for this autumn ...

This one (La Via da Estrela) goes also through Viseu so you can turn on Portugues Interior and connects with Sanabres either in Laza or Ourense. See this article I have in my bookmarks:
http://www.hoy.es/20081116/sociedad/renace-antigua-estrela-20081116.html
Also this one may be helpful (in Portugues):
http://www.viasromanas.pt/#bragamerida

If you need info about VdlP Portugues from Zamora I have some more links to share. And I remember our @gracethepilgrim walked it couple of years ago.