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Barcelos to Ponte de Lima - 34.7 km

D

dfox

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2017
Two quick questios:

Mr. John Brierley and the "Gzone" site suggest the walking distance between Barcelos to Ponte de Lima is ~34 km.

#1 - Is it doable for not-so-strong / regular walkers managing this stage?
#2 - Is there accommodation in the mid-point of this stage, e.g., Balugaes, in case we couldn't manage the distance?

Thanks for any input.

DF
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I was reading the same book and we saw this before. Me and a few of the girls at work are doing this walk as a food and wine culture / party / keep fit thing with someone who has done the main route last year and we talking about this distance too. There's no way we can walk this far as we aim to stop in every bar we see for wine, so we have booked a townhouse in Balugaes (Casas da Quinta da Cancela) between these two places in the guide book. So we are mixing places with beds where we need to use our sleeping bags and normal hotel places that fit us all in a room.
 
For question #1, I did a couple of 34 km. stages on the CF. It was doable, but made for a long day. For question #2, there is Casa Fernanda and Casa de Valinhas near Lugar do Corgo, shortening this stage to around 20 km.
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I'm sure I stayed in a muni albergue in a place called Tamel which was about 10k after Barcelos. From memory though so please check my facts!
 
Well, it's only one day of 34km, not every day for many days, so very doable for a regular walker. I have never been into sports or hiking/terkking, no prior training, didn't have proper runners/boots for the road, still managed that stage well. The climb is not that bad, walking poles helped a lot as well as a company of a fast long-legged Belgian guy who led the way and talked a lot Surprisingly had energy left to go exploring the town after I arrived to Ponte de Lima - it's one of my favourites on the Portuguese way so far. You can stay in the middle though if you want to cut it short: there is a fabulous albergue Casa Fernanda right in between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima. Very popular, you might need to book in advance.
 
We just walked the route 2 days ago and stopped at Cancela at a lovely spot. Not inexpensive but wonderful rooms great dinner and breakfast.(Quinta da Cancela). We are decent walkers and I think the whole way would have done us in. It is very hot here at the moment so that takes its toll.
 
Lightfoot Guide to via Francigena
The 9th edition the Lightfoot Guide will let you complete the journey your way.
I stayed in the albergue in Tamel - Sao Pedro Fins (p. 137 in the Brierley guide). From there it was 24.2 km to Ponte de Lima.
 
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