Braga to Santiago via an alternative way.

[Isca-camigo]

Caminho Xacobeo da Geira e dos Arrieiros

Hi there has been a push over recent years to get this route recognized as an official route for 2021. This started in 2009 but only in the last 2-3 years has the infrastructure, signage and places to stay started to improve on both sides of the border.. I saw a figure that 300 people walked it last year,they expect 500 this year. An albergue de peregrinos is expected to open in two months in Caldelas. The Spanish side has patchy marking and the Portuguese side you will need GPS but that could change soon. A really good website is www.debragaasantiago.com
If you go to notices on the website and look at the entry for 20/5/2019 at the moment 4 videos are downloaded for the 1st 4 etapas, there will probably be more over the next few months.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Here is a video from 2014. The peregrinos roughly follow the route that is the official route now, they used GPS links that the relevant group's were giving out.

it doesn't go all the way to Santiago but shows the bulk of this route.

 

[Carlos da Barreira]

Thanks for showing the Camino da Geira e dos Arrieiros!

 

[Isca-camigo]

Thanks for showing the Camino da Geira e dos Arrieiros!

Hello, are you one of the co-authors to the guide for this route? If so I saw that the Gallego and Espanol editions had a 2019 print, is there going to be a revised edition for the English language guide this year?

Many congratulations to you and your companions for your efforts in achieving official recognition for this route.

 

[Suevo]

Last week we finished the Caminho de Santiago da Geira e dos Arrieiros through 9 stages from Braga to Santiago de Compostela:

• Braga -Terras de Bouro
• Terras de Bouro - Os Baños Riocaldo
• Os Baños Riocaldo - Castro Laboreiro
• Castro Laboreiro - Cortegada
• Cortegada - Berán
• Berán- Soutelo de Montes
• Soutelo de Montes - Codeseda
• Codeseda - Pontevea
• Pontevea- Santiago de Compostela

Going through ancestral routes, we followed the Geira (ancient Roman military road from Braga to Astorga), crossed the heart of the Peneda-Gerês National Park, bathed in natural hot spring waters, walk through a "lunar landscape" framed by mountain peaks around us, crossed multiple forests, streams, lagoons and waterfalls of crystalline waters, we continued through idyllic landscapes along the banks of the River Minho, enjoyed the small mountain villages full of history until we reached Santiago de Compostela.

The beauty of the landscape along all the way is overwhelming, being only surpassed by the extreme sympathy of the people that we met. This path is probably the purest and most genuine of all the Caminos de Santiago that defies and challenges physically and spiritually the pilgrim from the very beginning of his journey, making it a unique and unforgettable experience.

Here is a video with some photos of every stage of our Camino:

In my blog I’ll put more detailed information about it.

To all those who have made this ancient and historic Camino a reality, my congratulations and sincere thanks.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Thank you for posting this, I hope to follow in your footsteps much later in the year. Any advice or recommendations will be gratefully received.

Buen Camino

 

[Suevo]

Hi,

When we did the Camino, it wasn't all marked with the traditional yellow arrows, some parts are still missing (I think they are marking it at this moment) so a GPS track it's very advisable and there aren't albergues along the Camino, the first one it's planned to open this month at Caldelas, but you'll find nice small hostels and hotels at those nice villages with lovely people. From our stages, the more challenge ones were Os Baños Riocaldo - Castro Laboreiro and Berán- Soutelo de Montes, but you can plan different stages according to your pace.

I'll try to update my blog with more detailed information about each stage in the following weeks. You can also find usefull information at this site debragaasantiago.com, I highly suggest also the book From Braga to Santiago by the “Geira Arrieiros’ Way” (Jeira-Ribeiro-Minhoto): Pilgrim's Guide To The Camino from Carlos da Barreira and Henrique Malheiro it was our precious guide along the Camino.

This is an amazing Camino, and I'm sure you'll love it. There is a lot of wonderful mountain hiking along this Camino, if you plan to do it in the Winter keep in mind that it will be even more challenging.

Bom Caminho

 

[Pelegrin]

Hi,.

When we did the Camino, it wasn't all marked with the traditional yellow arrows, some parts are still missing (I think they are marking it at this moment) so a GPS track it's very advisable and there aren't albergues along the Camino, the first one it's planned to open this month at Caldelas, but you'll find nice small hostels and hotels at those nice villages with lovely people. From our stages, the more challenge ones were Os Baños Riocaldo - Castro Laboreiro and Berán- Soutelo de Montes, but you can plan different stages according to your pace.

I'll try to update my blog with more detailed information about each stage in the following weeks. You can also find usefull information at this site debragaasantiago.com, I highly suggest also the book From Braga to Santiago by the “Geira Arrieiros’ Way” (Jeira-Ribeiro-Minhoto): Pilgrim's Guide To The Camino from Carlos da Barreira and Henrique Malheiro it was our precious guide along the Camino.

This is an amazing Camino, and I'm sure you'll love it. There is a lot of wonderful mountain hiking along this Camino, if you plan to do it in the Winter keep in mind that it will be even more challenging.

Bom Caminho

@Suevo you did the caminho that many Suevos probably also did in 6th century from Braga (the capital) to North to control the Gallaecia kingdom.

 

[Suevo]

@Suevo you did the caminho that many Suevos probably also did in 6th century from Braga (the capital) to North to control the Gallaecia kingdom.

That's true Pelegrin and as I am from Braga, it was quite special follow this route. This is truly an amazing Camino.

Bom caminho!

 

[Pelegrin]

Hermerico,Requila, Requiario, Maldra......

 

[Suevo]

Hermerico,Requila, Requiario, Maldra......

I'm sure that some of those Suevo Kings have walked at least part of this route

 

[Pelegrin]

Braga was capital of Galicia for much more time than Santiago. More than 300 years.

 

[Edni]

Hi. I will be walking the route later this month, 5 days starting from Ribadavia. Fingers crossed.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Buen Camino Edni, keep us updated on your thoughts on the Camino.

 

[Suevo]

Buen Camino Edni, I'm sure you'll love it. If you need some specific information about the route that I can help, I'll be glad to share it.

 

[MarcelWals]

Question to those who walked this Camino: Would you recommend this Camino to walk in February?

 

[Carlos da Barreira]

This Road in February can only be traveled by experienced travelers.
In February it rains a lot 🌧and it can even snow. 🏔
Everything is not yet marked and it is necessary to go with GPS.

 

[MarcelWals]

Thnx. Well I am experienced so reasons enough to think about walking this one...

 

[HeidiL]

Could you tell me how hilly it is? On a scale from Camino de Madrid (mostly flat, except one day) and Camino del Norte, how many ascents/descents?

 

[Isca-camigo]

Hi Heidi I haven't walked it so I can not give it a rating from direct experience but I keep track of the various blogs and facebook feeds and several comments about it seem to be constant, they are "it's hard" and " very difficult". It only goes over 1000 metres at one point for a short distance but it does go up and down as it crosses several valleys of rivers, if you add into that the high precipitation of the area it goes through and the natural ( muddy) paths then I can imagine it is quite challenging.

 

[Suevo]

Hi Heidi, sorry for the late reply, as Isca-camigo already said, this is a quite hilly camino, you are walking through mountains, valleys and alongside rivers banks. In the stages that i made ,Os Baños Riocaldo – Castro Laboreiro and Berán- Soutelo de Montes are the most hilly and challenging ones, but you can split them in different and short stages. In my blog i already upload the gps track, (there you can have an idea of the difficulty and how hilly is each stage). I'm sure this is one of the most challenging caminos, but this is an absolute magnificent one. I hope you can have the opportunity to experience it. Bom caminho!

 

[alexwalker]

Thank you all. I have bookmarked thsi thread for future use.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Good luck Alex, the association who are promoting it are very friendly so you would get lots of support if you wanted it.

 

[James X]

I have just signed up to do my 4th Portuguese - this looks fabulous

Hopefully I can do it in the future

 

[jungleboy]

I have just signed up to do my 4th Portuguese - this looks fabulous

Hopefully I can do it in the future

Since the previous posts in this thread, I have walked this route and shared some info and highlights. Here are some threads/links:

Live from the camino thread
Geira e dos Arrieros Highlights
Geira e dos Arrieros podcast (Episode 2.10)

 

[pilgrimjim]

Caminho Xacobeo da Geira e dos Arrieiros

Hi there has been a push over recent years to get this route recognized as an official route for 2021. This started in 2009 but only in the last 2-3 years has the infrastructure, signage and places to stay started to improve on both sides of the border.. I saw a figure that 300 people walked it last year,they expect 500 this year. An albergue de peregrinos is expected to open in two months in Caldelas. The Spanish side has patchy marking and the Portuguese side you will need GPS but that could change soon. A really good website is www.debragaasantiago.com
If you go to notices on the website and look at the entry for 20/5/2019 at the moment 4 videos are downloaded for the 1st 4 etapas, there will probably be more over the next few months.

Since becoming an official route in 2021, how has the infrastructure improved; signage, cafes, hostels etc? It appears from the older posts that there are significant gaps.

 

[peregrina2000]

Since becoming an official route in 2021, how has the infrastructure improved; signage, cafes, hostels etc? It appears from the older posts that there are significant gaps.

I walked this route in 2022 and would not have wanted to walk it without a GPS. There are a few stretches that qualify as “remote,” and you are right that the marking does have some gaps. I mostly stayed in small hotels and casas rurales, and never had to scramble for a place to stay. But there isn’t really any pilgrim infrastructure. There is one pilgrim albergue in Caldelas, about 19 km from Braga, but I was lured into a small hotel at the entrance to town where there was a small shaded garden with tables. There is a very active group that has been promoting the route, but I don’t think traffic is growing much. It is a very beautiful caminho, through some parts of Portugal’s only national park. You can see my blog here.

I never saw another pilgrim, though I did run into an organized group from the UK walking from village to village, though not on the Geira. If you’ve got the time, think about combining it with the Camino Torres from Salamanca to Braga. It is really a very wonderful walk, through lots of interesting towns and beautiful countryside. Crossing the Douro after Lamego was a highlight.

 

[pilgrimjim]

I walked this route in 2022 and would not have wanted to walk it without a GPS. There are a few stretches that qualify as “remote,” and you are right that the marking does have some gaps. I mostly stayed in small hotels and casas rurales, and never had to scramble for a place to stay. But there isn’t really any pilgrim infrastructure. There is one pilgrim albergue in Caldelas, about 19 km from Braga, but I was lured into a small hotel at the entrance to town where there was a small shaded garden with tables. There is a very active group that has been promoting the route, but I don’t think traffic is growing much. It is a very beautiful caminho, through some parts of Portugal’s only national park. You can see my blog here.

I never saw another pilgrim, though I did run into an organized group from the UK walking from village to village, though not on the Geira. If you’ve got the time, think about combining it with the Camino Torres from Salamanca to Braga. It is really a very wonderful walk, through lots of interesting towns and beautiful countryside. Crossing the Douro after Lamego was a highlight.

Thank you. That’s very helpful.