Buen Camino app, negative about central Portugal

[bkkboy]

Searching the Bueno Camino app on my android, yellow arrow on blue background, the description of the stages along the central route, under Route in Detail, is negative. Author focuses on tarmac roads, walking next to N-roads, train tracks, does not sound like a pleasant experience. Is this just a peculiarity of the author's writing style, or is the central Camino that uninteresting?

 

[JabbaPapa]

I understand that it's quite tough between Lisbon and Tomar, though there's a fair amount of tarmac north of there too.

Honestly, the route I'd suggest to Porto would be :

Lisbon > Santarém > (detour there to the Fátima route) > Minde > Fátima > Tomar > carry on as usual from there on. There's less infrastructure on the more direct route north out of Fátima, though no doubt that will change in future.

From Porto, the Coastal.
What I didn't do for my own needs and purposes is take the river route out of Porto, which most recommend, but instead I walked to the airport and from north of there made my way to the coast. It's not bad at all walking towards, around, and past the airport -- but the suburbia in and out of Porto is vast ; which can only really be helped by being a fast walker. Still, that does mean lots of watering holes along the way to forestall too much boredom ...

There are three principal routes out of Porto, really -- the Coastal, the Central (via Barcelos), and the route via Braga. The Coastal is the one with the least tarmac and cobblestones.

Oh, and for route planning do also use the mapy.cz app. It's also great on the go for finding parallel variants on some sections that you might dislike.

 

[bkkboy]

Thanks. Plan to start from Porto. May catch a train from Porto to Vilarinho to miss the suburbs and airport.

 

[klimmo]

Walk out of Porto on the river to the coast! It's a lovely walk, you start at the cathedral, which makes for a nice starting point, and no suburbs or airport. In my opinion it would be a shame to miss it.

 

[bkkboy]

If I were to leave Porto via the coastal route, what would be the best way to get back onto the central route a day or two later?

 

[HumanistHiker]

I did 2 days on the Littoral along the river out of Porto, up the coast through Matosinhos, and cut across to the Central from Vila do Conde to Rates. See https://stingynomads.com/vila-do-conde-to-rates-routes/This route is marked on mapy.cz The other main cut across is from Caminha further north, though the Matosinhos tourist info office lady said it is possible to cut across from Povoa de Varzim.

 

[dougfitz]

Author focuses on tarmac roads, walking next to N-roads, train tracks, does not sound like a pleasant experience. Is this just a peculiarity of the author's writing style, or is the central Camino that uninteresting?

Perhaps more about what you have focussed on, at least if we have the same version of the Buen Camino app for the CP central route north of Porto. The author spends over sixty lines of description on the background of the route and a description of its characteristics, only six lines of which address the less positive aspects you have mentioned. It seems to me that much more is devoted to the virtues of the route than the less positive aspects of it. I think the description is well balanced. Perhaps you should read the positive bits of the description as well as the less positive!

 

[bkkboy]

Six lines of which address the less positive aspects. I stopped counting at 70 lines. You need to dig deeper and read his comments on every stage.

 

[Antonius Vaessen]

I walked along the coast till Villa de Conde than switched over to the central route. It had beautifull parts but many kilometers were on tarmac or cobblestones and many times with very little space for walkers. Sometimes even dangerous when nearing a sharp bend in the road between walls and no idea if there were cars coming from the opposite direction.
After Pontevedra I would advise you to take the Variante Espiritual, which is very beautifull.

 

[trecile]

If I were to leave Porto via the coastal route, what would be the best way to get back onto the central route a day or two later?

I would recommend using the Wise Pilgrim app. You can see all of the routes and how the connect. There's also a good description of how to leave Vila do Conde to connect with the Central route.

A Complete Guide to the Caminos to Santiago de Compostela

A complete guide to the Camino de Santiago, including accommodation on the Camino Francés, Camino del Norte, Camino Portugués, Camino Primtivo, Vía de la Plata, Camino de Invierno, Finisterre & Muxía, San Salvador, Camino Olvidado, Caminho Nascente, Camino da Geira, Camino Inglés, Vía Podiensis...

wisepilgrim.com

 

[tibet2001]

I did 2 days on the Littoral along the river out of Porto, up the coast through Matosinhos, and cut across to the Central from Vila do Conde to Rates. See https://stingynomads.com/vila-do-conde-to-rates-routes/This route is marked on mapy.cz The other main cut across is from Caminha further north, though the Matosinhos tourist info office lady said it is possible to cut across from Povoa de Varzim.

I did the same.

 

[Dick & Kitty]

Searching the Bueno Camino app on my android, yellow arrow on blue background, the description of the stages along the central route, under Route in Detail, is negative. Author focuses on tarmac roads, walking next to N-roads, train tracks, does not sound like a pleasant experience. Is this just a peculiarity of the author's writing style, or is the central Camino that uninteresting?

We just finished walking from the northern suburbs of Porto (Vilar do Pineheiro) to Valenca, on the border with Spain. The first day of the walk (and part of the second day) was nothing short of terrifying. It wasn't along busy, curvy roads, but actually on the road, sometimes with nowhere to step off when cars came speeding by. Even when you could step off, it was more like a drainage ditch than a path. There were ways to detour around some of the worst places, but we found getting back to the main route to be confusing at times. Also, the detours added many kilometers to the path.
But after that, the camino became much, much better. Certainly from Barcelos to Valenca was very lovely indeed. It appears that Portugal is in the process of working hard to improve both the route and the signage. But quite frankly, the camino simply should not routed down the N306. It is too dangerous.

Kitty & Dick

 

[Vacajoe]

First day out of Porto on the Central route is terrible. Oddly enough, you can find nice walking paths and quieter roads parallel to the signposted Camino route - I think they purposely route walkers past all of the businesses and hotels on a very busy roadway. If the Buen Camino stops short of saying “DON’T WALK THIS WAY,” then it is being more positive then that stage deserves

 

[motero99]

If you are going to spend a night or two in Porto, walk from the Cathedral to Matosinhos. Stop at the bridge. It is about 6 miles. Take the 500 bus back to the Cathedral/train station area dump your pack and do some site seeing. The next day take the 500 bus back to Matosinhos and walk to Vila do Conde about 14 miles. From Vila do Conde, we used the Wise Pilgrim to get to the Central. It was nice to take it easy the first two days.

 

[kenwilltravel]

We just finished walking from the northern suburbs of Porto (Vilar do Pineheiro) to Valenca, on the border with Spain. The first day of the walk (and part of the second day) was nothing short of terrifying. It wasn't along busy, curvy roads, but actually on the road, sometimes with nowhere to step off when cars came speeding by. Even when you could step off, it was more like a drainage ditch than a path. There were ways to detour around some of the worst places, but we found getting back to the main route to be confusing at times. Also, the detours added many kilometers to the path.
But after that, the camino became much, much better. Certainly from Barcelos to Valenca was very lovely indeed. It appears that Portugal is in the process of working hard to improve both the route and the signage. But quite frankly, the camino simply should not routed down the N306. It is too dangerous.

Kitty & Dick

I agree absolutely with what Dick & Kitty say about the N306. No fun at all, as you can see from our blog post: https://twoclinestraveling.wordpress.com/2023/09/02/porto-to-casa-mindela-6-6-km-too-much-traffic/

 

[Llew]

In my humble opinion the walk from Porto to Vila do Conde is lovely. Firstly by the river and then the coast. From there you can cut across to Barcelos to join the Central which I think is a great walk. Plenty of history and some lovely towns.

 

[David Tallan]

If I were to leave Porto via the coastal route, what would be the best way to get back onto the central route a day or two later?

I walked out along the river and up the coast (technically on the Senda Litoral rather than the Coastal Route). A day and a bit later I got to Vila do Conde (where the "Coastal Route" finally makes it to the coast). Crossing the bridge heading north into Vila do Conde I immediately turned right (east) and walked along the north shore of the river. Soon there were yellow arrows and signage leading me to Arcos on the Central Route, and I continued along that route to Rates where I spent the night.

 

[lovelyshell]

Thanks. Plan to start from Porto. May catch a train from Porto to Vilarinho to miss the suburbs and airport.

I highly recommend this but i would recommend starting in Vilar do Pinheiro which is just after the Maia industrial zone. The first part of the walk from Vilar do Pinheiro is really charming and one of my favorite walks on the Portuguese. It’s about 10 mile to Vilarinho from Vilar do Pinheiro so it makes for a nice short day (which you appreciate because the next walk from Vilarihno to Barcelos is lovely but long). I used Wise Pilgrim which I really needed. It was great!

 

[JillGat]

The walk up the coast, some on boardwalks across deserted beaches and wild surf, is beautiful. The cross over from Vila do Conde to Rates is a little hairy. But then soon you pass by here.

 

[dougfitz]

Six lines of which address the less positive aspects. I stopped counting at 70 lines. You need to dig deeper and read his comments on every stage.

I have. I still think you're wrong to suggest that the author is negative about the route. The structure of the entries from Porto to Tui, with a section on 'Difficulties' for that section of the route, seem entirely appropriate. I think it is better that the app's users know what faces them described in a fairly dispassionate manner. The few words that might be described as emotive are both infrequent and mild. I cannot understand why you are interpreting this as anything but helpful.

 

[Kirkie]

Searching the Bueno Camino app on my android, yellow arrow on blue background, the description of the stages along the central route, under Route in Detail, is negative. Author focuses on tarmac roads, walking next to N-roads, train tracks, does not sound like a pleasant experience. Is this just a peculiarity of the author's writing style, or is the central Camino that uninteresting?

Oh dear. Uninteresting? Are you sure you are on the right forum?

 

[JillGat]

I did 2 days on the Littoral along the river out of Porto, up the coast through Matosinhos, and cut across to the Central from Vila do Conde to Rates. See https://stingynomads.com/vila-do-conde-to-rates-routes/This route is marked on mapy.cz The other main cut across is from Caminha further north, though the Matosinhos tourist info office lady said it is possible to cut across from Povoa de Varzim.

I just did a cursory look at the mapy.cz app. How is it different from Google maps? Does it show walking paths?

 

[trecile]

I just did a cursory look at the mapy.cz app. How is it different from Google maps? Does it show walking paths?

Yes, it shows the major and many minor Camino paths and other hiking and cycling trails all over the world. You have to zoom in to see them though. When you put in two locations to get directions you can choose driving or walking, like on Google Maps, but mapy.cz is much better at routing walkers to trails instead of roads.
In the settings you can choose "outdoor" for your default map, though I'm not exactly sure of the differences between the maps.



Unlike other mapping apps you don't have to download tracks - they are already built in.
I used it for some coastal trails while I was on the Norte this year.

There was a thread about an alternative route into Molinaseca, and it's on mapy.

Here's my post on that thread.

The Mapy.cz app has this and many other hiking trails already built in - no need to download additional tracks.
This is what it looks like. Note the dark blue line is the Camino, and the Puente de Malpaso trail is gold.

Here's where it starts at Riego de Ambros

View attachment 146606


This shows the entire trail

View attachment 146607

And here's where it comes into Molinaseca

View attachment 146608

 

[JillGat]

So it shows the Camino route automatically (in Blue)?

 

[trecile]

So it shows the Camino route automatically (in Blue)?

Yes

 

[trecile]

This year when I walked the coast instead of the official from Santander I used mapy to show me the route from Liencres where I stopped to Boo de Piélagos along the senda litoral (red path).

 

[JabbaPapa]

I just did a cursory look at the mapy.cz app. How is it different from Google maps? Does it show walking paths?

Not all of them, but very, very many -- and most Camino routes, and all of the (current) major ones. There can be missing routes, such as currently a section of the Olvidado, until recently the Via Romea from Germany was missing, and last time I looked several sections of the Via Augusta from Cádiz to Rome on its Spanish portions are missing. When I walked the Provençal Way portion of my last Camino, in 2019, a long section of that was missing too, but it's there now.

Some of the advantages of the mapy.cz app is that it works on all platforms (even on Windows Phone (!!) though that version is very out of date), that the offline maps are 100% free, and that it's very good with dirt trails and agricultural roads if you want to make a detour away from an "official" route for some reason, or if your Camino requires DIY, or you're roughly following a historic pilgrimage route that hasn't been waymarked yet.

The Windows desktop version of the app is great (I mean the app, not the website browser version), though you could only take it with you on a Windows higher-end tablet or a laptop ; great though for checking out the app at home, and planning, and so on.

So it shows the Camino route automatically (in Blue)?

Usually in blue -- but occasionally in red, if it's a secondary or less-travelled Camino route, or one that's been waymarked as something else than a Camino, even if it is one.

 

[dougfitz]

I just did a cursory look at the mapy.cz app. How is it different from Google maps? Does it show walking paths?

The mapping data for mapy.cz, OSMAand+ and a range of other products includes the open source data from the Open Street Maps (OSM) project. This project has been collecting trail information from users around the world for many years, including the Camino routes. I am not aware of Google providing this level of detailed information. I suspect that any mapping app that uses OSM sourced data will have data layers for walking, cycling and horse routes, ski slopes, etc that can be turned on or off as you wish.

Other mapping apps, such as the IGN Mapas de Espana app, appear to need a downloaded route, which often is not as convenient for first time users.

 

[eileeninhastings]

i have been struggling with the mapy app. I installed it and downloaded the north east Spain map as planning to walk from San Sebastian to Santander. i've been trying to familiarise myself with how it works by using it for local walks but I find it very difficult to switch between that and the downloaded map. Does anyone know any mapy tutorials as i can't find any help when I google it.