Camino Portugues guidebook

[Susan B Johnson]

Hello all! I'm preparing for my 3rd Camino, but first one in Portugal. I see that Matthew Hamms has a new guidebook out this year for Camino Portugues. Have you used a guidebook in the past? How helpful is it? I have printed out the stages and distance from stingynomads.com. Is a guidebook worth the expense?

Thanks for any insights you can offer.

 

[woody66]

Hi Susan!
Which route?
I walked Porto /Santiago on the Coastal ,Senda Litoral and Espiritual Variant with the WisePilgrim app it's laid out in order and simple to use with loads of info!
Had OSMAND+ on my tablet with GPX track to follow.
I did download an audio book from Cicerone press but never listened to any of it!
.
Woody

 

[David Tallan]

Hello all! I'm preparing for my 3rd Camino, but first one in Portugal. I see that Matthew Hamms has a new guidebook out this year for Camino Portugues. Have you used a guidebook in the past? How helpful is it? I have printed out the stages and distance from stingynomads.com. Is a guidebook worth the expense?

Thanks for any insights you can offer.

I used several guidebooks when preparing for, and while on, the Portugues. These included Brierley's (paper, only for prep, with the full and the Kindle "maps and accommodations only" version to take with), the Village to Village guide, Johnny Walker's guide, Jeffery Barrera's A Survival Guide to the Portuguese Camino in Galicia, Elle Bieling's guide, as well as the Buen Camino and Wise Pilgrim apps.

I like to be prepared.

Of those, I would say the most useful were Barrera's, Bieling's, and the apps. The prices are reasonable enough that I would definitely say they were worth the expense (although if your budget is super tight, you can get most if not all of the Wise Pilgrim and Bieling content from their websites).

 

[lovelyshell]

I’m on the Portuguese now and using the Village to Village guide but find myself using Wise Pilgrim app a lot.

 

[lt56ny]

The Wise Pilgrim and/or Buen Camino app along with using Groonze.com is more than you need. IMHO

 

[Amachant]

I’m on the Camino Portuguese right now. Sleeping in the Albergue Santa Clara tonight. Planning to switch over from Coastal to Central tomorrow.

Planning to take the route not talked about but Brierley: North to Vazem and along bike/foot paths and country roads. Does anyone have experience with this option?

I’ve seen a lot of scary video blogs of pilgrims going from Vila do Conde to Arcos to Rates. I’m wanting to avoid this.

Cheers!

 

[Susan B Johnson]

I’m on the Camino Portuguese right now. Sleeping in the Albergue Santa Clara tonight. Planning to switch over from Coastal to Central tomorrow.

Planning to take the route not talked about but Brierley: North to Vazem and along bike/foot paths and country roads. Does anyone have experience with this option?

I’ve seen a lot of scary video blogs of pilgrims going from Vila do Conde to Arcos to Rates. I’m wanting to avoid this.

Cheers!

May I ask what kind of "scary things" are mentioned? That's the route I'm planning to take soon.

 

[Amachant]

Scary as in dodging fast cars and no sidewalks.

 

[Camembert]

I’m on the Camino Portuguese right now. Sleeping in the Albergue Santa Clara tonight. Planning to switch over from Coastal to Central tomorrow.

Planning to take the route not talked about but Brierley: North to Vazem and along bike/foot paths and country roads. Does anyone have experience with this option?

I’ve seen a lot of scary video blogs of pilgrims going from Vila do Conde to Arcos to Rates. I’m wanting to avoid this.

Cheers!

I understand you are in Vila do Conde now
you could follow the hike out of Vila do Conde by following the Aquaduct
From Santa Clara you can almost see this structure,
Ask the hospitaleiro how to walk by following this aquaduct to São Pedro de Rates. There is nothing scary about.

 

[Amachant]

I understand you are in Vila do Conde now
you could follow the hike out of Vila do Conde by following the Aquaduct
From Santa Clara you can almost see this structure,
Ask the hospitaleiro how to walk by following this aquaduct to São Pedro de Rates. There is nothing scary about.

Thank you so much…
The hospitaleira was not available to help.
We ended up using the Maps.me app to connect the dots. This is my husband’s first time as a pilgrim. He was not willing to trust the way depicted on page 125 in Brierley’s book.

The bucolic cobblestone country lanes, farm bike paths, and eucalyptus forests were wonderful We are now in Rates.