Can anyone help with a starting point? : )

[_K_walker]

Hello!

Im going to be walking a section of the Camino Portugues starting on the 3rd of May. I dont have much time sadly as Im having to travel back home on the 12th of May. This will be my first experience of walking a part of a Camino.

I want to finish up in Santiago and the fly home. I was hoping to begin in Porto but I realise that I wont have enough time to walk that distance (I have 9 days of walking time)

Will any one else be in this area at this time? Any tips on where I should begin so I can make it to Santiago in 9 days would be greatly appreciated. : )

I have done a fair bit of walking before, Im 29 years old with fairly good fitness levels.

Your help is very welcome.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Tincatinker]

@_K_walker Santiago is about 10 days walking from Porto so you might face a serious challenge to do it in 9. You may find the site http://www.gronze.com/camino-portugues useful to back count days and distance.

 

[annakappa]

Consider starting in Barcelos.

 

[Matt Wright]

Hello!

Im going to be walking a section of the Camino Portugues starting on the 3rd of May. I dont have much time sadly as Im having to travel back home on the 12th of May. This will be my first experience of walking a part of a Camino.

I want to finish up in Santiago and the fly home. I was hoping to begin in Porto but I realise that I wont have enough time to walk that distance (I have 9 days of walking time)

Will any one else be in this area at this time? Any tips on where I should begin so I can make it to Santiago in 9 days would be greatly appreciated. : )

I have done a fair bit of walking before, Im 29 years old with fairly good fitness levels.

Your help is very welcome.

Thank you in advance.

We've just finished walking the Camino Portuguese (from Lisbon, Mar/Apr-16), so at least this is fairly fresh in the memory.

A couple of suggestions:

i) Walk from Porto in 9 days
* Per the Brierley Guide, the average over 10 days in just over 24km, so you could quite easily combine a couple of days;
* e.g. we walked 29m from Ponte de Lima to Pacos rather than the 18km suggested to Ribiaes and stayed at the delightful Quinta Estrada Romana;
* you could then do about 30km the next day from Pacos to Mos (very nice little albergue there apparently)
* finally, another 30km day would get you to Pontevedra and voila, you've walked 4 'Brierley' days in 3 days.

ii) Start from Vila do Conde and walk to Barcelos on the 1st day
* We got the metro out to Mostinhos and walked part of the coastal route from there....but then it's about 24km all said and done along the coast to Vila do Conde, which you probably won't have time for.
* However, you can get the metro from Porto, all the way to Vila do Conde on Line B.
* The route is well-marked from there , so you could make it to Barcelos that day (about 31km), thereby saving a 'Brierely' day that way.
* Note, if you're a bit late getting out to Vila do Conde, you can nip about 8km off by taking a bus to Junqueira and starting from there.

We kept a detailed blog www.jackiemattadventures.com, so feel free to refer to that for further information.

 

[coldweather]

Consider starting in Valenca or Tui. Walk for 6 days. Spend a few days in Santiago. Be sure to take the roof tour of the Cathedral. You can even take a day trip by bus to Finnisteri.

Take a look at the stages and work backwards for your length of time and Kms you prefer to walk.

Don't cut it so close that you feel you will have to "rush" to get to Santiago. Or, if you have a travel delay you will be way off of your plan.

Bom Camino.

 

[SabsP]

Consider starting in Barcelos.

Barcelos is indeed a good choice. You will miss the cobblestones and the mad traffic though

 

[Pato777]

Hello!

Im going to be walking a section of the Camino Portugues starting on the 3rd of May. I dont have much time sadly as Im having to travel back home on the 12th of May. This will be my first experience of walking a part of a Camino.

I want to finish up in Santiago and the fly home. I was hoping to begin in Porto but I realise that I wont have enough time to walk that distance (I have 9 days of walking time)

Will any one else be in this area at this time? Any tips on where I should begin so I can make it to Santiago in 9 days would be greatly appreciated. : )

I have done a fair bit of walking before, Im 29 years old with fairly good fitness levels.

Your help is very welcome.

Thank you in advance.

Hi, start on the outskirts of Porto at Matosinhos, the metro runs out there, walk along the coast to Villa de Conde, achievable in one day. Walk as far as you can, there are buses going to Santiago from a lot of the towns on the route, so if you run out of time you should be able to connect with one of them. Enjoy. Pat

 

[christy wharton]

Hello!

Im going to be walking a section of the Camino Portugues starting on the 3rd of May. I dont have much time sadly as Im having to travel back home on the 12th of May. This will be my first experience of walking a part of a Camino.

I want to finish up in Santiago and the fly home. I was hoping to begin in Porto but I realise that I wont have enough time to walk that distance (I have 9 days of walking time)

Will any one else be in this area at this time? Any tips on where I should begin so I can make it to Santiago in 9 days would be greatly appreciated. : )

I have done a fair bit of walking before, Im 29 years old with fairly good fitness levels.

Your help is very welcome.

Thank you in advance.

To see Santiago/Cathedral etc for at least a day you should start in Barcelos - a lovely town with nice albergues . I think you can get a bus from Porto.

 

[SabsP]

To see Santiago/Cathedral etc for at least a day you should start in Barcelos - a lovely town with nice albergues . I think you can get a bus from Porto.

Also a direct train from Porto to Barcelos.

 

[_K_walker]

Thank you so much everyone for your help - so informative! I think i may start from Barcelos.
Really looking forward to it, thank you again.
Blessings!

 

[MartinBH]

I can understand the suggestion to start from Barcelos.
To add som perspective, here's my trip (which I found a bit hard) in short form:

Hi,
I did this trip over eight walking days this Easter:
Metro from the centre of Porto to Matosinhos, then:

• Vila do Conde (along the coast) (22)
• Barcelos (via Rates, crossing inlands to the Central Route) (28)
• Ponte de Lima (32)
• Tui (38)
• Redondela (32)
• Pontevedra (21)
• Valga (33)
• Santiago (28)

 

[Stephen F.]

Consider starting in Barcelos.

I started in Barcelos last year. I thought it was a fine starting point, away from all the city congestion of Porto.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Hello!

Im going to be walking a section of the Camino Portugues starting on the 3rd of May. I dont have much time sadly as Im having to travel back home on the 12th of May. This will be my first experience of walking a part of a Camino.

I want to finish up in Santiago and the fly home. I was hoping to begin in Porto but I realise that I wont have enough time to walk that distance (I have 9 days of walking time)

Will any one else be in this area at this time? Any tips on where I should begin so I can make it to Santiago in 9 days would be greatly appreciated. : )

I have done a fair bit of walking before, Im 29 years old with fairly good fitness levels.

Your help is very welcome.

Thank you in advance.

Ponte de lima or valença/Tui, and give yourself a couple nights in Santiago. Longer (distances) is not always better buen Camino

 

[ctdkite]

Here's what my wife and I did earlier this month. First camino, no walking experience, stop at lots of churches. About 8 1/2 days.

Matosinhos to Vila do Conde

Vila do Conde to Sao Pedro de Rates

Sao Pedro de Rates to Lugar de Navió (Casas do Rio)

Lugar de Navió (Casas do Rio) to Ponte de Lima

Ponte de Lima to Paços (Quinta Estrada Romana)

Paços (Quinta Estrada Romana) to Porriño

Porriño to Caldas de Reis

Caldas de Reis to Padrón

Padrón to Santiago

 

[Justyna]

Hi
I start on 2nd May from Porto to Vila do Conde. So if you come 3rd May in the morning to Vila do Conde by metro, maybe we could go from there together. Justyna

Hello!

Im going to be walking a section of the Camino Portugues starting on the 3rd of May. I dont have much time sadly as Im having to travel back home on the 12th of May. This will be my first experience of walking a part of a Camino.

I want to finish up in Santiago and the fly home. I was hoping to begin in Porto but I realise that I wont have enough time to walk that distance (I have 9 days of walking time)

Will any one else be in this area at this time? Any tips on where I should begin so I can make it to Santiago in 9 days would be greatly appreciated. : )

I have done a fair bit of walking before, Im 29 years old with fairly good fitness levels.

Your help is very welcome.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Kay803]

Ponte de lima or valença/Tui, and give yourself a couple nights in Santiago. Longer (distances) is not always better buen Camino

I'd start in Valenca (I can't pass up a fort and the ghosts) to have the experience of crossing the international bridge, have time to walk around Tui (more ghosts, and not as serene), and have a couple of days in Santiago at the end. I was glad, at the end, that I had some time at the Cathedral, and didn't have to rush to the airport the very next day.

 

[Stephen F.]

I agree with several posters who urge leaving a couple of days for Santiago. If your Camino turns out like mine, there will be a lot to process and think about. I think 2 days in Santiago is really worthwhile.

 

[Fatma]

Here's what my wife and I did earlier this month. First camino, no walking experience, stop at lots of churches. About 8 1/2 days.

Matosinhos to Vila do Conde

Vila do Conde to Sao Pedro de Rates

Sao Pedro de Rates to Lugar de Navió (Casas do Rio)

Lugar de Navió (Casas do Rio) to Ponte de Lima

Ponte de Lima to Paços (Quinta Estrada Romana)

Paços (Quinta Estrada Romana) to Porriño

Porriño to Caldas de Reis

Caldas de Reis to Padrón

Padrón to Santiago

Hi
Where did u stay in Rates? In the albergue?
Do u know any alternatives?