Cycling the Portuguese from Lisbon - coastal route

[michelle grech]

Hi,
earlier this year I cycled the Camino Frances and simply loved it. Would like to cycle the Portuguese now and take the coastal route. Can 't seem to find may threads or information like suggested itineraries and stops on the net. I had cycled the Frances in 15 days but could have done it in 12/13 days. I simply followed a plan that was quite relaxed. Can anyone give me some tips or links? I read somewhere there is a ferry bit you can include....sounds cool.

Pls Help.

Michelle

 

[Gerry & Heather O'Neill]

Hi,
earlier this year I cycled the Camino Frances and simply loved it. Would like to cycle the Portuguese now and take the coastal route. Can 't seem to find may threads or information like suggested itineraries and stops on the net. I had cycled the Frances in 15 days but could have done it in 12/13 days. I simply followed a plan that was quite relaxed. Can anyone give me some tips or links? I read somewhere there is a ferry bit you can include....sounds cool.

Pls Help.

Michelle

Hi Michele,
My wife and I cycled from Lisbon in April, we used a combination of the inland route and coastal route.
You see our blog at: http://portugalcaminobike.blogspot.com.au/
By the way the ferry across to Spain has now closed down and you have to cycle along to the next bridge at Valenca.

Cheers
Gerry

 

[Albertinho]

Hi Michele,
My wife and I cycled from Lisbon in April, we used a combination of the inland route and coastal route.
You see our blog at: http://portugalcaminobike.blogspot.com.au/
By the way the ferry across to Spain has now closed down and you have to cycle along to the next bridge at Valenca.

Cheers
Gerry

Hi Gerry.. Nice to read your blog. Michelle will be happy with it.

By the way. You do not need bike to Valença to cross the river from Caminha due to being the ferry out of order

6 or 7 kms out of Caminhais a bridge near Vila Nova de Cedreira with over the river to the left leads you to. A Guarda.

Best regards

 

[Gerry & Heather O'Neill]

Hi Gerry.. Nice to read your blog. Michelle will be happy with it.

By the way. You do not need bike to Valença to cross the river from Caminha due to being the ferry out of order

6 or 7 kms out of Caminhais a bridge near Vila Nova de Cedreira with over the river to the left leads you to. A Guarda.

Best regards

Hi Albertinho,
I have checked my notes and yes you are right. There is a bridge at Villa Nova de Cerveira and I have updated my blog.
Cheers
Gerry

 

[Albertinho]

Hi Albertinho,
I have checked my notes and yes you are right. There is a bridge at Villa Nova de Cerveira and I have updated my blog.
Cheers
Gerry

You are welcome ! I drove over the bridge by my car and went to a Guarda
A detour of 26 kms from Caminho.
Straight on by the ferry the distance from Caminho to a Guarda is about 5 kms

 

[michelle grech]

Thanks for all the replies.... Is it possible to do it in 10 days ....coastal route included? I did the Frances in 15 and found that just a little bit too stretched...could have done it in 12/13 max. I'm also assuming that I can follow the walker's route most of the time cause I find these routes more interesting than the roads. Opinions?

 

[Albertinho]

Thanks for all the replies.... Is it possible to do it in 10 days ....coastal route included? I did the Frances in 15 and found that just a little bit too stretched...could have done it in 12/13 max. I'm also assuming that I can follow the walker's route most of the time cause I find these routes more interesting than the roads. Opinions?

It is about 270 kms so on bike you definitively can do I think

 

[michelle grech]

I meant from Lisbon.....

 

[Albertinho]

I meant from Lisbon.....

About 650 kms. So still you could do this !
The point is that you are only cycling by then and miss the beautifull places to visit.

 

[Maggie Spence]

I meant from Lisbon.....

Hi,
earlier this year I cycled the Camino Frances and simply loved it. Would like to cycle the Portuguese now and take the coastal route. Can 't seem to find may threads or information like suggested itineraries and stops on the net. I had cycled the Frances in 15 days but could have done it in 12/13 days. I simply followed a plan that was quite relaxed. Can anyone give me some tips or links? I read somewhere there is a ferry bit you can include....sounds cool.

Pls Help.

Michelle

Hi Michelle
My friend and I want to bike from Lisbon to Santiago and want to take about 2 weeks. We have hiked the Camino Frances 2 years ago, but are hoping to bike this coming summer. It seems from reading everyones posts that biking along the coast is doable from Porto but the route from Lisbon to Porto is more inland? How did you decide how far to ride each day? We are mid 50s, in good shape, but don't want to be exhausted each night. Any tips on places to stay or beaches to check out?

thanks

Maggie from Colorado

 

[michelle grech]

Hi Maggie
the Camino Portugues does not cater for pilgrims in the same way the Frances does. The difference is that accommodation is not as frequent so some pre-planning is necessary. What I basically did was determine the stops before and made provisional bookings in b&bs or albergues if available. I used a combination of the Brierly guide and the Camino Ways itineraries to determine where to stop. The Camino Ways gives you the maps and gradients so you can determine how hilly the day's ride is going to be. So I planned my stops as per my post which for us was doable. We followed the yellow arrows all the way which is much easier when cycling, however there were a few rough patches where we used the gps to jump onto the road. There were also days where we ended up cycling more that we had planned for some reason.We always try to aim to be done by say 3/4 ish to give us enough time to shower, explore and have a good meal.
Yes the route from Lisbon to Porto is inland which is great because you have a good balance if you take the coastal from Porto onwards. We loved both environments. The beaches from Porto onwards are breathtaking and we had every intention to swim but when we found out the temperature of the sea we quickly changed our mind!

Not sure if you came across my notes and video in this post: www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/cycling-the-camino-portugues-notes-observations.41424/#post-438963 but you should find my notes and observations which could help.
Although the daily distances we did were not huge, the terrain when you're not on tarmac slows you down. It took us 12 days of cycling with an extra day in Porto. Day 1 and 2 can easily be done in one day as it is fairly flat and fast. I'm sure you'll be fine but do have a look at my observations and video.
Let me know if I can help you in any way.
Bom Camino
Michelle