Directions - Vila do Conde to Rates

[Elisha]

Hi fellow pilgrims,

I'm wondering if anyone might have a screenshot of the route between Vila do Conde & Rates? I've heard that the cut across from the Coastal Route to the Central Route isn't that well marked & it can be easy to loose the path. I believe the Brierley guide has some information on this particular section? If anyone has a map or can offer some directions, I'd be really grateful xx

 

[peregrino_tom]

Hello Elisha
I haven't got that screenshot, but until it is posted I just wanted to reassure you that you can walk this way without it. I think this is one of those historical issues that resurfaces years after it was actually resolved. When I walked it a few years back there were actually quite a lot of markers. And whenever I hesitated for a second at a junction a local person seemed to pop out of nowhere to offer assistance.

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

You can use Luis Freixo's Blog :

Adobe Acrobat

documentcloud.adobe.com

 

[Camembert]

No trouble at all.
Arriving along to coast from Porto into Vila do Conde will be by passing a bridge over the river. Turn right at the end of the bridge and follow the river at your right side and you are on the waymarked caminho to São Pedro de Rates.

Attention. As soon as you turn right at the end of the same bridge after two meters (yes two meters !) is a waymarker to the right that leads underneath the bridge . If you follow that particulairy waymarker you continue following the coastal caminho .
That caminho leads through the town of Vila do Conde to Póvoa de Varzim .

Through Vila do Conde leads an antique aquaduct. By following that aquaduct , there also will be waymarkers to the Central Route to Arcade and São Pedro de Rates. However I followed the aquaduct once as a tourist, I did not follow the waymarkers from there.

 

[Elisha]

No trouble at all.
Arriving along to coast from Porto into Vila do Conde will be by passing a bridge over the river. Turn right at the end of the bridge and follow the river at your right side and you are on the waymarked caminho to São Pedro de Rates.

Attention. As soon as you turn right at the end of the same bridge after two meters (yes two meters !) is a waymarker to the right that leads underneath the bridge . If you follow that particulairy waymarker you continue following the coastal caminho .
That caminho leads through the town of Vila do Conde to Póvoa de Varzim .

Through Vila do Conde leads an antique aquaduct. By following that aquaduct , there also will be waymarkers to the Central Route to Arcade and São Pedro de Rates. However I followed the aquaduct once as a tourist, I did not follow the waymarkers from there.

This is fantastic, thank you so much for your help.

 

[Elisha]

A helpful pilgrim also sent me this map in case anyone is interested.

As a choice, which route would you suggest taking? The aquaduct or the more northern path into Rates?

 

[Camembert]

A helpful pilgrim also sent me this map in case anyone is interested.

As a choice, which route would you suggest taking? The aquaduct or the more northern path into Rates?

When you click on the picture in the left corner you see the red line .that's
o caminho pela costa-the coastal path As I described
here above . Directly over the bridge right and right again and underneath the bridge.

I live in in a temporally house for the moment because we are building a new house so all my stuff is packed in about 80 boxes. I know I have a Brierley guide and a Portuguese guide and I wanted one or both guides to take with me on April 5th when we start at Vairão . So I opened a lot of boxes today and found my books and studying the Brierley guide I saw a green dotted line following the aquaduct and leading to Beiriz de Baixo and than directly to São Pedro de Rates.
I think that is a good alternative. The original route alng the river from Vila do Conde leads to the medieval bridge in Arcos and than into São Pedro de Rates.

 

[David Tallan]

A helpful pilgrim also sent me this map in case anyone is interested.

As a choice, which route would you suggest taking? The aquaduct or the more northern path into Rates?

I took the southern blue path (along the river from Vila do Conde), which joins the black Central Route in Arcos. Then you walk the Central route up to Rates and beyond. It was what my guidebooks recommended and it worked well for me.

 

[Camembert]

I took the southern blue path (along the river from Vila do Conde), which joins the black Central Route in Arcos. Then you walk the Central route up to Rates and beyond. It was what my guidebooks recommended and it worked well for me.

The

I took the southern blue path (along the river from Vila do Conde), which joins the black Central Route in Arcos. Then you walk the Central route up to Rates and beyond. It was what my guidebooks recommended and it worked well for me.

The black path to be complete in this thread is the original central caminho path, coming from Porto through the suburbs and places like Vairão and Vilarinho .
Both come together just before the medieval bridge in Arcos as David mentions here above.
The central part is not very nice coming at Porto but once arriving in Vairão it changes in a more rural path which is beautiful to walk on.
I personally love like the albergue Monastério de Vairão very much . this albergue is situated at the 3 floor of this monastery and from your room you overview a stunning landscape of your the area you walk through.
Carla, the hospitaleira of the albergue is a very nice and helpful lady.

 

[daleb]

Hi fellow pilgrims,

I'm wondering if anyone might have a screenshot of the route between Vila do Conde & Rates? I've heard that the cut across from the Coastal Route to the Central Route isn't that well marked & it can be easy to loose the path. I believe the Brierley guide has some information on this particular section? If anyone has a map or can offer some directions, I'd be really grateful xx

So Elisha, what did you do in the end? I am flying to porto this week and am looking at this connection/ where to sleep. . Cheers. Dale (uk)

 

[auburnfive]

If you stop at the tourist information in Vila do Conde they will give you an old fashioned paper map of the route.