Esposende to Barcelos - Walking paths?

[CoquilleDC]

I am interested in doing a couple of days on the Coastal Route (Porto to Vila do Conde then Vila do Conde to Esposende), then joining up with the Central Route by going from Esposende to Barcelos. Has anybody done this on foot? There are transport options, but I'd like to hike it if possible. Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[jsalt]

Has anybody done this on foot? There are transport options, but I'd like to hike it if possible.

Hi, welcome to the forum! You could walk it, using MapsMe, but I wouldn’t risk it. Portuguese roads are narrow, have no sidewalks, and Portuguese drivers become maniacs behind the wheel of a car. For the cost of a few euros I’d take the bus.
Jill

 

[CoquilleDC]

Hi, welcome to the forum! You could walk it, using MapsMe, but I wouldn’t risk it. Portuguese roads are narrow, have no sidewalks, and Portuguese drivers become maniacs behind the wheel of a car. For the cost of a few euros I’d take the bus.
Jill

Thank you! I think you are probably very correct!

 

[andycohn]

Agreed. We took the same route to Esposende, then easy 1/2 hour bus ride to Barcelos. That left us with a pleasant 19-20 k walk to Casa da Fernanda, a slice of heaven on the Camino.

 

[edumad]

I live in the Esposende area. There is no easy route from Esposende to Barcelos.
Both roads, either north or south of the river Cávado are fairly busy and in several points don't have much room for pedestrians.

There are tracks used to access the fields and forests by the river which can be used to hike, mostly off-road, up to Barcelos, these are used sometimes by mountain bikers.
Only from the bridge in Fão to the river beach in Fonte Boa (Barca do Lago) is there are straight forward path. Tis is being built to eventually run all the way from the mouth of Cávado River upstream into the Gerês National Park.

Because there are no markings, its a bit of hassle, so I'd recommend taking a bus and using the time to check out the towns.