Estremoz (Portugal)

[Martin 888]

Was in the town of Estremoz, northeast of Evora today in Portugal. This region is east/south east of Lisbon in the interior. At the top of the town I came across Camino shells and arrows heading in a northerly direction……quite a surprise as I had no clue that this area was part of a Camino trail. Despite asking several people, nobody had a clue what Camino this was or what the markers were all about. The guy on the door at the very posh looking Posada which is part of the castle tried to convince me that it was the ‘yellow route’ because the arrows were yellow ! Can anybody shed some light on this? Jungleboy? Thanks.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Was in the town of Estremoz, northeast of Evora today in Portugal. This region is east/south east of Lisbon in the interior. At the top of the town I came across Camino shells and arrows heading in a northerly direction……quite a surprise as I had no clue that this area was part of a Camino trail. Despite asking several people, nobody had a clue what Camino this was or what the markers were all about. The guy on the door at the very posh looking Posada which is part of the castle tried to convince me that it was the ‘yellow route’ because the arrows were yellow ! Can anybody shed some light on this? Jungleboy? Thanks.

It’s the Camino Nascente. There is a fascinating connection with Santiago Cathedral. The marble for the “Tree of Jesse” in the P de Gloria was identified conclusively in 2019 as originating from the spectacular marble quarries at Estremoz. Google them.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

With a nudge and a wink to @mspath, @Rebekah Scott and @VNwalking, that bit of information came to light recently in my research for “ the book”.

 

[jungleboy]

Yes, it’s the Nascente. Such an amazing Camino and we loved Estremoz! Discussion thread here with links and info.

 

[Martin 888]

Thanks everyone……I suspected that this knowledge would be out there on the forum. Just shows the power of this platform! Off back to Estremoz this morning to see the large Saturday morning outdoor market…..and look for a few more arrows!!

 

[Martin 888]

Yes, it’s the Nascente. Such an amazing Camino and we loved Estremoz! Discussion thread here with links and info.

Hey Nick…..is this Camino covered in any of your wonderful podcasts ?

 

[jungleboy]

Hey Nick…..is this Camino covered in any of your wonderful podcasts ?

Thank you and yes, the first eight episodes of season 2!

 

[Martin 888]

Thank you and yes, the first eight episodes of season 2!

Ooh good……I’ll be all over those when I return to Canada….,thanks a million ! How was the balance of the signage and way markers on the trail? We followed the arrows through Estremoz for fun and then they seemed to disappear on the edge of town.

 

[jungleboy]

How was the balance of the signage and way markers on the trail? We followed the arrows through Estremoz for fun and then they seemed to disappear on the edge of town.

Way marking is good in general. It's a new camino (2019) and a top-down one (i.e. created by the government), which both lend themselves to good signage. The local authorities made a big effort to determine what the path would be (e.g. by seeking permission from landowners to go through their lands rather than on roads where possible) and then signpost it. These were the things they felt were important to get the camino started and that they were able to provide (whereas more bottom-up initiatives, e.g. the Geira, prioritised making GPS tracks available more so than physical signage, given their limitations as passionate volunteer types but without a government budget).

 

[Kev&Kath]

Thank you and yes, the first eight episodes of season 2!

Nick...thanks for the info on your Podcast. I didn't know about this one....and will tune in to check it out. Thanks!!

 

[Maria Man]

In the south of Portugal, the locals don't walk the Camino to Santiago and they don't believe people are willing to walk to Santiago. Most of the time even the tourist office don't know much about the Camino and you don't know how long for me to negotiate with the tourist office, just to convince them that they have the stamp for pilgrims... I don't recommend people to walk from the south of Portugal unless they are well trained to walk the Camino as it's kind of a tough Camino compared to other popular routes that starts from Lisbon and Porto.

Hope you enjoy visiting Portugal and the Camino is always waiting for everyone who needs it !

Maria

 

[Maria Man]

If you walk religiously from Tavira and checkout the signage on the churches / ruins / cruzeiros, you will notice the Templars of the Order of Santiago was along the road building hospital for pilgrims. The government knows the history and that's why they rebuild the Camino but for tourism gains and for the local economy. There's no profit to build albergues down in the south of Portugal for pilgrims because people walking are mostly tourists and hikers and they can afford to pay more to sleep in hostels and residential. Of course I also saw people walking with very little budget and sleep in a tent but they have to be careful because it is illegal to do that in Portugal.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

It’s the Camino Nascente. There is a fascinating connection with Santiago Cathedral. The marble for the “Tree of Jesse” in the P de Gloria was identified conclusively in 2019 as originating from the spectacular marble quarries at Estremoz. Google them.

Thanks for the clarification. After we walked the Portugues last year, we rent a car in Lisbon to tour central Portugal for a week. We fell in love with Estremoz, totally unexpected. It was isolated small hilltown evocative of some of the best in Tuscany, with a heart pounding uphill walk to the top where the views were priceless. We saw the pilgrim signs there and in another town nearby. We asked a local who looked at us blindly, looked at the sign and shook his head.

 

[Martin 888]

I’m on a roll here……I discovered yet another previously unheard of Camino (to me) today hiking in the Sierra Natural Park near to Aracena in SW Spain. Can anyone share any light on this one ?

 

[peregrina2000]

It’s the Camino del Sur, which goes from Huelva to Zafra, where it joins the Vdlp. If you’ve never read one of @alansykes’ live camino reports, read this one and you’ll probably be hooked.

 

[Martin 888]

It’s the Camino del Sur, which goes from Huelva to Zafra, where it joins the Vdlp. If you’ve never read one of @alansykes’ live camino reports, read this one and you’ll probably be hooked.

Muchas Gracias…….fascinating !

 

[Martin 888]

It’s the Camino del Sur, which goes from Huelva to Zafra, where it joins the Vdlp. If you’ve never read one of @alansykes’ live camino reports, read this one and you’ll probably be hooked.

This is probably a pain but can I trouble you for insight into one final new discovery tonight in Cadiz……yet another Camino that I’ve never heard of. Would have never thought of running across the trail close to the ocean in Cadiz!!

 

[peregrina2000]

That’s an easy one. The Via Augusta, 7 days from Cádiz to Sevilla.

See the Association‘s webpage.

You just have to start walking!

 

[Martin 888]

That’s an easy one. The Via Augusta, 7 days from Cádiz to Sevilla.

See the Association‘s webpage.

You just have to start walking!

Hello from Cadiz…..thank you so much for the speedy and interesting response. Needless to say I’ll be taking a closer look at all these. Goodness me……who’d have thought !!