Fatima/Pope = No Ferry From Caminha till Sunday.

[Playful Dread]

We are currently in Caminha on the coastal route and we were hoping to catch the ferry over the river Minhos into Spain heading for A Guarda.

We've been told that due to the Popes visit to Fatima here in Portugal all ferry crossings are suspended until Sunday. Not sure of the reasoning behind this yet but if anyone else is headed this way be prepared for either a 10km detour up the coast to a bridge crossing or to spend a few extra nights in Caminha.

We managed to book a really cheap airbnb so are staying local with Maria here in Caminha till Sunday. It will also give our blisters time to heal and dry out ready for the next part of our walk up the coast.

One thing we have realised this Camino is that we may be reaching that time in life where our bodies are taking a lot longer to acclimatise to sleeping outdoors with the bare minimum of equipment we have. Our tarp gathered so much condensation the other night we nearly ended up wetter on the inside of the tarp than there was dew on the outside.

Anyhow's we are enjoying the rest and watching the occasional torrential downpour from this lovely town flat off the square so I'll bid everyone a bom Caminho and say a little prayer in the hope his holiness doesn't cause any more disruptions!

ONE love.

 

[Doogman]

I am not sure from your post if all boat crossings are banned, but if you walk along the river towards the ocean, you will come to a large beach near the mouth of the river. Ask for Mario, and if he is there, he will take you across in his fishing boat. That is how we did it last summer, instead of waiting for the ferry.

 

[Playful Dread]

Thanks Doogman. I have since found out that there is a crossing from Foz do Minho by a local water taxi but requires a minimum of 5 people. I think with the blisters the way they are anyway I'm almost welcoming the rest off my feet.

But if I heal quickly enough then Mario seems a good plan.

Again, many thanks Doogman