Lone female - Starting the Camino - Lisbon - 15th May 13

[Jax575]

Hi guys,

I'm a lone female planning on starting the Camino Portugues on the 15th / 16th May 13. I completed the Camino Frances on my own last year and as a female travelling alone I had no issues, in fact probably the opposite I felt other pilgrims quite protective over me when the realised I was on my own. All in all a very humbling experience - which brings me onto the concerns I have over starting the Camino Portugues. I have chosen to start in Lisbon but I am aware there is very little in the way of pilgrims hostels between Lisbon and Porto with pilgrims reliant on the hospitality of the bombederos. Is this option pretty straight forward? I speak pigeon Spanish but my Portuguese is non- existent and i worry about making myself understood or having a request for accommodation refused through lack of understanding. Maybe it's just Pre-Camino nerves - I have heard the Camino Portugues is quiet and beautiful and I am very excited but any advice big or small would be appreciated .

Kind Regards and god bless

Jax

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Jax,
I would definitely recommend that you search through the forum and you will find a lot of opinions and reports from the Camino from Lisbon.

Just a couple of preliminaries -- have you seen the online guides published by the British Confraternity of St. James? There's one for Lisbon-Porto and one for Porto-Santiago (donation requested after you download them). http://www.csj.org.uk/guides-online.htm

Also, by all means check the Via Lusitana's web page. They have a list of albergues, http://www.vialusitana.org/caminho-portugues/albergues/ from Lisbon onward. There was just a note here yesterday about an albergue opening in Santarem, which you can easily find.

I have walked this way alone, and I enjoyed it very much. But you should definitely check out some of the not so rosy opinions, particularly Michal's. There is a lot of road walking, though the ViaLusitana is trying to move the path off the road whenever they can. The arrows are very good because the ViaLusitana keeps them in good shape.

I do speak some Portuguese and it was very helpful. Though many more Portuguese people speak English than their neighbors to the East, you'll be in a lot of remote little villages where knowing Spanish is likely to be a huge godsend.

I never stayed with the bombeiros, but was always able to find a relatively cheap pensao (pension) option.

Here are some notes from my Lisbon-Porto experience in 2009 (i was living in Lisbon at the time, so I did a lot of day trips out and back). el-camino-portugues/topic5398.html

Things have changed a lot, there are in fact several albergues and a lot more traffic. But it is still definitely not a heavily traveled camino.

Here is a link to my pictures from Lisbon to Porto, in case you are interested:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10410577 ... p72psbzYFw

So, check out the threads on this forum, the search function works very well. and then let us know what questions you have, happy to try to answer.

Buen camino, Laurie

(And p.s., as you will see on the ViaLusitana's web page, they have a 24 hour a day SÔS phone with people speaking English, German, Spanish, etc. They will help pilgrims in many languages and at any time of day-- so make sure to bring the number with you!)

 

[Morris Jensen]

Hi Jax, I'm on the camino now, I started from Lisbon a week ago and have taken a rest day at Fatima. Alone the way I lost, found and lost the markCamino. so gave up on them and just made my own way. It was pretty boring until Pernes, and nice after Minde. I have stayed with the Bombeirous Volunteers - fire stations four nights, with the Santa Casa Misercordia one night and camped out once. There were mattresses and blankets at the B/V, only one asked for 10 euros, one 5 and two nothing. I'm making my own route now to Porto, then on to S-de-C.
In towns, watch out for roaming dogs, most are chained. I got nipped outside of Santarem, bugger came from behind. Carry a stick and use it. Bon Caminho

 

[santaremhostel]

Hi Jax, the Santarem Hostel post was updated today.
Find it here:
el-camino-portugues/topic17809.html
Also more information and photos in facebook and http://www.santaremhostel.blogspot.pt
or email us: santaremhostel@sapo.pt
As peregrina mentioned, many people speak english but if you speak spanish you will have no
problem with comunication.
Let me know if need more help
Bom Caminho

 

[johns]

hi haveing walked Lp s dc. lisbon to porto is a lonely walk i met three french guys who told me they were turn away more than once from the bombeiros. but they were three of them. never made a donation they said make sure you have some funds to find a bed .