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Hi there. Starting my 1st Camino in early August and would appreciate any thoughts or advice.
Arriving in London from Australia on Aug 1st then fly into Lisbon on the 3rd around noon and plan to pick up a set of poles from Decathlon then take a bus straight to Fatima. I'll spend that night and some of the next day investigating Fatima before travelling to Porto by bus.
Day 1 - Porto to Vila do Conde 31km I plan to set off on my Camino from Porto along the coast to Villa do Conde on the 5th. If I have time the previous afternoon/evening I may walk along the river to Metosinhos, before catching a bus back to my accommodation in Porto, then I can bus it back to Metosinhos in the morning to resume my walk north. That should then be only a 22km day to Vila do Conde.
Day 2 - Vila do Conde to Barcelos 27km
Day 3 - Barcelos to Casa Fernanda 19km
Day 4 - Casa Fernanda to Rubiaes 30km (a little worried about the long day and quite hilly I believe)
Day 4 - Rubiaes to Valenca 19km
Day 5 - Valenca to Redondela 31km (I'm a little worried about the distance)
Day 6 - Redondela to Pontevedra 19km
Day 7 - Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis 23km
Day 8 - Caldas de Reis to Padron 19km
Day 9 - Padron to Santiago DC 25km
Day 10 Fly out of Santiago back to London Aug 15th at 7pm.
I plan on staying at Albergues or perhaps some fire-houses, should I phone ahead and pre-book my accommodation? and if so how far ahead?
At the moment I have that last day in reserve just in case I have a problem. My 1st two days are long because I'm really trying to stay at Casa Fernanda. I plan on travelling very light and carry all my gear.
Could I improve my scheduling?
I'm travelling light and only taking, 1 pair of shoes, 1 pair of flip-flops, hat, 3 shirts, 1 shorts, 1 long pants with zipp off legs, 1 wind proof vest, 3 underwear, 3 pair socks, water bottle, razor, tooth brush & paste, soap & shampoo, mini towel sun screen, IPhone and charger, just a sleeping bag liner & inflatable pillow, mini light, sunglasses, ear plugs, a poncho, walking poles and guide book.
Any other items that would be an absolute necessity?
I'm not worried about sightseeing in Lisbon and Porto because later in September I'll be returning to these two cities with friends before flying back to Australia.
I'd truly appreciate any advice, thanks.
Mike
Take the train. quicker. When you leave Vila do Conde stop and spend the night in Rates the go on to Barcelos. When you leave Mama Fernandas house spend the night in Ponte de Lima. Be sure to visit the border fort in Valenca. Buen CaminoHi there. Starting my 1st Camino in early August and would appreciate any thoughts or advice.
Arriving in London from Australia on Aug 1st then fly into Lisbon on the 3rd around noon and plan to pick up a set of poles from Decathlon then take a bus straight to Fatima. I'll spend that night and some of the next day investigating Fatima before travelling to Porto by bus.
Day 1 - Porto to Vila do Conde 31km I plan to set off on my Camino from Porto along the coast to Villa do Conde on the 5th. If I have time the previous afternoon/evening I may walk along the river to Metosinhos, before catching a bus back to my accommodation in Porto, then I can bus it back to Metosinhos in the morning to resume my walk north. That should then be only a 22km day to Vila do Conde.
Day 2 - Vila do Conde to Barcelos 27km
Day 3 - Barcelos to Casa Fernanda 19km
Day 4 - Casa Fernanda to Rubiaes 30km (a little worried about the long day and quite hilly I believe)
Day 4 - Rubiaes to Valenca 19km
Day 5 - Valenca to Redondela 31km (I'm a little worried about the distance)
Day 6 - Redondela to Pontevedra 19km
Day 7 - Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis 23km
Day 8 - Caldas de Reis to Padron 19km
Day 9 - Padron to Santiago DC 25km
Day 10 Fly out of Santiago back to London Aug 15th at 7pm.
I plan on staying at Albergues or perhaps some fire-houses, should I phone ahead and pre-book my accommodation? and if so how far ahead?
At the moment I have that last day in reserve just in case I have a problem. My 1st two days are long because I'm really trying to stay at Casa Fernanda. I plan on travelling very light and carry all my gear.
Could I improve my scheduling?
I'm travelling light and only taking, 1 pair of shoes, 1 pair of flip-flops, hat, 3 shirts, 1 shorts, 1 long pants with zipp off legs, 1 wind proof vest, 3 underwear, 3 pair socks, water bottle, razor, tooth brush & paste, soap & shampoo, mini towel sun screen, IPhone and charger, just a sleeping bag liner & inflatable pillow, mini light, sunglasses, ear plugs, a poncho, walking poles and guide book.
Any other items that would be an absolute necessity?
I'm not worried about sightseeing in Lisbon and Porto because later in September I'll be returning to these two cities with friends before flying back to Australia.
I'd truly appreciate any advice, thanks.
Mike
Btw regarding marking- I only used the guide between Villa de Condo onwards 10k then the arrows appear again. I cannot compare to CF but I found it sufficient.Hi there. Starting my 1st Camino in early August and would appreciate any thoughts or advice.
Arriving in London from Australia on Aug 1st then fly into Lisbon on the 3rd around noon and plan to pick up a set of poles from Decathlon then take a bus straight to Fatima. I'll spend that night and some of the next day investigating Fatima before travelling to Porto by bus.
Day 1 - Porto to Vila do Conde 31km I plan to set off on my Camino from Porto along the coast to Villa do Conde on the 5th. If I have time the previous afternoon/evening I may walk along the river to Metosinhos, before catching a bus back to my accommodation in Porto, then I can bus it back to Metosinhos in the morning to resume my walk north. That should then be only a 22km day to Vila do Conde.
Day 2 - Vila do Conde to Barcelos 27km
Day 3 - Barcelos to Casa Fernanda 19km
Day 4 - Casa Fernanda to Rubiaes 30km (a little worried about the long day and quite hilly I believe)
Day 4 - Rubiaes to Valenca 19km
Day 5 - Valenca to Redondela 31km (I'm a little worried about the distance)
Day 6 - Redondela to Pontevedra 19km
Day 7 - Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis 23km
Day 8 - Caldas de Reis to Padron 19km
Day 9 - Padron to Santiago DC 25km
Day 10 Fly out of Santiago back to London Aug 15th at 7pm.
I plan on staying at Albergues or perhaps some fire-houses, should I phone ahead and pre-book my accommodation? and if so how far ahead?
At the moment I have that last day in reserve just in case I have a problem. My 1st two days are long because I'm really trying to stay at Casa Fernanda. I plan on travelling very light and carry all my gear.
Could I improve my scheduling?
I'm travelling light and only taking, 1 pair of shoes, 1 pair of flip-flops, hat, 3 shirts, 1 shorts, 1 long pants with zipp off legs, 1 wind proof vest, 3 underwear, 3 pair socks, water bottle, razor, tooth brush & paste, soap & shampoo, mini towel sun screen, IPhone and charger, just a sleeping bag liner & inflatable pillow, mini light, sunglasses, ear plugs, a poncho, walking poles and guide book.
Any other items that would be an absolute necessity?
I'm not worried about sightseeing in Lisbon and Porto because later in September I'll be returning to these two cities with friends before flying back to Australia.
I'd truly appreciate any advice, thanks.
Mike
Be prepared for a very hilly trek. The Caminho Portugues is not as well marked as the Camino Frances. However, the route from Porto is marked significantly better than Lisbon to Porto. Still I would advise taking a compass, you can easily get lost. My recollection of Ponte de Lima to Valenca is of a 4.5 Km hard climb over the Alta da Portela Grande. It was very muddy and one kept losing both balance and footing.
Bom Caminho
Buy the Brierly guide for the Portuguese, it will give you the albergue information to book ahead. No idea if there's a pilgrim mass or not in Barcelos, don't think I noticed one in Portugal at all.Thank you so much everyone for the replies, they are a great help.
I believe my fitness should not be a problem as I am currently doing three 15klm runs every week. I was just a little worried about the accumulative effect walking consecutive 20k+ days over cobbles and rough terrain may have on my knees. That's why I will use the walking sticks on my Camino. From early July I will switch from running to walking 10k every day with long walks on the weekend.
Does anyone know of the pilgrim mass in Barcelos? and its time?
Is there a page on this forum that has the names and phone numbers of the Albergues?
And I assume I would phone these to book a bed about 2 days in advance?
There is no doubt I will think of more questions soon.
Thanks again everyone.
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