Portuguese decision time.

[Mr_Ross_Duncan]

Hi, I'm helping some friends plan their first Camino. They would like to do a combination of coastal and interior routes.
Coastal out of Porto to Vila do Conde then switch up to the interior, but trying to miss some of the bad road walking that seems to be associated with the stretch from Fao to San Pedro de Rates. (is it that bad?).
One option for them seems to be to peel off at Vila do Conde and head up to Arcos and from there onwards to Barcelos.
From there the plan is to head to Tui and then cab it across back to the coastal route at A Guarda.
This is where the confusion starts. How far is it on that leg from Vila do Conde and what accommodation options are there.
Gronze doesn't seem to detail anything about that variation at all, instead only mentioning the leg from Fao briefly.
I'm thinking this is all too much hassle and they should just stick with the coastal route from Porto all the way.
However, having done the interior route some years ago, the towns of Ponte de Lima, Barcelos, Rubiaes etc where pretty special.
Thanks
Ross

 

[Bartman]

I started on the Senda and went inland @ Vila do Conde. I found the route out of VdC hard to follow for lack of arrows but managed using Google maps, and maybe Camino Ninja (maybe available now as Camino Love) and Buen Camino.

Here is my Relive video of that section:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqXNJ8VZoO

after looking at it again just now, it does appear that the early part was a lot of road walking but I wasn't bothered by it. Just keep your wits about.

Once I got to Rates & the Central route it was much like what I remember as parts of the C. Frances.

Hope this helps.

Buen Camino,
Bartman

 

[jungleboy]

They would like to do a combination of coastal and interior routes.

To avoid confusion, the non-coastal way out of Porto is called the central route. The interior is a different camino entirely (further east, starting at Viseu).

 

[Camembert]

Hi, I'm helping some friends plan their first Camino. They would like to do a combination of coastal and interior routes.
Coastal out of Porto to Vila do Conde then switch up to the interior, but trying to miss some of the bad road walking that seems to be associated with the stretch from Fao to San Pedro de Rates. (is it that bad?).
One option for them seems to be to peel off at Vila do Conde and head up to Arcos and from there onwards to Barcelos.
From there the plan is to head to Tui and then cab it across back to the coastal route at A Guarda.
This is where the confusion starts. How far is it on that leg from Vila do Conde and what accommodation options are there.
Gronze doesn't seem to detail anything about that variation at all, instead only mentioning the leg from Fao briefly.
I'm thinking this is all too much hassle and they should just stick with the coastal route from Porto all the way.
However, having done the interior route some years ago, the towns of Ponte de Lima, Barcelos, Rubiaes etc where pretty special.
Thanks
Ross

The name Interior is misleading. You talk about the Central route. The Interior is at the Eastside of Portugal
although I walked last time in 2019 I heard there is a detour now between São Pedro de Rates and Barcelos to avoid the roadwalking It should start around the hamlet of Pedra Furada
in Vila do Conde you can follow the Aquaduct and find your way to Arcos what is a nice detour Ask for information at the albergue, tourist info or look at google maps.
when I walked it, it was not waymarked but easy to find
Plan a restday once arrived in Barcelos and take the train or bus to Braga ,an antique Roman town and there is one of the World Heritage famous spots, the Sanctuary Bom Jesus do Monte with splendid views over the town and the area around.

plan and reserve a bed or a privat room at Casa da Fernanda in Vitorino dos Piães between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima, the best privat albergue in Portugal with the real Caminho experience as a common meal with all present peregrinos.

From Tui to A Guarda is about 30 kms , not waymarked but just following the Minho river

 

[Camembert]

I started on the Senda and went inland @ Vila do Conde. I found the route out of VdC hard to follow for lack of arrows but managed using Google maps, and maybe Camino Ninja (maybe available now as Camino Love) and Buen Camino.

Here is my Relive video of that section:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqXNJ8VZoO

after looking at it again just now, it does appear that the early part was a lot of road walking but I wasn't bothered by it. Just keep your wits about.

Once I got to Rates & the Central route it was much like what I remember as parts of the C. Frances.

Hope this helps.

Buen Camino,
Bartman

A very nice video

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

Here is my Relive video of that section:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqXNJ8VZoO

after looking at it again just now, it does appear that the early part was a lot of road walking but I wasn't bothered by it. Just keep your wits about.

Nice video! We just walked Maia -> Vairão -> Rates a few days ago. Plenty of "road walking" but as long as there was a sidewalk or a shoulder, or drivers kept to village speeds, we didn't feel unsafe. Is that was you mean?

Then again, there was one ~200 meter stretch north of the Ave river and before Junqueira with no shoulder at all and very fast highway traffic. We felt the need to step off into the weeds for every passing vehicle. Was the VdC->Rates route ever like that?

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

Hi, I'm helping some friends plan their first Camino. They would like to do a combination of coastal and interior routes.

I'm in exactly that situation right now - trying to advise friends!

I see questions asked almost daily about the best cutover routes from the Coastal/Litoral to the Central in the Vila do Conde/Pôvoa de Varzim area. I know of at least three routes but I have yet to see a clear reply from anyone who can compare among them.

To recap, the three routes I'm aware of are:

[1] The river route from Vila do Conde to Arcos (in Brierley stage 14 and on Flannery's map, 10.0 km)

[2] The "aqueduct" route from Vila do Conde to S. Pedro de Rates (in Brierley stage 14 and on Flannery's map, 12.7 km)

[3] A hike and bike trail from near the Pôvoa de Varzim metro stop to S. Pedro de Rates. It starts here: https://goo.gl/maps/Dg4SA4eZv1eQuCoj6

People complain about poor waymarking and highway walking on the two Vila do Conde routes [1 and 2].

The hike and bike trail [3] seems like it should be safe and easy to follow, but it curves quite a few km out of the way (although Google Maps says it's only 13.7 km).

Has anyone walked more than one of these routes and can compare them?

 

[mishlove]

Hi, I'm helping some friends plan their first Camino. They would like to do a combination of coastal and interior routes.
Coastal out of Porto to Vila do Conde then switch up to the interior, but trying to miss some of the bad road walking that seems to be associated with the stretch from Fao to San Pedro de Rates. (is it that bad?).
One option for them seems to be to peel off at Vila do Conde and head up to Arcos and from there onwards to Barcelos.
From there the plan is to head to Tui and then cab it across back to the coastal route at A Guarda.
This is where the confusion starts. How far is it on that leg from Vila do Conde and what accommodation options are there.
Gronze doesn't seem to detail anything about that variation at all, instead only mentioning the leg from Fao briefly.
I'm thinking this is all too much hassle and they should just stick with the coastal route from Porto all the way.
However, having done the interior route some years ago, the towns of Ponte de Lima, Barcelos, Rubiaes etc where pretty special.
Thanks
Ross

Try the TrailSmart App - It shows a route from Vila do Conde to Sao Pedro de Rates. When I walked it I did not have the app, but found my way.

 

[Mr_Ross_Duncan]

The name Interior is misleading. You talk about the Central route. The Interior is at the Eastside of Portugal
although I walked last time in 2019 I heard there is a detour now between São Pedro de Rates and Barcelos to avoid the roadwalking It should start around the hamlet of Pedra Furada
in Vila do Conde you can follow the Aquaduct and find your way to Arcos what is a nice detour Ask for information at the albergue, tourist info or look at google maps.
when I walked it, it was not waymarked but easy to find
Plan a restday once arrived in Barcelos and take the train or bus to Braga ,an antique Roman town and there is one of the World Heritage famous spots, the Sanctuary Bom Jesus do Monte with splendid views over the town and the area around.

plan and reserve a bed or a privat room at Casa da Fernanda in Vitorino dos Piães between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima, the best privat albergue in Portugal with the real Caminho experience as a common meal with all present peregrinos.

From Tui to A Guarda is about 30 kms , not waymarked but just following the Minho river

Thanks for that information, very helpful.

 

[Mr_Ross_Duncan]

I started on the Senda and went inland @ Vila do Conde. I found the route out of VdC hard to follow for lack of arrows but managed using Google maps, and maybe Camino Ninja (maybe available now as Camino Love) and Buen Camino.

Here is my Relive video of that section:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqXNJ8VZoO

after looking at it again just now, it does appear that the early part was a lot of road walking but I wasn't bothered by it. Just keep your wits about.

Once I got to Rates & the Central route it was much like what I remember as parts of the C. Frances.

Hope this helps.

Buen Camino,
Bartman

That's great, thanks for all that, Cheers.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

I see questions asked almost daily about the best cutover routes from the Coastal/Litoral to the Central in the Vila do Conde/Pôvoa de Varzim area. I know of at least three routes but I have yet to see a clear reply from anyone who can compare among them.

At last I've found a clear answer! Over on Facebook, Kevin Donahue writes:

"There are at least three routes to Rates from VdConde: the "official" yellow arrow route, the aquaduct route, and the ecopista. You can receive a paper map with all three routes at the VdConde tourist office. The tourist office suggests that you follow the "official" waymarked route. ...

Hope this will help. I've highlighted three bright pink/purple routes out of VdConde. All three are largegly if not completely paved tracks.

ECOPISTA: Northernmost route around Sao Felix, bicycle path, no car traffic

AQUEDUCT: Middle route directly to Rates, tracks the aqueduct into more rural, farm areas. Limited car areas, passes through two small towns.

RECOMMENDED [by the tourist office]: Southernmost route through Junqueira. Many sections are a two-lane, higher-speed road walk. Passes through more towns. Few tranquil areas.

The Junqueira route is high-speed cars on a two lane road with very little shoulder. Pilgrims walk single file and it can be a little scary. The aquaduct is significantly less traffic and not entirely on the roadway. The Ecopista is entirely on bike route, no cars. I would/will walk the aquaduct always."

 

[David Tallan]

Hi, I'm helping some friends plan their first Camino. They would like to do a combination of coastal and interior routes.
Coastal out of Porto to Vila do Conde then switch up to the interior, but trying to miss some of the bad road walking that seems to be associated with the stretch from Fao to San Pedro de Rates. (is it that bad?).
One option for them seems to be to peel off at Vila do Conde and head up to Arcos and from there onwards to Barcelos.
From there the plan is to head to Tui and then cab it across back to the coastal route at A Guarda.
This is where the confusion starts. How far is it on that leg from Vila do Conde and what accommodation options are there.
Gronze doesn't seem to detail anything about that variation at all, instead only mentioning the leg from Fao briefly.
I'm thinking this is all too much hassle and they should just stick with the coastal route from Porto all the way.
However, having done the interior route some years ago, the towns of Ponte de Lima, Barcelos, Rubiaes etc where pretty special.
Thanks
Ross

It's about 10 km from Vila do Conde to Arcos. I found it well marked and didn't have a challenge following the arrows. However, if they want tracks, I'm not sure if they are in Buen Camino or Wise Pilgrim. In 2018, I was using TrailSmart as a third app for my Camino Portugues and used its tracks for this section. For this apps, they are in the maps and the details are in the "Portugues: Central from Porto Alt" route. In addition to barcelos and Ponte de Lima, the advantage of the switch is the opportunity to stay at Casa da Fernanda between them (if you reserve).

 

[Mr_Ross_Duncan]

It's about 10 km from Vila do Conde to Arcos. I found it well marked and didn't have a challenge following the arrows. However, if they want tracks, I'm not sure if they are in Buen Camino or Wise Pilgrim. In 2018, I was using TrailSmart as a third app for my Camino Portugues and used its tracks for this section. For this apps, they are in the maps and the details are in the "Portugues: Central from Porto Alt" route. In addition to barcelos and Ponte de Lima, the advantage of the switch is the opportunity to stay at Casa da Fernanda between them (if you reserve).

Thanks for the tips David, much appreciated.

 

[motero99]

We are going to take the Coastal out of Porto to Vila do Conde then switch up to the Central going to Rates. Wise Pilgrim shows this route on their app. Does anyone know if it is a "live" route on the app so that we can use it offline to show if we are on the right track? thank you

 

[dougfitz]

Does anyone know if it is a "live" route on the app so that we can use it offline to show if we are on the right track?

The Wise Pilgrim app will show your location on the map, if that is what you mean. The routes available in the app include on from Vila do Conde to Rates. On OSMAnd+ there is a different route shown going to Arcos to join the Central route that leaves the town just after the bridge. I didn't walk either, so I cannot tell you about the state of any waymarking.