Second go on the Portuguese - short stage suggestions please

[henrythedog]

Posting for @tassiesue

Our 1st Portuguese camino was to have been April/May 2020 (covid terror) and now 2nd attempt is all booked for end April/May starting at Porto on my own. I plan to walk only around 10 kms a day depending how i feel, (turn 74 on may 2nd) allowing 15 days to arrive in Santiago for my booking so looking for information and ideas of accomodation within this range of 10 kms. I may take a bus to help out on the longer stages eg 33 kms. Am planning to walk coastal up to Caminaha then cut along the riverside to the Valenca Tui area and up the Central route.

 

[JabbaPapa]

There is no requirement for a 33K stage on that route, except possibly up the river - - but then just get the ferry option up that.

I was walking about 10-15K daily on that route this year in late Summer and early Autumn, and I never came upon a situation of nowhere to sleep indoors. And I think only 3-4 times between Fátima and Porto.

And one of those was because I got into Porto at the height of pilgrim season and at 9PM.

Places to sleep between Porto and Santiago occur nowadays with about as much frequency as those on the Francès. The bottlenecks at Tui and Redondela might need some extra care, but that's it really. Apart from any reservations you might care to engage in along the Way.

 

[jungleboy]

It's about 240km, so 15 days at 10km/day is going to require extra transport. Porto to Caminha would require 10 days in itself at that pace assuming not taking the metro out of Porto. Here are stage ideas for that section where there is accommodation at the end of each stage:

Porto - Matosinhos - 11km
Matosinhos - Labruge - 12.8km
Labruge - Vila do Conde - 10km
Vila do Conde - Aguçadoura - 11.1km
Aguçadoura - Esposende - 13km
Esposende - Castelo do Neiva - 13.7km (if following the arrows inland; not sure about the Senda Litoral)
Castelo do Neiva - Viana do Castelo - 12.3km
Viana do Castelo - Carreço - 8.5km
Carreço - Vila Praia de Âncora - 10.2km
Vila Praia de Âncora - Caminha - 8.3km

 

[lonestarmatt]

While not 10k a day, this is how my Fall 2015 Camino Portugues went:
29 Tue 2 Lisbon Porto Hotel Peninsular
30 Wed 3 Porto Matosinhos
1 Thu 4 Porto Vila do Conde 22.1 Pensao Patarata
2 Fri 5 Sao Pedro de Rates 13.7 Muni Albergue
3 Sat 6 Portela 25.3 Casa de Recoleta Wrong Turn in Barcelos; Kept Walking
4 Sun 7 Lugar de Corgo 9.7 Casa Fernanda 351 914 589 521
5 Mon 8 Ponte de Lima 14.5 Encanada
6 Tue 9 Rubiaes 18.1 Ninho
Fontoura Quinta Estrada Romana Worth Staying Here
7 Wed 10 Valenca 16.2 Portas Do Sol
Thu 11 Tui 3.1 O Novo Cabalo Furado
8 Fri 12 Porrino 20.6 Hotel Parque Muni was closed due to Bed Bugs
Redondela 14.9 Kept Walking
9 Sat 13 Cesantes 3.1 Hostal Jumboli Ate Ribs across the Street at Arieiro
10 Sun 14 Pontevedra 16.6 Hotel Ruas Visit Santuario da Peregrina
11 Mon 15 Caldas de Reis 21.6 Hotel Lotus
12 Tue 16 Padron 18.1 Pension R. Jardin Must See: Igrexa de Santiago and Monte Santiaguino
13 Wed 17 Teo 11.4 Parada de Francos
14 Thu 18 Santiago 13.5 Hospedería San Martín Pinario

Like most Caminos, it does not always follow a schedule.
I walked the Coast the first day, but then went inland because I wanted to stay at Casa Fernanda and see some of the traditional sites.
I have a few other notes if you'd like to send me a private message / email.

 

[drowdie]

Posting for @tassiesue

Our 1st Portuguese camino was to have been April/May 2020 (covid terror) and now 2nd attempt is all booked for end April/May starting at Porto on my own. I plan to walk only around 10 kms a day depending how i feel, (turn 74 on may 2nd) allowing 15 days to arrive in Santiago for my booking so looking for information and ideas of accomodation within this range of 10 kms. I may take a bus to help out on the longer stages eg 33 kms. Am planning to walk coastal up to Caminaha then cut along the riverside to the Valenca Tui area and up the Central route.

I am your close to your age. Since I was unable to figure out the logistics that were limited mileage for me, I emailed Portuguese Green Walks and just like that…they completely did the itinerary for me, limited mileage with rest days.

 

[Grousedoctor]

When I plan my routes and stopping points, I reliably look toward Gronze.com for not only daily distances, but accommodations along The Way. In a nutshell, stage by stage, or however you want to break the distance up, you’ll clearly see the places where you can stay at the distances you want to do each day. In general, you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding accommodations every 10K or do. No need to think that you have to take a bus on a traditional long stage like some of those suggested by Brierley. You can create your own stages and arrive in SdC as you would like. There is plenty of infrastructure to do it Your Way! Having walked the Portugués twice, it’s a great choice for a Caminho!

 

[drowdie]

When I plan my routes and stopping points, I reliably look toward Gronze.com for not only daily distances, but accommodations along The Way. In a nutshell, stage by stage, or however you want to break the distance up, you’ll clearly see the places where you can stay at the distances you want to do each day. In general, you shouldn’t have any difficulty finding accommodations every 10K or do. No need to think that you have to take a bus on a traditional long stage like some of those suggested by Brierley. You can create your own stages and arrive in SdC as you would like. There is plenty of infrastructure to do it Your Way! Having walked the Portugués twice, it’s a great choice for a Caminho!

Excellent reply!