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nickpellatt I walked from Lisbon to Santiago March to April this year and I experienced the same attitude that you did. I felt that I was treated like a bum and they followed me in stores and didn't want me there. I talked to other pilgrims who also had the same experience. The closer I got to Coimbra the attitude was much better. I walked alone for most of the camino, but met some of the same people each night.If I'm honest. I'm not really a fan of the Portuguese Camino. I could never imagine doing it again, unlike my other Camino experiences.
I started at the cathedral in Lisbon, and picked up the waymarking from there. Things do become more rural on the first day, but generally I think the Portuguese isnt very inspiring in terms of scenery. A lot of flat and fairly dull landscapes. If I look at my photos from the French or the Norte, I find many beautiful places ... not so on the Portugues.
It was also my loneliest. I had a day in the first week when I didnt see a another pilgrim all day, was in that nights albergue on my own, and didnt meet anyone until lunch the next day. This was in May 2018.
The waymarking was good ... but generally I didnt find that Portugal was very welcoming to pilgrims, and wasnt really set up for pilgrims. I went into a few small cafes in remote, small towns ... and felt like I was in inconvenience to the owners ... the business model was clearly there serving the local people rather than pilgrims passing through.
I had already walking the Frances, and I wanted the challenge of another long distance Camino. Of course it ticks that box, I took 28 days to complete the 620+km distance. But this is a Camino route I find hard to recommend truth be told and I wouldnt return to it.
I walked from Lisbon to Santiago March to April this year and I experienced the same attitude that you did.
If I do the Portuguese again I will do the coastal route starting in Porto.
Look at the two threads I linked to in my response. Maggie's blog will also give you a different impression.All of the above comments are eye opening for me, who is/was considering the Portuguese next year. Any "positives" to be had about this route?????
Thanks !
All of the above comments are eye opening for me, who is/was considering the Portuguese next year. Any "positives" to be had about this route?????
Thanks !
I walked from Lisbon last November and while the initial few days are not ideal walking, (a lot of run down industrial areas) I have to say two town that really are must-visit places to me and I enjoyed them incredibly, Santarem and Tomar. I don't regret walking the Portuguese route and am glad I didn't start in Porto although by far the majority of people do walk the Portuguese from Porto I think whether or not you enjoy the walk from Lisbon depends on what you are looking for and what your expectations are. I certainly felt welcomed everywhere although there were very few almost NO other pilgrims.@peregrina2000 - Thank you for directing me to this incredibly detailed blog. I will read through it when I can keep my eyes open (Almost 11:00 P.M. here) and hopefully make an informed decision in the next few months
I still can't get past some of the very poor service though ... on a few occasions I entered 'the last cafe / shop before a 15km stretch / a large hill', and found them ill-prepared for pilgrims with no food other than crisps and chocolate bars.
I think that anyone who walks a camino that is not brimming with peregrinos has to accept the reality that the businesses along the route are not catering to pilgrims. They do their ordering and make their decisions about food based on what they can sell to their customers. Fresh food has a short shelf life, and if there is only a handful of peregrinos walking by, it may not be worth the investment. The locals probably go there mainly for drinks.
And comparing the services on the Lisbon-Porto route from 2008 when I first walked, there has been a huge increase, so these things do change!
I don’t doubt your descriptions for a minute. But if I were an entrepreneur, the pilgrims office statistics would give me great pause in deciding just how great a business opportunity it would be. In 2018, about 2500 started in Lisbon, 26,800 started in Porto. And 30,000 started in Tui or Valenca. That’s a ratio of 25 to 1.Two instances spring to mind ... I don't have my Brierly guide to hand so can't remember the names of the places, but I remember his recommendation that one bar / cafe was the last place to stop for some distance (like 12km or so) , and so I went in there to buy a lunch to eat en-route. All I could get was Coke and DoritosThis was fairly early on in the Camino.
Later I was with a friend, this would have been after Porto, and there was a 'last cafe before a big hill'. There must have been 15 pilgrims there, being served by one old lady with minimal stock. When I was there she had a fresh delivery of cakes. And all 6 of them were purchased instantly. Her business clearly did just cater for locals, my friend and I both remarked on the fact she must have been missing a trick there.
I don’t doubt your descriptions for a minute. But if I were an entrepreneur, the pilgrims office statistics would give me great pause in deciding just how great a business opportunity it would be. In 2018, about 2500 started in Lisbon, 26,800 started in Porto. And 30,000 started in Tui or Valenca. That’s a ratio of 25 to 1.
I'm with @peregrina2000 on this. I haven't walked that many different Caminos, but I've only seen these kind of entrepreneurs on the Frances where the number of pilgrims can support such an endeavor. Nothing like this on the Norte and certainly not on the Salvador where I had to be satisfied with a large package of peanut M&Ms until around 1:00 on my first day.The polar opposite to Spain where enterprising individuals set up at the roadside for pilgrims.
I agree with you. I found the Portugués people very lovely! I never felt out of place. Yes, I had lots of time to myself, but I loved it. It is different from the CF, but I knew that going in and adjusted mentally prior to starting. Buen Camino to the OP, whatever you choose!Just walked from Lisbon this June. What can I say about the Lisbon to Porto stretch? ...
Well, I think it was worth doing, but unlike other Caminos, I don't see myself ever wanting to redo it. Out of about 14 stages, I would say much less than half of them had picturesque scenery or a historically interesting town at the end of them, so if you're doing it expecting to enjoy the nature or towns, I think you might be a little disappointed.
That's not not so say that places like Tomar or Santarem aren't lovely in their own right, but all the nice places on this stretch are spread out days apart, so there's no real way of saying "I'll start further on and miss out the ugly bits". The ugly bits are evenly distributed across the whole two weeks.
There's also a lot of road walking, and this really got to me. After Coimbra there were several days where my feet felt only cobbles and tarmac and this was causing me feet problems that I've never had before on any of my four other caminos.
It was also a bit lonely, yeah. There were always people in the albergue with me, but often the social aspect just didn't "click" for me. Quite a few times on this Camino I wondered just why I was doing it as I thought I wasn't getting much out of it - socially, spiritually, physically. But maybe I was just unlucky. I did meet others who loved this stretch, though equally some had enough and quit. They say the camino gives you what you need, and maybe I just needed to learn to be more independent and resilient.
Oh and weather-wise... I had 37-38 degrees for several days at the beginning of June, so don't forget that you are significantly further south than all other Caminos other than the VdlP. You will feel it in the sun. It was punishing.
I never felt less than welcome as a Pilgrim in Portugal and found the people even friendlier than the Spanish.
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