Barcelos to Ponte de Lima 

We have spent two nights in Barcelos allowing us to have a rest day and make a side trip to the charming small city of Braga. More of that later.

Yesterday we were pleased to arrive in Ponte de Lima after walking 34 kilometres partially in heavy rain. The good news was that it wasn’t hot and our waterproofs worked well. This leg of the Camino is recognised as one of the prettiest. Rather steep in sections, the backdrop of mountains and plenty of green vineyards, trees and flowers meant that every step of the way was very beautiful.

Each day we are meeting more and more pilgrims, mostly from Europe (Germany in particular) but also some from Canada, Australia, US and Singapore. After walking a couple of hours in the morning we are all looking for that cafe for a chance to rest, chat and have yet another Portuguese tart and coffee!

Walking in heavy rain was a little challenging but we were again impressed by the clearly marked yellow arrows to show us the way. After a few hours the weather cleared a little and we were thrilled to have our first glimpse of our destination Ponte de Lima in the distance. A relief to arrive after nearly 8 hours of walking.

After a warm shower and a change of clothes we enjoyed some of the famous vino verde of the region.

Xxxx