Porrino to Arcade

We were lucky today because we arrived in Arcade before the rain. In fact it still hasn’t rained. A pleasant 24 kilometre section with some steep up and down bits but good, flat walking surfaces. A little bit more walking on roads because we again had to navigate large towns. As we walked to the very top we could see glimpses of sea.

After a short breakfast in Porrino we left a cafe about 7.30am. We started walking with a group of twenty or so, some familiar faces but mostly new pilgrims. The numbers of people walking this Camino are increasing daily.

Who is walking the Portuguese Camino?

The pilgrims we have met are mainly European and also mainly German. They tend to be a mixture of young and not so young. Some people are walking solo, usually men and many women are walking in groups of three or two. We have rarely seen any pilgrim from Spain or Portugal. We were fascinated to meet a German couple who had their 4 year old and 2 who walks caminosyear old with them. They were taking buses as well as walking. A German young woman in her twenties is doing her eighth Camino. All of her holidays are spent doing Caminos – she says she loves the challenge and the chance to meet people.

Arriving at our accommodation in Arcade we thought the town looked a little  plain. But as soon as we walked a few hundred metres down to the bridge we were overwhelmed by the beautiful scene of boats, water and history set against the threatening late afternoon sky.

Arcade is not a tourist town but a small fishing village. The River Verdugo feeds into the Atlantic Ocean nearby and gives a a wonderful sense of atmosphere to the town.It only takes two minutes to walk across the ancient bridge.

As we walked along the river we noticed locals playing the Spanish version of pétanque.