For me there are three distinct parts to doing a long walk. The first stage is the planning and research which I always enjoy even if time consuming. The second stage is actually doing the walk which can be surprising and tough. The third stage is about processing the experience and using this to make future plans. Here are my impressions following the Portuguese Camino … Continue reading Reflections on Portuguese Camino in May 2017
Padron to Santiago de Compostela Since we started today’s walk from our accommodation 5 kilometres past Padron we had a walk of about 18 kilometres to our final destination, Santiago de Compostela. We would soon be joining hundreds of pilgrims walking from Porto like us (or perhaps from Seville or France or Germany or elsewhere) at the finish of the pilgrimage in the heart of … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May:Day Nine Final Day
Caldas de Reis to Padron After 24 kilometres of walking in the rain today we have arrived at a beautiful place to stay called Casa de Meixada. It is a rural Casa near Padron and only 17 kilometres from Santiago. So our final destination is very near now and tomorrow’s walk into Santiago will be exciting! Today I took very few photos because of rain … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May : Day Eight
Arcade to Caldas de Rais Today has been a super long day of walking. It has been our longest leg of about 37 kilometres. Arriving at our hotel (which took an extra half hour to find in this largish town of Caldas de Rais) was a wonderful feeling. We were somewhat drowned rats by the time we arrived after 3.30pm but again we were lucky … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May: Day Seven
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 … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May: Day Six
Cossourado to Porrino Today was a tough day, about 35 kilometres in very warm conditions and we had to walk through several large towns and outer suburbs. While the arrows were still good for directions it was not always easy navigating large towns. The rural sections were always easier and more relaxing. The first large town that we walked into was the medieval walled town … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May: Day Five
Ponte de Lima to Cossourado Now that we have reliable wifi again I can write about our Camino. Day four was excellent. A warm day with a maximum of 26 degrees and we had about 24 kilometres to our destination of Casa de Capela in Cossourado, a very small town. As we left Ponte de Lima we saw a local market being set up by … Continue reading Portuguese Camino In May: Day Four
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 … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May: Day Three
Arcos to Barcelos Today’s walk of about 18 kilometres was another straightforward day with no dramas. Apart from the afternoon heat walking conditions were again ideal and again we didn’t get lost. We saw more pilgrims along the route and swapped stories over coffee in the bars along the way or under the shade of a tree. Today’s route went through several small … Continue reading Portuguese Camino in May: Day Two
Food and Footsteps 