Our Walk Along the Camino Portuguese

Final 100 km of the Camino Portugués Camino Pilgrimage Today we decided to walk beyond Porrino, the town the Brierley guide suggests as the next stop, to gain a day in our itinerary. Since the forecast suggested a 100% chance of rain by late morning, we headed out around 6 am in an attempt to get as far as possible before the skies opened up. Unfortunately, we forgot/ failed to think of several things. When we crossed the Spanish border, the time jumped ahead by an hour. This meant it was still pitch dark at 6 am, unlike on previous days. We also didn't expect to find all the bars and cafes firmly closed, leaving us without any options for breakfast. We reached the edge of town fairly quickly and then headed into a stretch of dirt road through a lovely forested area. On the way in we passed a large metal pilgrim statue, as well as an old stone bridge, and several works of pilgrim art, but it was still a bit dark to see anything very clearly. Even at this ea...

Reflecting on the Camino from Porto to Tui Camino Portugues Considerations While the trek on the Camino Portugues from Lisbon to Porto is substantially different than the Camino Francés in Spain, once you reach Porto, things change both subtly and dramatically. From Lisbon to Porto, as we have already noted, there are potentially longer distances between albergues, which means longer hiking distances per day; overall, there are fewer pilgrim amenities, and vast sections of The Way are on harder surfaces such as cobblestone tracts, ash vault roadways, or tiled and concrete sidewalks. In short, it is a tough way to start a hike. From Porto onward, however, much of this changes.  The Way of St. James in Portugal Simply put, if you loved the Camino Francés (I mean, who doesn’t) and want more of the same, then this section will be to your liking – more yellow arrows, closer albergue stops, more rest stops with refreshments, and more pilgrim-centred facilities. Admittedly,...

Camino Portuguese Pilgrimage Leaving Portugal, Entering Spain Today began with a somewhat chaotic communal breakfast in the cute little kitchen of the Albergue. There was lots of wonderful-looking food, but also many people in a small space. We enjoyed a fresh roll with some tasty marmalade, and then made our escape into the cloudy, cool morning. We had another relatively short walk, much of which was through beautiful county lanes today. Sections of road alternated with small stretches of forested track, which looked beautiful with the large sprays of golden broom flowers bursting over the path like fireworks. Many local people seem to harvest sprigs of the broom and attach it to their doors and cars, presumably for good luck. A couple of hours into our trek, we came to a lovely albergue where people had stopped for a coffee and snack. When we went inside, we were delighted to see a slew of balloon animals on the counter, clearly left behind by Heimy...