Is there a supported coastal walk when starting out of Lisbon?

[eli]

Hi all,
Apologies if this has aready been covered but....is there a way of following the coast up from Lisbon using waymarkers and staying at albergies or is the coastalwalk only available as a supported option further up on the northern section after Oporto? So far, the conversation threads that I've read only seem to refer to the latter sections.....

Any advise is appreciated, as I'm just starting to sort out the wheres and how of this walk which I'll be starting in early May. And yes, I know no matter how much research goes into it beforehand, the Camino will still take its own course .

Thanks, eli

 

[mspath]

I know of no supported camino as such but there is a very beautiful remote coastal walk (not a camino) south of Lisbon spanning 350 k from Santiago do Cacém to Cabo St Vincent, west of Lagos. Known as the Rota Vicentina this is a recent endeavor to open the Alentejo region for eco-tourism.

MM

 

[peregrina2000]

I have in the back of my mind a vague memory that someone on the forum in the last two years walked from Lisbon north on the coast, which would mean heading west from Lisbon to the sea at Cascais and then going north, but a quick search hasn´t picked up anything. I know that there are several coastal walks in that area hugging the coast because I've done a few of them, but I don't know how far north they go and where they connect with the Caminho.

I also echo Margaret's mention of the Rota Vicentina. I know some people who have walked it (there's a coastal option and a non-coastal option). The trail ends at Santiago do Cacém, though, which is about 90 miles from Lisbon. I imagine it´s not too far fetched to envision that someday there will be an unbroken trail from the Cabo Sao Vicente to Santiago, but there´s nothing that I know of now between Santiago do Cacém and Lisbon. There would be two options of how to walk it -- keep heading north onto the peninsula of Troia, then take a ferry across to Setubal and somehow get up to Lisbon. Or stay east and skirt Lisbon, crossing the river Tejo at a point north. But I don´t know of any markings on either route.

Let us know what you wind up doing. Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[peregrina2000]

Just found something that might be of use: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/coastal-route-starting-in-lisbon.15417/

 

[Diogo92]

The only signaled Coastal Route for the Portuguese Caminho, goes out from Porto.

The markings for the Portuguese Caminho goes directly both with the description from a 15th/16th century monk, that went from Lisbon to Santiago, and also with the tracks of the XIX Roman Road.

Rota Vicentina it’s also part of the Caminho, has the “end” of it it’s located in Santiago do Cacém, a city that has a beautiful St. James church.

Some say that the Caminho in Portugal goes from Lagos, all up until Lisbon, Lisbon to Porto, and Porto to Santiago.

The best thing for you to do, if you really want to do only coastal walking, it’s to contact somebody from the post that Laurie (@peregrina2000) showed.

Just pay attention to one thing: for what I remember, prepare for a lot of road walking, and if you are going to do it, take a GPS with you, since there isn’t’ in there any kind of markings (or probably, you will find some, but only in big cities, just like Torres Vedras).

You can always contact Via Lusitana, the Portuguese pilgrims association, to know if they know something about it. You can find their website in http://www.vialusitana.org/

All the best for your Caminho.

Best Regards
Diogo

 

[mspath]

Just found something that might be of use: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/coastal-route-starting-in-lisbon.15417/

Laurie,

So glad that you found that reference! I'd love to try this coastal route someday while there still is time.

Carpe Diem,

Margaret

 

[peregrina2000]

Laurie,

So glad that you found that reference! I'd love to try this coastal route someday while there still is time.

Carpe Diem,

Margaret

Hi, Margaret, it looks like the pilgrim who walked with maps is still active on the forum, so maybe he/she will chime in! Laurie

 

[eli]

Thankyou all for your replies. The link that you found Laurie was indeed the one I vaguely recalled having read "somewhere" but there is just so much wonderful information available. To date I have only been skim reading but as of tomorrow I will start note taking into the margins of the John Brierly book I bought some years ago when first planning this walk. I bought it right after returning from a wonderful experience on the Via de la plata where i was tempted to "cut across" onto the Portuguese route from Salamanca. That was at the same time that the volcano in Iceland caused travel chaos across Europe and decided to just keep quietly walking northwards. Anyway, the book is a few years old but with the addition of these notes from the forum, should be good.

"The markings for the Portuguese Caminho goes directly both with the description from a 15th/16th century monk, that went from Lisbon to Santiago, and also with the tracks of the XIX Roman Road" - Thankyou Diogo for this information too. It has decided me on simply walking along the marked "traditional" route. I will have no mobile phone much less GPS. Wanting to keep things simple as well as light!

 

[Diogo92]

Thankyou all for your replies. The link that you found Laurie was indeed the one I vaguely recalled having read "somewhere" but there is just so much wonderful information available. To date I have only been skim reading but as of tomorrow I will start note taking into the margins of the John Brierly book I bought some years ago when first planning this walk. I bought it right after returning from a wonderful experience on the Via de la plata where i was tempted to "cut across" onto the Portuguese route from Salamanca. That was at the same time that the volcano in Iceland caused travel chaos across Europe and decided to just keep quietly walking northwards. Anyway, the book is a few years old but with the addition of these notes from the forum, should be good.

"The markings for the Portuguese Caminho goes directly both with the description from a 15th/16th century monk, that went from Lisbon to Santiago, and also with the tracks of the XIX Roman Road" - Thankyou Diogo for this information too. It has decided me on simply walking along the marked "traditional" route. I will have no mobile phone much less GPS. Wanting to keep things simple as well as light!

You're welcome. Just be safe out there