changing paths

[TreeML]

Hello,

I have been using this forum to help me prepare for the Camino Frances for the last 10 months. Thank you everyone who contributes! Unfortunately during my training, I twisted my ankle and is taking a while to heal. I have finally accepted that it would not be wise to begin in SJPDP in a week. I have decided to walk the Portuguese coastal and to cross over to Valenca/Tui from Caminha. This will give me a later start date and time if I need to walk shorter distances and I will not be putting so much stress on my ankle by going over the Pyrenees the first day. I have not done much research about Portugal or that area of Spain - so I am doing a quick study. I had some questions regarding rain in June along the coastal route --I was hoping a poncho would be enough -but if the rain is heavier I would bring a rain jacket. I was also excited about swimming along the coast. I will be walking solo--does anyone have experince swimming in those waters, are the beaches safe? Any other advice you may have for me would be much appreciated. Also which app did you use that was most helpful?

 

[lavender girl]

My story replicates yours exactly but I am also 82 years old, I arrive alone in Porto on next Wednesday and not sure which route to take the Coastal or Inland or a combination as I can only walk 5-10 kms a day. I have allowed 5 weeks. Can anyone help please on short stages for me to aim for? I must do the Spiritual Variant. I have already completed 600ks of the St James pilgrimage in two attempts having to return to Australia both times because of health issues.
I would be grateful for any help!

Hello,

I have been using this forum to help me prepare for the Camino Frances for the last 10 months. Thank you everyone who contributes! Unfortunately during my training, I twisted my ankle and is taking a while to heal. I have finally accepted that it would not be wise to begin in SJPDP in a week. I have decided to walk the Portuguese coastal and to cross over to Valenca/Tui from Caminha. This will give me a later start date and time if I need to walk shorter distances and I will not be putting so much stress on my ankle by going over the Pyrenees the first day. I have not done much research about Portugal or that area of Spain - so I am doing a quick study. I had some questions regarding rain in June along the coastal route --I was hoping a poncho would be enough -but if the rain is heavier I would bring a rain jacket. I was also excited about swimming along the coast. I will be walking solo--does anyone have experince swimming in those waters, are the beaches safe? Any other advice you may have for me would be much appreciated. Also which app did you use that was most helpful?

 

[Harris]

I am now over 80 years, and walked the Portuguese last October, though 20 days of rain rain rain.
I walked from Porto up the coast to Caminha, then, because of gale winds, high tides and BIG waves, chose to go inland to Tui, and up from there.
There are stop-off places all along the way.
I have done the coastal route in September with no rain, but I have never walked it in June, so I cannot comment on what you will meet regarding weather.
You are in for a wonderful adventure.
Just do not go looking for stocking up on stuff on a Sunday in Tui.
Just about everything was closed for the day.
But it is a lovey town.

 

[jcat]

Hello,
regarding rain in June along the coastal route --I was hoping a poncho would be enough -but if the rain is heavier I would bring a rain jacket.

It rains some in June, but nothing like the winter months. Either option should be fine. I prefer a lightweight rain jacket because I can also use it as a windbreaker in the evenings (or cold mornings), but whichever is lightest would probably be best. I doubt you will use either much. Enjoy!

 

[t2andreo]

Rain gear is usually a very personal preference. My personal preference during the warmer months is a poncho - for the superior ventilation.

Be sure to obtain a poncho that is made to cover your backpack as well. Also, I always advise buying a bright, contrasting color, so you will be seen while road-walking. Decathlon make an excellent bright red-orange, Quechua branded MT 900 hiking rain poncho. It has a full front zipper and armpit zippers. However, it appears to only be available in Europe. I checked Spain, the UK and Ireland.

That said, I will also usually pack a rain proof parka folded and riding at the bottom of my rucksack as a windbreak should I encounter a stretch of colder or rainy weather. It is rarely needed but, I believe in an ounce of prevention... If you encounter a several day stretch of raw weather - even in summer - this would be a blessing.

But for simple protection from rain, I advise using a poncho

Hope this helps,

Tom

 

[Rick Davidson]

Hello,

I have been using this forum to help me prepare for the Camino Frances for the last 10 months. Thank you everyone who contributes! Unfortunately during my training, I twisted my ankle and is taking a while to heal. I have finally accepted that it would not be wise to begin in SJPDP in a week. I have decided to walk the Portuguese coastal and to cross over to Valenca/Tui from Caminha. This will give me a later start date and time if I need to walk shorter distances and I will not be putting so much stress on my ankle by going over the Pyrenees the first day. I have not done much research about Portugal or that area of Spain - so I am doing a quick study. I had some questions regarding rain in June along the coastal route --I was hoping a poncho would be enough -but if the rain is heavier I would bring a rain jacket. I was also excited about swimming along the coast. I will be walking solo--does anyone have experince swimming in those waters, are the beaches safe? Any other advice you may have for me would be much appreciated. Also which app did you use that was most helpful?

Just walked up the coast. Many busy beaches but almost no one in the water. Maybe too cold? Do the Caminha to Tui crossover in two days. For us it was a tough and very hot 35 km. The walk from SJPDP to Roncevalles is really no big deal especially if you do it in 2 days. I really don’t see you gaining much by trying to avoid the Pyrenees crossing from SJPDP. After Tui your elevation gain seems to go up every day. Today into Pontevedra it was up 470m. Much more next on the Spiritual Varient. The Portuguese Coastal has been good but for us definitely gets better after you cross into Spain. If I was going to do again I would plan to crossover much earlier than Caminha.

 

[lt56ny]

Just walked up the coast. Many busy beaches but almost no one in the water. Maybe too cold? Do the Caminha to Tui crossover in two days. For us it was a tough and very hot 35 km. The walk from SJPDP to Roncevalles is really no big deal especially if you do it in 2 days. I really don’t see you gaining much by trying to avoid the Pyrenees crossing from SJPDP. After Tui your elevation gain seems to go up every day. Today into Pontevedra it was up 470m. Much more next on the Spiritual Varient. The Portuguese Coastal has been good but for us definitely gets better after you cross into Spain. If I was going to do again I would plan to crossover much earlier than Caminha.

This will give me a later start date and time if I need to walk shorter distances and I will not be putting so much stress on my ankle by going over the Pyrenees the first day.

My story replicates yours exactly but I am also 82 years old, I arrive alone in Porto on next Wednesday and not sure which route to take the Coastal or Inland or a combination as I can only walk 5-10 kms a day. I have allowed 5 weeks. Can anyone help please on short stages for me to aim for? I must do the Spiritual Variant. I have already completed 600ks of the St James pilgrimage in two attempts having to return to Australia both times because of health issues.

I have to respectfully disagree with you regarding the difficulty of the coastal Portugues and the first day out of SJPP. I have walked from St. Jean to Santiago 2x and an additional time when I started in Le Puy. I have walked both the coastal and the Central routes of the Portugues from Lisbon and the coastal of coarse starting in Porto once. There is no section on either route that comes close to the difficulty of the walk from SJPP to Roncesvalles, even if you sleep in Orisson. The ascent is much more difficult than any ascent on either of the two camino routes. I have not walked the spiritual route yet but will this year so I can't comment on that. But looking at elevation profiles I would think what I said holds true for those 3 days. We are giving advice to both a person with a foot injury and an 80 year old woman. The way up is difficult enough and the last 5k descent if you take the traditional route is hard and can be very slippery if the ground is wet. The alternate is of course easier but walking over 5k for someone with an ankle injury will take its toll. We haven't even talked about the descent to Zuburi which is super rocky, and long. In terms of scenery I believe beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So no comment there. Finally the distances you speak of would be out of the question for our 82 year old pilgrim and a formula for the end of a camino for someone with an ankle injury.
My advice, take it slow for both. Check Gronze, Wise Pilgrim and Buen Camino for places to sleep and distances between each stage the person chooses to do.
For @TreeML Take the poncho only and have fun and enjoy. When it comes to weather who knows. I walked the coastal last November and saw Noah's Ark float by.
For @lavender girl I would check Gronze.com first and look at the distances and the elevation charts. Then you can check Gronze, Wise Pilgrim and Buen Camino for places to stay. There is lots of information here on the forum regarding the Spiritual Variant.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/caminho-variante-espiritual-from-pontevedra.165/

Also @jungleboy is a great resource on the forum who is always happy to help
Finally if I musunderstood what you said @Rick Davidson I apologize in advance.

 

[Snowflake5090]

Hello,

I have been using this forum to help me prepare for the Camino Frances for the last 10 months. Thank you everyone who contributes! Unfortunately during my training, I twisted my ankle and is taking a while to heal. I have finally accepted that it would not be wise to begin in SJPDP in a week. I have decided to walk the Portuguese coastal and to cross over to Valenca/Tui from Caminha. This will give me a later start date and time if I need to walk shorter distances and I will not be putting so much stress on my ankle by going over the Pyrenees the first day. I have not done much research about Portugal or that area of Spain - so I am doing a quick study. I had some questions regarding rain in June along the coastal route --I was hoping a poncho would be enough -but if the rain is heavier I would bring a rain jacket. I was also excited about swimming along the coast. I will be walking solo--does anyone have experince swimming in those waters, are the beaches safe? Any other advice you may have for me would be much appreciated. Also which app did you use that was most helpful?

I’m on the Portuguese at the moment. I’ve just done this route, Caminha to Tui. The weather has been hot, very hot, but we paid for it two nights ago with heavy rain and a storm. Yesterday I got caught in a heavy downpour but dried off quite quickly. Swimming in the sea is definitely a thing on the coastal part, but the water is cold! Just use common sense and swim where it’s safe.
I’ve used Ninje and Buen Camino, both great apps. Also when booking Albergues, I was advised by a host to use whatsapp to contact them, not booking.com as apparently Albergues are trying to move away from Booking.com, plus more often than not B.com say fully booked, but there are still rooms available. If you’ve got any questions,happy to help. Bon Caminho

 

[TreeML]

I’m on the Portuguese at the moment. I’ve just done this route, Caminha to Tui. The weather has been hot, very hot, but we paid for it two nights ago with heavy rain and a storm. Yesterday I got caught in a heavy downpour but dried off quite quickly. Swimming in the sea is definitely a thing on the coastal part, but the water is cold! Just use common sense and swim where it’s safe.
I’ve used Ninje and Buen Camino, both great apps. Also when booking Albergues, I was advised by a host to use whatsapp to contact them, not booking.com as apparently Albergues are trying to move away from Booking.com, plus more often than not B.com say fully booked, but there are still rooms available. If you’ve got any questions,happy to help. Bon Caminho

Thank you so much for all of the advice--I will prepare for the weather rainy or hot. I appreciate the tips about the albergues, were there any particular towns/stops you would recommend reserving ahead due to them being full?

 

[TreeML]

Thank you everyone for your input and advice, I am looking forward to my Camino and will reach out with any additional questions. This forum is so valuable to us newbies.

 

[TreeML]

I have to respectfully disagree with you regarding the difficulty of the coastal Portugues and the first day out of SJPP. I have walked from St. Jean to Santiago 2x and an additional time when I started in Le Puy. I have walked both the coastal and the Central routes of the Portugues from Lisbon and the coastal of coarse starting in Porto once. There is no section on either route that comes close to the difficulty of the walk from SJPP to Roncesvalles, even if you sleep in Orisson. The ascent is much more difficult than any ascent on either of the two camino routes. I have not walked the spiritual route yet but will this year so I can't comment on that. But looking at elevation profiles I would think what I said holds true for those 3 days. We are giving advice to both a person with a foot injury and an 80 year old woman. The way up is difficult enough and the last 5k descent if you take the traditional route is hard and can be very slippery if the ground is wet. The alternate is of course easier but walking over 5k for someone with an ankle injury will take its toll. We haven't even talked about the descent to Zuburi which is super rocky, and long. In terms of scenery I believe beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So no comment there. Finally the distances you speak of would be out of the question for our 82 year old pilgrim and a formula for the end of a camino for someone with an ankle injury.
My advice, take it slow for both. Check Gronze, Wise Pilgrim and Buen Camino for places to sleep and distances between each stage the person chooses to do.
For @TreeML Take the poncho only and have fun and enjoy. When it comes to weather who knows. I walked the coastal last November and saw Noah's Ark float by.
For @lavender girl I would check Gronze.com first and look at the distances and the elevation charts. Then you can check Gronze, Wise Pilgrim and Buen Camino for places to stay. There is lots of information here on the forum regarding the Spiritual Variant.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/caminho-variante-espiritual-from-pontevedra.165/

Also @jungleboy is a great resource on the forum who is always happy to help
Finally if I musunderstood what you said @Rick Davidson I apologize in advance.

I think that having the extra time for shorter days and not feeling I need to keep a strict timeline will be helpful. I am also considering that my training has been impacted. On the upside, I can look forward to the Frances next year!

 

[lavender girl]

I have to respectfully disagree with you regarding the difficulty of the coastal Portugues and the first day out of SJPP. I have walked from St. Jean to Santiago 2x and an additional time when I started in Le Puy. I have walked both the coastal and the Central routes of the Portugues from Lisbon and the coastal of coarse starting in Porto once. There is no section on either route that comes close to the difficulty of the walk from SJPP to Roncesvalles, even if you sleep in Orisson. The ascent is much more difficult than any ascent on either of the two camino routes. I have not walked the spiritual route yet but will this year so I can't comment on that. But looking at elevation profiles I would think what I said holds true for those 3 days. We are giving advice to both a person with a foot injury and an 80 year old woman. The way up is difficult enough and the last 5k descent if you take the traditional route is hard and can be very slippery if the ground is wet. The alternate is of course easier but walking over 5k for someone with an ankle injury will take its toll. We haven't even talked about the descent to Zuburi which is super rocky, and long. In terms of scenery I believe beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So no comment there. Finally the distances you speak of would be out of the question for our 82 year old pilgrim and a formula for the end of a camino for someone with an ankle injury.
My advice, take it slow for both. Check Gronze, Wise Pilgrim and Buen Camino for places to sleep and distances between each stage the person chooses to do.
For @TreeML Take the poncho only and have fun and enjoy. When it comes to weather who knows. I walked the coastal last November and saw Noah's Ark float by.
For @lavender girl I would check Gronze.com first and look at the distances and the elevation charts. Then you can check Gronze, Wise Pilgrim and Buen Camino for places to stay. There is lots of information here on the forum regarding the Spiritual Variant.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/caminho-variante-espiritual-from-pontevedra.165/

Also @jungleboy is a great resource on the forum who is always happy to help
Finally if I musunderstood what you said @Rick Davidson I apologize in advance.

I must say that your advice is excellent, much appreciated and valued. I will indeed study Gronze and I thank you for your valuable time and concern. I treasure it especially your angle to address age and fitness levels specifically. You are an amazing help.

 

[lavender girl]

I must say that your advice is excellent, much appreciated and valued. I will indeed study Gronze and I thank you for your valuable time and concern. I treasure it especially your angle to address age and fitness levels specifically. You are an amazing help.I must say that your advice is excellent, much appreciated and valued. I will indeed study Gronze and I thank you for your valuable time and concern. I treasure it especially your angle to address age and fitness levels specifically. You are an amazing help.

 

[TreeML]

I must say that your advice is excellent, much appreciated and valued. I will indeed study Gronze and I thank you for your valuable time and concern. I treasure it especially your angle to address age and fitness levels specifically. You are an amazing help.I must say that your advice is excellent, much appreciated and valued. I will indeed study Gronze and I thank you for your valuable time and concern. I treasure it especially your angle to address age and fitness levels specifically. You are an amazing help.

Good luck to you--I will be about 8 days behind you, but maybe our paths will cross. Bom Camino!

 

[lt56ny]

I must say that your advice is excellent, much appreciated and valued. I will indeed study Gronze and I thank you for your valuable time and concern. I treasure it especially your angle to address age and fitness levels specifically. You are an amazing help.

Take your time, breath and listen to your body. You are my inspiration. I am 70 and hope to walk for many years to come. You keep walking and lead us tercera edad pilgrims into the light!

 

[lt56ny]

I think that having the extra time for shorter days and not feeling I need to keep a strict timeline will be helpful. I am also considering that my training has been impacted. On the upside, I can look forward to the Frances next year!

Exactly and buen Camino!!! The coastal will be so much less stressful for your injury. If you stay on the litoral you will have great views and have the sound of the ocean in your left ear all day. Going on the traditional coastal route will give you some really nice panoramic views but if you get alot of rain it can be slick and muddy. Well just like the rocky sections on the CF. Surfaces on the litoral are really pretty smooth.

 

[Walkalong]

The Coastal to Caminha and switching to Valença is a safe way to ease yourself into a Camino.

For me, the Litoral/Coastal as a training exercise, to improve cardio and figure out precisely where to place my ENGO Blister Patches. It was my first, and only, blister free Camino.

There have been reports that it can get busy in summer. We walked twice during Easter Week. On the one occasion when finding a bed was a challenge (we accidentally caught up to the wave) we just did a shorter day started to reserve accommodations for 1-2 nights ahead. The Albergue operators often know who has space, or can recommend a place for your next night stay.

If using trekking poles then try tips for asphalt. They are less likely to get stuck between cobble stones or boards on the extensive board walks, and can be easily removed when necessary.

Hope this helps, Buen Camino.

 

[rviaucar]

My story replicates yours exactly but I am also 82 years old, I arrive alone in Porto on next Wednesday and not sure which route to take the Coastal or Inland or a combination as I can only walk 5-10 kms a day. I have allowed 5 weeks. Can anyone help please on short stages for me to aim for? I must do the Spiritual Variant. I have already completed 600ks of the St James pilgrimage in two attempts having to return to Australia both times because of health issues.
I would be grateful for any help!

You can watch The Chunky Trundlers on UTube and The Scotts. They both have documented these routes from March 2024.

 

[rviaucar]

Exactly and buen Camino!!! The coastal will be so much less stressful for your injury. If you stay on the litoral you will have great views and have the sound of the ocean in your left ear all day. Going on the traditional coastal route will give you some really nice panoramic views but if you get alot of rain it can be slick and muddy. Well just like the rocky sections on the CF. Surfaces on the litoral are really pretty smooth.

We have been planning this same route for the Fall. We have noticed that the Central Route appears tobhave a lot of busy roadside walking sections, which does not appeal to us 70 year olds. Please ket us know how your camino goes.

 

[lt56ny]

We have been planning this same route for the Fall. We have noticed that the Central Route appears tobhave a lot of busy roadside walking sections, which does not appeal to us 70 year olds. Please ket us know how your camino goes.

I have already walked both routes. Yes the Central does have alot of road walking and a fair share of cobblestones. There are also some really beautiful stretches and towns like Ponte de Lima, my favorite camino town. I also walked in 2017 when the CP was far less popular. There were very few pilgrims untll I got to Porto. Then it became more crowded but nothing like it is today I am sure. There are also some really pretty stretches out of Lisbon and some great towns to see like Tomar and Coimbra. I really love Coimbra. I assume you are starting in Porto, correct? Hope you made time to spend a few days in this fantastic city.
I walked the coastal and like I said it is a very easy walk out of Porto. There is great infrastructure. There are plenty of really good albergues. If you choose to stay in hostels or hotels there are plenty of those also. The hotels and private albergues that accept non pilgrims will probably be crowded on the weekend. But others will have better knowledge than I do. I walked the coastal last November as my final leg of my last camino. As many here who walked last November can tell you it was like monsoon season in India the whole time. I wore my rainpaints all day and 80% of the day had my poncho on. But I still loved it as I floated from town to town.
Didn't have a chance to walk the Espiritual Variante. Will walk it this year. There is plenty of information on the forum about this 3 day walk. By many accounts it is the prettiest three days of any camino. The path starts after Pontevedra so you can walk either way and still do it. Pontevedra is after the two caminos meet.
It will be crowded in September. It is one of the two or three busiest months. But I guess if you are going at the very end it will not be as crowded. I avoid crowds and I don't mind walking in cold weather. Have sunscreen for sure and a good hat.
If you love the ocean, and you want a less physically challenging walk then the coastal is for you. Both have good infrastructure. Both have the Portugues people who I think are some of the best in the world.
P.S. As far as how the camino will go I know that camino number 9 will be wonderful in its own way. They are all different and all wonderful. Wish I was leaving tomorrow. Whoops I hate walking in hot weather