LIVE from the Camino Geira e dos Arrieiros - June 2021

[jungleboy]

After 36 days on the Caminho Nascente, eight days on the Torres and a rest day today in Braga, we are ready to start walking the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros tomorrow!

This is a camino that has been generating some buzz on the forum lately (mostly from @Isca-camigo!). The camino follows a Roman road that once linked Braga with Astorga and the name Geira e dos Arrieiros basically means the camino of the Roman road and the wine carriers. (And as we found out today, Geira is pronounced with a soft G).

From what we know, not all of the camino is way-marked but the official website has lots of information, including tracks, and we have the guidebook. Actually we’re quite well stocked with books and paraphernalia all of a sudden!



The camino is 239km in length from Braga to Santiago and 10 stages seems to be the standard way to divide it. Although looking at some stage guides, the typical 10-stage plan doesn’t include an overnight stop in Ribadavia, which we’d definitely like to do as it sounds like one of the highlights, so we might be looking at 11 stages.

There is a short and a long option for the first stage tomorrow, and we’re taking the short option to Caldela. We’re told it’s not a great stage (mostly on asphalt through some urban areas coming out of Braga), but that the camino gets much better after that as it goes through Portugal’s only national park (Peneda-Gerês) and passes many Roman milestones and other sites of interest.

Another thing to note about the first stage is that the camino passes the amazing early medieval chapel of São Frutuoso on the outskirts of Braga (25 minutes’ walk from the cathedral). The chapel has very limited opening times (2-4:30pm Tue-Sun), however, so it would need to be visited the day before from Braga rather than on the camino. I visited the chapel last year and was so impressed that I created a whole thread about it! Here’s a photo:



Finally, we are watching the weather forecast carefully as there are storms forecast for the coming days. It has only rained on us three times in our 40 walking days so far (and all three times it rained in the morning but completely cleared and became sunny in the afternoon), so we’re hoping our good luck continues. But we’re close to Galicia now, so we have to be prepared for anything!

 

[Pelegrin]

National Park Peneda - Geres.
Peneda is a place with a lot of rocks (penas). When you enter Galicia, the valley of Entrimo- Lobios is much more fertile with few rocks but when you enter again Portugal in Castro Laboreiro the rocks return.
I think that when the border was set in the 12th century there was no discussion by the Galician/kingdom of Leon side.

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Wow Wendy and Nick . . . the adventures continue.
I’m not sure if i’ll have the time to complete this last leg of the ‘triplet’ to make it to Santiago later in the year.
I’m so looking forward to your posts in anticipation of many more tempting places to visit.
Cheers, G

 

[VNwalking]

I mostly missed the Torres bit! Bummer.
But I'm happy to be able to see through your eyes on this last leg of your journey.
Bom Caminho to you both!

Another thing to note about the first stage is that the camino passes the amazing early medieval chapel of São Frutuoso on the outskirts of Braga (25 minutes’ walk from the cathedral). The chapel has very limited opening times (2-4:30pm Tue-Sun), however, so it would need to be visited the day before from Braga rather than on the camino. I visited the chapel last year and was so impressed that I created a whole thread about it!

YES! Thank you for the reminder - Beautiful.

 

[lt56ny]

After 36 days on the Caminho Nascente, eight days on the Torres and a rest day today in Braga, we are ready to start walking the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros tomorrow!

This is a camino that has been generating some buzz on the forum lately (mostly from @Isca-camigo!). The camino follows a Roman road that once linked Braga with Astorga and the name Geira e dos Arrieiros basically means the camino of the Roman road and the wine carriers. (And as we found out today, Geira is pronounced with a soft G).

From what we know, not all of the camino is way-marked but the official website has lots of information, including tracks, and we have the guidebook. Actually we’re quite well stocked with books and paraphernalia all of a sudden!

View attachment 102386

The camino is 239km in length from Braga to Santiago and 10 stages seems to be the standard way to divide it. Although looking at some stage guides, the typical 10-stage plan doesn’t include an overnight stop in Ribadavia, which we’d definitely like to do as it sounds like one of the highlights, so we might be looking at 11 stages.

There is a short and a long option for the first stage tomorrow, and we’re taking the short option to Caldela. We’re told it’s not a great stage (mostly on asphalt through some urban areas coming out of Braga), but that the camino gets much better after that as it goes through Portugal’s only national park (Pineda-Gerês) and passes many Roman milestones and other sites of interest.

Another thing to note about the first stage is that the camino passes the amazing early medieval chapel of São Frutuoso on the outskirts of Braga (25 minutes’ walk from the cathedral). The chapel has very limited opening times (2-4:30pm Tue-Sun), however, so it would need to be visited the day before from Braga rather than on the camino. I visited the chapel last year and was so impressed that I created a whole thread about it! Here’s a photo:

View attachment 102385

Finally, we are watching the weather forecast carefully as there are storms forecast for the coming days. It has only rained on us three times in our 40 walking days so far (and all three times it rained in the morning but completely cleared and became sunny in the afternoon), so we’re hoping our good luck continues. But we’re close to Galicia now, so we have to be prepared for anything!

View attachment 102387

Can't wait to hear about another cool camino. Please keep us up to date about albergues etc. I am a budget pilgrim. I would prefer as well as need to have stays in albergues, donativos etc. As soon as I read this I called my daughter to ask her about a great Thai restaurant she and I ate at in December of 2019. I met her in Porto after I did the CF last November/December. But sadly she didn't remember! Braga is a really nice city. Just another place that confirms my love affair with Portugal.

 

[Marcus-UK]

After 36 days on the Caminho Nascente, eight days on the Torres and a rest day today in Braga, we are ready to start walking the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros tomorrow!

This is a camino that has been generating some buzz on the forum lately (mostly from @Isca-camigo!). The camino follows a Roman road that once linked Braga with Astorga and the name Geira e dos Arrieiros basically means the camino of the Roman road and the wine carriers. (And as we found out today, Geira is pronounced with a soft G).

From what we know, not all of the camino is way-marked but the official website has lots of information, including tracks, and we have the guidebook. Actually we’re quite well stocked with books and paraphernalia all of a sudden!



The camino is 239km in length from Braga to Santiago and 10 stages seems to be the standard way to divide it. Although looking at some stage guides, the typical 10-stage plan doesn’t include an overnight stop in Ribadavia, which we’d definitely like to do as it sounds like one of the highlights, so we might be looking at 11 stages.

There is a short and a long option for the first stage tomorrow, and we’re taking the short option to Caldela. We’re told it’s not a great stage (mostly on asphalt through some urban areas coming out of Braga), but that the camino gets much better after that as it goes through Portugal’s only national park (Peneda-Gerês) and passes many Roman milestones and other sites of interest.

Another thing to note about the first stage is that the camino passes the amazing early medieval chapel of São Frutuoso on the outskirts of Braga (25 minutes’ walk from the cathedral). The chapel has very limited opening times (2-4:30pm Tue-Sun), however, so it would need to be visited the day before from Braga rather than on the camino. I visited the chapel last year and was so impressed that I created a whole thread about it! Here’s a photo:



Finally, we are watching the weather forecast carefully as there are storms forecast for the coming days. It has only rained on us three times in our 40 walking days so far (and all three times it rained in the morning but completely cleared and became sunny in the afternoon), so we’re hoping our good luck continues. But we’re close to Galicia now, so we have to be prepared for anything!

I have been planning to start this camino in September.

I managed to get a hold of the English language guide via Amazon

I had been planning on 11 stages with only one long state at 31.3 KM. These stages appear to tie into available accommodation along the route. The stages I was planning on are below:

​	Start Point​	End Point​	Distance KM​	Total Stage Distance KM​
​	​	​	​	​
​	​	​	​	​
Stage 01​	Braga​	Caldelas​	17​	17​
​	Caldelas​	Terras de Bouro​	13​	​
Stage 02​	Terras de Bouro​	Campo de Geres​	13.6​	26.6​
Stage 03​	Campo de Geres​	Lobios​	24​	24​
Stage 04​	Lobios​	Castro Laboreiro​	20.1​	20.1​
Stage 05​	Castro Laboreiro​	Cortegada​	28.6​	28.6​
Stage 06​	Cortegada​	Ribadavia​	13.9​	13.9​
Stage 07​	Ribadavia​	Pazos de Aenteiro​	17.7​	17.7​
Stage 08​	Pazos de Aenteiro​	Beariz​	19.5​	19.5​
​	Beariz​	Soutelo Montes​	11.3​	​
Stage 09​	Soutelo Montes​	Codeseda​	20​	31.3​
​	Codeseda​	A Estrada​	11.9​	​
Stage 10​	A Estrada​	Pontevea​	12.3​	24.2​
Stage 11​	Pontevea​	Santiago de Compostella​	17.1​	17.1​
​	​	​	​	​
​	​	​	Total​	240​

 

[jungleboy]

Day 1: Braga to Caldelas (~17km)

We didn’t have high expectations today as it was just a ‘set-up stage’ to get out of Braga and the urban sprawl we’ve experienced for the last few days and position us closer to the mountains, which we can now see nearby. I was just hoping it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t - the storm is coming tonight instead - so I was happy with that. Actually, it was sunny and pretty hot (high 20s Celsius) once the dark clouds cleared at about 9am.

Given that it was a short stage, we started at about 8am, taking a quick look inside Braga’s cathedral before setting out.



We had a brief way-marking problem early on as the yellow arrows we followed for about 10 minutes after São Frutuoso were for the Torres to Ponte de Lima, not the Geira (there are evidently two sets of competing arrows leaving the church). We soon realised this and abandoned the arrows to head back to our Geira tracks at the IKEA, but the huge roundabout, underpasses etc made it hard to get onto the road we needed. This hiccup aside, way-marking was straightforward as there were arrows throughout the stage.



There isn’t much to say about the rest of the stage. We passed some vineyards which is always nice, but almost all of the stage took place on asphalt and granite setts, some of it on fairly busy roads. We arrived at the Monastery of Rendufe just as the Sunday service was ending, so we were able to peek into the church but no more than that as visits aren’t permitted during the pandemic. (I will note with no further comment that 100+ people had just filed out of the church.)

Caldelas is a medicinal spa town and while it’s nothing special, it has a couple of restaurants and guesthouses and some other services. The town’s full name is Santiago de Caldelas, and there is a statue of Santiago on the façade of the church.

Accommodation: There’s an albergue in Caldelas with 16 beds. It’s €5/bed and we are the only ones here so we’ll take a ‘double room’ for €10!

 

[jungleboy]

Thank you to everyone for your encouragement so far!

I had been planning on 11 stages with only one long state at 31.3 KM. These stages appear to tie into available accommodation along the route. The stages I was planning on are below:

By the looks of it you are a much more meticulous planner than we are! We usually only look a few days ahead but we’ll probably end up doing something similar.

 

[VNwalking]

What is with Portugal and granite setts?

This day sounds like one of thse 'getting out of the city' days that make us dig deep. All good.
Bom caminho to you both!
(No mention of Wendy's PF, and I hope no news is good news.)

 

[jungleboy]

What is with Portugal and granite setts?

Especially in the north! We hardly walked on any on the Nascente.

This day sounds like one of thse 'getting out of the city' days that make us dig deep. All good.
Bom caminho to you both!

Yep, although since it was only 17km, and since we knew that better days were ahead (confirmed 10km into day two!), it was fine.

(No mention of Wendy's PF, and I hope no news is good news.)

It had virtually disappeared by mid-Torres, but all the asphalt on the Torres took its toll and made it return. We’re hoping we’re now largely done with hard surfaces for a while, so it should be OK.

 

[Isca-camigo]

It had virtually disappeared by mid-Torres, but all the asphalt on the Torres took its toll and made it return.

I took PF with me on my 2014 Camino, because I didn't know what the pain was I just carried it with me, there was lots of little things I could have done if I knew like rolling a tennis ball under my arch and heel or rolling a frozen plastic bottle under them. Because the ailment had happened within 6 weeks of going I was of the belief that the pain would just go away, I thought I had just bruised my foot with badly fitted insoles but obviously it detoriated, particularly when I crossed over from France to Spain on the voie Ossau, on the Spainish side the paths were more flatter farming tracks , stopping for breaks was the worst, when restarting my foot would be just full of multiple pin like sensations in the heel/arch area, in the end I knew the flatter paths of the upcoming Frances would be torture for me so I took two days out, regrouped and jumped to the San Salvador, the change to rocky uneven paths while not taking the problem away helped alleviate it a little, I hope the Geira has a similar effect for Wendy, may the paths be rocky and natural for you both and help with Wendy's PF

 

[jungleboy]

Day 2: Caldelas to Campo do Gerês (~27km)

Our first ‘real’ day on the Geira was a fabulous one! It was our favourite stage since the Douro Valley a week ago and probably the most forested stage of our whole camino from Tavira. Plus it was sunny all day until the very last section.

To start with the nature side of the stage, apart from some asphalt at the start (most of the first 6km) and the end (the last 3km), it was all dirt paths through forests and among the mountains. It was very peaceful and isolated and we didn’t see another person for 4-5 hours in the middle of the stage. There were many delightful little streams cascading past moss-covered stones and just being in nature was a joy after all the recent road walking. We also passed a few unfenced and very long-horned cows on narrow paths, but they weren’t aggressive and moved aside for us.



The other notable aspect of the stage, of course, was the Geira itself. We saw many Roman milestones, starting 6km outside Caldelas, and walked on Roman stones here and there, although I must admit that the Roman road was less complete than I had expected. It wasn’t a continuous Roman road for kilometres like the one after Guarda on the Nascente, but occasional small sections instead. That was OK though, as the dirt path made for easier walking. At one point, one of the streams and the Roman road came together to create a scene that I quite liked:



Way-Finding Note: There are two ways to Gerês: one that goes through Terras de Bouro and one that doesn’t. Unless you’re staying at Terras de Bouro after a long first day, there’s no reason to go through it, as it adds a descent and ascent, and the alternative path is the actual Geira with the Roman milestones. There’s a fork in the road 2.2km past Santa Cruz where the left path is for Terras de Bouro and the right path is for the Geira. Way-marking overall was fine today except for the exit from Caldelas, but it was easy enough to follow the tracks for that part.

Accommodation: We are at the HI youth hostel although it’s a bit far from the village and at €39 for a room without bathroom even after a pilgrim discount, it’s not as cheap as it should be. Albergaria Stop is better located, has a restaurant and charges €45 for a double, so in hindsight that would have been the better option.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Thanks for sharing, i am like a little kid waiting for the next installment of a eagerly anticipated story.

 

[peregrina2000]

Purely delightful to read your posts. Like @Isca-camigo I am so sorely tempted! I had written it off for this year because of the border issue, but maybe that was premature. Are you going to go all the way to Santiago, @jungleboy? Did you get the tracks ok?

 

[Turigrino]

May I share the link to Google Maps for those following this fascinating journey?

THE MAP

Tip: You can download the tracks in KML and KMZ format from the "kebab" menu (3 vertical dots) to the right of the map title.

Edit: this is the map prepared by Henrique Malheiro, one of the authors of the Geira guidebook, which you can find on their webpage: https://debragaasantiago.com/

 

[jungleboy]

Day 3: Campo do Gerês to Os Baños (Spain) (~19km)

Today was our last day in Portugal (sort of, more on that later) after walking the entire length of the country, and it was one of the most spectacular days of all. We loved yesterday’s stage but today was even better as we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Peneda-Gerês National Park. It didn’t feel like a camino at all, just a gorgeous day-hike in beautiful weather and stunning nature that I’d do again in an instant.

The first highlight was a mountain-ringed dam that we walked alongside for some time, first on an open path with fantastic views and then in a forest with Roman milestones and tiny streams among moss-covered stones. I think the dam is a worthy addition to my ‘big water features of Portugal’ portfolio from this camino with the ocean from the first day and the crossings of the two great rivers.



After we passed the dam, it became even more beautiful as we walked past boulder-strewn rivers, little waterfalls and secret swimming holes with the forest and mountains as a backdrop.



After we crossed the border it was still gorgeous on the other side and shortly before the end of our stage we found a perfect swimming hole to enjoy all to ourselves.



The usual stage continues about 6km further to Lobios, but we decided to have a shorter day today and a longer one tomorrow to take advantage of the hot springs here in Os Baños (which we’ll do once it cools down a bit - currently 29 degrees at 6pm). Today also seemed a bit longer than advertised, as the distance is given as 16km in the guidebook but my phone, which usually underestimates distances, had it at 19km.

Tomorrow the camino re-enters Portugal and we’ll spend the night there before returning to Spain definitively the next day.

Accommodation: PR As Termas in Os Baños has comfortable double rooms for €40 right across from the springs.

 

[jungleboy]

Purely delightful to read your posts. Like @Isca-camigo I am so sorely tempted! I had written it off for this year because of the border issue, but maybe that was premature.

It’s been spectacular so far so if you want to rethink it! The vaccination/test proof rule at the POR/ESP border was reversed a couple of days after being announced, and we crossed an unmanned border today.

Are you going to go all the way to Santiago, @jungleboy? Did you get the tracks ok?

Yes and yes! The tracks @Turigrino shared above came from Henrique Malheiro, co-author of the official guidebook. We met him in Braga on Saturday and he is providing lots of information, including this ‘super track’ which includes a couple of alternate routes (e.g. yesterday’s skipping of Terras de Bouro) and services, including his favourite water fountains! He is still adding locations to the map for us as we continue so it will get even better in the days to come.

May I share the link to Google Maps for those following this fascinating journey?

THE MAP

Tip: You can download the tracks in KML and KMZ format from the "kebab" menu (3 vertical dots) to the right of the map title.

Edit: this is the map prepared by Henrique Malheiro, one of the authors of the Geira guidebook, which you can find on their webpage: https://debragaasantiago.com/

Reiterating that this Google Maps track is one for future Geira pilgrims to save as it’s more comprehensive than the website tracks.

 

[David with new Kit!]

Day 3: Campo do Gerês to Os Baños (Spain) (~19km)

Today was our last day in Portugal (sort of, more on that later) after walking the entire length of the country, and it was one of the most spectacular days of all. We loved yesterday’s stage but today was even better as we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Peneda-Gerês National Park. It didn’t feel like a camino at all, just a gorgeous day-hike in beautiful weather and stunning nature that I’d do again in an instant.

The first highlight was a mountain-ringed dam that we walked alongside for some time, first on an open path with fantastic views and then in a forest with Roman milestones and tiny streams among moss-covered stones. I think the dam is a worthy addition to my ‘big water features of Portugal’ portfolio from this camino with the ocean from the first day and the crossings of the two great rivers.

View attachment 102547

After we passed the dam, it became even more beautiful as we walked past boulder-strewn rivers, little waterfalls and secret swimming holes with the forest and mountains as a backdrop.

View attachment 102546

After we crossed the border it was still gorgeous on the other side and shortly before the end of our stage we found a perfect swimming hole to enjoy all to ourselves.

View attachment 102545

The usual stage continues about 6km further to Lobios, but we decided to have a shorter day today and a longer one tomorrow to take advantage of the hot springs here in Os Baños (which we’ll do once it cools down a bit - currently 29 degrees at 6pm). Today also seemed a bit longer than advertised, as the distance is given as 16km in the guidebook but my phone, which usually underestimates distances, had it at 19km.

Tomorrow the camino re-enters Portugal and we’ll spend the night there before returning to Spain definitively the next day.

Accommodation: PR As Termas in Os Baños has comfortable double rooms for €40 right across from the springs.

The pics always look fantastic. A hobby or trained?

 

[jungleboy]

Day 4: Os Baños to Castro Laboreiro (~29km)

What an eventful day!

Starting with the weather, my phone app said last night that it was going to rain all day, so I braced myself for a tough stage. Fortunately that didn’t materialise; it was overcast but dry when we woke up and it was pretty sunny for most of the day until the now-habitual afternoon storm hit while we were still walking (more on that later).

It wasn’t as glorious a stage as yesterday - few are - but it had its highlights. Among them were an atmospheric forest in the early morning, a collection of hórreos in Lobios, great views of the Limia river, a boulder-strewn mountain plateau before the border and several small, beautiful rivers with little cascades, the clearest water you can possibly imagine, and some with old mills on their banks.

The forest with Roman road:



A nice stone house with grapevines in Lobios:



The view of the Limia river and its banks:



After crossing back into Portugal in the mid-afternoon, the thunder started and a torrential downpour soon followed - the first time it has rained on us on the trail for more than three weeks and easily the most rain we’ve been caught in during the seven weeks we’ve been walking. Being drenched was one thing, but the bigger issue was nearby lightning. We soon found shelter in the portico of a chapel (thank God for that!) and watched from there as the rain turned to hail. We waited it out for about 30 minutes (chocolate helped) and then walked on the road for the remaining 3km to Castro Laboreiro.

Some other events of the day:

- While looking at the tracks on Google Maps this morning, I noticed a saved location that I had previously marked not far from the trail. It turns out it was Santa Comba de Bande, which I have in my notes as one of four major Visigothic churches in Spain. I marked it because we had originally planned to walk the VdlP/Sanabrés this spring and I thought the church might have been visitable as a day trip with transport from Ourense. It turns out that it’s much closer to the Geira, about 13km from Lobios (49km from Ourense). If I had realised this earlier we could have planned around it and tried to visit. Next time!

- Wendy noticed three ticks in her legs this afternoon. She successfully removed all three and will monitor for symptoms of any tick-borne diseases. On the plus side, her feet are starting to recover from the Torres asphalt and even the long day today didn’t cause problems.

- We met our first pilgrim in 49 days! There’s barely enough space on this forum for me to fully explain this encounter but he was an older, spiritual French gentleman who seemed to have joined the Geira more or less accidentally after starting out on the Portuguese coastal. He didn’t have the GPS tracks or any info about the route really, and appears to only speak French. He spent a night outdoors a couple of nights ago in Os Baños because the hotel where we were the only guests last night was inexplicably full. Since he’s a slow walker, we chatted for a bit, gave him the tracks and then went ahead. After that, once we crossed back into Portugal, the way-marking was poor and even with the tracks he got lost several times and in his own words he would have had to sleep outside again if he didn’t have the tracks and if he didn’t call us for help. All in all, it was a very interesting encounter!



Accommodation: Hotel Castrum Villae, a 3-star hotel for a very reasonable €42/double with a hair dryer for our soaking shoes!

 

[jungleboy]

The pics always look fantastic. A hobby or trained?

Thank you! Just a hobby.

 

[Isca-camigo]

I had previously marked not far from the trail. It turns out it was Santa Comba de Bande, which I have in my notes as one of four major Visigothic churches in Spain.

I have a feeling that is on the Via Celanova which later becomes the Camino San Rosendo which leads to Ourense, the turn off from the Geira is Lobios, it's getting more and more attention and could be reclaimed as a waymarked route.

 

[Isca-camigo]

encounter!

That is a photo and a half, classic encounters of the way.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Hotel Castrum Villae, a 3-star hotel for a very reasonable €42/double with a hair dryer for our soaking shoes!

Thanks for that, not much details are given on the website for this option, they orientate you to the just natur guesthouse.

Edit: it looks like they have included it on their site.

 

[Isca-camigo]

The Way of Saint James via Celanova | Hotel en Celanova

After the fall of the Roman Empire its network of roads continued to be used, also for pilgrimages towards Santiago de Compostela. Many pilgrims preferred roads that allowed them to visit other shrines

hotelcelanova.com

 

[jungleboy]

Day 5: Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (~28km)

We awoke to thunder this morning and set out in steady rain. To avoid my sponge-shoes becoming soaked immediately, resulting in squelchy feet for 10 hours, I decided to try walking in flip-flops. While they were pretty inadequate and I was slower (and am now sorer) than usual, I was more comfortable than I was late yesterday in soaking shoes, so let’s call it a success!

The first 6km to the border on dirt paths was tough going and took us two hours. The trails turned into virtual streams in some parts and puddle-lakes in others. There was almost no way-marking for this section and no shelter from the rain besides trees, so even getting out phones from underneath ponchos to check tracks was difficult. Near the border we found shelter and had second breakfast, and fortunately the worst of the day was behind us.

On the Galician side it stopped raining for a while but it was foggy and misty. Most of the rest of the stage was on asphalt, which was actually a good thing because it provided a surer path in the conditions and easier way-finding than the dirt trails.

The unexpected highlight of the day came 17km in when we optimistically pushed on the side door of the Igrexa da Portela and it surprisingly opened, giving us shelter for lunch while it rained outside. The church is virtually abandoned and it was a dark and eerie place, and an interesting location for PB&J sandwiches!



It didn’t rain at all after lunch until we arrived in Cortegada, and it started again literally a minute after we went inside the hotel. So while it wasn’t a great day, we had a bit of luck here and there, made the best of it and were in pretty good spirits throughout. Apart from not being able to enjoy the mountain views early in the stage, I don’t think we missed out on that much as this doesn’t seem like one of the better stages on the Geira anyway.

Plus, Wendy made several new friends!





Accommodation: Casa do Conde is a nice ‘Hotel Rústico’ that has good-value rooms at €35 with a pilgrim discount and a choice of two different stamps.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 6: Cortegada to Ribadavia (~15km)

It was fortunate that we had a short stage today, as while it rained lightly on and off throughout the walk, it started absolutely pouring after we arrived at our accommodation in Ribadavia.

The second half of the stage, alongside the Miño (Minho) River, was the most enjoyable part of the walk. We walked through forests and vineyards and I thought about how far we’ve come since the orange groves and cacti of the Algarve. The Miño does not serve as the Portuguese-Spanish border this far east so crossing it doesn’t have the same impact as it does on the CP, but to do so outside Ribadavia was still a nice moment and the crossing is almost exactly halfway between Braga and Santiago.



After we arrived in Ribadavia, it looked like it was going to be a pretty lost afternoon as it rained heavily for quite a while. But it eventually stopped and as we were heading to the old town at about 5:30pm, the sun came out! It was brief (about 20 minutes) but it warmed the soul after 48 hours of rain and I even managed to take a few blue-sky photos. There are several nice churches in Ribadavia in addition to this castle.



After exploring the town, we had a drink with our eccentric French pilgrim friend Jean Marie (who had taxied ahead) and dinner in the main square of the old town, typically Galician with its stone buildings and white galerías. We were so lucky to have a rain-free evening so that we could enjoy Ribadavia, which is the first historic town on the Geira.

Accommodation: Pension Evencio (Garden Lodge) has simple double rooms for €29 (with Booking.com genius discount) and a decent attached restaurant. It’s a 15-minute walk north of the historic centre, though, so maybe @Isca-camigo ‘s suggestion of the Hotel Caracas would have been a better choice.

 

[jungleboy]

And especially for @gracethepilgrim, there is a free ethnographic museum next to the church of Santiago in Ribadavia that has displays on textiles, weaving etc.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Thanks but credit mainly goes to @MyDestinationGalicia who when I nearly went in the Xmas period of 2019 and I was researching places to stay wrote a good review of Hotel Caracas on TripAdvisor so that stuck in my mind.
When I first started properly following this route, I was of the opinion that the most stand out sections must be in the national park, but I have read on a couple of occasions ( it's all subjective) that the Queen section is on the next 2-3 days ahead of you, I hope for you it proves to be true.
Buen Camino

 

[jungleboy]

Day 7: Ribadavia to Feás (~27km)

Today was a fun day, largely because it hardly rained at all (just lightly for about 15 minutes). Even though it was overcast all day, so our views/photos of the countryside weren’t fantastic, we enjoyed walking through vineyards and forests, and we met some lovely people and dove further into Galician culture (e.g. by drinking liqueur at 10:30am!).

We’re now getting into the ‘Arrieiros’ (wine carriers) part of this camino. The vineyards here are very nice but since we already saw the spectacular Douro Valley ones not two weeks ago, it’s the forests and streams of Galicia that continue to enchant me the most.



Shortly after Berán this morning, we reached the 100km to go marker, which was only installed last month. That also meant we had walked about 975km since Tavira at that point and we will pass 1000km early tomorrow.



Some other highlights of the day were having lunch under a medieval bridge, discovering the ‘new’ cherries (tiny plums!) and seeing several nice churches as we are now in more historic areas compared with the first few days on the Geira.

Meanwhile our ‘reputation’ is starting to precede us, largely thanks to Henrique and the fact that Wendy joined the Geira Facebook group and posted a few things in Galego. Someone was waiting for us at a bar in Berán this morning with a stamp, and this evening when Wendy called ahead to reserve accommodation, the guy on the other end of the phone said, ‘Eres la chica americana de Facebook?’ We are having some really nice interactions as a result and Wendy has found a few people to speak Galego with (not always a sure thing even in Galicia). We are feeling a deeper connection with this land than ever before so that’s been really wonderful.

Accommodation: A Forno do Curro is a Casa Rural just outside Feás that has a tiny room out the back with two beds for pilgrims for €25.

 

[gracethepilgrim]

And especially for @gracethepilgrim, there is a free ethnographic museum next to the church of Santiago in Ribadavia that has displays on textiles, weaving etc.

You guys are so kind! I’ll add that to my homemade ‘guide’

 

[Pelegrin]

So Wendy is American and fala Galego. That' s good. On my Portugues in 2018 I met an American pilgrim from California who spoke a perfect Galician (she lived in Vigo).

 

[VNwalking]

That also meant we had walked about 975km since Tavira at that point and we will pass 1000km early tomorrow

Epic. Well done, you two!!

fact that Wendy joined the Geira Facebook group and posted a few things in Galego

Seriously? Wow, I'm impressed.
(And envious. Oh to be able to do that, but I have pathetic foreign language skills.)

 

[jungleboy]

Seriously? Wow, I'm impressed.
(And envious. Oh to be able to do that, but I have pathetic foreign language skills.)

Wendy’s always been a self-confessed language geek and Galego is her current ‘focus language’.

 

[Former member 49149]

Clearly gifted! I am impressed by your fluent delivery, Wendy. Have you added Gaeilge to your bag yet? Although living in Ireland for many years, I have only a tiny smattering of isolated words - because it has not been necessary for survival!

 

[Pelegrin]

Wendy’s always been a self-confessed language geek and Galego is her current ‘focus language’.

I speak rural and normative Galician. I think that my normative is not better than hers !!.
She should speak more slowly to elder people who could don't understand a few normative words that she uses.
Congratulations to Wendy !!!

 

[Pelegrin]

Rural Galician has Spanish and "Galegazed" Spanish words : ochenta/oitenta, conexo/coello, parexa/parella.

 

[Pelegrin]

The most difficult part for someone who speaks Portuguese and Castilian is the verb conjugation which is different in Galician to both languages.

 

[VNwalking]

Wow, Wendy.
I'm in awe. How do you do that?!?

 

[Pelegrin]

Rural Galician has Spanish and "Galegazed" Spanish words : ochenta/oitenta, conexo/coello, parexa/parella.

So, if you ask for a "selo" that is the normative for "sello" some people could no understand. In similar situations say the Spanish word.

 

[Wendy Werneth]

I speak rural and normative Galician. I think that my normative is not better than hers !!.
She should speak more slowly to elder people who could don't understand a few normative words that she uses.
Congratulations to Wendy !!!

@Pelegrin Thanks for your positive feedback! I didn't realize there was such a big difference between rural and normative Galego. But I've been chatting on WhatsApp with some galegos I met on the Camino, and they are using words I can't find in the RAG dictionary, like paveas and tarreos. I imagine that the vocabulary varies a lot from one area to the next.

@kirkie Nope! I did make an attempt at Gaelige about 20 years ago, but I didn't get far with it. All I remember is "Conas a ta tu" and "Ta meh go mah". I'm sure my spelling is all wrong; I just remember how it sounded.

@VNwalking Learning languages is just my thing, I guess. I sometimes make a living from it as a translator, but it's also what I do in my spare time, for fun or to relax. On Camino, the first thing I do at the end of each day's walk is to play on some language learning apps while stretching LOL.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 8: Feás to Soutelo de Montes (~21km)

Unfortunately there isn’t much to say about today, as it rained for most of the day and it was the coldest we’ve been on this camino. The rain has been forecast to continue for two more days followed by several sunny days from Wednesday.

Today was a stage with a few ups and downs, as has been customary lately, but most of it was on dirt tracks in open countryside with no vineyards and not much forest walking or shelter throughout the stage.

It was actually sunny for the first five minutes of the walk, and I took a quick photo of an hórreo outside Feás before the weather changed dramatically in true Galician style and it started raining just a few minutes later.



We ate a late breakfast and warmed up a bit at the bar in Beariz about halfway through the stage. The bar sells Geira e dos Arrieiros t-shirts!

Shortly before Soutelo de Montes, there is a church of Santiago that has these nice wooden doors:



Soutelo de Montes is nothing special but it has a couple of places to stay and a few bars/restaurants. This is our third night in a row ‘off stage’ because of (and including) our Ribadavia stop. Tomorrow night we’ll be back on stage and after that there are only two days left until Santiago!

Accommodation: Pension San Roque has double rooms for €30 (singles for €18). The accommodation is down the street from the restaurant of the same name, which you’ll reach first and is where you need to check in.

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Hi Nick. Several days ago (when meeting the Frenchman around Os Baños), you mentioned waymarking issues.
Would you say that the Geira is manageable using the GPS route provided by Henrique Malheiro?
I’ll be walking alone and have a dreadful sense of direction (I know! how can I call myself a pilgrim )

 

[Kanga]

@jungleboy your photographs are quite wonderful. The one showing reflections in the River Miño at post #26 is stunning.

 

[jungleboy]

Hi Nick. Several days ago (when meeting the Frenchman around Os Baños), you mentioned waymarking issues.
Would you say that the Geira is manageable using the GPS route provided by Henrique Malheiro?
I’ll be walking alone and have a dreadful sense of direction (I know! how can I call myself a pilgrim )

With the combination of arrows and tracks, you’ll be fine. The arrows are pretty inconsistent throughout so you definitely do need the tracks at times. Occasionally the arrows and tracks deviate, and in those cases the arrows are newer and follow the current recommended route. I’d say the stretches into and out of Castro Laboreiro are where the arrows are lacking the most.

Two other things to note:

- Mobile data can drop out, especially around the border, so importing the tracks into Maps.me or similar and pre-downloading the maps for offline use is recommended.

- If it’s raining on a stretch with poor signage and little/no shelter, it can be difficult to keep taking out your phone to check the tracks. Keeping a cloth in a dry but accessible spot to dry your phone screen would be a good idea.

 

[jungleboy]

@jungleboy your photographs are quite wonderful. The one showing reflections in the River Miño at post #26 is stunning.

Thank you, that’s very kind!

I have felt pretty hamstrung photo-wise these past few days because of the weather and some camera problems that are affecting some photos, so I’m glad you liked the Miño one!

 

[jungleboy]

Day 9: Soutelo de Montes to Codeseda (~20km)

If there was ever a day of two halves on camino, this was it. It rained for most of the walk and we had begun to accept that the second half of our Geira e dos Arrieiros was pretty much a washout. Being wet and cold has been pretty much a given the past few days, so we are getting used to it. This morning the trail was basically a stream for almost a kilometre and all we could do was laugh, and then celebrate on the rare occasions when the sun came out for a minute or two:



Then everything turned around as we were given such a wonderful welcome in Codeseda. Francisco (‘Frank’) manages a Casa Rural here and is heavily involved in the Geira project, managing one of the Facebook groups and having translated the official guide. He is extremely friendly, gave us fruit and other food and made us feel very much at home. He also said we were the 300th and 301st pilgrims to pass through Codeseda this year (mostly Portuguese cyclists who do a 3-4 day long weekend), so he arranged a little celebration. Carlos, the co-author of both Geira books and a native of Codeseda, came by and gifted us t-shirts, and Wendy did a phone interview with a journalist from La Voz de Galicia for an article that is supposed to be published tomorrow.

Additionally, the bar here is called ‘Café Pub Caminho da Geira’! It has a (much appreciated) fireplace and the owner, Mari Carmen, made us two veg meals, went out of her way to buy special products, and gave us a great welcome too. Basically the whole village is heavily invested in the Geira and we’ve never been welcomed to this extent on a camino before. So in the end it was a great day and we now have the spirit to do one more rainy day tomorrow before the weather (hopefully) improves for Santiago on Wednesday.

We also met our second pilgrim in 54 days! She’s an elderly Dutch lady (78) who had her Geira cut short in Ribadavia due to the pandemic last year and is now finishing it off.

Accommodation: The Casas Rurales Casa O Avó and Casa O Palomar are run by the same owner, Francisco. We have a very comfortable room/apartment for €40, which must include a large pilgrim discount. Highly recommended!

 

[gracethepilgrim]

With the combination of arrows and tracks, you’ll be fine. The arrows are pretty inconsistent throughout so you definitely do need the tracks at times. Occasionally the arrows and tracks deviate, and in those cases the arrows are newer and follow the current recommended route. I’d say the stretches into and out of Castro Laboreiro are where the arrows are lacking the most.

Two other things to note:

- Mobile data can drop out, especially around the border, so importing the tracks into Maps.me or similar and pre-downloading the maps for offline use is recommended.

- If it’s raining on a stretch with poor signage and little/no shelter, it can be difficult to keep taking out your phone to check the tracks. Keeping a cloth in a dry but accessible spot to dry your phone screen would be a good idea.

Nick that’s brilliant information - puts my mind at rest. I use Maps.me so I’m used to it’s functions, and it can be used offline.

 

[jungleboy]

This is the article in La Voz de Galicia today:

El Camiño da Geira suma 300 peregrinos con su continuidad en riesgo por la mala señalización

(Wendy’s and my nationalities are the wrong way round in the article.)

For context for the latter part of the article, referencing the ‘enemigo’ of the Geira, here’s a summary of something I’ve been meaning to bring up here for the last few days. In addition to the Geira, we also often follow signs for the Caminho Minhoto Ribeiro (POR) / Camiño Miñoto Ribeiro (GAL), whose name refers to the regions on either side of the border. The CMR is not exactly the same as the Geira (which would obviously be pointless), but is similar. Here’s an explanation of the two caminos in Spanish:



Both caminos have been recognised by the church but only the CMR has been recognised by the Xunta. That means it receives government funding and the result of that can be seen in better way-marking. The Geira is a bottom-up project and the way-marking reflects that, but the Geira has been more successful in developing a following (e.g. a Facebook group with 4.5k members) and is getting more pilgrims than the CMR. According to the article, two districts are only permitting CMR arrows and not Geira arrows, and according to Geira people, some of their arrows have been removed.

Finally, the wild boar carcass mentioned at the end of the article was still on the camino as of this morning, when we passed it.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Hi Jungleboy, I wasnt aware that the CMR had got recognition of the Cathedral, I've not seen it given anywhere, I wouldn't be surprised if they had Xunta recognition, it goes through a lot more larger places which have tourist value, the CMR has largely been driven by local politician's and Mayor's. The Geira
groups really took up the effort of getting the route recognized and restarting interest in this way, while it seems the CMR has restarted again due to the Geira getting church recognition, they rightly sensed possible funding coming in that direction.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 10: Codeseda to Rarís (~27km)

Revitalised after yesterday and with Santiago fast approaching, we were in good spirits this morning despite more rain. Then at about midday, it began to clear up and we walked in much-appreciated sunshine for most of the afternoon, and this improved weather should continue tomorrow into Santiago and beyond to Finisterre.

There’s not a whole lot to say about the stage today. We passed a few churches and cruzeiros with statues of Santiago (the apostle) facing the direction of Santiago (the city). We also crossed the impressive medieval bridge at Ponte Vea.



Ponte Vea is the usual end-of-stage destination but we went a bit further to Rarís because of a better accommodation/food option. An extra bonus is that now we only have 14km to walk to Santiago tomorrow!

Accommodation: Casa Taberna Mella in Rarís is run by a lovely Galego/Brazilian couple and we had a great meal and conversation here. The only issue is that it’s a bit pricey at €25/p for a room with shared bathroom.

 

[jungleboy]

Another article about yesterday’s 300 celebration is in the Faro de Vigo but most of it is behind a pay wall. At least our nationalities are correct in the photo caption!

Los 300 del Camiño da Geira

El Camino te pone a prueba. Te permite encontrarte contigo mismo y mide de qué pasta estás hecho. Gertrudis se retiró ayer a su habitación en la casa de turismo rural O Palomar, en la parroquia estradense de Codeseda, dejando a más de uno boquiabierto y demostrando que, a sus 78 años de edad, la...

www.farodevigo.es

 

[Isca-camigo]

I had a feeling the weather was a cloud on your recent days ( no pun intended), if you are wet and cold there is no escaping from it, I had it on the San Salvador for 2 days in July and it affects your mood and your vibrancy. I'm glad that you had a good day yesterday, and thanks for the info on the hotel, I was thinking of making this my stop if I get to go this way in August//September.
Buen Camino

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Oh you’re nearly there what excitement you must have . . .
I can see from all the responses you’ve had on this forum that there are many pilgrims from all around the globe who have followed your 1000+km over the past couple of months.
We’re collectively cheering you both on for the ‘final' day into Santiago . . .

 

[jungleboy]

I had a feeling the weather was a cloud on your recent days ( no pun intended), if you are wet and cold there is no escaping from it, I had it on the San Salvador for 2 days in July and it affects your mood and your vibrancy. I'm glad that you had a good day yesterday, and thanks for the info on the hotel, I was thinking of making this my stop if I get to go this way in August//September.
Buen Camino

Thank you for all your support! Of course rain is to be expected in Galicia, but it only rained on us three times in our first 48 days so it was a bit of a shame that it then rained seven days in a row just as we neared the end. But the forecast looks good for the next five days so hopefully we’ll finish on a good note weather-wise.

 

[Isca-camigo]

I think this route even for Galicia and Northern Portugal has a lot of rainy days, there is a lot of beauty but it has a price,

 

[jungleboy]

Oh you’re nearly there what excitement you must have . . .
I can see from all the responses you’ve had on this forum that there are many pilgrims from all around the globe who have followed your 1000+km over the past couple of months.
We’re collectively cheering you both on for the ‘final' day into Santiago . . .

Thank you so much Grace! We are excited about Santiago but we had always hoped to make this an ocean-to-ocean camino so Finisterre has been the real goal since the start and we won’t reach it until Sunday.

P.S. I’ll reply to your DM tomorrow if that’s OK. Time for now.

 

[VNwalking]

Wow, so quickly it ends.
This thread has been pure joy. Thank you.
Please keep posting as you walk to the sea!

(Hmmmm. Instead of following the beaten path I'd be tempted to walk the Ingles in reverse, carrying on to the Ruta do Mar as far as San Andreas de Teixido ~ coast to wild and mysterious coast, South to North.

 

[jungleboy]

Wow, so quickly it ends.
This thread has been pure joy. Thank you.
Please keep posting as you walk to the sea!

Thank you!

(Hmmmm. Instead of following the beaten path I'd be tempted to walk the Ingles in reverse, carrying on to the Ruta do Mar as far as San Andreas de Teixido ~ coast to wild and mysterious coast, South to North.

We are actually ready for some beaten path after seeing two pilgrims in 55 days! And we’ve never been to Finisterre so it’s all new to us. Your idea is intriguing but I don’t think we have enough adventurous spirit left in us!

 

[Former member 49149]

Glad you are going on after Santiago. It is too soon to end, because your posts are so vibrant and as others have said, your photos are A1.

 

[jungleboy]

We made it! Thanks to everyone for your support - it’s been much appreciated!

 

[koknesis]

very inspiring reports indeed!
Thanks and I wish you every success for the future! I hope I could follow your footsteps later this year.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Lots of hugs,thanks for including us in your journey

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Time for a wee rest now, then on to Finesterre?
What a brilliant achievement for you both.
I’m looking forward to getting there: a 9-week countdown until I’m able to follow your footsteps on this wonderful triplet of Caminos. The Nascente++

 

[Anne&Pat]

Thank you for allowing us to join you on this wonderful journey. Congratulations on arriving in Santiago.
Buen Camino now you are in Spain!
Anne & Pat

 

[BombayBill]

Good job. Fascinating to follow.

 

[jungleboy]

What a brilliant achievement for you both.
I’m looking forward to getting there: a 9-week countdown until I’m able to follow your footsteps on this wonderful triplet of Caminos. The Nascente++

Thank you! It is definitely a wonderful triplet and you will love it!

Meanwhile, I’ll get back to you on a few other things when I get home and can use a computer instead of a phone.

 

[VNwalking]

We made it!

Well done!!
Thank you for letting all of us tag along.
(And that's a really nice photo of the two of you, BTW)
Looking forward to the next wee bit out to the coast.

 

[Marcus-UK]

Thank you for all your support! Of course rain is to be expected in Galicia, but it only rained on us three times in our first 48 days so it was a bit of a shame that it then rained seven days in a row just as we neared the end. But the forecast looks good for the next five days so hopefully we’ll finish on a good note weather-wise.

My first Camino was the "English way" and true to form it rained every day except the last! Many of the downhill tracks became stream beds and literally wading was required. I only really started to dry out while waiting in the Queue for my Compostella!

Your pictures have shown a green and verdant landscape so obviously the rain has done some good!

 

[jungleboy]

Day 60 (!): We made it to Finisterre!



Some quick thoughts on the Camino Finisterre and our arrival today:

Ordinarily, I think of the camino as an experience that’s about the journey, not the destination, as I’m sure many of you do. But on the Camino Finisterre, I felt a bit checked out of the journey after such a long camino and I was just focused on the arrival.

Because of this, the first three days were merely OK, despite very good weather. There’s more agriculture than we’ve seen probably anywhere on this camino (the walking is often among cultivated fields and past dairy farms rather than in countryside/forest), there’s quite a bit of road walking, and not many historic sites. Seeing other pilgrims was a bit of a shock at first after the remoteness of the Nascente-Torres-Geira triple, but it was also a pleasant change and we had some nice conversations.

Today I felt a lot of excitement and anticipation, given that we had never been to Finisterre before. We woke up early in Cee and were very lucky to have such a glorious day to end our camino. The soft, early morning light over Corcubión set the tone for what was to come.



After descending from Sardiñeiro, we ate breakfast at a rest spot with spectacular views of Cape Finisterre and the blue emptiness beyond.



Walking on the beach at Playa de Langosteira, with all the scallop shells, was another real highlight and I was glad that we savoured that even though I was anxious to continue to the cape while the weather was still fine.

The cape was quite crowded with tourists, being a Sunday, but it was still a very special moment to finally arrive after two months on the trail. After taking pictures at the 0km marker, we found a nice spot near the boot to look out into the (once) unknown, contemplate our journey, and eat lunch.



So after truly one of the best days of this (or any) camino, we have now finally finished our pilgrimage. Tomorrow we’ll head back to Santiago and after a couple more nights there, we’ll take the train home to Lisbon where restrictions, vaccinations and the real world await.

 

[VNwalking]

So after truly one of the best days of this (or any) camino, we have now finally finished our pilgrimage. Tomorrow we’ll head back to Santiago and after a couple more nights there, we’ll go home to Lisbon where restrictions, vaccinations and the real world await.

I am genuinely sorry you are not walking home.

These posts of yours have been something to look forward to, as you were walking step by step into a very 'real world' and bringing it to life for all of us.

 

[mspath]

Day 60 (!): We made it to Finisterre!

View attachment 103435

Some quick thoughts on the Camino Finisterre and our arrival today:

Ordinarily, I think of the camino as an experience that’s about the journey, not the destination, as I’m sure many of you do. But on the Camino Finisterre, I felt a bit checked out of the journey after such a long camino and I was just focused on the arrival.

Because of this, the first three days were merely OK, despite very good weather. There’s more agriculture than we’ve seen probably anywhere on this camino (the walking is often among cultivated fields and past dairy farms rather than in countryside/forest), there’s quite a bit of road walking, and not many historic sites. Seeing other pilgrims was a bit of a shock at first after the remoteness of the Nascente-Torres-Geira triple, but it was also a pleasant change and we had some nice conversations.

Today I felt a lot of excitement and anticipation, given that we had never been to Finisterre before. We woke up early in Cee and were very lucky to have such a glorious day to end our camino. The soft, early morning light over Corcubión set the tone for what was to come.

View attachment 103434

After descending from Sardiñeiro, we ate breakfast at a rest spot with spectacular views of Cape Finisterre and the blue emptiness beyond.

View attachment 103433

Walking on the beach at Playa de Llagosteira, with all the scallop shells, was another real highlight and I was glad that we savoured that even though I was anxious to continue to the cape while the weather was still fine.

The cape was quite crowded with tourists, being a Sunday, but it was still a very special moment to finally arrive after two months on the trail. After taking pictures at the 0km marker, we found a nice spot near the boot to look out into the (once) unknown, contemplate our journey, and eat lunch.

View attachment 103432

So after truly one of the best days of this (or any) camino, we have now finally finished our pilgrimage. Tomorrow we’ll head back to Santiago and after a couple more nights there, we’ll go home to Lisbon where restrictions, vaccinations and the real world await.

Thank you for sharing your days, thoughts and splendid photos with the Forum. You have helped us have hope during this difficult period.

Carpe diem and, in the truest sense,
Ultreia.

 

[Former member 49149]

Thank you for your sharing of your camino. Beautiful. Photos, magnificent. Enjoy the return, for return you must!

 

[mark camilli]

Thanks for your many posts, my wife and I are hooked on walking in Portugal, your excellent posts have really motivated us and we cant wait to do the Geira.

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Aaaaha, what a finale! Your photo of the blue blue sea and sky is such a magnificent scene to mark the ‘end'. Well done you two….a brilliant adventure.
I’m thrilled to have shared your footsteps and the tales of places and people you met along the way.
Because of you both, the Nascente-Torres-Geira triple is a ‘thing’. Thankyou

 

[Pelegrin]

Thank you very much !!

 

[nycwalking]

Virtually walking along with you has been wonderful.

Buen camino going forward.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Well done. Congratulations on your arrival in Finisterre. What magnificent weather to greet your last day of walking. Have loved following you on this journey and we’re in admiration of your photography, which continued to your last day. You have helped to keep the Caminho/Camino spirit alive in many people during this difficult time we are all experiencing.
We wish you both a safe trip back to Lisbon.
Ultreia.

 

[OzAnnie]

Well done. Congratulations on your arrival in Finisterre. What magnificent weather to greet your last day of walking. Have loved following you on this journey and we’re in admiration of your photography, which continued to your last day. You have helped to keep the Caminho/Camino spirit alive in many people during this difficult time we are all experiencing.
We wish you both a safe trip back to Lisbon.
Ultreia.

my thoughts too !!!

Tomorrow we’ll head back to Santiago and after a couple more nights there, we’ll take the train home to Lisbon where restrictions, vaccinations and the real world await.

Yes - all good things ……….etc
We will be sharing this at least. Even Sydney is now under ‘ 14 days stay at home orders’ -AKA ‘lockdown ‘ …until July 9.
The delta variant on the loose ! But luckily with our numbers & systems operating we can actually track and trace it.

Thankyou so much for this Trip !! Again - congratulations….

annie.

 

[BombayBill]

Your blog was terrific. I think you captured the joy and sometimes bittersweet feel of the Camino perfectly.

 

[Paul McAmino]

Thank you for this lovely journal, particularly the stages of your Geira and their paradoxically familiar remoteness. It’s familiar because it’s a Camino, and I love (both of) your enthusiasm for its splendors as well as its quirks.
I’ll add my “Well done!” to the chorus. What a great trip!

All the best,
Paul

 

[jungleboy]

Thank you all! Your very kind comments and support along the way are much appreciated!

 

[peregrina2000]

We didn’t have high expectations today as it was just a ‘set-up stage’ to get out of Braga and the urban sprawl we’ve experienced for the last few days and position us closer to the mountains, which we can now see nearby.

Where did you stay in Braga? I’m hoping to have two nights there, so I can see Sao Frutuoso. I’ve been to Braga at least 3 or 4 times and never knew anything about it till I read your earlier post.

 

[Wendy Werneth]

Where did you stay in Braga? I’m hoping to have two nights there, so I can see Sao Frutuoso. I’ve been to Braga at least 3 or 4 times and never knew anything about it till I read your earlier post.

We stayed at the Friends in Braga Guesthouse. It was not quite as central as what we would normally choose, but it was unbelievably cheap and close to a Lidl, so good for stocking up. Friendly family atmosphere.

Friends in Braga - Guesthouse
910 813 868

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[mick53]

try as I might, i cant see any 3 dots beside the map or anywhere else! have even clicked on the link to the web page and still no tree dots, HELP!

May I share the link to Google Maps for those following this fascinating journey?

THE MAP

Tip: You can download the tracks in KML and KMZ format from the "kebab" menu (3 vertical dots) to the right of the map title.

Edit: this is the map prepared by Henrique Malheiro, one of the authors of the Geira guidebook, which you can find on their webpage: https://debragaasantiago.com/

asb

 

[mick53]

It’s been spectacular so far so if you want to rethink it! The vaccination/test proof rule at the POR/ESP border was reversed a couple of days after being announced, and we crossed an unmanned border today.


Yes and yes! The tracks @Turigrino shared above came from Henrique Malheiro, co-author of the official guidebook. We met him in Braga on Saturday and he is providing lots of information, including this ‘super track’ which includes a couple of alternate routes (e.g. yesterday’s skipping of Terras de Bouro) and services, including his favourite water fountains! He is still adding locations to the map for us as we continue so it will get even better in the days to come.


Reiterating that this Google Maps track is one for future Geira pilgrims to save as it’s more comprehensive than the website tracks.

Hi Torigrino
On my Smartphone I can't see the 3 dots on the map, hence can't get the kml.

Starting Geira tomorrow, wondering if you can just attach thr kml directly.

I have the kml from the book/ website

Mick53