Len Hellenberg
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Portugues (Tui - SdC) 2008
Via Francigena (Acquapendente - Rome) 2009
Camino do Tejo (Lisbon - Fatima) 2010
Coimbra - Fatima 2011
Aveiro - Fatima 2013
Since there is not much written on this forum about Fatima as a pilgrim goal I´d like to share with you my experience from my walks to Fatima. Fatima is a wonderful holy place and you can read about it on many pages on Internet. I have walked to Fatima on three different routes.
Route 1: Lisbon to Fatima 2010.
If you, as I did, will start the walking from the Cathedral in Lisbon, you have to walk nearly 8 km through the suburbs of Lisbon to Parques das Nacoes. Instead I recommend that you take the Metro to Oriente and there start walking from Parques das Nacoes. Since John Brierley´s book Camino Portugues describes the way to Santarem, I only have to advise you to leave the Camino in Alhandra and walk on a nice pedestrian walkway along the river to Vila Franca de Xira. I didn´t walk the whole way from Azambuja to Santarem (32 km) but made an overnight stop in Cartaxo (bus from Morgado to Cartaxo).
From Santarem I started out towards Fatima, following the blue signs. (not always easy to find). I went on roads with a lot of traffic for about 2 hours (7-8 km) then on a small quiet country road passing Azoia de Baixo and Advagar. Continued to Santos but missed the Camino sign by the church. Instead I went the nice country road to Arneiro das Milharicas. Beautiful views over the valley. Arneiro das Milharicas was a small village with only one place to stay overnight “Casa O Primo Bazilio” hosted by a very nice couple.
Next day I followed the Camino markings along a path through the woods. After 45 minutes walk there was suddenly two different roads to Fatima. I took the one to Alcanena because I had booked a hotel-room there. But I think it had been nicer to walk the other way (more walking through the woods.) After my wood-walking there was a rather quiet road via Malhou to Alcanena.
The last days walking to Fatima started with road-walking via Minde to Covão do Coelho. Nice views. A lot uphill. From Covão do Coelho (where I should have eaten, it took 2,5 hours to reach the next café in Giasteira) there was many Fatima markings, some-times blue dots painted on stones. I went through woods on a small gravel path passing some wind-power plants. In the end some roadwalking again before I finally reached Fatima for the first time.
Route 2: Coimbra- Fatima 2011
The first day I took the train from Oriente station in Lisbon to Coimbra. I got a good discount because I was a senior. (Now I am 73 years old). You have to show your passport. The train stopped at Coimbra B and I had to change to a local train that took me to Coimbra A in 5 minutes. Then I was in the centre of Coimbra.
Next day I started walking over Ponte de Santa Clara passing Rio Mondego. After a while I was shown that the markings towards Fatima were blue lines painted in the streets. I had expected to find yellow markings pointing towards Santiago de Compostela, but couldn´t find any until I reached Pailheira. The route to Fatima was the same as the route to Santiago de Compostela until I reached Alvaiazere (but in the opposite direction). After Pailheira I didn´t notice that the Camino went to the right on a small road near the church. So I walked a few hours on other roads that finally took me to Condeixa-a-Nova.
The following day I walked on asphalt roads out from Condeixa-a-Nova to Bar Triple Jota, where I came back to the Camino again. Passed Conimbriga and walked on a nice little gravel path through the woods to Rabacal. The last kilometers were on small roads with nearly no traffic at all.
When you start walking out of Rabacal to Ansiao you should take to the left before the first round-about. I missed that (didn´t see any signs) so I walked the road to Alcalamomque, where I for a while picked up the Camino. During the rest of the day I sometimes found signs to follow, sometimes not but the walk was fine, sometimes on small paths, sometimes on small roads and I got to Ansiao via Vale de Bei.
The next day´s walking from Ansiao to Alvaiazere was on more or less trafficked roads. It was very hard to find the Camino way-marks, so sometimes I had to walk other roads than the Camino ones.
From Alvaiazere I had to leave Camino Portugues and try to find the Pilgrim way to Fatima. I had planned to walk this day to Caxarias. I started walking the road towards Tomar and then went west on a road passing Zambujal and Aldeira. Sometimes I saw pilgrim signs towards Fatima but not very often. Before Freixandra little traffic and nice landscape. No problem to reach Caxarias via the road passing Rio do Couros.
Next day I went the road to Ourem, a lot of traffic, sometimes uphill, sometimes downhill, sometimes nice views. From Ourem (where I saw 2 small hotels and some bars and restaurants) the road went very much uphill, but nearly no traffic. Beautiful views. This time I reached Fatima from the east.
Route 3: Aveiro – Fatima 2013
After the train ride from Oriente to Aveiro, I stayed in Aveiro (called the Venice of Portugal) the rest of the day. I started the Pilgrim walk from Igreja de S. Domingos e Cruzeiro. This time I had planned to follow the route from the maps in “Rota do Peregrino de Fatima”, which I recently had found on the Internet.
I walked on small pavements out of Aveiro and then continued on the road through a wooden area to Palhaca, a very nice little village. There was no place to stay overnight nearby, so I took a taxi back towards Aveiro and stayed at a Residencial at Quinta do Picado.
The next day I for different reasons changed my plans to continue walking from Palhaca. Instead I walked back 7 km to Aveiro and took a train to Coimbra.
Started the next day with taking a local train to Pereira (20 min). Walked a road with a lot of traffic but after 1,5 hours I passed the bridge over Rio Mondego and went on a gravel path along the river to Montemor-o-Velho, where I stayed the night.
This day I first had to walk on a road with a lot of traffic to Alfarelos. Then on a small gravel path through the wood. I was shown back to the main road and went through a nature reserve but left the road at Vila Nova de Ancos and went on a small gravel road by the river. Crossed a bridge over the river, rather nice nature with fields and a wooden area, before I reached my goal for this day, Soure.
From Soure I went on a small gravel road along the river and then on small paths until the path was flooded and I had to walk back to a country road and walk a few extra km to a railway station. There I saw the first arrows towards Fatima on this route. Continued along the railway on a small road for at least 2 hours all the way to Pombal.
The following day I didn´t want to follow the route described in ”Rota da Peregrino de Fatima.” It was much too dangerous to walk on the heavily trafficked road without pavement. Instead I took the bus from Pombal to Leiria, where I stayed the night.
After a 20 minutes bus-ride to Barracao, I started walking on a road, passing a lot of villages and some wooden areas. Sometimes very little traffic. From Barracao I saw many signs pointing towards Fatima both blue, red and yellow. Stayed in a hostel in Caranguejeira.
The last day´s walking was only on roads. I walked through a valley passing villages and then went uphill to Santa Catarina da Serra. Especially near Fatima it was a lot of traffic. This time I reached Fatima from north-west.
I sincerely hope that some-one will find this description of the 3 routes I have walked to Fatima helpful. If you have any questions for instance want to know more specific details about the routes, were I stayed the nights and so on, I´ll be happy to answer your questions.
Len
Route 1: Lisbon to Fatima 2010.
If you, as I did, will start the walking from the Cathedral in Lisbon, you have to walk nearly 8 km through the suburbs of Lisbon to Parques das Nacoes. Instead I recommend that you take the Metro to Oriente and there start walking from Parques das Nacoes. Since John Brierley´s book Camino Portugues describes the way to Santarem, I only have to advise you to leave the Camino in Alhandra and walk on a nice pedestrian walkway along the river to Vila Franca de Xira. I didn´t walk the whole way from Azambuja to Santarem (32 km) but made an overnight stop in Cartaxo (bus from Morgado to Cartaxo).
From Santarem I started out towards Fatima, following the blue signs. (not always easy to find). I went on roads with a lot of traffic for about 2 hours (7-8 km) then on a small quiet country road passing Azoia de Baixo and Advagar. Continued to Santos but missed the Camino sign by the church. Instead I went the nice country road to Arneiro das Milharicas. Beautiful views over the valley. Arneiro das Milharicas was a small village with only one place to stay overnight “Casa O Primo Bazilio” hosted by a very nice couple.
Next day I followed the Camino markings along a path through the woods. After 45 minutes walk there was suddenly two different roads to Fatima. I took the one to Alcanena because I had booked a hotel-room there. But I think it had been nicer to walk the other way (more walking through the woods.) After my wood-walking there was a rather quiet road via Malhou to Alcanena.
The last days walking to Fatima started with road-walking via Minde to Covão do Coelho. Nice views. A lot uphill. From Covão do Coelho (where I should have eaten, it took 2,5 hours to reach the next café in Giasteira) there was many Fatima markings, some-times blue dots painted on stones. I went through woods on a small gravel path passing some wind-power plants. In the end some roadwalking again before I finally reached Fatima for the first time.
Route 2: Coimbra- Fatima 2011
The first day I took the train from Oriente station in Lisbon to Coimbra. I got a good discount because I was a senior. (Now I am 73 years old). You have to show your passport. The train stopped at Coimbra B and I had to change to a local train that took me to Coimbra A in 5 minutes. Then I was in the centre of Coimbra.
Next day I started walking over Ponte de Santa Clara passing Rio Mondego. After a while I was shown that the markings towards Fatima were blue lines painted in the streets. I had expected to find yellow markings pointing towards Santiago de Compostela, but couldn´t find any until I reached Pailheira. The route to Fatima was the same as the route to Santiago de Compostela until I reached Alvaiazere (but in the opposite direction). After Pailheira I didn´t notice that the Camino went to the right on a small road near the church. So I walked a few hours on other roads that finally took me to Condeixa-a-Nova.
The following day I walked on asphalt roads out from Condeixa-a-Nova to Bar Triple Jota, where I came back to the Camino again. Passed Conimbriga and walked on a nice little gravel path through the woods to Rabacal. The last kilometers were on small roads with nearly no traffic at all.
When you start walking out of Rabacal to Ansiao you should take to the left before the first round-about. I missed that (didn´t see any signs) so I walked the road to Alcalamomque, where I for a while picked up the Camino. During the rest of the day I sometimes found signs to follow, sometimes not but the walk was fine, sometimes on small paths, sometimes on small roads and I got to Ansiao via Vale de Bei.
The next day´s walking from Ansiao to Alvaiazere was on more or less trafficked roads. It was very hard to find the Camino way-marks, so sometimes I had to walk other roads than the Camino ones.
From Alvaiazere I had to leave Camino Portugues and try to find the Pilgrim way to Fatima. I had planned to walk this day to Caxarias. I started walking the road towards Tomar and then went west on a road passing Zambujal and Aldeira. Sometimes I saw pilgrim signs towards Fatima but not very often. Before Freixandra little traffic and nice landscape. No problem to reach Caxarias via the road passing Rio do Couros.
Next day I went the road to Ourem, a lot of traffic, sometimes uphill, sometimes downhill, sometimes nice views. From Ourem (where I saw 2 small hotels and some bars and restaurants) the road went very much uphill, but nearly no traffic. Beautiful views. This time I reached Fatima from the east.
Route 3: Aveiro – Fatima 2013
After the train ride from Oriente to Aveiro, I stayed in Aveiro (called the Venice of Portugal) the rest of the day. I started the Pilgrim walk from Igreja de S. Domingos e Cruzeiro. This time I had planned to follow the route from the maps in “Rota do Peregrino de Fatima”, which I recently had found on the Internet.
I walked on small pavements out of Aveiro and then continued on the road through a wooden area to Palhaca, a very nice little village. There was no place to stay overnight nearby, so I took a taxi back towards Aveiro and stayed at a Residencial at Quinta do Picado.
The next day I for different reasons changed my plans to continue walking from Palhaca. Instead I walked back 7 km to Aveiro and took a train to Coimbra.
Started the next day with taking a local train to Pereira (20 min). Walked a road with a lot of traffic but after 1,5 hours I passed the bridge over Rio Mondego and went on a gravel path along the river to Montemor-o-Velho, where I stayed the night.
This day I first had to walk on a road with a lot of traffic to Alfarelos. Then on a small gravel path through the wood. I was shown back to the main road and went through a nature reserve but left the road at Vila Nova de Ancos and went on a small gravel road by the river. Crossed a bridge over the river, rather nice nature with fields and a wooden area, before I reached my goal for this day, Soure.
From Soure I went on a small gravel road along the river and then on small paths until the path was flooded and I had to walk back to a country road and walk a few extra km to a railway station. There I saw the first arrows towards Fatima on this route. Continued along the railway on a small road for at least 2 hours all the way to Pombal.
The following day I didn´t want to follow the route described in ”Rota da Peregrino de Fatima.” It was much too dangerous to walk on the heavily trafficked road without pavement. Instead I took the bus from Pombal to Leiria, where I stayed the night.
After a 20 minutes bus-ride to Barracao, I started walking on a road, passing a lot of villages and some wooden areas. Sometimes very little traffic. From Barracao I saw many signs pointing towards Fatima both blue, red and yellow. Stayed in a hostel in Caranguejeira.
The last day´s walking was only on roads. I walked through a valley passing villages and then went uphill to Santa Catarina da Serra. Especially near Fatima it was a lot of traffic. This time I reached Fatima from north-west.
I sincerely hope that some-one will find this description of the 3 routes I have walked to Fatima helpful. If you have any questions for instance want to know more specific details about the routes, were I stayed the nights and so on, I´ll be happy to answer your questions.
Len
