Booked! Lisbon to Santiago - October 2014

[WildPlace]

Well i've bitten the bullet and booked my transportation, flying from Luton to Lisbon on the 7th October - should arrive c9.30am and will explore the city that day and set off walking the next day the 8th October.

I would have preferred to start a month earlier but family circumstances dictate that this is the earliest I can leave. I had plenty of practice getting wet on the Camino Frances last October, so will be prepared for the autumn weather

Now I just need to brush up on my Portuguese and Spanish.

Very excited right now and I feel very lucky and blessed to be able to "Camino" once again.

 

[another walker]

Well i've bitten the bullet and booked my transportation, flying from Luton to Lisbon on the 7th October - should arrive c9.30am and will explore the city that day and set off walking the next day the 8th October.

I would have preferred to start a month earlier but family circumstances dictate that this is the earliest I can leave. I had plenty of practice getting wet on the Camino Frances last October, so will be prepared for the autumn weather

Now I just need to brush up on my Portuguese and Spanish.

Very excited right now and I feel very lucky and blessed to be able to "Camino" once again.

I am well pleased for you matey. i should have finished a week or so before you.So as is said in Portuguese,Bom caminho ! Hoping you have a fulfilling journey.

 

[shubertj]

Will be flying home on that date hopefully from another successful Camino from Lisbon to SDC after 35 days. Enjoy your journey and keep the rain away we walked the Camino Frances last September with only one day of light rain in the morning.

 

[peregrina2000]

So good to see that more and more people are walking from Lisbon. I think magwood's blog is a "must read" and Claudia has a lot of very helpful recent posts as well (not to mention of course, our standby contributors diogo and Albertinho ). There's a good core of Lisbon starters here on the forum, so if you have questions, fire away! Laurie

 

[Ekelund]

As Laurie said, please fire away! I finished my Portugese Camino late July - walking from Lisboa - and I miss it, my feet want to get back walking. If you need any information, do not hesitate to ask. It is a lovely camino and the Portugese people are the best. So friendly and welcoming. I'm thinking about a short walk from Porto to Santiago in October when I have 9 days off. Anybody(Diogo) knows what kind of weather to expect in the middle of October?I don't mind the rain! I had a couple of days with rain but it was beautiful walking.

 

[michryan]

Well i've bitten the bullet and booked my transportation, flying from Luton to Lisbon on the 7th October - should arrive c9.30am and will explore the city that day and set off walking the next day the 8th October.

I would have preferred to start a month earlier but family circumstances dictate that this is the earliest I can leave. I had plenty of practice getting wet on the Camino Frances last October, so will be prepared for the autumn weather

Now I just need to brush up on my Portuguese and Spanish.

Very excited right now and I feel very lucky and blessed to be able to "Camino" once again.

Very exciting. I will be a bit in front of you as I start in Lisbon on the 29th sept. Wish it was now though I can't wait! Buen camino

 

[WildPlace]

Getting closer all the time! Buen camino @michryan I'm a slow walker so I doubt I will catch you

 

[MichaelSG]

Very exciting. I will be a bit in front of you as I start in Lisbon on the 29th sept. Wish it was now though I can't wait! Buen camino

If all goes to plan, I'll arrive in Santiago from Lisbon on the 28th. I've put a note in my guide to remember to light a candle for your safe journey. You'll likely find someone here leaving about the same time you arrive in Santiago. Pass it on if you feel the urge. Bom Caminho!

 

[natefaith]

As Laurie said, please fire away! I finished my Portugese Camino late July - walking from Lisboa - and I miss it, my feet want to get back walking. If you need any information, do not hesitate to ask. It is a lovely camino and the Portugese people are the best. So friendly and welcoming. I'm thinking about a short walk from Porto to Santiago in October when I have 9 days off. Anybody(Diogo) knows what kind of weather to expect in the middle of October?I don't mind the rain! I had a couple of days with rain but it was beautiful walking.

Great to hear you all are coming up from Portugal! Enjoy all the planning and the walking itself.

And Ekelund: at least in Santiago, the weather in October is nice. Rainy season (Nov - April-ish) hasn't started yet, so while it can be cooler it's usually sunny. Of course, it's still best to be prepared for rain, but it won't be too cold at least.

 

[Diogo92]

Bom Caminho

 

[Diogo92]

As Laurie said, please fire away! I finished my Portugese Camino late July - walking from Lisboa - and I miss it, my feet want to get back walking. If you need any information, do not hesitate to ask. It is a lovely camino and the Portugese people are the best. So friendly and welcoming. I'm thinking about a short walk from Porto to Santiago in October when I have 9 days off. Anybody(Diogo) knows what kind of weather to expect in the middle of October?I don't mind the rain! I had a couple of days with rain but it was beautiful walking.

Bipolar weather

 

[michryan]

If all goes to plan, I'll arrive in Santiago from Lisbon on the 28th. I've put a note in my guide to remember to light a candle for your safe journey. You'll likely find someone here leaving about the same time you arrive in Santiago. Pass it on if you feel the urge. Bom Caminho!

That is very sweet MichaelSG. Thankyou and yes I will defiantly do the same for the next arrival of pilgrims.

 

[david g]

As Laurie said, please fire away! I finished my Portugese Camino late July - walking from Lisboa - and I miss it, my feet want to get back walking. If you need any information, do not hesitate to ask. It is a lovely camino and the Portugese people are the best. So friendly and welcoming. I'm thinking about a short walk from Porto to Santiago in October when I have 9 days off. Anybody(Diogo) knows what kind of weather to expect in the middle of October?I don't mind the rain! I had a couple of days with rain but it was beautiful walking.

I'd be interested in your Portugese experience Ekelund. I'll be walking the Frances again in May 2015 and I know, as you said, my feet will want to keep walking. I'm taking a little break in Malaga,then am thinking of beginning the Portugese probably by the middle of June. Was the weather bearable? Not too hot? Any info from you (or anyone else on here who has done the Portugese) would be appreciated. Thanks everybody!

 

[Ekelund]

Hi david g, when I walked this July the weather was great for walking. The Portugese said it was the worst Summer ever, I liked it. Cool in the mornings, not too hot during the day and cool in the evenings. Even some days with rain coming out of Lisboa, I like walking in the rain wearing my poncho and creating my own little space listning to the rain on the hood. But that was this Summer, nest Summer may be different. Walking out of Lisboa was lonely, I didn't meet many pilgrims before Porto( I met 4 pilgrims so I got to walk with my loneliness which was a good experience) And it was long days due to the possibilities of accomodation, but there are cafees and I had some very nice rests. Out of Lisboa there was a lot of walking through industrial areas and in Vilafranca de Xira I jumped on a train to Asambuja to avoid more industrial walking. From Asambuja the walking was beautiful and I really enjoyed the scenery. The Portugese people are very nice and friendly, I was always met with a smile. On my way to Porto I mostly stayed in pensions and a few albergues and they were more expensive than accomodation after Porto. But then it was nice to have my own room and clean towels and the possibility to have my laundry done in a machine.
One of the members of the Forum - Magwood - has a very informative blog with great photos from her Portugese Camino, I enjoyed it very much and I can recomend you read it for information.
Best regards Anette

 

[Ekelund]

Hi again david, you may consider walking along the coast when you walk out of Porto. If you walk the central route out of Porto, you will do a lot of city walking and a stretch along a road to Vilarinho with a lot of traffic and very little space for walkers. I did not like that part at all! It was dangerous. Later I was told that from Porto to Vila do Conde you walk on boardwalks so it is not that hard on your legs. It is not waymarked but you can't get seriously lost with the sea on your left. I will definitely do it next time and spend the night in Vila Do Conde in order to avoid the citywalk out of Porto.

 

[Former member 22438]

Hi again david, you may consider walking along the coast when you walk out of Porto. If you walk the central route out of Porto, you will do a lot of city walking and a stretch along a road to Vilarinho with a lot of traffic and very little space for walkers. I did not like that part at all! It was dangerous. Later I was told that from Porto to Vila do Conde you walk on boardwalks so it is not that hard on your legs. It is not waymarked but you can't get seriously lost with the sea on your left. I will definitely do it next time and spend the night in Vila Do Conde in order to avoid the citywalk out of Porto.

If you go back on this forum you will see that the out of Porto detour along the coast is mentioned almost every day there is even a thread where I ask why people wAlk to Vilarinho because I do not understand why people do this. Very dangerous !

 

[katdavis]

I also finished this camino from Lisbon in early July so if you have any questions, ask away

I wrote a daily diary and it's now on my blog: https://followingthearrows.com

The Portuguese people were so incredibly friendly, this is my fondest memory. Have a wonderful journey!

Buen Camino,
kat

 

[MichaelSG]

That is very sweet MichaelSG. Thankyou and yes I will defiantly do the same for the next arrival of pilgrims.

I was later than planned but I took care or this today. Bom Caminho.

 

[peregrina2000]

Very exciting. I will be a bit in front of you as I start in Lisbon on the 29th sept. Wish it was now though I can't wait! Buen camino

So, Michyran, I guess you are on your way. Hope you will let us know how it goes, particularly in the less travelled parts before Porto. Don't forget the SOS pilgrim number in case of getting lost, not having a place to stay, etc. 915 595 213. Someone who speaks English will answer it. I'm not suggesting you'll have problems, but I think it's a nice bit of extra reassurance, especially if you are walking alone.

BOM CAMINHO!!!! Laurie

 

[Donovan]

WildPlace, My daughter and I walked this route at the same time last year starting from Santarem. Weather was hot to start and wet, but not cold, to finish. Nothing new there!

This is a really lovely camino – hope you enjoy it as much as we did. If you overnight in Golega carry your breakfast for an hour or so to the peace and quiet of Quinta de Cardiga, it’s a lovely spot for a break.

Bom Caminho

 

[michryan]

So, Michyran, I guess you are on your way. Hope you will let us know how it goes, particularly in the less travelled parts before Porto. Don't forget the SOS pilgrim number in case of getting lost, not having a place to stay, etc. 915 595 213. Someone who speaks English will answer it. I'm not suggesting you'll have problems, but I think it's a nice bit of extra reassurance, especially if you are walking alone.

BOM CAMINHO!!!! Laurie

Thankyou Laurie. I'm in Coimbra ATM. Been having a grand time. Have to say this trail is so well marked! I'm finding it easy to follow though having said that I will probably get lost now. Met some great people and loving the kindness that I'm coming across. Struggling with the heat. Never been great with heat and feel like I'm melting. But I'm pushing on. Thank you for the number my Portuguese is shocking though I'm practicing whilst walking. Extra reassurance helps all the time esp as you know those times you are questioning why? Thankyou for you kindness.

 

[michryan]

I was later than planned but I took care or this today. Bom Caminho.

Thankyou michealSG. Hope you are having great celebrations in Santiago. Been following you along. Well done to you both. X