Braga-SDC on Camino Geira etapa by etapa.

[Isca-camigo]

Braga to Caldelas 17km
Hi interested all a group from Barcelos/ Braga has been walking this Camino in one stage a month since February, the organiser Jose Eusebio who also filmed this video also walked this route last year in six days from the 26/12/2018 to New Year's Eve, he has a video on his YouTube site for that. This video gives a good taste of the 1st stage, it seems like it is mostly hard surfaces but having seen other stages this is only a one off apart from maybe the last day in to Santiago.

 

[Isca-camigo]

2nd Stage Caldelas - Campos de Gere's 30km
They walked this stage in March.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Campos de Gere's - Lobios 26km
The 3rd stage shows what will be a big factor on this Camino, the rainfall. The area it passes through has a higer annual rainfall than any other area in this corner of the Iberian peninsula, they also pass into Spain but will go back into Portugal in later stages.

 

[Isca-camigo]

4th Etapa Lobios - Castro Laboreiro

This stage took place in May and passes back into Portugal, you are also building up for the highest point , which happens straight after Castro on the next stage

 

[Isca-camigo]

5th Etapa Castro Laboreiro- Cortegada

This stage has the highest point of the Camino almost after the start but then you spend most of the day descending, you pass back into Spain, the stage is given as 31km but I have seen several other sources give it as 28km.

I watched a live feed for the start of this Camino in June on my facebook it was pouring down, that is the nature of this Camino.

 

[Isca-camigo]

6th Etapa Cortegada - Beran(100km from Santiago)
This is the latest stage they have walked which they did on Sunday. They pass through Ribadavia which will probably in the long term become a busy starting point for many pilgrims, it is 109km from Santiago. it also has national rail connections ( well Leon, Ourense and Vigo) and is the center of the Ribeiro wine industry.
One of the reasons this route got official recognition was the historical proof of the presence of The Order of Malta along the way and the large number of Churches with recognition of St James.

 

[VNwalking]

Thanks @Isca-camigo .
For those of us on the ignorant end of the spectrum...some background info about this way, please?

 

[Isca-camigo]

Hi VN, I became aware of this route in 2010 after my 1st Camino, i was a typical newbie looking for routes to walk. The group who were promoting it were trying to get official recognition and had waymarked the Galician areas and put tracks onto Wikiloc.. The route and the move to get it recognized seemed to become stagnant for a few years but since 2014/15 groups from both side of the border have been stepping up their efforts, which has resulted in official recognition from the Cathedral, it probably makes no difference to me and you but for them and their efforts I am quite pleased.

The original group and their website ' Association Camino Xacobeo Minoto Ribeiro had a lot more on the historical significance of monuments and the activity of Order of Malta in the area.

So I am pretty much ignorant as most people about this route, but as a typical Camino addict I have my eye on any new potential 'fix'+ it's a completely new route into Santiago in its own right and goes around the back of the train station in Santiago and it probably even goes right past Ivar's house.

Just to add to infrastructure there is an Albergue de Peregrinos in Braga right next to the Ze, Caldelas at the end of the 1st stage is supposed to be opening one this month,Covide 3km past Campos de Gere's is opening one very soon as well. I found by complete chance a throw away remark in a review which seemed to suggest that a Casa da Rectoral 1-2 km before Pontevea is going to become an Albergue, that is about 20 km from Santiago.

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

6th Etapa Cortegada - Beran(100km from Santiago)
This is the latest stage they have walked which they did on Sunday. They pass through Ribadavia which will probably in the long term become a busy starting point for many pilgrims, it is 109km from Santiago. it also has national rail connections ( well Leon, Ourense and Vigo) and is the center of the Ribeiro wine industry.
One of the reasons this route got official recognition was the historical proof of the presence of The Order of Malta along the way and the large number of Churches with recognition of St James.

Thanks for sharing. I will be promoting this Route alot in the future.. must keep in touch.. cheers

 

[Isca-camigo]

Hi, the Portuguese group walked two etapas ( 7+8)on the weekend just gone, Beran - Beariz 31km, Beariz to Codeseda 34km. This leaves them within 41km of Santiago, the video gives both sections together.

 

[evelyn]

hi Would love to know how way marked this camino is. Anyone know the current situation?

 

[Isca-camigo]

Hi Evelyn
the website for this way http://debragaasantiago.com/ still advices on taking wikiloc GPS, there is a guidebook but it does not give step by step detail. Last week the concello of Forcarei in Galicia put improved signage up in its area so it is getting there and it could happen next year in advance of the holy year in 2021.

 

[Isca-camigo]

The Braga group completed the way on the past weekend, they walked the 9th Etapa Codesada to Ponteva ( 25km) on Saturday and the 10th Etapa to Santiago 17km on Sunday. It's a very beautiful route after going through the only national park in Portugal, Peneda - Geres with its unique and unusual landscapes it then enters Galicia and goes through an area which seems similar to parts of the Camino Invierno.

I am hoping to walk it in December but my work and personal diary has meant my training has not been enough for the last 2 months, so we will see.

 

[peregrina2000]

The Braga group completed the way on the past weekend, they walked the 9th Etapa Codesada to Ponteva ( 25km) on Saturday and the 10th Etapa to Santiago 17km on Sunday. It's a very beautiful route after going through the only national park in Portugal, Peneda - Geres with its unique and unusual landscapes it then enters Galicia and goes through an area which seems similar to parts of the Camino Invierno.

I am hoping to walk it in December but my work and personal diary has meant my training has not been enough for the last 2 months, so we will see.

Hi, Isca,

Just wondering if you are still planning to walk this camino. December is fast approaching! I saw that Alex (formerly of Bodenaya) has just walked it and his facebook page is filled with beautiful pictures.

240 kms makes for a nice “short camino.” And it has a new entrance into Santiago!

https://www.facebook.com/albergue.bodenaya?__tn__=%2CdC-R-R&eid=ARBnphFLCXC7i8SYlxely_Sb0PMLVYN-ngoJr1IGTZ9htkDXWJYHn49P9_WhKGFk1gAG93bSEnoGybiy&hc_ref=ARQ3eVrCMDMkTku39YbCKqH40_7BsmjqLb4_PpeO0bvrn_U3c-0kDpb8J_2HS4phlR4&fref=nf

I would be really interested to hear more, and especially about the amount of asphalt. It looks like this camino has escaped the plague of crushed rock so far, and I don’t see too many pictures of road walking, but that could be just because no one takes a picture when walking along the road! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Isca-camigo]

The Cathedral has recognised it but not the Galician Xunta, hopefully that doesn't change so we don't have to see the plague of crushed rocks. I'm not sure about the amount of asphalt, out of Braga is mostly an asphalt section to the 1st Albergue, but after that there seems to some extended glorious off road sections right through the national park and up to Santiago. I was watching the Facebook pictures of Alex and his buddies as they were posting them, it looks incredible in Autumn, Spring and Summer, probably Winter as well, If you join the various Facebook groups of this route then you will see plenty of photos just as stunning as Alex.
I have got cold feet about walking this route in December, what finally made up my mind was trying to reserve accommodation in the run up to Xmas, some places had stopped taking bookings. So I'm either going to be walking from Zamora on the Portugues route which has accomdation options at Xmas or if the weather keeps up or worsens then I will go to the relative safety of the CF from Burgos.

 

[peregrina2000]

Alex, formerly of Bodenaya on the Primitivo, has just written up a little summary of his experience on the Camino da Geira. https://caminodesantiago.consumer.e...Uw71vxrx5PUWxgilPePTlBZXrh1XDWLwOqHSMwA5LuSi4

His facebook page has a lot of beautiful pictures, https://www.facebook.com/albergue.bodenaya

 

[Suevo]

Hi, Isca,

Just wondering if you are still planning to walk this camino. December is fast approaching! I saw that Alex (formerly of Bodenaya) has just walked it and his facebook page is filled with beautiful pictures.

240 kms makes for a nice “short camino.” And it has a new entrance into Santiago!

https://www.facebook.com/albergue.bodenaya?__tn__=%2CdC-R-R&eid=ARBnphFLCXC7i8SYlxely_Sb0PMLVYN-ngoJr1IGTZ9htkDXWJYHn49P9_WhKGFk1gAG93bSEnoGybiy&hc_ref=ARQ3eVrCMDMkTku39YbCKqH40_7BsmjqLb4_PpeO0bvrn_U3c-0kDpb8J_2HS4phlR4&fref=nf

I would be really interested to hear more, and especially about the amount of asphalt. It looks like this camino has escaped the plague of crushed rock so far, and I don’t see too many pictures of road walking, but that could be just because no one takes a picture when walking along the road! Buen camino, Laurie

Hi peregrina, as i wrote in another post, I walked this amazing camino last June, and there is almost no road walking, the camino goes along mountains, valleys and river banks, through a beautiful landscape all the way to Santiago. It is a challenging, but probably, one or the most pure and genuine camino experiences.

 

[surya8]

I walked this amazing camino last June, and there is almost no road walking, the camino goes along mountains, valleys and river banks, through a beautiful landscape all the way to Santiago. It is a challenging, but probably, one or the most pure and genuine camino experiences.

Do you know if bombeiros host on this way? I am trying to fugure out how to walk there on a budget as there are almost no albergues there.
Small shops on the way to buy groceries? I am ok about carrying food for a couple of days and cooking it if there is a chance.
How is the waymarking there? Yellow arrows or need for GPS? Thanks a lot!

 

[Suevo]

Do you know if bombeiros host on this way? I am trying to fugure out how to walk there on a budget as there are almost no albergues there.
Small shops on the way to buy groceries? I am ok about carrying food for a couple of days and cooking it if there is a chance.
How is the waymarking there? Yellow arrows or need for GPS? Thanks a lot!

Unfortunately I don´t know for sure if bombeiros are hosting, but i know that a couple of years ago some pioneer pilgrims on this route stayed at bombeiros in Terras de Bouro. I think some albergues are being opened along the route. Regarding to buy groceries you'll don't have problems with that, you can manage your stages to buy everything you need, but keep in mind that you'll be walking mostly across mountains and small villages, and in many stages you'll don't find many cafés or bars along the walking day. When i walked, last June, there was only yellow marks in some parts, and they were marking some other ones, i don't know if at this moment it's all marked, any way a GPS track is highly advisable. It's a wonderful camino, I'm sure you'll love it.