Braga to Porto

[JillGat]

Has anybody walked this, going south? Would that be hard to navigate? What's it like?

 

[peregrina2000]

I don’t think many people have walked it from South to North, unless they were connecting from the standard Caminho Portugues to the Geira e dos Arrieros, which starts in Braga.

Luis Freixo calls it the Caminho de Braga.

I found some wikiloc tracks, with a little bit of commentary.

Variante Porto Braga 1/3 - Porto - São Mamede do Coronado - Caminho de Santiago Central -

Variante Porto Braga 1/3 - Porto - São Mamede do Coronado - Caminho de Santiago Central - Hiking trail in Porto, Porto (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Caminho 90% de Estrada, com passeios, parte inicial mal sinalizado. Após bifurcação no porto já começa a...

www.wikiloc.com

Stage 1 has a lot of asphalt according to the author.

Variante Porto Braga 2/3 - S.Mamede do Coronado - Ponte Lagoncinha - Caminho de Santiago Central -

Variante Porto Braga 2/3 - S.Mamede do Coronado - Ponte Lagoncinha - Caminho de Santiago Central - Hiking trail in São Mamede do Coronado, Porto (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. São Mamede do Coronado - Ponte da Lagoncinha . Atividade promovida pela Câmara da...

www.wikiloc.com

Variante Porto Braga 3/3 - Ponte da lagoncinha - Braga - Caminho de Santiago Central

Variante Porto Braga 3/3 - Ponte da lagoncinha - Braga - Caminho de Santiago Central Hiking trail in Ervosa, Porto (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Uma etapa com pouco caminhp de terra, algum alcatrão, bastante paralelo. No entanto passa por diversas...

www.wikiloc.com

These tracks were recorded this year so I think you can assume they will get you there just fine. With these tracks, the direction won’t matter, but I don’t know if you were planning to stick to arrows only? I think it would be hard to walk any camino “backwards” without a GPS.

 

[hikentravel1234]

Has anybody walked this, going south? Would that be hard to navigate? What's it like?

Just remember that if you walk in the opposite direction, you will never see the people you meet, again during your walk.
I ran into someone I knew from the US, and his wife, walking doing this on the CF. They told me they missed, and regretted, meeting people, never to see them again.

 

[JillGat]

Just remember that if you walk in the opposite direction, you will never see the people you meet, again during your walk.
I ran into someone I knew from the US, and his wife, walking doing this on the CF. They told me they missed, and regretted, meeting people, never to see them again.

I was just thinking of doing that one stretch backwards, Braga - Porto, which would take a few days. My brother lives in Braga and I was thinking I could visit him first, walk to Porto and then head north on the Camino (the "right" way). Once I go north from Porto, I won't have to worry about meeting people just once. This way, that guy who snores really loud, crinkles plastic early in the morning and puts nauseating, smelly ointment on his feet every night before he goes to bed? This way I can be sure to have a bunk near his in every albergue I stop in all the way to Santiago!

 

[Vacajoe]

Certainly doable and there is walking trail there, but it would be odd to do it the way you are suggesting. Why not start in Porto, walk to Braga, then continue on the Camino Torres until it rejoins the Portuguese in a day or two? Or walk south from Braga to reach Barcelos if you want to be on the CP for longer? We did similar and loved the feeling of being off the Pilgrim Highway for the first few days while enjoying the highlights it offers post-Porto.

Or is it that you want to walk the coastal way from Porto? The first stage of the “regular” route is awful and really not worth the time returning to Porto for it.

 

[JillGat]

Certainly doable and there is walking trail there, but it would be odd to do it the way you are suggesting. Why not start in Porto, walk to Braga, then continue on the Camino Torres until it rejoins the Portuguese in a day or two? Or walk south from Braga to reach Barcelos if you want to be on the CP for longer? We did similar and loved the feeling of being off the Pilgrim Highway for the first few days while enjoying the highlights it offers post-Porto.

Or is it that you want to walk the coastal way from Porto? The first stage of the “regular” route is awful and really not worth the time returning to Porto for it.

I've re-thought my plans (backwards from braga to porto) and your ideas sound better. My brother lives in Braga and my daughter and I have been thinking about meeting there to visit and then walking to Porto to start the Camino. I've walked the route north from Porto along the coast and it was beautiful and peaceful, but I'm reading now that it's become very "popular" since I was there. So walking from Braga is sounding more appealing. It would be kinda nice to walk to Barcelos and stay at Fernanda's, but not necessary. Looking at my big camino wall map, I don't see a route to Barcelos and it looks like the Torres comes up from the south and ends at Braga. I am reading other threads and I like the idea of walking through the national park and also the suggestion that there are Roman mile stones on one of the routes. Those of you who have been on those paths, tell me more!

 

[jungleboy]

I am reading other threads and I like the idea of walking through the national park and also the suggestion that there are Roman mile stones on one of the routes. Those of you who have been on those paths, tell me more!

Now you’re talking about the Geira e dos Arrieiros. I have walked it and here are my highlights.

 

[JillGat]

Now you’re talking about the Geira e dos Arrieiros. I have walked it and here are my highlights.

Thanks, Jungleboy, I enjoyed your blog! I have more questions about the Geira I will post on that part of the forum.

 

[Vacajoe]

it looks like the Torres comes up from the south and ends at Braga

The Camino Torres stretches from Salamanca to SdC, so it definitely continues on after Braga! It’s one long and hilly stage (or two short ones!) from joining up with the CP in Ponte de Lima. The link below gives a good overview of the entire route.

The Torres Way: from Salamanca to Santiago de Compostela

Find out all about the Camino Torres, a pilgrimage route between Spain and Portugal created by an 18th century professor

vivecamino.com

 

[peregrina2000]

The Camino Torres stretches from Salamanca to SdC, so it definitely continues on after Braga! It’s one long and hilly stage (or two short ones!) from joining up with the CP in Ponte de Lima. The link below gives a good overview of the entire route.

The Torres Way: from Salamanca to Santiago de Compostela

Find out all about the Camino Torres, a pilgrimage route between Spain and Portugal created by an 18th century professor

vivecamino.com

Yes, I think the standard Camino de Torres designation. is to connect from Braga to the Central Portugues. Far more beautiful, IMHO, though with absolutely no other pilgrims, is the Geira, which starts in Braga and goes on to Santiago. I walked a Torres-Geira combo last year and thought it was terrific. There’s a link to my Find Penguins in my signature lines at the bottom. I’ll look forward to lots of questions! @Charrito is a big fan of the Geira, too.