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Perhaps more about what you have focussed on, at least if we have the same version of the Buen Camino app for the CP central route north of Porto. The author spends over sixty lines of description on the background of the route and a description of its characteristics, only six lines of which address the less positive aspects you have mentioned. It seems to me that much more is devoted to the virtues of the route than the less positive aspects of it. I think the description is well balanced. Perhaps you should read the positive bits of the description as well as the less positive!Author focuses on tarmac roads, walking next to N-roads, train tracks, does not sound like a pleasant experience. Is this just a peculiarity of the author's writing style, or is the central Camino that uninteresting?
If I were to leave Porto via the coastal route, what would be the best way to get back onto the central route a day or two later?
I did the same.I did 2 days on the Littoral along the river out of Porto, up the coast through Matosinhos, and cut across to the Central from Vila do Conde to Rates. See https://stingynomads.com/vila-do-conde-to-rates-routes/This route is marked on mapy.cz The other main cut across is from Caminha further north, though the Matosinhos tourist info office lady said it is possible to cut across from Povoa de Varzim.
We just finished walking from the northern suburbs of Porto (Vilar do Pineheiro) to Valenca, on the border with Spain. The first day of the walk (and part of the second day) was nothing short of terrifying. It wasn't along busy, curvy roads, but actually on the road, sometimes with nowhere to step off when cars came speeding by. Even when you could step off, it was more like a drainage ditch than a path. There were ways to detour around some of the worst places, but we found getting back to the main route to be confusing at times. Also, the detours added many kilometers to the path.Searching the Bueno Camino app on my android, yellow arrow on blue background, the description of the stages along the central route, under Route in Detail, is negative. Author focuses on tarmac roads, walking next to N-roads, train tracks, does not sound like a pleasant experience. Is this just a peculiarity of the author's writing style, or is the central Camino that uninteresting?
I agree absolutely with what Dick & Kitty say about the N306. No fun at all, as you can see from our blog post: https://twoclinestraveling.wordpress.com/2023/09/02/porto-to-casa-mindela-6-6-km-too-much-traffic/We just finished walking from the northern suburbs of Porto (Vilar do Pineheiro) to Valenca, on the border with Spain. The first day of the walk (and part of the second day) was nothing short of terrifying. It wasn't along busy, curvy roads, but actually on the road, sometimes with nowhere to step off when cars came speeding by. Even when you could step off, it was more like a drainage ditch than a path. There were ways to detour around some of the worst places, but we found getting back to the main route to be confusing at times. Also, the detours added many kilometers to the path.
But after that, the camino became much, much better. Certainly from Barcelos to Valenca was very lovely indeed. It appears that Portugal is in the process of working hard to improve both the route and the signage. But quite frankly, the camino simply should not routed down the N306. It is too dangerous.
Kitty & Dick
I walked out along the river and up the coast (technically on the Senda Litoral rather than the Coastal Route). A day and a bit later I got to Vila do Conde (where the "Coastal Route" finally makes it to the coast). Crossing the bridge heading north into Vila do Conde I immediately turned right (east) and walked along the north shore of the river. Soon there were yellow arrows and signage leading me to Arcos on the Central Route, and I continued along that route to Rates where I spent the night.If I were to leave Porto via the coastal route, what would be the best way to get back onto the central route a day or two later?
I highly recommend this but i would recommend starting in Vilar do Pinheiro which is just after the Maia industrial zone. The first part of the walk from Vilar do Pinheiro is really charming and one of my favorite walks on the Portuguese. It’s about 10 mile to Vilarinho from Vilar do Pinheiro so it makes for a nice short day (which you appreciate because the next walk from Vilarihno to Barcelos is lovely but long). I used Wise Pilgrim which I really needed. It was great!Thanks. Plan to start from Porto. May catch a train from Porto to Vilarinho to miss the suburbs and airport.
I have. I still think you're wrong to suggest that the author is negative about the route. The structure of the entries from Porto to Tui, with a section on 'Difficulties' for that section of the route, seem entirely appropriate. I think it is better that the app's users know what faces them described in a fairly dispassionate manner. The few words that might be described as emotive are both infrequent and mild. I cannot understand why you are interpreting this as anything but helpful.Six lines of which address the less positive aspects. I stopped counting at 70 lines. You need to dig deeper and read his comments on every stage.
Oh dear. Uninteresting? Are you sure you are on the right forum?Searching the Bueno Camino app on my android, yellow arrow on blue background, the description of the stages along the central route, under Route in Detail, is negative. Author focuses on tarmac roads, walking next to N-roads, train tracks, does not sound like a pleasant experience. Is this just a peculiarity of the author's writing style, or is the central Camino that uninteresting?
I just did a cursory look at the mapy.cz app. How is it different from Google maps? Does it show walking paths?I did 2 days on the Littoral along the river out of Porto, up the coast through Matosinhos, and cut across to the Central from Vila do Conde to Rates. See https://stingynomads.com/vila-do-conde-to-rates-routes/This route is marked on mapy.cz The other main cut across is from Caminha further north, though the Matosinhos tourist info office lady said it is possible to cut across from Povoa de Varzim.
Yes, it shows the major and many minor Camino paths and other hiking and cycling trails all over the world. You have to zoom in to see them though. When you put in two locations to get directions you can choose driving or walking, like on Google Maps, but mapy.cz is much better at routing walkers to trails instead of roads.I just did a cursory look at the mapy.cz app. How is it different from Google maps? Does it show walking paths?
The Mapy.cz app has this and many other hiking trails already built in - no need to download additional tracks.
This is what it looks like. Note the dark blue line is the Camino, and the Puente de Malpaso trail is gold.
Here's where it starts at Riego de Ambros
View attachment 146606
This shows the entire trail
View attachment 146607
And here's where it comes into Molinaseca
View attachment 146608
YesSo it shows the Camino route automatically (in Blue)?
Not all of them, but very, very many -- and most Camino routes, and all of the (current) major ones. There can be missing routes, such as currently a section of the Olvidado, until recently the Via Romea from Germany was missing, and last time I looked several sections of the Via Augusta from Cádiz to Rome on its Spanish portions are missing. When I walked the Provençal Way portion of my last Camino, in 2019, a long section of that was missing too, but it's there now.I just did a cursory look at the mapy.cz app. How is it different from Google maps? Does it show walking paths?
Usually in blue -- but occasionally in red, if it's a secondary or less-travelled Camino route, or one that's been waymarked as something else than a Camino, even if it is one.So it shows the Camino route automatically (in Blue)?
The mapping data for mapy.cz, OSMAand+ and a range of other products includes the open source data from the Open Street Maps (OSM) project. This project has been collecting trail information from users around the world for many years, including the Camino routes. I am not aware of Google providing this level of detailed information. I suspect that any mapping app that uses OSM sourced data will have data layers for walking, cycling and horse routes, ski slopes, etc that can be turned on or off as you wish.I just did a cursory look at the mapy.cz app. How is it different from Google maps? Does it show walking paths?
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