Coastal route via Valenca/Tui or Vigo?

[RutaV]

Hi!
First I'd like to thank everyone for your posts, maps and advice on this forum - you have been a great help in planning our first Camino - my friend and I will start the Coastal route on 30 August from Porto. But we are in two minds about whether to turn away from the coast at Caminha and proceed to Valenca (it seems to be a lovely town, but there was a comment that this route is mostly along a big road) or to continue along the coast as far as Vigo? What would you suggest and why?
Thank you! Ruta

 

[Stripey Socks]

Hi!
First I'd like to thank everyone for your posts, maps and advice on this forum - you have been a great help in planning our first Camino - my friend and I will start the Coastal route on 30 August from Porto. But we are in two minds about whether to turn away from the coast at Caminha and proceed to Valenca (it seems to be a lovely town, but there was a comment that this route is mostly along a big road) or to continue along the coast as far as Vigo? What would you suggest and why?
Thank you! Ruta

Hello Ruta
I walked from Caminha to Valenca/Tui at the end of May. It is a pretty walk but very urban and all on hard surfaces/roadsides.

If I had my time again I would continue up the coast to Vigo etc but cannot comment on the pros and cons of that path.
Bye
Mel

 

[grayland]

I crossed over the river (long story) and continued on to Vigo and then turned in.
Very nice route and...missed the 100km crowds at Tui.

 

[jsalt]

Hi Ruta, your decision may depend on the weather at the time. We had to turn inland at Viana do Castelo due to strong winds and rain coming straight at us off the sea. The weather was much calmer inland. In good weather I would stay on the coast. Jill

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

I would catch the ferry and then follow the coast round past Camposancos into A Guarda then on to Oia, Baiona, Nigran and Vigo...that's a great walk....beautiful coastal scenery, easy walking, great places to see,plenty of heritage sites etc. Here's a tourist video about Baiona, I'm the voice !!

 

[jsalt]

Here's a tourist video about Baiona, I'm the voice !!

Nice!

 

[Doogman]

Hi: I have just returned from walking the Portuguese Coastal Way, and I also walked the Portuguese inland route in 2013. While I enjoyed Valenca and Tui and the rest of the inland route, I would agree with the comments above from MyDestinationGalicia, and take the ferry and continue up the coast. When getting off the ferry (or having Mario take you across the river as we did), be sure to take the coastal route along the river and north up to A Guarda. That was one of the best sections in my opinion. Enjoy!

 

[RutaV]

Hi: I have just returned from walking the Portuguese Coastal Way, and I also walked the Portuguese inland route in 2013. While I enjoyed Valenca and Tui and the rest of the inland route, I would agree with the comments above from MyDestinationGalicia, and take the ferry and continue up the coast. When getting off the ferry (or having Mario take you across the river as we did), be sure to take the coastal route along the river and north up to A Guarda. That was one of the best sections in my opinion. Enjoy!

Hi and thanks, Doogman! Isn't the A Guarda - Vigo stretch a bit longer? I am now comparing both options, it seems it might take 1 day more?

 

[Doogman]

We broke it down into a number of short days. I don't remember the exact distances, but it was something like this:

Vila Praia De Ancora to A Guarda - 14KM
A Guarda to Oia - 13KM
Oia to Baiona - 18KM
Baiona to Vigo - 29KM

From Vigo it is about 15KM to Redondela, where you connect with the inland route.

Also, we found out that the ferry from Caminha does not run at low tide!

 

[RutaV]

Hello Ruta
I walked from Caminha to Valenca/Tui at the end of May. It is a pretty walk but very urban and all on hard surfaces/roadsides.

If I had my time again I would continue up the coast to Vigo etc but cannot comment on the pros and cons of that path.
Bye
Mel

Hi, Mel,
Thanks for your advice and also your posts about the Nuts and Bolts and the accommodation list It seems we will have to reconsider the route, so many of you suggest to continue along the coast. I hate roadsides and try to avoid them if possible.
May I ask about the accommodation? We have booked some hostels, but if we plan to stay at a pilgrim albergue, do we have to arrange it with them now (their webpages do not offer any advance booking possibilities)? From some blogs I have understood that people just walk as far as they wish on the particular day and then go to the closest albergue and see if they can stay there.

 

[RutaV]

We broke it down into a number of short days. I don't remember the exact distances, but it was something like this:

Vila Praia De Ancora to A Guarda - 14KM
A Guarda to Oia - 13KM
Oia to Baiona - 18KM
Baiona to Vigo - 29KM

From Vigo it is about 15KM to Redondela, where you connect with the inland route.

Also, we found out that the ferry from Caminha does not run at low tide!

Thank you, we will have to see about the km and time, we should be in Santiago on 9 September.
I read about the ferry in an older post that it had stopped its service but that the municipality was about to repair it... And since we were more inclined to go to Valenca, the ferry was not so important to us. You mentioned Mario - where can you find him and how much time does it take to cross over? And how much does it cost?

 

[RutaV]

I crossed over the river (long story) and continued on to Vigo and then turned in.
Very nice route and...missed the 100km crowds at Tui.

Thanks, Greyland! How did you cross the river? It seems to be a problem...
Oh, it had not occurred to me that Tui is the 100km point... Are there many people who start from there? Not so many as in Sarria, I guess...

 

[RutaV]

Hi Ruta, your decision may depend on the weather at the time. We had to turn inland at Viana do Castelo due to strong winds and rain coming straight at us off the sea. The weather was much calmer inland. In good weather I would stay on the coast. Jill

Hi Jill, and thanks for pointing out the wind/rain factor! I'll also read your threads, but now it's getting late...

 

[RutaV]

Thanks, Albertinho, for your suggestions Yes, one of the reasons we wanted to go to Valenca was to "change the scenery" as we would have walked along the coast for four days. On the other hand, I try to avoid big roadside walking.

 

[RutaV]

I would catch the ferry and then follow the coast round past Camposancos into A Guarda then on to Oia, Baiona, Nigran and Vigo...that's a great walk....beautiful coastal scenery, easy walking, great places to see,plenty of heritage sites etc. Here's a tourist video about Baiona, I'm the voice !!

Thank you, I'll watch it

 

[Doogman]

Thank you, we will have to see about the km and time, we should be in Santiago on 9 September.
I read about the ferry in an older post that it had stopped its service but that the municipality was about to repair it... And since we were more inclined to go to Valenca, the ferry was not so important to us. You mentioned Mario - where can you find him and how much time does it take to cross over? And how much does it cost?

Someone at the ferry terminal told us to walk to a beach up near the mouth of the river (about 3KM) and just ask people. We did that and found Mario fairly easily. He charged 5 Euros each.

 

[grayland]

Thanks, Greyland! How did you cross the river? It seems to be a problem...
Oh, it had not occurred to me that Tui is the 100km point... Are there many people who start from there? Not so many as in Sarria, I guess...

I posted in another thread that the river was completely fogged over and no boats were on the water. A little group of folks that were walking together got a couple of taxis and went up river to the bridge and then back along the other side to the ferry landing.
Actually, it was a pretty long ride. I would not have wanted to add it to my walk.

Tui is the 100km mark and many pilgrims start from there. Not as many as Sarria, of course.

Strange how I would not agree that the coastal route has as much alsphalt as others are posting. There is asphalt on small country roads...but not to the extent posted. Maybe someone is pushing the interior route?

I very much enjoyed the coastal route....I did it immediately after completing the Primitivo to Santiago and then heading to Porto to walk back to Santiago again. The differences were great in many (obvious) ways.

You will enjoy either route.

 

[grayland]

I never saw the "green" markers or heard anyone talk about them. I have no idea what they my be they do not appear to be part of the Camino proper.

....26 km around by the bridge?..I am really glad we did not walk

 

[Suzanneireland]

Hi all I am in that costal route from AGuarda to Santiago at the moment. We stayed in cheap Hostal del Mar in A Guarda right on beach and Camino basic but clean €40 a night booked on booking.com. We walked 16km to Oia and stated in hotel a Riana very friendly and nice place though more expensive €65. We then walked on to Nigran and stayed in beautiful Paso Pias albergures private rooms €15 it's a further 3.5km from Baiona on Camino. We then stayed outside Redondela in pension Jomboli it's 3km outside Redondela €40 for double with bathroom. It's beautiful along the coast definitely worth it but follow yellow arrows so experience the old Camino. We met a lovely lady who has set up a transport service for bags her company is Santiago backpack express - her name is Marie Therese and she was so helpful my friend couldn't carry her bag every day so she availed of her service she also offered to call ahead to hostels and pensions to book for us as our Spanish wasn't good enough! Highly recommend her

 

[CFRISONE]

Hello! Does anyone know where I can find a good online map that shows exactly the coastal route so that I can work out the distance of my chosen hotels from the path? Thanks!

 

[Suzanneireland]

Hi we just used google maps and John bearys book.

 

[Camwalker2]

We broke it down into a number of short days. I don't remember the exact distances, but it was something like this:

Vila Praia De Ancora to A Guarda - 14KM
A Guarda to Oia - 13KM
Oia to Baiona - 18KM
Baiona to Vigo - 29KM

From Vigo it is about 15KM to Redondela, where you connect with the inland route.

Also, we found out that the ferry from Caminha does not run at low tide!

hi we are going mid sept via Baiona to Vigo but can't seem to find a good walking map for the coastal Portuguese way? Many thanks for any suggestions?

 

[Suzanneireland]

I have just completed that route FYI ferries do not run on Mondays to A Guarda. You do not really need a map it is very well signposted following the coast from a Guarda most of the way to ramilossa then it goes inland from there to Vigo and on to redondela. We walked from oia to ramilossa the other side of baiona and stayed in paso Pias highly recommend this then it is shorter to Vigo.

 

[Doogman]

Hi: We did not have any good maps with us (unfortunately), but we still managed to find our way fairly easily. Most people on this forum seem to recommend the maps by Luis Freixo for this. I do not have a link, but if you search around in this forum you will find references to them, or you can search the web.

I found out when I was there that the ferries also do not run during low tide. We would have had a 5 hour wait for the next one, but we were able to find Mario the fisherman, and he took us across. One suggestion: Once across the river, follow the river to its mouth and the head up the coast into A Guarda. It is an easy and beautiful walk. I think the yellow arrows take you inland from the ferry.

 

[laineylainey]

We broke it down into a number of short days. I don't remember the exact distances, but it was something like this:

Vila Praia De Ancora to A Guarda - 14KM
A Guarda to Oia - 13KM
Oia to Baiona - 18KM
Baiona to Vigo - 29KM

From Vigo it is about 15KM to Redondela, where you connect with the inland route.

Also, we found out that the ferry from Caminha does not run at low tide!

What time of the day were you hoping to cross by ferry that was affected by low tide? I was hoping to cross on either the 10am or 11am ferry?

 

[laineylainey]

Hello! Does anyone know where I can find a good online map that shows exactly the coastal route so that I can work out the distance of my chosen hotels from the path? Thanks!

Hi, I ,on others recommendations, have downloaded an app called Wikiloc and have downloaded walking maps for specific parts of the Portuguese route. I won't be able to tell you how good they are, but it does seem to be an app that some caminoers are using?

 

[Doogman]

What time of the day were you hoping to cross by ferry that was affected by low tide? I was hoping to cross on either the 10am or 11am ferry?

Hi: We arrived at the ferry dock at about 11:30AM, and were told that the next ferry would not leave until 4:00PM due to low tides. However, you cannot judge by that, as the timing of the tides would vary each day.

 

[Wrooney12]

Thanks, Albertinho, for your suggestions Yes, one of the reasons we wanted to go to Valenca was to "change the scenery" as we would have walked along the coast for four days. On the other hand, I try to avoid big roadside walking.

Hi Ruta, which did you end up doing? I am going to be beginning the coastal route from Viana do Castelo and was also thinking about switching over to the inland route at Caminha, but it does seem that the coastal views may be better and slightly less trafficked. Any advice you could give is very much appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Former member 22438]

I never saw the "green" markers or heard anyone talk about them. I have no idea what they my be they do not appear to be part of the Camino proper.

....26 km around by the bridge?..I am really glad we did not walk

If you walk from Baiona to Nigrán just over the bridge entering Nigrán center there are the green waymarkers to the left. To the right you end up at the albergue and there are the yellow waymarkers.
The hospitaleiro attended us on these green ones by saying if you follow them you will follow the coastline.
If you follow the yellow ones you go into the hills and end up in the higher level of Vigo at the end. Vigo is devided in a lower part included the town center and a higher level.
Following the green markers maybe they do not belong to the original camino path but it is a very nice walk .

 

[laineylainey]

Hi Ruta, which did you end up doing? I am going to be beginning the coastal route from Viana do Castelo and was also thinking about switching over to the inland route at Caminha, but it does seem that the coastal views may be better and slightly less trafficked. Any advice you could give is very much appreciated! Thank you!

I did the coastal route up to Redondela and I loved it until Baiona, (Oia is a beautiful little coastal town, well worth a stop). The part that I didn't enjoy as much was from Baiona to Vigo and Vigo to Redondela. Both days were tougher for me as there was both urban and road walking involved and the "yellow" arrows that try to misdirect you through an industrial estate on the way to Vigo. Vigo is a big city and it took me some time walking into the city and across it to the old part where I was staying. The traffic you mention is the real road type!!
Still it was an amazing journey and I am so glad I did it.
If you want any other information let me know.
Good luck!

 

[Former member 22438]

I did the coastal route up to Redondela and I loved it until Baiona, (Oia is a beautiful little coastal town, well worth a stop). The part that I didn't enjoy as much was from Baiona to Vigo and Vigo to Redondela. Both days were tougher for me as there was both urban and road walking involved and the "yellow" arrows that try to misdirect you through an industrial estate on the way to Vigo. Vigo is a big city and it took me some time walking into the city and across it to the old part where I was staying. The traffic you mention is the real road type!!
Still it was an amazing journey and I am so glad I did it.
If you want any other information let me know.
Good luck!

Following the costal part from Baiona to Vigo so from Nigrán do not follow the yellow waymarkers but the green ones and this is a beautifull walk along the coastline with great views. As soon as you arrive in the suburbs of Vigo keep following the coast and automatically you arrive in down town and are almost on the way to Redondela.

 

[Doogman]

I wish we had seen the advice about the green arrows before we did the walk into Vigo. We followed the yellow arrows, and it was a good walk - but a long walk - ending in the upper part of the city. From there we had a 30-40 minute walk down to our hotel by the waterfront. The green arrows sound like a good option for next time.

 

[jean evans]

Following the costal part from Baiona to Vigo so from Nigrán do not follow the yellow waymarkers but the green ones and this is a beautifull walk along the coastline with great views. As soon as you arrive in the suburbs of Vigo keep following the coast and automatically you arrive in down town and are almost on the way to Redondela.

So, we should follow the green arrow route through Vigo to Redondela?

 

[Doogman]

Hi: I think I just replied to you on a different thread, but just in case I am confused (which is a frequent occurrence), the yellow arrows will take you on what I thought was a really nice walk from Vigo to Redondela. It is up on the hillside, with views down over the city, the bay and the Cies Islands. I do not know about the green arrows. The post above from @Albertinho regarding green arrows seems to relate to the section from Baiona to Vigo.

 

[laineylainey]

I think I should have followed the green arrows as like Doogman I walked into Vigo and then had a long urban walk to the waterside front of the old town. Having said that I don't remember seeing any green arrows but I did feel I was walking the wrong route into Vigo. I would love to have walked a more coastal rute so it that's where the green arrows take you , then it would definitely have my vote!