Following the yellow brick road

[Corned Beef]

Seems the Xunta has spent a bit of money covering the joint cycle/pedestrian sections from A Guarda to Baiona.

Some will recognise the location - breakfast with a spectacular sea view.

One the plus side makes it easier to find the route in the morning as sunrise is 8:30 at the moment.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Oh, the hill that never ends - hated that day!

 

[Former member 49149]

Seems the Xunta has spent a bit of money covering the joint cycle/pedestrian sections from A Guarda to Baiona.

Some will recognise the location - breakfast with a spectacular sea view.

One the plus side makes it easier to find the route in the morning as sunrise is 8:30 at the moment.

I imagine it is improved somewhat from your earliest Camino...

 

[Corned Beef]

Can’t quite reconcile the message in the first pic with the scene in the second. Glad I had to wait until October to do this as any earlier would have been too hot.

Lots more pilgrims now. Lots more accommodation. And lots more new shiny Camino signs. They’ve been busy while we’ve been away.

 

[DaeDae]

Can’t quite reconcile the message in the first pic with the scene in the second. Glad I had to wait until October to do this as any earlier would have been too hot.

Lots more pilgrims now. Lots more accommodation. And lots more new shiny Camino signs. They’ve been busy while we’ve been away.

I'm two weeks behind you! Flying to LIS one week from today to start the coastal route from Porto on the 17th. Keep posting please!

 

[Corned Beef]

If you’re one the Portuguese or will be soon then you should avoid earphones/ headphones. Mountain Bikers out in force usually in a peloton of 6 riders or more. And it’s both ways.

@peregrina2000 pointed out it is a holiday here and people are making the best use of it north of Pontevedra.

Looking at it positively, the additional numbers will help support the hotels, shops an restaurants.

This one didn’t make it

 

[Corned Beef]

One of the pinch points on the Camino Portugués de la Costa is the crossing from Portugal to Spain at Caminha. The ferryboat is not running and the ticket office is closed which sort of freaks you out when you get there.

There is still the river taxi which is operating a sort of "on-demand" service. If the cafe is open they will sell you a ticket for €5. The crossing is over in a few minutes and though the boatman doesn't look much he lifted a bike plus panniers (over 30kg) from the boat onto the harbour while the boat was moving around. Impressive stuff.

When you get over to A Guarda you can take the main road over the top, but if you continue to follow the minor road on the left following the water, you get a smooth pleasant walk into the town. Takes a bit longer but far prettier.

 

[Corned Beef]

Another suggestion for those who are about to travel on the Coastal.

A common suggestion is to avoid the route out of the Porto suburbs by taking the metro to Matosinos (6 miles from Porto). Given the amount the boardwalks that are being repaired and how quiet that section is over Autumn and Winter, you can actually get to Póvoa de Varzim (24 miles north of Porto) by Metro which gets your further into the countryside.

 

[klimmo]

Another suggestion for those who are about to travel on the Coastal.

A common suggestion is to avoid the route out of the Porto suburbs by taking the metro to Matosinos (6 miles from Porto). Given the amount the boardwalks that are being repaired and how quiet that section is over Autumn and Winter, you can actually get to Póvoa de Varzim (24 miles north of Porto) by Metro which gets your further into the countryside.

I'm planning to walk out of Porto on the riverside, as that was recommeded as being quite beautiful. Are the boardwalks completely impractable? and what are the alternatives? any deviations?

Thank you for all your tips. River man in café is noted!

 

[Corned Beef]

You'll need to read this for more detail as @LesBrass walked the whole Portuguese section a few weeks ago. It has far more detail and pics.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/the-glorious-coastal-path.71734/

 

[Corned Beef]

There appeared to be two routes out of Vigo. There is the official route marked on Open Street Maps but the forested mountain trail was marked Senda del Agua

First two pics (194,198) are coming into Baiona before Vigo. The next two (209,214) are from the Senda on your way to Redondela. Taken last week. You can see the oyster beds set out in the estuary.

 

[Corned Beef]

As you move away from the coast on the Senda, you start getting into more countryside. The route drops down into Redondela (there is a train connection to SdC here).

At Redondela you start seeing more pilgrims coming in from the Central route, more open albergues and more activity. Another climb out of Redondela down to Arcade with its beautiful stone bridge and then another climb before the descent into Pontevedra. My companions had no problems with the climbs though they did stop for a bite to eat.

Pontevedra has all the facilities of a large town but nothing else going for it.

 

[klimmo]

There appeared to be two routes out of Vigo. There is the official route marked on Open Street Maps but the forested mountain trail was marked Senda del Agua

First two pics (194,198) are coming into Baiona before Vigo. The next two (209,214) are from the Senda on your way to Redondela. Taken last week. You can see the oyster beds set out in the estuary.

thank you for this. is the senda del agua easy to find? and did you follow the litoral or coastal into vigo?
enjoy your trip.

 

[Corned Beef]

I came into Vigo on the Litoral as I was following as much of the coast as possible but it is a bit grim and busy as you get into the ship repair yards there. Reminds me of Bilbao for some reason. You might want to use the Coastal coming into the city.

As regards going out, you follow the yellow arrows and at the top about 5 miles out, you'll see yellow/green wavy road markings which highlight where the routes split between the official route and the Senda. You can see them on Google Street maps.

 

[Corned Beef]

The next section from Pontevedra to Padron is countryside and even in the morning dark, there were plenty pilgrims about. Route is well marked and is a mix of track and road.

What was noticeable was that mountain bikers outnumbered pilgrims by a long way perhaps 4 or 5 times the number. When you get to Santiago, it is the reverse which suggests the Camino is used for leisure more and more. It was also a holiday weekend. You'll need to have your wits about you on this section.

 

[klimmo]

excellent, thank you so much for all your info. countdown has started, 9 more days to go.

 

[Corned Beef]

When you enter Padron, there is a sense of excitement for pilgrims as it is their last (or second last day) before the end. Padron has a few large albergues and lots of restaurants/bars for the size of the place.

When I arrived, the square outside the train station (with connection to SdC) was full of day trippers. When they left mid-afternoon, there was a steady stream of pilgrims making their way into town and the church to get their sellos. Also by the time you get there you'll have had quite a few of the peppers that Padron has made famous as they offer them as far away as Vigo.

For the next section, I avoided the pilgrim route and decided to look for La Vuelta section to SdC but missed it in the dark instead taking the DP-6502 which was a quiet climb over the hills to SdC. The road comes into O Milladorio where you can pick up your first or even second breakfast.

Stage 21 - Distrito Telefónica. Madrid > Madrid - La Vuelta 2024

Profile, time schedule, all informations on the stage

www.lavuelta.es

After O Milladorio you are back onto one of the many signposted routes into SdC along with all the weary pilgrims who are looking forward to arriving in the Plaza along with the rest. And after 168 miles from Porto you'll deserve one.

 

[Corned Beef]

If you are a Bicigrino, you'll not be able to use the boardwalks on the Portuguese section. So you will find yourself navigating the back streets and avoiding the little rivers and inlets that push you further inland. If you take the inland route, you'll not be able to enjoy the coast which is the most enjoyable part of the Portuguese section.

If you feel confident enough, you should try using the N13 main route up to Caminha but only as far as Vila Praia de Âncora. There is a steep climb on a fast dual carriageway there that warrants a detour off towards the easier coast section.

From Caminha/A Guarda you've got the dual use cyclist/walker path as the numbers are still low. From Vigo to Redondela there is the Senda which keeps you clear of the walkers.

At Redondela, the numbers jump and it is advisable and more beneficial to switch to the N-505 or one of the minor roads. The pilgrim route is too busy with pilgrims and leisure cyclists to make it anything other than stop/go all the time.

This is my third Camino and one I would do again as the coast is so beautiful. It is also short enough to do it in a week on a bike or a fortnight as a walker. Put it on your list.