Just back from the Geira — 2022

[peregrina2000]

When I got to Braga on the Torres, I switched over to the Geira. I relied a lot on @jungleboy’s thread to figure out my stages. His thread and the notes about distances that I had copied down from the guidebook (which I did not bring) were really all I needed. Calling a day in advance was all that was necessary.

No albergues, except for the albergue in Caldelas, on the first day from Braga. I had planned to stay there, but as I walked into town, I saw on the left a very pleasant garden with tables in front of the Corredoura Garden hostal. There was a room, so I just took it. I was glad I hadn’t called ahead to the albergue.

One website that has info on the several camino options from Braga, debragaasantiago.com has an over the top warning that they do not recommend walking this camino now because of issues with marking. NONSENSE, at least if you have a GPS. Just as I did on the Torres, I had offline tracks and maps on wikiloc. I had my phone in my waist pack. The app beeps at you if you take a wrong turn. That’s all you need.

This is a great combination to consider with the Torres, but you have to be prepared for no albergues (except Caldelas) and no peregrinos. I spend two weeks in Lisbon every year teaching a course (in English), and I found I had enough Portuguese to intereact with people. I had some really wonderful encounters.

My FindPenguins site has more info, but I would be very happy to give opinions, answer questions, etc.

Camino 2022 , Torres and Geira | FindPenguins

About 640 km, starting in Salamanca, heading over to Portugal, and north from Braga to Santiago. I am combining two different caminos, the Camino de Torres and the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros.

findpenguins.com

It’s a great caminho, I would walk it again happily, but there are no peregrinos. You will find people/walkers/ramblers in the area around the Peneda Geres park, so that’s a nice occasional break from the solitude, but I found I was very happy to just walk with me and my unwinding brain.

Edited to add - here is a link to my 2022 comments on the Torres. I know many people walk them separately, but they are different caminos, so I think it’s best to keep each in its own subforum.

 

[The Yukon]

When I got to Braga on the Torres, I switched over to the Geira. I relied a lot on @jungleboy’s thread to figure out my stages. His thread and the notes about distances that I had copied down from the guidebook (which I did not bring) were really all I needed. Calling a day in advance was all that was necessary.

No albergues, except for the albergue in Caldelas, on the first day from Braga. I had planned to stay there, but as I walked into town, I saw on the left a very pleasant garden with tables in front of the Corredoura Garden hostal. There was a room, so I just took it. I was glad I hadn’t called ahead to the albergue.

One website that has info on the several camino options from Braga, debragaasantiago.com has an over the top warning that they do not recommend walking this camino now because of issues with marking. NONSENSE, at least if you have a GPS. Just as I did on the Torres, I had offline tracks and maps on wikiloc. I had my phone in my waist pack. The app beeps at you if you take a wrong turn. That’s all you need.

This is a great combination to consider with the Torres, but you have to be prepared for no albergues (except Caldelas) and no peregrinos. I spend two weeks in Lisbon every year teaching a course (in English), and I found I had enough Portuguese to intereact with people. I had some really wonderful encounters.

My FindPenguins site has more info, but I would be very happy to give opinions, answer questions, etc.

Camino 2022 , Torres and Geira | FindPenguins

About 640 km, starting in Salamanca, heading over to Portugal, and north from Braga to Santiago. I am combining two different caminos, the Camino de Torres and the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros.

findpenguins.com

It’s a great caminho, I would walk it again happily, but there are no peregrinos. You will find people/walkers/ramblers in the area around the Peneda Geres park, so that’s a nice occasional break from the solitude, but I found I was very happy to just walk with me and my unwinding brain.

What a fabulous walk! There are so many beautiful paths of solitude in Europe, despite a relatively dense population. Sure appreciate you (and jungleboy earlier) for taking us along. There's a December ticket to Lisbon with my name on it and you've put this smile of anticipation on my face with your presentation. Thank you!

 

[Lynn C O'Hara]

When I got to Braga on the Torres, I switched over to the Geira. I relied a lot on @jungleboy’s thread to figure out my stages. His thread and the notes about distances that I had copied down from the guidebook (which I did not bring) were really all I needed. Calling a day in advance was all that was necessary.

No albergues, except for the albergue in Caldelas, on the first day from Braga. I had planned to stay there, but as I walked into town, I saw on the left a very pleasant garden with tables in front of the Corredoura Garden hostal. There was a room, so I just took it. I was glad I hadn’t called ahead to the albergue.

One website that has info on the several camino options from Braga, debragaasantiago.com has an over the top warning that they do not recommend walking this camino now because of issues with marking. NONSENSE, at least if you have a GPS. Just as I did on the Torres, I had offline tracks and maps on wikiloc. I had my phone in my waist pack. The app beeps at you if you take a wrong turn. That’s all you need.

This is a great combination to consider with the Torres, but you have to be prepared for no albergues (except Caldelas) and no peregrinos. I spend two weeks in Lisbon every year teaching a course (in English), and I found I had enough Portuguese to intereact with people. I had some really wonderful encounters.

My FindPenguins site has more info, but I would be very happy to give opinions, answer questions, etc.

Camino 2022 , Torres and Geira | FindPenguins

About 640 km, starting in Salamanca, heading over to Portugal, and north from Braga to Santiago. I am combining two different caminos, the Camino de Torres and the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros.

findpenguins.com

It’s a great caminho, I would walk it again happily, but there are no peregrinos. You will find people/walkers/ramblers in the area around the Peneda Geres park, so that’s a nice occasional break from the solitude, but I found I was very happy to just walk with me and my unwinding brain.

So happy everything worked out well this time! Your photos were wonderful!

 

[HeidiL]

Just a quick question: How hilly is it?

 

[peregrina2000]

Just a quick question: How hilly is it?

Oops, nothing like answering a question 15 months after it is asked. SORRY! I would say it’s on the hilly side. A quick calculation of my wikiloc stages totals 5800 m elevation and that’s in 10 days, so 580 m a day, approximately. Not the toughest, but I think that meets the definition of hilly. I have all my stages on wikiloc, with distances and elevation profile. First stage here.

I am going to add my stages and random info on this thread, because there are a few forum members who are planning to walk the Geira this fall. So stay tuned if you are interested. And again, sorry for the delay. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[jungleboy]

Just a quick question: How hilly is it?

Almost all the locals we met talked about how hilly and difficult it was, but we didn’t find it difficult. @peregrina2000 has given the elevation numbers above, which makes it more hilly than I remembered. But by that point we’d been on camino for about 45 days already, so I guess we were in decent shape when we started the Geira.

 

[alansykes]

by that point we’d been on camino for about 45 days already, so I guess we were in decent shape when we started the Geira

I'd only been walking for 37 days when I started the Geira, but also didn't find it over-taxing. There were some energetic climbs, but nothing excessive - I don't think I ever had to use my hands to scramble up or down. Quite spectacularly beautiful and gloriously solitary - I may have to rip up my plans for this autumn's camino and go back there instead.

 

[peregrina2000]

I may have to rip up my plans for this autumn's camino and go back there instead.

So many months for your fan club to wait!

 

[peregrina2000]

I never did a write-up for the forum with distances, accommodations, etc, but I know several forum members are going to start out on the Geira soon, and I thought I’d add my two cents. Since Nick and Wendy were my guiding star, my info might not have much that is different from theirs, but as someone who walks a lot of untraveled caminos, having different perspectives always rounds out the picture in a nice way. So here goes.

Day 1 — Braga to Caldelas (17 km). There is an albergue here, (José at +351 914 893 253) but I saw the beautiful little garden outside the Corredoura Garden Alojamiento — I popped my head inside the door and the slightly crusty owner became quite friendly upon hearing I was a peregrina and offered me a good price in a nice single room. The termas there are extremely interesting and worth wandering around. I was there during covid-masking but even so it was fascinating. I learned about which water spouts had water for kidneys, etc. and I saw that no water would be given out without a prescription! All very interesting. And to back up a bit — on the way out of Braga, you will pass a 7th C Visigothic chapel, but if you want to visit it, I would recommend the short walk from the center the day before. The church is São Frutuoso (google tells me hours are 12-3 and 7-10:30 p.m., closed Monday). It was definitely worth a visit, and there is a story involving the remains of the saint, spirited away by (I think) Gelmirez to Santiago, and then returned centuries later.