Leaving Fatima

[Former member 88968]

Hi all

I am planning to walk from Lisbon to Santiago in August/September this year and hoping to walk via Fatima. Through various websites, including this one and https://www.caminho.com.pt , I have established that I should veer towards Fatima after Santarem and rejoin the Portuguese Camino in Ansiao, thus missing Tomar, unfortunately.

I have two questions...
1. when leaving Fatima in the direction of Ansiao, is the way well signposted? Is it difficult to find the right path?
2. Is there a Compostela for making the Pilgrimage to Fatima and if so, where would I get that?

Thank you!

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, @Daveyboy,
I know that other forum members have walked from Fátima to Tomar, which I think is the most direct route to get back on the Caminho Central, the “main” Portuguese route. There is a page with information, though I am not sure how up to date it is. Tomar is a terrific place to visit, both the town and the five-star castle above it.

https://www.facebook.com/amigosdocaminho/posts/950631208288462

 

[edandjoan]

Either way. From Tomar it is about 30k. The other route can be divided into 3 or 4 days (if I remember correctly, maybe it's 2 or3). We love Tomar, it's an interesting town.

 

[Connie Canada]

We walked from Santarem to Alcanena, where the Catholic Church was hosting Fatima pilgrims for the night. And then on to Fatima. Keep in mind that on the Fatima holy days sleeping accommodations will be packed in all directions, and you're not following signs, but green vests on other pilgrims. All ways out of Santarem were poorly marked in 2012, and the "Official" Fatima Camino markers from Alcana were MANY kilometres farther than the highway routes followed by Portuguese pilgrims.

 

[peregrina2000]

...the "Official" Fatima Camino markers from Alcana were MANY kilometres farther than the highway routes followed by Portuguese pilgrims.

I really urge anyone walking to Fatima to take the camino markers rather than the shorter highway routes. Many Fatima pilgrim deaths and serious injuries have been reported on those highways. As many have noted, and though I know we should refrain from stereotypes, those wonderful Portuguese people have a personality change when they get behind the wheel. Traffic deaths in Portugal are the highest in the EU.

 

[Connie Canada]

I really urge anyone walking to Fatima to take the camino markers rather than the shorter highway routes. Many Fatima pilgrim deaths and serious injuries have been reported on those highways. As many have noted, and though I know we should refrain from stereotypes, those wonderful Portuguese people have a personality change when they get behind the wheel. Traffic deaths in Portugal are the highest in the EU.

I can't disagree with you on that. The highways are TREACHEROUS for pedestrians. But if you have a GPS map, do look at where you are. We took the path and one loop I'm sure took us 10k's out of our way and back again.

 

[edandjoan]

The photo above is the aqueduct on the outskirts of Tomar. Super cool and you can actually walk along the top between the "houses" (not sure what to call them). It is a double arch high so very tall.

 

[jsalt]

1. when leaving Fatima in the direction of Ansiao, is the way well signposted? Is it difficult to find the right path?

The path was well-signposted when I walked it in 2016, but I don’t know if the signs have been maintained AWAY from Fatima since then. If you have GPS you should be OK. It takes two days from Fatima to Ansiao; 21kms to Caxarias and 29kms to Ansiao. See this thread for the way out of Fatima:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/exits-from-fatima-to-santiago.34370/

 

[Former member 88968]

Hi, @Daveyboy,
I know that other forum members have walked from Fátima to Tomar, which I think is the most direct route to get back on the Caminho Central, the “main” Portuguese route. There is a page with information, though I am not sure how up to date it is. Tomar is a terrific place to visit, both the town and the five-star castle above it.

Thanks Peregrina2000! I'll consider this option seriously. It wasn't sitting well with me that I was missing Tomar, though to go there from Fatima effectively adds an extra day to my pilgrimage

 

[Former member 88968]

The path was well-signposted when I walked it in 2016, but I don’t know if the signs have been maintained AWAY from Fatima since then. If you have GPS you should be OK. It takes two days from Fatima to Ansiao; 21kms to Caxarias and 29kms to Ansiao. See this thread for the way out of Fatima:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/exits-from-fatima-to-santiago.34370/

Thanks Jill. That thread is a valuable source of info for me. I'm now comfortable with both options (ie to go via Tomar or directly through Ansiao. As always it may be that time becomes the deciding factor!

Appreciate your help very much!

 

[jsalt]

It wasn't sitting well with me that I was missing Tomar, though to go there from Fatima effectively adds an extra day to my pilgrimage

It is very easy to do a day trip to Fatima from Tomar using the local buses there and back (or go on a guided tour), so spending two nights in Tomar.

If you are limited with time you could cut a day out somewhere else, e.g. by taking a train between Azambuja and Santarém, which is totally agricultural fields the whole day. (But don't do something like that in the last 100kms though!)

 

[Botaivica]

Hi all

I am planning to walk from Lisbon to Santiago in August/September this year and hoping to walk via Fatima. Through various websites, including this one and https://www.caminho.com.pt , I have established that I should veer towards Fatima after Santarem and rejoin the Portuguese Camino in Ansiao, thus missing Tomar, unfortunately.

I have two questions...
1. when leaving Fatima in the direction of Ansiao, is the way well signposted? Is it difficult to find the right path?
2. Is there a Compostela for making the Pilgrimage to Fatima and if so, where would I get that?

Thank you!

Hi Davybhoy,

the Portuguese call this Way the Caminho do Tejo. You have more information here:

Associação de Amigos dos Caminhos de Fátima

when I made the pilgrimage to Fatima and Santiago, I went like this:

Lisabon – Alpriate, 22,8 km
Alpriate – Vila Franca de Xira, 18,4 km
Vila Franca de Xira – Valada, 28,8 km
Valada – Santarem, 19,5 km
Santarem - Olhos da agua, 29,0 km
Olhos de agua – Fatima, 27,0 km
Fatima – Caxarias, 22,0 km
Caxarias – Ansiao, 29,0 km
Ansiao – Rabacal, 17,9 km
Rabacal – Coimbra, 29,5 km
Coimbra – Mealhada, 19,2 km
Mealhada – Agueda, 25,0 km
Agueda – Albegaria a Velha, 16,8 km
Albergaria a Velha – Sao Joao de Madeira, 28,9 km
Sao Joao de Madeira – Grijo, 19,4 km
Grijo – Porto, 16,7 km
Porto – Monasterio de Vairao, 24,9 km
Monasterio de Vairao – Pedra Furada, 19,7 km
Pedra Furada – Portela de Tamel, 19,2 km
Portela de Tamel – Ponte de Lima, 24,5 km
Ponte de Lima – Fontoura, 24,9 km
Fontoura – O Porrino, 27,7 km
O Porrino - Arcade, 22,2 k
Arcade - Briallos, 29,2 km
Briallos - Padron, 23,4 km
Padron – Milladoiro, 18,7 km
Milladoiro - Santiago de Compostela, 5,0 km

It was well-signposted all Way
In every place in Portugal I slept in albergue or bombeiros— fire stations .


Bom Caminho

 

[igailfh]

Amigos dos Caminhos de Fátima | Portugal

Associação de Amigos dos Caminhos de Fátima. Divulgamos as peregrinações e promovemos os caminhos de Fátima e Santiago We promote pilgrimages and the ways of Fátima and Santiago.

www.caminho.com.pt

This website is where you request your Camino Passport which will be posted to you. This is the only way you can get the passport. I made the mistake of not ordering it online & asked for one at the Cathedral in Lisbon, to be told they were only available online. I presume the passport is presented to the organisation on arrival in Fatima. Not having one myself I didn't need to find out, lol. The link to the Camino Passport is in the menu on the left.
I enjoyed the Camino de Tejo to Fatima, there's an albergue a very short distance behind the Cathedral, & all the blue arrow waymarking to Fatima is frequent & visible. I walked in 2017. Bom Caminho!

 

[peregrina2000]

Amigos dos Caminhos de Fátima | Portugal

Associação de Amigos dos Caminhos de Fátima. Divulgamos as peregrinações e promovemos os caminhos de Fátima e Santiago We promote pilgrimages and the ways of Fátima and Santiago.

www.caminho.com.pt

This website is where you request your Camino Passport which will be posted to you. This is the only way you can get the passport. I made the mistake of not ordering it online & asked for one at the Cathedral in Lisbon, to be told they were only available online. I presume the passport is presented to the organisation on arrival in Fatima. Not having one myself I didn't need to find out, lol. The link to the Camino Passport is in the menu on the left.
I enjoyed the Camino de Tejo to Fatima, there's an albergue a very short distance behind the Cathedral, & all the blue arrow waymarking to Fatima is frequent & visible. I walked in 2017. Bom Caminho!

My guess is that this is not a problem, but I remember a few years back when the Cathedral announced that credentials had to be “approved” by the cathedral — national organizations around the world all got their approval, including the Via Lusitana. I don’t know this for a fact, but it would not seem like the Fatima credential producers would bother to get cathedral approval since their credential is for the Fatima walk. But if someone knows differently, they should correct me.

Having said that, we have not seen reports of pilgrims denied the compostela because of the credential they used, so it may not even be a worry. But if you are a real stickler, you should check to make sure that the Fátima credential is accepted. The Via Lusitana credential is available at the cathedrals in Lisbon, Coimbra, and Porto and undoubtedly at many other places along the way. Look at this thread
Post #23 in that thread has more info and pictures of the four different cathedrals you can choose to adorn your credential.