Lisbon - Santiago (via Fátima): Day 1

[Kch]

Hi everyone. Posting this in case it’s useful for someone.I started walking Camino from Lisbon today ( big thanks to everyone who’s posting live updates on Portuguese Camino at the moment - it’s really helping me plan x )



Plus!

• Days I spent before hand in Lisbon - gorgeous city!.. note official start is outside ‘Igreja de Santiago’.. a few hundred meters past the cathedral. Tram 28 stops a few meters away.
• Walk was super interesting and really pretty in parts- way better then I’d heard . I’m really glad I did it.
• Ultimately , at the end of my day,walked right past an open hostel - ALFA10 - ( was first one I’d seen all day)- single room , shared bathroom 17.50 euro (34 euro with private bathroom) with 2 nice restaurants right across . One I went to ( turn left out of accommodation - it’s about 100 meters & across the street)...was menu of day plus jug of wine for nine euros - gorgeous food & very friendly waiter.
• Whole area around Vasco de Gama bridge .. lovely and lovely walking by the river
• Vegetation generally was gorgeous
• Perfectly placed for Vila Franca tomorrow
• Portuguese people seemed really happy to see me .. got a few encouraging shouts and a few people tried to help direct me
• Phone reception was never a problem ( source of relief!,. I’m walking alone but if I have cash and working phone I typically feel pretty secure)
• I walked through nice village - Granja , there was a decent bar and an atm .. just mentioning because going by other people’s posts I don’t think it’s on the path but when I was trying to get out of there I did pick up the Camino markers again ( after loosing them for the previous 1-2 hours!). I’m glad I saw it.. when I finally got into alpirate ( around 5ish) I couldnt see anything open
• 99% flat - no climbs to talk of... which with the heat and lack of shade in parts I was supremely grateful for!
• Lots of quirky street art and statues .. especially before/after Vasco de Gama area

Negatives

• Either I’ve forgotten how to do this ( I did Camino frances last year and never got lost) or the signing is a disaster!.. sometimes there’s 3 signs on a straight piece of road telling you to go straight when there are no options to go anywhere else and then they just disapear!.I got lost several times;(
• There’s a stretch shortly past Vasco de Gama bridge - there is no shade / services for 8ish kilometers .. I started into it at 1 .. big mistake , should have started it around 11 at latest or waited til much later but then you may have problem finding place to stay, bring tons of water if doing this in the afternoon
• Needed headache pills later on in day .. had plenty of water but hot and sun very bright . Definitely have those with you so don’t need to hunt a pharmacy.
• Ended up on a super busy road coming out of Vialonga .. it was ok , I was able to find places to stand and walk but really unpleasant for 2ish Km’s.( might be because this wasn’t part of the path .. i had lost it again at that point)
• Applied factor 50 3 times throughout day.. arms still burnt ...Irish skin...might buy myself lightweight shirt in Vila Franca...
• Probably because I got lost a few times but my Fitbit is telling me I walked 44000 steps at this point ... not ok!.. I didn’t plan my first day to be a marathon!!!

• If I did this again - I would go as far as Vasco de Gama bridge ( think it’s about ten’ish kilometers out of Lisbon) .. and spend the day there - the area is lovely to walk around , there is a huge shopping center, lots of restaurants , cable car , interesting outside art , then get up early following morning so relatively cool when crossing stage unshaded part to alpirate ... I’d aim to get to villa Franca but there would be options to stop before then too. With that said I’m not sure what the accommodation options out there are but could always bus back and forth from Lisbon to stop and restart , there is a huge bus station right beside the mall.
• Also would try harder to find resources on net to mark out Camino route so don’t need to rely on signs.. that’s my job now for my Day2 so I don’t get as lost!

Overall
Definitely some lessons learnt but feels so so good to be back out there and part of this again and spending money on the business that support this thing I love ... finishing the day with a hot shower & lovely meal has mitigated most of the pain from earlier!..looking forward to a great nights sleep now and short day tomorrow
night all Xx

 

[james mc laughlin]

Hi everyone. Posting this in case it’s useful for someone.I started walking Camino from Lisbon today ( big thanks to everyone who’s posting live updates on Portuguese Camino at the moment - it’s really helping me plan x )



Plus!

• Days I spent before hand in Lisbon - gorgeous city!.. note official start is outside ‘Igreja de Santiago’.. a few hundred meters past the cathedral. Tram 28 stops a few meters away.
• Walk was super interesting and really pretty in parts- way better then I’d heard . I’m really glad I did it.
• Ultimately , at the end of my day,walked right past an open hostel - ALFA10 - ( was first one I’d seen all day)- single room , shared bathroom 17.50 euro (34 euro with private bathroom) with 2 nice restaurants right across . One I went to ( turn left out of accommodation - it’s about 100 meters & across the street)...was menu of day plus jug of wine for nine euros - gorgeous food & very friendly waiter.
• Whole area around Vasco de Gama bridge .. lovely and lovely walking by the river
• Vegetation generally was gorgeous
• Perfectly placed for Vila Franca tomorrow
• Portuguese people seemed really happy to see me .. got a few encouraging shouts and a few people tried to help direct me
• Phone reception was never a problem ( source of relief!,. I’m walking alone but if I have cash and working phone I typically feel pretty secure)
• I walked through nice village - Granja , there was a decent bar and an atm .. just mentioning because going by other people’s posts I don’t think it’s on the path but when I was trying to get out of there I did pick up the Camino markers again ( after loosing them for the previous 1-2 hours!). I’m glad I saw it.. when I finally got into alpirate ( around 5ish) I couldnt see anything open
• 99% flat - no climbs to talk of... which with the heat and lack of shade in parts I was supremely grateful for!
• Lots of quirky street art and statues .. especially before/after Vasco de Gama area

Negatives

• Either I’ve forgotten how to do this ( I did Camino frances last year and never got lost) or the signing is a disaster!.. sometimes there’s 3 signs on a straight piece of road telling you to go straight when there are no options to go anywhere else and then they just disapear!.I got lost several times;(
• There’s a stretch shortly past Vasco de Gama bridge - there is no shade / services for 8ish kilometers .. I started into it at 1 .. big mistake , should have started it around 11 at latest or waited til much later but then you may have problem finding place to stay, bring tons of water if doing this in the afternoon
• Needed headache pills later on in day .. had plenty of water but hot and sun very bright . Definitely have those with you so don’t need to hunt a pharmacy.
• Ended up on a super busy road coming out of Vialonga .. it was ok , I was able to find places to stand and walk but really unpleasant for 2ish Km’s.( might be because this wasn’t part of the path .. i had lost it again at that point)
• Applied factor 50 3 times throughout day.. arms still burnt ...Irish skin...might buy myself lightweight shirt in Vila Franca...
• Probably because I got lost a few times but my Fitbit is telling me I walked 44000 steps at this point ... not ok!.. I didn’t plan my first day to be a marathon!!!

• If I did this again - I would go as far as Vasco de Gama bridge ( think it’s about ten’ish kilometers out of Lisbon) .. and spend the day there - the area is lovely to walk around , there is a huge shopping center, lots of restaurants , cable car , interesting outside art , then get up early following morning so relatively cool when crossing stage unshaded part to alpirate ... I’d aim to get to villa Franca but there would be options to stop before then too. With that said I’m not sure what the accommodation options out there are but could always bus back and forth from Lisbon to stop and restart , there is a huge bus station right beside the mall.
• Also would try harder to find resources on net to mark out Camino route so don’t need to rely on signs.. that’s my job now for my Day2 so I don’t get as lost!

Overall
Definitely some lessons learnt but feels so so good to be back out there and part of this again and spending money on the business that support this thing I love ... finishing the day with a hot shower & lovely meal has mitigated most of the pain from earlier!..looking forward to a great nights sleep now and short day tomorrow
night all Xx

good luck are you pre booking accommodation or working as you go

 

[Latecomer]

Greetings,

Also would try harder to find resources on net to mark out Camino route so don’t need to rely on signs.. that’s my job now for my Day2 so I don’t get as lost!

You might consider installing the Wisely + the Camino Portuguese app (and download the offline map when connected to Wi-Fi).

The app gets mixed reviews but for about 99 cents I think it is worth trying if only for the maps. I only used the Portuguese version on the section north of Pontevedra. I had no major issues (on an iPhone 8 Plus). I believe that it is possible to zoom in to a point finer than the resolution of the map, you might not see the map at that point, but you can still tell if you are on the path.

¡Buen Camino!

 

[jungleboy]

A big day just like we had leaving Lisbon last week! You should be more or less OK with the signage from now on. It can always be a bit tricky leaving a big city plus there are one or two other confusing bits on that first day, including Granja, where the arrows have been redirected into town.

You’ll have a short walk to Vila Franca de Xira today including a nice pedestrian/cycling track with murals near the river. The main square of Alhandra is worth seeing for the colourful buildings and small-town buzz. In VFX itself, the municipal gardens on the river are a great place to relax and the bullring from 1901 is worth checking out as well (you’ll see it on the path with a mural as you enter town, but on the other side of the train tracks).

Bom caminho!

 

[malingerer]

Hi everyone. Posting this in case it’s useful for someone.I started walking Camino from Lisbon today ( big thanks to everyone who’s posting live updates on Portuguese Camino at the moment - it’s really helping me plan x )



Plus!

• Days I spent before hand in Lisbon - gorgeous city!.. note official start is outside ‘Igreja de Santiago’.. a few hundred meters past the cathedral. Tram 28 stops a few meters away.
• Walk was super interesting and really pretty in parts- way better then I’d heard . I’m really glad I did it.
• Ultimately , at the end of my day,walked right past an open hostel - ALFA10 - ( was first one I’d seen all day)- single room , shared bathroom 17.50 euro (34 euro with private bathroom) with 2 nice restaurants right across . One I went to ( turn left out of accommodation - it’s about 100 meters & across the street)...was menu of day plus jug of wine for nine euros - gorgeous food & very friendly waiter.
• Whole area around Vasco de Gama bridge .. lovely and lovely walking by the river
• Vegetation generally was gorgeous
• Perfectly placed for Vila Franca tomorrow
• Portuguese people seemed really happy to see me .. got a few encouraging shouts and a few people tried to help direct me
• Phone reception was never a problem ( source of relief!,. I’m walking alone but if I have cash and working phone I typically feel pretty secure)
• I walked through nice village - Granja , there was a decent bar and an atm .. just mentioning because going by other people’s posts I don’t think it’s on the path but when I was trying to get out of there I did pick up the Camino markers again ( after loosing them for the previous 1-2 hours!). I’m glad I saw it.. when I finally got into alpirate ( around 5ish) I couldnt see anything open
• 99% flat - no climbs to talk of... which with the heat and lack of shade in parts I was supremely grateful for!
• Lots of quirky street art and statues .. especially before/after Vasco de Gama area

Negatives

• Either I’ve forgotten how to do this ( I did Camino frances last year and never got lost) or the signing is a disaster!.. sometimes there’s 3 signs on a straight piece of road telling you to go straight when there are no options to go anywhere else and then they just disapear!.I got lost several times;(
• There’s a stretch shortly past Vasco de Gama bridge - there is no shade / services for 8ish kilometers .. I started into it at 1 .. big mistake , should have started it around 11 at latest or waited til much later but then you may have problem finding place to stay, bring tons of water if doing this in the afternoon
• Needed headache pills later on in day .. had plenty of water but hot and sun very bright . Definitely have those with you so don’t need to hunt a pharmacy.
• Ended up on a super busy road coming out of Vialonga .. it was ok , I was able to find places to stand and walk but really unpleasant for 2ish Km’s.( might be because this wasn’t part of the path .. i had lost it again at that point)
• Applied factor 50 3 times throughout day.. arms still burnt ...Irish skin...might buy myself lightweight shirt in Vila Franca...
• Probably because I got lost a few times but my Fitbit is telling me I walked 44000 steps at this point ... not ok!.. I didn’t plan my first day to be a marathon!!!

• If I did this again - I would go as far as Vasco de Gama bridge ( think it’s about ten’ish kilometers out of Lisbon) .. and spend the day there - the area is lovely to walk around , there is a huge shopping center, lots of restaurants , cable car , interesting outside art , then get up early following morning so relatively cool when crossing stage unshaded part to alpirate ... I’d aim to get to villa Franca but there would be options to stop before then too. With that said I’m not sure what the accommodation options out there are but could always bus back and forth from Lisbon to stop and restart , there is a huge bus station right beside the mall.
• Also would try harder to find resources on net to mark out Camino route so don’t need to rely on signs.. that’s my job now for my Day2 so I don’t get as lost!

Overall
Definitely some lessons learnt but feels so so good to be back out there and part of this again and spending money on the business that support this thing I love ... finishing the day with a hot shower & lovely meal has mitigated most of the pain from earlier!..looking forward to a great nights sleep now and short day tomorrow
night all Xx

Lisbon is one of my favourite cities. I did the route from Porto to Santiago years ago but have always fancied doing the southern half to "complete" the route. Will be keeping an eye on your posts for future reference.
obrigado.

Samarkand.

 

[Elle Bieling]

Hi there @Kch. I hope your next day's walk is better! We also did this marathon, and had trouble figuring out where to stay, until we were directed to Verdelha. There is no where to stay in Alverca do Ribatejo! Here is our day one, if you or anyone wants to read about it. Also, I chronicle the next days journeys, which may help you, if you read each day the night before, so you know what to expect. Buen Camino, and if you liked the first day, you will love the rest! It was perhaps, my favorite Camino of all I have done. (Note, I have never done the Frances!)

 

[Rex]

Got lost in the Granja area in 2018 at about this time of year. Had to bushwhack my way back to the route with the help of kids at the local McDonalds (that’s how far I was off the Camino path ). Highs were in the 40C area that week and finding enough water was an issue. Started buying 2 bottles at a time and figured the extra weight was worth the effort. The signage does improve but I did download a map app after my first day of missing the path a few times.
Note: in Porto and Coimbra the way marks were occasionally covered by posters for a band or festival event. Took some careful looking to stay on my route. Lisboa was similar but not as bad with the posters. Bom Caminho!

 

[wayfarer]

Welcome Kch and Bom Caminho.

 

[Kch]

good luck are you pre booking accommodation or working as you go

Hi, booking as I go as never really sure where I’ll finish the day...hiwever yesterday showed me how scarce rooms can be .. so now I am checking the different options ahead and will use booking.com if makes sense... at least until porto

 

[Kch]

Greetings,

You might consider installing the Wisely + the Camino Portuguese app (and download the offline map when connected to Wi-Fi).

The app gets mixed reviews but for about 99 cents I think it is worth trying if only for the maps. I only used the Portuguese version on the section north of Pontevedra. I had no major issues (on an iPhone 8 Plus). I believe that it is possible to zoom in to a point finer than the resolution of the map, you might not see the map at that point, but you can still tell if you are on the path.

¡Buen Camino!

Thank you so much for that tip!.. I walked out this morning and saw your reply when stopped for breakfast and when I downloaded could see how I was 4 roads above where I should have been!.. that 99cents was well spent ... was back on the trail in no time

 

[Kch]

A big day just like we had leaving Lisbon last week! You should be more or less OK with the signage from now on. It can always be a bit tricky leaving a big city plus there are one or two other confusing bits on that first day, including Granja, where the arrows have been redirected into town.

You’ll have a short walk to Vila Franca de Xira today including a nice pedestrian/cycling track with murals near the river. The main square of Alhandra is worth seeing for the colourful buildings and small-town buzz. In VFX itself, the municipal gardens on the river are a great place to relax and the bullring from 1901 is worth checking out as well (you’ll see it on the path with a mural as you enter town, but on the other side of the train tracks).

Bom caminho!

Hi!.. thanks so much for your updates to date - have been following!.. an in VFX now and staying in same place you did as you mentioned it in your thread.. can I ask how you knew about it?.. I checked/ booking/ google maps, maps,me - none had it

Bom Caminho

 

[Kch]

Lisbon is one of my favourite cities. I did the route from Porto to Santiago years ago but have always fancied doing the southern half to "complete" the route. Will be keeping an eye on your posts for future reference.
obrigado.

Samarkand.

Hopefully there will be something in them that you find useful!

 

[Kch]

Hi there @Kch. I hope your next day's walk is better! We also did this marathon, and had trouble figuring out where to stay, until we were directed to Verdelha. There is no where to stay in Alverca do Ribatejo! Here is our day one, if you or anyone wants to read about it. Also, I chronicle the next days journeys, which may help you, if you read each day the night before, so you know what to expect. Buen Camino, and if you liked the first day, you will love the rest! It was perhaps, my favorite Camino of all I have done. (Note, I have never done the Frances!)

Hi .. thanks for that , I have added you to my nightly reading list!
Buen Camino

 

[Kch]

Got lost in the Granja area in 2018 at about this time of year. Had to bushwhack my way back to the route with the help of kids at the local McDonalds (that’s how far I was off the Camino path ). Highs were in the 40C area that week and finding enough water was an issue. Started buying 2 bottles at a time and figured the extra weight was worth the effort. The signage does improve but I did download a map app after my first day of missing the path a few times.
Note: in Porto and Coimbra the way marks were occasionally covered by posters for a band or festival event. Took some careful looking to stay on my route. Lisboa was similar but not as bad with the posters. Bom Caminho!

That made me laugh.. at least you lived to tell the tale !

 

[Kch]

Welcome Kch and Bom Caminho.

Thanks

 

[jungleboy]

Hi!.. thanks so much for your updates to date - have been following!.. an in VFX now and staying in same place you did as you mentioned it in your thread.. can I ask how you knew about it?.. I checked/ booking/ google maps, maps,me - none had

I found it on Gronze and then Google Maps as Pensão Ribatejana, which seems like an incorrect name but it must be the same place.

 

[Kch]

Day2:
Alfa10 (accommodation about 2 kilometers before Alvanca) to Vila Franca.
Not a bad day at all!.. firstly I only realized how lucky I was to stumble across alfa10 last night ... I was shattered by the time I came across it and there was nothing else in the area .. even wondering around alvanca couldn’t see anything this morning.
Anyway walk to alvanca was annoying but I e on Camino path at that point .. thanks to the very helpful tip to download the ‘wisely guide’I realized where I was and joined Camino easily!.. walking to Alhandra was not good , road walking , traffic ...the path directs you through town .which has a nice square and a Saturday market ongoing when I passed by .. when you rejoin the riverside walk .. look right , there’s a lovely coffee shop overlooking river right there..
Lovely walk to vila Franca ... by the river the whole way . Town is enjoyable to spend afternoon in . Seemed like there was a couple of accommodation options . I stayed at the Pensão Ribatejo , friendly owner who had some useful information on pilgrim accommodation and incoming covid restrictions in Portugal - 20 euro for private bathroom and that includes having your washing done ( which I got an hour after leaving it with.them - they give you a bag to put things into , then you give the bag to them).. lovely park here , some lakeside bars/ cafes , bull fighting ring on the way into town ( which only saw from outside as closed) and some interesting murals and statues around town & in the river walk to get there. Also big supermarket if need to stock up on anything.

 

[Kch]

I found it on Gronze and then Google Maps as Pensão Ribatejana, which seems like an incorrect name but it must be the same place.

Thanks!.. hadn’t heard of Gronze before but looks useful

 

[james mc laughlin]

Hi, booking as I go as never really sure where I’ll finish the day...hiwever yesterday showed me how scarce rooms can be .. so now I am checking the different options ahead and will use booking.com if makes sense... at least until porto

thanks i am starting next saturday 19th have first 3 days planned but thinking of just booking as i need it from then on

 

[Calisteve]

Thanks for the info re accommodation availability. I'm tentatively 'planning' on walking Lisbon to Porto next month (having done Porto to Santiago in 2018).

 

[Kch]

Day 3

Vila Franca to Azambuja

Left at 8 - Sunday morning and there was one coffee shop on main street open as I walked towards rail crossing to get back in trail. Village and water was beautiful at that time of the morning

Todays walk generally was as I heard before - lots of road walking. Not so pleasant.

Coffee shops open as well in calla do Carregado ( they also made me bread with tomatoes) and Vila nova de rahina.

Also in Carregado there is a public water fountain that had a queue of people filling bottles. It is blue and white tiled . It is across the street as you turn left into it following the arrows. The Camino markets are present.

From Villa Nova( 7km from Azambuja) it was a walk in deserted open countryside for 4ish km’s ...started about 12ish.. sun was super strong - I came off path at the Azambuja train station ( still about 3 kms from the town) in sit in shade and eat/drink. I think the path may have carried on without crossing into station but was not sure so when I crossed I kept going and walked the main road into town. ( the 2 paths are parallel)

Town is lovely with few accommodation options on booking.com - I’m staying casa rahina which is a lovely old building. 30 euro for large single room with bathroom..I didn’t book - the building was locked when got there but there is phone number on wall - I called owner ( she had excellent English) and she arrived within minutes...also best shower I think I’ve had this year!!.. ( assuming you like power showers!)...lots of eating and drinking options in town plus an aldi.

Also maybe because it’s Sunday but loads of cyclists out and about - alone and in big groups - lots of encouraging shouts from them.

Forgive lack of detail on walk .. other people on this forum are posting with brilliant detail & pictures , I’m just adding in anything additional that might help

Buen Camino!

 

[Kch]

Day 4

Azambuja - Santarém



Last night met my first fellow pilgrims!.. and saw 3 more on the trail today!

Up at 5am as nervous about the long walk with no services along the 17km hike at the end in the blistering heat

It was a good idea - was baking hot by 10am with minimal shade. However I suffered way less then I did my day 1 as had bought an umbrella - worked brilliantly - highly recommend .

Some small coffee shops open in Reguengo( got there around 8am) and Valada and Porto Muge - also right beside Porto Muge there is some accommodation . Looked lovely - it’s a B&B ‘ Quinta da Marchinta’ + 351 917 204 758 I hadn’t seen listed on internet , might be an idea to stay there and start the 17km straight trek to Santarém early morning

There is a small village about 3km before Santarem (Omnias)- there is nothing there , I found a wall to sit on in the shade for few minutes and that was it.



I’m staying at .. in Santarem . Didn’t open until 3 so waiting around a bit but there’s a nice restaurant on the same road.

In the interim I also tried hotel Vitoria as they were the other option listed booking.com - lady told me they were full .



Santarem has lovely historical center .. could easily spend a day here but will be moving on tomorrow



Signs are great now - still a bit too much road walking but as had started early( birds were lovely - literally hundreds in the sky all flying in formation - I guess I don’t normally see them that early!) there was little enough traffic and on the last 17k it was mainly a couple of farm vehicles working the fields - the tomatoes harvesting was lovely to see!

 

[jsalt]

I suffered way less then I did my day 1 as had bought an umbrella - worked brilliantly - highly recommend .

Good advice! I never go anywhere without a brolly - rain or shine. I bought this one on the Norte.

 

[peregrina2000]

I’m staying at .. in Santarem

Could it be Santarem Hostel with Mario???? If so, give him a virtual, socially distanced, hug or handshake from me (Laurie). He has been such a big help with pilgrim issues on the Caminho from Lisbon before Porto, which I know has benefited many of us personally.

Quinta da Marchinta’ + 351 917 204 758

In Porto de Muge, it’s actually Quinta da MarchAnta, and it’s good to hear that it is open again. If you read through this thread, it seems that this place stopped taking pilgrims a few years ago, and the Quinta da Burra became very popular with pilgrims. Porto de Muge is a tiny tiny place to have such nice options. When I walked this route, in 2004, there was no place to stay in Porto de Muge, so things have really picked up.

 

[Trish K]

Thanks for the updates - both you and @jungleboy Are making my life a little less stressful as I plan my camino starting from Lisbon on 1st October. I’ve pre-booked accommodation as far as Tomar..... well, still waiting for a confirmation from Alfa 10 but hopefully he’ll save a room for me!
my current dilemma is clothing - I was thinking trousers for Oct but just looked on accuweather and it’s showing temps still 24-25c for the first couple of weeks - so maybe shorts..Decisions, decisions....... (I don’t have zip-offs - the obvious choice!).

 

[Silus]

In Fatima we found the way of the cross/way of the little shepherds very contemplative. We were there at sunset and it was very peaceful. Well worth a visit if you have time.

 

[Kch]

Day 5

Santarém to Amiais de Baixo



Finally found where to pick up the Fátima arrows

(the trail turns left at Capelo e Ivens street and goes through Praça Sá Bandeira)



The first arrow is to the left of the church at the end of the square. The next one is across the street . The arrows are plentiful from there - the whole day through.



Plenty of coffee shops ( inc right beside where the Camino arrows pick up the trail in the historic center - I went there first by mistake before I realized the 2 sets are separate now!( I was there around 7:30)



Plenty coffee shops up until coming out of ‘Portela das padeiras’ and then nothing until

‘Arneiro das milharicas’ about 3 hours walking between the two.

I think there were 2 coffee shops here - I went to first one signposted off the trail .. about 100 meters. Bit of a ramshackle on the outside but go through and there’s a cafe with small supermarket. Lovely coffee as well and great internet.
Walking today was straightforward. Still too much road!.. but mostly quite, There are a couple of gentle ups and downs along the way as the Camino winds in and out of several villageVery overcast so good walking weather & there was fair bit of shade along the way as well.

Biggest climb of day was into ‘cha de cima’.. not too bad & there are great views from the top.

Note there was a public water fountain behind iron gates on the right as you walk into ‘Cha de cima ‘.... there is also a gorgeous lookout point ‘ mirador’ with benches across the way from it . Would be lovely place to have lunch.



Staying at Hotel Rural Amiribatejo in Amiais de Baixo . It’s on google maps - 500 meters off the trail. Not sure what other options are - nothing obvious when I checked web last night. They are well signposted at the entrance of the town ... lovely place , 27 euro single room with bathroom , lots of pillows on the bed & a pool , there is a bar , cafe ( no hot food in either) and supermarket about 300 meters on from the hotel . There is also a swimming pool & bar here. Not on booking.com but you can call ‭+351 249 870 339‬ to check . They have great English .

Fátima tomorrow!

 

[Kch]

Thanks for the updates - both you and @jungleboy Are making my life a little less stressful as I plan my camino starting from Lisbon on 1st October. I’ve pre-booked accommodation as far as Tomar..... well, still waiting for a confirmation from Alfa 10 but hopefully he’ll save a room for me!
my current dilemma is clothing - I was thinking trousers for Oct but just looked on accuweather and it’s showing temps still 24-25c for the first couple of weeks - so maybe shorts..Decisions, decisions....... (I don’t have zip-offs - the obvious choice!).

If it helps I binned my walking trousers the end of day1 . I really liked them ;(.. but they were a tiny bit loose so with the heat and humidity they were cutting into me .. been living in shorts since and much better . Haven’t tried but I think leggings would be great too .. You would save the sun cream malarkey and insect bites ( nothing too awful but I’ve had a couple since I started)
Buen Camino!

 

[Kch]

Day 6

Amiais de Baixo to Fátima

Started day by finding packed breakfast outside door. Nothing open village at that time(7:30) so was grateful to have it!

It was a 750 meter walk to get back to path, then 40 minute walk ( bit up and down) through lovely back country lanes until I arrived at Monsanto - which had open coffee shops .

Morning went great until I got to the next village

‘Covao do feto’( I think) ....in the center of the village there was a blue x showing the way not to go but no arrow.. I ended up using GPSwith Fátima as destination to figure out a way forward for next few hours. I noticed that I was following a lot of yellow/orange parallel bars with a picture of a walker underneath .. maybe this is a marker for a different route?.. or it was a different type of Fátima market - I’m really not sure . The arrows were perfect yesterday so I think I may have just missed and stumbled on until I rejoined the trail!

Finally ...Leaving ‘Minde’ - picked up arrow again and from there on there was no problem.

Before Minde , where I was just using GPS on my phone , there was a-lot of uphill and road walking - again , maybe I just lost.

The 13km from ‘Minde’ to Fátima was lovely - mostly flat , some gentle rises - beautiful forest, quite country lanes, no traffic - except for final few kilometers into Fátima which was typical busy road into main center.

Be aware I saw no services past Minde so have enough food and water with you.

In Fátima now ., very impressive , just a little eerie as so few people. I want to see properly & guessed correctly I would be too sore to look around much tonight so spending tomorrow here as well
Looking forward to it!

(Staying at Hotel Lagoa dos Pastorinhos - 21euro a night for lovely single room/private bathroom.Looks like a nice place and central)

 

[jsalt]

See this thread for the way out of Fatima:

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

 

[james mc laughlin]

Thanks for the updates - both you and @jungleboy Are making my life a little less stressful as I plan my camino starting from Lisbon on 1st October. I’ve pre-booked accommodation as far as Tomar..... well, still waiting for a confirmation from Alfa 10 but hopefully he’ll save a room for me!
my current dilemma is clothing - I was thinking trousers for Oct but just looked on accuweather and it’s showing temps still 24-25c for the first couple of weeks - so maybe shorts..Decisions, decisions....... (I don’t have zip-offs - the obvious choice!).

yes shorts and only carry what you will use on a daily bases or you end up carrying to much. enjoy

 

[Zac123]

Please always follow the blue arrows, they are the only ones that indicate the path of Fátima.

These blue arrows, from Santarém to Fátima, were painted on the 11th and 12th of September.

Associação de Amigos dos Caminhos de Fátima

Associação de Amigos dos Caminhos de Fátima. 22,426 likes · 1 talking about this. Divulgamos as peregrinações e promovemos os caminhos de Fátima e Santiago We promote pilgrimages an

www.facebook.com

 

[Kch]

Day 7 - Fatima
Highly recommend right now, stunning experience to have such a place mostly to myself .

Day 8
Fátima -Tomar.

Had planned to rejoin Camino at Ansiao . but lack of clarity around availability of beds at Caxarias made me think twice plus I’ve seen some lovely comments on Tomar so decided to head that direction and rejoin Camino from there.

Path to leave was found courtesy of others https://pt.wikiloc.com/trilhas-trekking -
However there were some road closures ( temporary?) which I worked around just using GPS for direct route to Tomar - and mostly seemed to be walking against the blue Fátima arrows from Tomar so seemed like the path was right one . Really enjoyed the first half of the day , up as far as Rexaldia which was also about half way through day ~ 14 kilometers & also first place I found to get food/coffee. After here roads got busier , last couple kilometers into Tomar were the worst.
staying hostel 2300 tonight - 30 euro single room including breakfast , nice place and right in center

First real rain today!.. Enjoyed it

 

[Trish K]

If it helps I binned my walking trousers the end of day1 . I really liked them ;(.. but they were a tiny bit loose so with the heat and humidity they were cutting into me .. been living in shorts since and much better . Haven’t tried but I think leggings would be great too .. You would save the sun cream malarkey and insect bites ( nothing too awful but I’ve had a couple since I started)
Buen Camino!

yes shorts and only carry what you will use on a daily bases or you end up carrying to much. enjoy

Thanks for the advice both - Im def going to go with shorts with a pair of v. lightweight trews for eve's which I can also use as a spare pair for walking in if/when it gets too chilly for shorts and maybe one thin pair of leggings which will double as PJ's and I can wear under my shorts on chilly mornings....... re: weight, I've managed to get my pack down to 7.3 kilos - would like to get under 7 but never achieved that in the 2 previous camino's! I'm also going with a very lightweight (580gm) 1-2 season sleeping bag. Uhmd and ahdd about this too, but looks like lows are only going to get as low as 10-12 so I think It'll be OK (I'm a warm sleeper). Buen Camino both. NB: Fatima sound interesting - maybe another year.....

 

[Kch]

Day 9

Tomar - Alvaiázere
Not a great nights sleep - too much noise on street. Hostel provided a packed breakfast but wasn’t great so left behind.. went for coffee in first coffee shop on right after you walk across bridge as you follow the path out and it was lovely....nice start to days walking!....very enjoyable morning ...nice walking in morning light ..definitely a lot of ‘up’ but steady and manageable .

Don’t know how much of a difference it made but when leaving Tomar theres a choice of Camino path between a path for sunny weather and rainy weather , I choose rainy weather path. On that note the weather today was intresting. One moment raining so heavy you couldn’t see more then 2 feet ahead , ten minutes later, bright blue skies with burning sun & repeat throughout day !! My umbrella was on double duty all day long!



Lots of lovely forest walking today .. some road walking but dead quite . Land is very lush .. squash, figs, lemons and oranges everywhere. Went for coffee and food at ‘Calvinos’ village about 11 km out of Tomar as had heard no more services that day until Alvaiázere.

This was mostly correct but at one point you come to a choice of path - visit Visigoth graves or go different path. I think it adds a little distance but graves were well worth visiting - not just interesting to see but lovely forest setting and trip there and to rejoin main Camino is flat lush forest . Also added advantage is that you rejoin path through a town called ‘Areias’ which had an open coffee shop when I passed through.



Overall the day was lovely . First one so far to really remind me of Camino Frances in that is was mostly through forest , weaving in and out of little hamlets ( with the obligatory dogs that bark themselves hoarse when you wonder past!) The last 5/6 km of day are lovely stroll to

end in Alvaiázere @ ‘Residencial O bras’( booking.com)... lovely room with bath (18€) which my legs much appreciated , also had great meal in restaurant attached later ( bread, olives, 3 courses & carafe wine -€10 - excellent quality food & wine)

All in - a lovely day

 

[jungleboy]

Sounds like a great day! I also enjoyed that day very much. The next few days are enjoyable walking as you head towards Coimbra (between Coimbra and Porto, much less so).

 

[Kch]

Day 10
Alvaiázere - Alvorge

No where open for breakfast i.e. coffee!. I got over it once I got into the rhythm of walking. No intense heat, no rain - lovely walking conditions.Lovely 12km walk to Ansiao. Lots of up and down but slow and steady gets you there. Mostly forest paths with some road but maybe due to it being Sunday morning no traffic. Villages and scenery were lovely.

Only negative was a repeat of something that’s been a small problem last few days but I didn’t want to put other people off . I have no phobia of dogs & the constant barking as you approach is something you get used too.It fades out fast. However twice in last few days ( that’s twice out if ~ 100 I’ve passed so very small number) I’ve walked past houses that didn’t have dogs leashed or gated ... they ran at me aggressively , followed me , barked aggressively but kept about a meter away from me until I was about 100 meters clear of their property. Then they ran back. Today was different , the dog tried to bite me - I was able to reach behind and pull my walking stick out and hit him .. it worked but I shouldn’t have had to do that. I’m sure I hurt the dog but it upset me as well. I know he was acting out of instinct but he could also have really hurt me. Owners need to have their dogs leashed or gated on the Camino path ,if they won’t the path should divert around those villages. If anyone is aware of a number or organization I can contact to make that point further please let me know.

Other then that today was uneventful. Ansião was a lovely town - the perfect place to sit, enjoy, drink coffee and relax .. also a lot of places to stay if you wanted but I kept moving. The walk from there onto Alvorge was a pleasure - easy paths , lush scenery, ( lots of mint today!) great weather. Staying tonight at ‘casa vale Florido’( booking.com)

-27€ single room but I actually have the whole place to myself . ( I think it has 8 bedrooms) It’s like an 18th century house with washing machine , huge garden , dining room,kitchen etc . Absolutely lovely place -very atmospheric. There is a pub/restaurant about a 5 minute walk away. Owned my same people ,lovely food and drink there . If I had more time would definitely spend another day here... note it is about a km off the camino trail but I couldn’t see anything open in village itself ( there were some cafes open)

Hoping for Coimbra tomorrow .. but we’ll see!

 

[jungleboy]

Hoping for Coimbra tomorrow .. but we’ll see!

That would be over 37km ... best of luck! Remember also that the Roman site at Conímbriga is right on the camino and is worth visiting, plus you may stop for a chat at the donativo campsite just before Fonte Coberta.

Unfortunately Cernache is pretty forgettable (both town and albergue) and there aren’t really many (any?) other options that are open for a shorter day. But in any case, if you can find some time to spend in Coimbra either on a rest day or on the day of arrival after a short walking day, you won’t be disappointed. There is a lot to see and enjoy there!

Bom caminho amanhã!

 

[wjohnk]

You could get a bus from Conimbriga to Coimbra, spend the night there. The next day get the bus back to Cominbriga.

 

[Kch]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to and encouraged me to date . However, given the attack on the female walkers near Sacavém - I think it wise for me to stop posting my daily journey.
Thanks again X

 

[Rex]

Understand completely. Have enjoyed your posts and vicariously reliving the trek. Stay safe and Bom Caminho!