Lisbon to Porto (some very personal observations)

[davkel]

Having now walked Lisbon to Porto, I think it's time for me to pass some judgements on what I've experienced so far.

General Observations

1. Road walking - yes there is some - but not as much on BUSY roads as I had been led to believe. What I would say is that if FEELS like a lot of the bad road walking is at the end of days as you come into towns (I'm looking at you Azambuja and Golega). I think if there was one change I would make about the routes it would be trying to find alternatives to these.
2. Signage - WAY better than I was expecting. There has been major work by either towns or by the Via Lusitana or both and the are many, many markings (including granite way-markings and camino symbols with arrows) that go beyond the painted yellow arrows. This has in general meant very little stress about finding the routes, HOWEVER...
3. The 'Official' routes (that is, those shown by the signs) is often significantly different to that which is in either the Brierley book or the CSJ guide available from this website. In some cases (see below) this has resulted in significantly longer walking days than are comfortable and in others some anxiety about where you are.
4. Early on the 'Official' distances seem very low compared to what we walked each day.
5. Accomodation and food - accomodation has not been an issue and the albergues are generally WAY better than expectation. I don't want to single out any but suffice to say it has been very comfortable, especially since the weather hasn't been good at all for the last week (so much rain!). I would say that about 20% of the cafes listed in the Brierley guide are closed - a victim of the extended economic troubles in Portugal, so I would recommend that you get coffee when you see an open cafe and not wait for the next one. We were caught out more than once.
6. The Portuguese people - I say this without any reservation - the Portuguese are the nicest people in the Universe. It has been an umitigated pleasure to have been a guest in their country.

Specific Things (A Random List)

1. The route into Alhandra on Day 1 has changed to take you through a wetlands along a boardwalk. It adds a bit of distance to the day. We walked 35kms to finish at Verdalha.
2. The climb into Santarem is tough at the end of the day. It should be reported as a crime against humanity...
3. Santarem - Golega - this has been re-marked AGAIN with very 'offical' markings. This initally made me more comfortable as I was aware there had been some ambiguity about the marking (going around Pombalinho vs going through Azinhaga). Now the markings take you THROUGH Pombalinho (where we had lunch) AND through Azinhaga AS WELL. This means that we walked 37.8 Kms for the day! I would suggest that the Golega town authorities have set this up to maximise sales for both towns. When we had walked five Kms from Pombalinho only to arrive in Azinhaga, I said some VERY bad words...
4. The walk into Porto was not as bad as I had been led to believe. The good news is that once you hit the built up areas it's almost all gently downhill - even after 30Kms I was able to walk at 6 Kms per hour pace, which meant it disappeared pretty quickly

That's about it - two things left to say:

1. Please forgive the spelling in this post - the computer is using Portuguese as the default and so it sees everything as incorrect, so I can't really check things and...
2. I can't wait to walk from Porto to Santiago from tomorrow

Cheers

 

[Jan_D]

Thanks, I'm thinking about doing this walk in a couple of months, this is very helpful!

 

[Introibo]

Hi Davkel

Great report. Very useful. Thanks for finding the time. ( Can you see what I'm building up
to here !? )

I'd thought that way marking and supporting infrastructure might have been less well developed
in Portugal compared to the Frances route. But, other than the caveats mentioned, it seems fine.

I'm trying to put a plan together to walk from Porto to Santiago in late September early October.
I'll only have 10 days for walking. A report on how your trip goes would be most welcome.

Enjoy the rest of your trip

Buen Camino

 

[colinb]

This has been great. I start from Lisbon on Sunday 17th and what you have said is reassuring. I will be doing a daily blog that can be found at candmcamino.blogspot. Thanks for your great information. I reach Porto on the 28th and will look forward to your comments on the Porto to Santiago journey.

 

[CelWilliams]

Having now walked Lisbon to Porto, I think it's time for me to pass some judgements on what I've experienced so far.

General Observations

1. Road walking - yes there is some - but not as much on BUSY roads as I had been led to believe. What I would say is that if FEELS like a lot of the bad road walking is at the end of days as you come into towns (I'm looking at you Azambuja and Golega). I think if there was one change I would make about the routes it would be trying to find alternatives to these.
2. Signage - WAY better than I was expecting. There has been major work by either towns or by the Via Lusitana or both and the are many, many markings (including granite way-markings and camino symbols with arrows) that go beyond the painted yellow arrows. This has in general meant very little stress about finding the routes, HOWEVER...
3. The 'Official' routes (that is, those shown by the signs) is often significantly different to that which is in either the Brierley book or the CSJ guide available from this website. In some cases (see below) this has resulted in significantly longer walking days than are comfortable and in others some anxiety about where you are.
4. Early on the 'Official' distances seem very low compared to what we walked each day.
5. Accomodation and food - accomodation has not been an issue and the albergues are generally WAY better than expectation. I don't want to single out any but suffice to say it has been very comfortable, especially since the weather hasn't been good at all for the last week (so much rain!). I would say that about 20% of the cafes listed in the Brierley guide are closed - a victim of the extended economic troubles in Portugal, so I would recommend that you get coffee when you see an open cafe and not wait for the next one. We were caught out more than once.
6. The Portuguese people - I say this without any reservation - the Portuguese are the nicest people in the Universe. It has been an umitigated pleasure to have been a guest in their country.

Specific Things (A Random List)

1. The route into Alhandra on Day 1 has changed to take you through a wetlands along a boardwalk. It adds a bit of distance to the day. We walked 35kms to finish at Verdalha.
2. The climb into Santarem is tough at the end of the day. It should be reported as a crime against humanity...
3. Santarem - Golega - this has been re-marked AGAIN with very 'offical' markings. This initally made me more comfortable as I was aware there had been some ambiguity about the marking (going around Pombalinho vs going through Azinhaga). Now the markings take you THROUGH Pombalinho (where we had lunch) AND through Azinhaga AS WELL. This means that we walked 37.8 Kms for the day! I would suggest that the Golega town authorities have set this up to maximise sales for both towns. When we had walked five Kms from Pombalinho only to arrive in Azinhaga, I said some VERY bad words...
4. The walk into Porto was not as bad as I had been led to believe. The good news is that once you hit the built up areas it's almost all gently downhill - even after 30Kms I was able to walk at 6 Kms per hour pace, which meant it disappeared pretty quickly

That's about it - two things left to say:

1. Please forgive the spelling in this post - the computer is using Portuguese as the default and so it sees everything as incorrect, so I can't really check things and...
2. I can't wait to walk from Porto to Santiago from tomorrow

Cheers

Thanks so much for the info. I leave Lisbon on Sept. 1st and have been very nervous about the Lisbon to Porto stages, particularly as a woman alone. I was even considering scrapping my plans and walking the Frances route again when I read that there weren't many pilgrims walking from Lisbon as it wasn't well marked.

 

[amsimoes]

Davkel.
Also I arrived at the Porto on Saturday and returned to Lisbon.
Much rain is not normal, but it is the caminho.
There were many pilgrims, Australians (10), Canada (2), Finland (1), Belgium (2), German (1) and an Italian (Compostela - Fatima).
AMSimões

 

[Me Fein]

I thoroughly agree with davkel.I walked solo from Lisbon to Santiago in 2013. I met the most amazing Potugese people who were so helpful and friendly. I thought it was also very well waymarked.We were a camino family of about 6 +until Porto when many more pilgrims started. It took a little while to get used to large groups traveling together but then enjoyed their company.When I walked Pombalinho and Azinhaga were bypassed.I think I read somewhere that this was causing problems as locals did not want their towns and villages bypassed.We did detour to Azinghaga to see the home of Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago (Dora from Spain is a big fan ). Also had no rain until Galicia

 

[davkel]

Davkel.
Also I arrived at the Porto on Saturday and returned to Lisbon.
Much rain is not normal, but it is the caminho.
There were many pilgrims, Australians (10), Canada (2), Finland (1), Belgium (2), German (1) and an Italian (Compostela - Fatima).
AMSimões

Hi

Davkel.
Also I arrived at the Porto on Saturday and returned to Lisbon.
Much rain is not normal, but it is the caminho.
There were many pilgrims, Australians (10), Canada (2), Finland (1), Belgium (2), German (1) and an Italian (Compostela - Fatima).
AMSimões

Hi

Yes I think I saw your name in a couple of the guest books in hostels along the way and have also met the Canadians, the Finn, the Belgians an Italian, but strangely NONE of the Australians. I would add a Dutch lady, and a Portuguese gentleman.

 

[davkel]

Hi Davkel

Great report. Very useful. Thanks for finding the time. ( Can you see what I'm building up
to here !? )

I'd thought that way marking and supporting infrastructure might have been less well developed
in Portugal compared to the Frances route. But, other than the caveats mentioned, it seems fine.

I'm trying to put a plan together to walk from Porto to Santiago in late September early October.
I'll only have 10 days for walking. A report on how your trip goes would be most welcome.

Enjoy the rest of your trip

Buen Camino

I'll do my best

 

[amorfati1]

Thanks so much for the info. I leave Lisbon on Sept. 1st and have been very nervous about the Lisbon to Porto stages, particularly as a woman alone. I was even considering scrapping my plans and walking the Frances route again when I read that there weren't many pilgrims walking from Lisbon as it wasn't well marked.

I walked that route exactly one year ago. alone.
true, not too many pilgrims on the road when i walked, but i sometimes met some in the afternoon/evening at the destination point of the day. but crowds i never encountered (they showed up in SdC)
there were stretches of lack of markings - or rather long intervalls without any. much has been written about it on the portuguese thread on this fine forum.
i felt entirely safe walking (except for one km stretch before Hebron in Galicia)
and really enjoyed the portuguese caminho.
of course you can scrap your plans of the CP - but i find walking in many places here in the states far far more 'scary' and unpleasant.
best wishes and bom caminho!

 

[Ekelund]

Your post reminded me of the beautiful walk I had on the CP a year ago. And you are right, the Portugese people are the nicest in the Universe. And on my own account I must say the Pastis Nata is the best cake in the Universe - together with a coffee con leche. Oh, I do miss the CP, such a wonderful place to be!
Make sure you stop at Casa Fernanda, it is a joy. Fernanda has a beautiful garden and you can rest in a hammock, watching the birds and the sky after a great lunch. It does'nt get much better.

 

[davkel]

Your post reminded me of the beautiful walk I had on the CP a year ago. And you are right, the Portugese people are the nicest in the Universe. And on my own account I must say the Pastis Nata is the best cake in the Universe - together with a coffee con leche. Oh, I do miss the CP, such a wonderful place to be!
Make sure you stop at Casa Fernanda, it is a joy. Fernanda has a beautiful garden and you can rest in a hammock, watching the birds and the sky after a great lunch. It does'nt get much better.

I have Casa Fernanda pencilled in for this Thisday - largely on the advice of this forum...

 

[davkel]

Thanks so much for the info. I leave Lisbon on Sept. 1st and have been very nervous about the Lisbon to Porto stages, particularly as a woman alone. I was even considering scrapping my plans and walking the Frances route again when I read that there weren't many pilgrims walking from Lisbon as it wasn't well marked.

Hi CelWilliams
We've met two females walking solo and they haven't reported any discomfort. You won't be staying alone anywhere and I think the Portuguese peopl are very respectful of pilgrims - especially after the tragedy with the Fatima pilgrims this week.
The ONLY thing would be to have a walking stick, because I forgot to mention that the Portuguese dogs are NOT like the people - they can be less than friendly and are often on the loose

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Davkel,
This is a great post, thanks for taking the time. Bom caminho to you for the rest of your Caminho!

I am in Lisbon this week and met with three pilgrims setting out on the Portugues in the next few days, and this is all very helpful. Hope that the rest of your caminho is as wonderful as the first. I would like very much to be walking the Caminho Portugues from Lisbon this week! Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[La Barre]

Thanks for all this. The dogs make me a little nervous but I do use trekking poles so maybe that will suffice.

 

[amorfati1]

Thanks for all this. The dogs make me a little nervous but I do use trekking poles so maybe that will suffice.

When having dog encounters of the unwelcomed kind, i used my two leki hiking poles and shouted rather fiercely and loud in italian.
End of story.
Somehow that did the. Trick.
Don't be afraid to use the poles and " bark back". ....
It is a wonderful route.... With wonderful people. And dogs. Most were in the yard, and/ or chained. Only once in a twinky village a dog started charging...but my ruckus plus pole action got the attention of the owner who called back the dog. No harm done.
Bom caminho.

 

[Angelo]

Having now walked Lisbon to Porto, I think it's time for me to pass some judgements on what I've experienced so far.

General Observations

1. Road walking - yes there is some - but not as much on BUSY roads as I had been led to believe. What I would say is that if FEELS like a lot of the bad road walking is at the end of days as you come into towns (I'm looking at you Azambuja and Golega). I think if there was one change I would make about the routes it would be trying to find alternatives to these.
2. Signage - WAY better than I was expecting. There has been major work by either towns or by the Via Lusitana or both and the are many, many markings (including granite way-markings and camino symbols with arrows) that go beyond the painted yellow arrows. This has in general meant very little stress about finding the routes, HOWEVER...
3. The 'Official' routes (that is, those shown by the signs) is often significantly different to that which is in either the Brierley book or the CSJ guide available from this website. In some cases (see below) this has resulted in significantly longer walking days than are comfortable and in others some anxiety about where you are.
4. Early on the 'Official' distances seem very low compared to what we walked each day.
5. Accomodation and food - accomodation has not been an issue and the albergues are generally WAY better than expectation. I don't want to single out any but suffice to say it has been very comfortable, especially since the weather hasn't been good at all for the last week (so much rain!). I would say that about 20% of the cafes listed in the Brierley guide are closed - a victim of the extended economic troubles in Portugal, so I would recommend that you get coffee when you see an open cafe and not wait for the next one. We were caught out more than once.
6. The Portuguese people - I say this without any reservation - the Portuguese are the nicest people in the Universe. It has been an umitigated pleasure to have been a guest in their country.

Specific Things (A Random List)

1. The route into Alhandra on Day 1 has changed to take you through a wetlands along a boardwalk. It adds a bit of distance to the day. We walked 35kms to finish at Verdalha.
2. The climb into Santarem is tough at the end of the day. It should be reported as a crime against humanity...
3. Santarem - Golega - this has been re-marked AGAIN with very 'offical' markings. This initally made me more comfortable as I was aware there had been some ambiguity about the marking (going around Pombalinho vs going through Azinhaga). Now the markings take you THROUGH Pombalinho (where we had lunch) AND through Azinhaga AS WELL. This means that we walked 37.8 Kms for the day! I would suggest that the Golega town authorities have set this up to maximise sales for both towns. When we had walked five Kms from Pombalinho only to arrive in Azinhaga, I said some VERY bad words...
4. The walk into Porto was not as bad as I had been led to believe. The good news is that once you hit the built up areas it's almost all gently downhill - even after 30Kms I was able to walk at 6 Kms per hour pace, which meant it disappeared pretty quickly

That's about it - two things left to say:

1. Please forgive the spelling in this post - the computer is using Portuguese as the default and so it sees everything as incorrect, so I can't really check things and...
2. I can't wait to walk from Porto to Santiago from tomorrow

Cheers

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's much appreciated.
Hope to catch up with you at some stage. I start from Porto tomorrow.

 

[Walli Walker]

Thanks Davkil, we start from Porto at the end of this month so look forward to further posts.
Jacki.

 

[La Barre]

When having dog encounters of the unwelcomed kind, i used my two leki hiking poles and shouted rather fiercely and loud in italian.
End of story.
Somehow that did the. Trick.
Don't be afraid to use the poles and " bark back". ....
It is a wonderful route.... With wonderful people. And dogs. Most were in the yard, and/ or chained. Only once in a twinky village a dog started charging...but my ruckus plus pole action got the attention of the owner who called back the dog. No harm done.
Bom caminho.

Thank you for the reassurance. I read an old thread where someone stated they had been attacked by wild dogs in a forest. Hopefully it is like the Shirley Maclaine dog encounters on the Frances, something that used to happen but has gotten better with time and numbers of pilgrims.

 

[Sullykerry]

I am enjoying your commentary. I will be on the CP beginning Sept 6th from Lisbon. When I get to Tui (first big town in Galicia) I am going to buy a snorkel and fins. Last year, I walked the Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port. From Melide onwards to Santiago the Camino became the Rio de Santiago. Stay warm and dry. Bom Caminho

 

[amorfati1]

Thank you for the reassurance. I read an old thread where someone stated they had been attacked by wild dogs in a forest. Hopefully it is like the Shirley Maclaine dog encounters on the Frances, something that used to happen but has gotten better with time and numbers of pilgrims.

you are very welcome -
(you seem to be an experienced peregrina of previous years - you'll know what to do if you were to encounter a dog who's misbehaving
best wishes and bom caminho!!

 

[Utgaard]

Sorry, but you're not done with the pavement yet.

I had been warned that there was a lot of pavement walking on the Portuguese route north of Porto. The only one I really remember was a long pavement slog coming into Pontevedra. The map said it was just supposed to be a few km, but it seemed to go on, and on, and on. If my language skills were better I would have gone down what appeared to be an alternate route that followed a stream into town, instead, I went on autopilot and followed the pilgrims in front of me.

Next time, there is always next time...

 

[davkel]

Sorry, but you're not done with the pavement yet.

I had been warned that there was a lot of pavement walking on the Portuguese route north of Porto. The only one I really remember was a long pavement slog coming into Pontevedra. The map said it was just supposed to be a few km, but it seemed to go on, and on, and on. If my language skills were better I would have gone down what appeared to be an alternate route that followed a stream into town, instead, I went on autopilot and followed the pilgrims in front of me.

Next time, there is always next time...

There was enough of the hard stuff on the way into Barcelos this afternoon- those granite cobblestones will do for me I swear.

 

[Utgaard]

There was enough of the hard stuff on the way into Barcelos this afternoon- those granite cobblestones will do for me I swear.

It will get a bit better - the cobbles in Spain are more rounded, not the raw, sharp edged ones I walked in Portugal.

 

[Lottie Ericson]

Thanks Davkel for starting this chat and to all of you that has responded with further info. Very useful as I'm planning my Camino walk in the beginning of August and searching for info right now and don't know anyone who has done the PC pilgrimage.

 

[PEI_Heather]

Hi Davkel,
Great observations on the Caminho Portuguese! You are making me miss it! We (my two friends--another woman and a man) met the year before on the Camino Frances) walked from Lisboa to Santiago (then to Finisterre and Muxia) Sept/Oct 2013. We found pretty well the same thing as you some road walking but a number of lovely diversions on boardwalks close to rivers. We really only had trouble with signage in the eucalyptus forest (there really was none--lost in a fire) just before Tomar. Maybe these have been replaced...

One good thing about the Caminho Portugues is that if you can't find the yellow arrows, all you have to do is turn around and look for the blue ones, the ones that head to Fatima. They are usually near (or on the other side of) the Caminho arrows/signs. Hard to get lost when you've got two colours of arrows to go by!

There was a road walking but it didn't seem to be too bad. We just put our respective feet in front of another and admired the scenery as we went. Portugal is gorgeous.

Last year in late March several of us started a message thread: Mario, who owns, with his wife Maria, the hostel in Santarem, suggested and/or had organized a taxi service for pilgrims. He or Maria would take care of between Azambuja to Golega, between Golega to Tomar would be taken care of by Sonia, Hostel 2300 and between Tomar to Rabacal by the owner of Albergaria Pinheiro's. Basically, pilgrims could call, be picked up by these generous folks and taken to the hostels (all gorgeous, by the way). The next morning, the pilgrims would be returned, by taxi to the spot they were picked up at. The cost would be minimal--gas and a baggage charge?

Hey Laurie / pererina2000--has this gone through; is it happening? It meant (or means, if it's being run now) a bit easier times for pilgrims who felt the long long kms were just too long. The day to Santarem was brutal for us: it was a hot day, there were zillions (which means probably three--that's three too many) of flies buzzing and dive bombing us. The Brierley book mentioned a cafe about 20 km in, but it wasn't there. And there wasn't anything until we got to Santarem. And yes, that hill was an insult to injury, after the long, hot and fly hunted day! (Needless to say, Santarem Hostel was a godsend!)

Have fun on the next stage! When you are in Porto, try to get to the Lello & Irmão Bookstore; it is considered one of the top three most beautiful bookstores in the world. Apparently JK Rowling (when she lived in Porto) used is as her template for Hogwarts in Harry Potter.

Ponte de Lima has a wonderful walk into town...you arrive at a concourse beside the river. As you walk along it, beside huge trees and closer to town, you will be serenaded by music coming from loud (though not too loud) speakers attached to light standards. Frank Sinatra anyone? Very classy. And Ponte de Lima is a beautiful town. The albergue is on the other side of the bridge. It's all good.

What am I saying...all of the towns after Porto are lovely. And before Porto too!

I'd go back and walk the Portuguese Camino in a flash--even by myself. The people were kind, friendly and never did I feel unsafe. A lot more people speak English than in Spain, when one has bumbled through trying to speak Portuguese (and succeeding badly!). The food was amazing and so were the accommodations (mostly pensions until after Porto, then mostly Caminho albergues). The countryside was beautiful. Loved it.

 

[amorfati1]

Hi Davkel,
Great observations on the Caminho Portuguese! You are making me miss it! We (my two friends--another woman and a man) met the year before on the Camino Frances) walked from Lisboa to Santiago (then to Finisterre and Muxia) Sept/Oct 2013. We found pretty well the same thing as you some road walking but a number of lovely diversions on boardwalks close to rivers. We really only had trouble with signage in the eucalyptus forest (there really was none--lost in a fire) just before Tomar. Maybe these have been replaced...

One good thing about the Caminho Portugues is that if you can't find the yellow arrows, all you have to do is turn around and look for the blue ones, the ones that head to Fatima. They are usually near (or on the other side of) the Caminho arrows/signs. Hard to get lost when you've got two colours of arrows to go by!

There was a road walking but it didn't seem to be too bad. We just put our respective feet in front of another and admired the scenery as we went. Portugal is gorgeous.

Last year in late March several of us started a message thread: Mario, who owns, with his wife Maria, the hostel in Santarem, suggested and/or had organized a taxi service for pilgrims. He or Maria would take care of between Azambuja to Golega, between Golega to Tomar would be taken care of by Sonia, Hostel 2300 and between Tomar to Rabacal by the owner of Albergaria Pinheiro's. Basically, pilgrims could call, be picked up by these generous folks and taken to the hostels (all gorgeous, by the way). The next morning, the pilgrims would be returned, by taxi to the spot they were picked up at. The cost would be minimal--gas and a baggage charge?

Hey Laurie / pererina2000--has this gone through; is it happening? It meant (or means, if it's being run now) a bit easier times for pilgrims who felt the long long kms were just too long. The day to Santarem was brutal for us: it was a hot day, there were zillions (which means probably three--that's three too many) of flies buzzing and dive bombing us. The Brierley book mentioned a cafe about 20 km in, but it wasn't there. And there wasn't anything until we got to Santarem. And yes, that hill was an insult to injury, after the long, hot and fly hunted day! (Needless to say, Santarem Hostel was a godsend!)

Have fun on the next stage! When you are in Porto, try to get to the Lello & Irmão Bookstore; it is considered one of the top three most beautiful bookstores in the world. Apparently JK Rowling (when she lived in Porto) used is as her template for Hogwarts in Harry Potter.

Ponte de Lima has a wonderful walk into town...you arrive at a concourse beside the river. As you walk along it, beside huge trees and closer to town, you will be serenaded by music coming from loud (though not too loud) speakers attached to light standards. Frank Sinatra anyone? Very classy. And Ponte de Lima is a beautiful town. The albergue is on the other side of the bridge. It's all good.

What am I saying...all of the towns after Porto are lovely. And before Porto too!

I'd go back and walk the Portuguese Camino in a flash--even by myself. The people were kind, friendly and never did I feel unsafe. A lot more people speak English than in Spain, when one has bumbled through trying to speak Portuguese (and succeeding badly!). The food was amazing and so were the accommodations (mostly pensions until after Porto, then mostly Caminho albergues). The countryside was beautiful. Loved it.

ola -
the signage before tomar was still a mess'n'muddle last May 2014 - but we've been informed it has been 'upgraded' or replaced. which was in dire need, as i've spoken to several pilgrims that day who'd 'run in circles' in that eucalyptus forest or otherwise plugged in a few extra kilometers. - rather exasperating - but still ended up in beautiful tomar on that very same day -
and btw: yes, Mario did shuttle pilgrims back and forth, but there is indeed a resting place about 16km out of azambuja - called porto de muge (or ponte de muge, depending who you ask) - where one can stay for 20euros in a lovely quinta next to the tejo river.
and recently i've seen info that there is now even is an overnight spot in valada, the small village 3km prior to ponte de muge.
the most i ever walked on a single day was 27km.
truly is a gorgeous pilgrimage path ...

 

[Liz444]

Thank you very much Davkel for all your observations. My husband and I are starting our Portuguese Camino in August and you have answered so many of our questions. We look forward to hearing more of your Camino

 

[peregrina2000]

Hey Laurie / pererina2000--has this gone through; is it happening? It meant (or means, if it's being run now) a bit easier times for pilgrims who felt the long long kms were just too long. The day to Santarem was brutal for us: it was a hot day, there were zillions (which means probably three--that's three too many) of flies buzzing and dive bombing us. The Brierley book mentioned a cafe about 20 km in, but it wasn't there. And there wasn't anything until we got to Santarem. And yes, that hill was an insult to injury, after the long, hot and fly hunted day! (Needless to say, Santarem Hostel was a godsend!)

Hi, Heather,
I recently put up a link to the "how to walk shorter stages from Lisbon" document but don't see it, so here it is again:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/short-stages-from-lisbon-to-porto.133/

Works well with the group effort guide, which I've also posted a lot but want to give it as much light as possible:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/lisbon-to-porto-2015-version.298/

and recently i've seen info that there is now even is an overnight spot in valada, the small village 3km prior to ponte de muge.

Claudia -- do you have any more specifics? I did a quick forum search and can't find anything else about that, but maybe my computer files (currently inaccessible) have already noted that in the "Lisbon updates" file. Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[amorfati1]

Hi, Heather,
I recently put up a link to the "how to walk shorter stages from Lisbon" document but don't see it, so here it is again:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/short-stages-from-lisbon-to-porto.133/

Works well with the group effort guide, which I've also posted a lot but want to give it as much light as possible:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/lisbon-to-porto-2015-version.298/




Claudia -- do you have any more specifics? I did a quick forum search and can't find anything else about that, but maybe my computer files (currently inaccessible) have already noted that in the "Lisbon updates" file. Bom caminho, Laurie

oh dear, my mind nowadays tends to activate some mysterious 'delete' button once i've seen an information and it seems i won't need it again (regarding a source) - to the best of my recollection it might have been on a portuguese camino website. - if/when i re-find it, will certainly let you know.
Obrigada!

 

[La Barre]

Claudia -- do you have any more specifics? I did a quick forum search and can't find anything else about that, but maybe my computer files (currently inaccessible) have already noted that in the "Lisbon updates" file. Bom caminho, Laurie[/QUOTE]

Laurie, Brierly lists "Salao Parochial de Valada Dona Rosa Fernanda tel. 243 749 277 . Largo da Igreja (necesario Colchao de Campismo/ colchon) "

 

[karenhypes]

Hi Davkel, Good info. We would like to add to it. We are in Tomar tonight and walked from Santarém to Golegã yesterday. The walk from Santarém was a 'crapshoot'. We opted for the 'original route' after a while and did fine for a bit but then we started running into new Camino shell signs (Município de Golegã / Pelouro do Turismo) that were going in the exact opposite direction of the yellow arrows we were following. We stuck to the arrows and somehow ended up in Azinhaga as we had hoped for..... Two others who walked yesterday went via the new shell signs and went all over the map as you had done, going through Pombalinho and Azinhaga, an extra several kms as you had. It was just very confusing plus 34 degrees. The new roadside maps that Perigrina2000 talked about in her guide also do not correspond to either arrows or shells. Oh well.

Secondly, the route through the forests between Golegã and Tomar was marked very well. No problems at all.

Dayton and Karen

 

[PEI_Heather]

Hi, Heather,
I recently put up a link to the "how to walk shorter stages from Lisbon" document but don't see it, so here it is again:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/short-stages-from-lisbon-to-porto.133/

Works well with the group effort guide, which I've also posted a lot but want to give it as much light as possible:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/lisbon-to-porto-2015-version.298/

That's awesome, Laurie! I foresee more foot traffic on the Caminho Portuguese because of this. So great for the people of Portugual with the influx of some much needed money. I will go back some day and look forward to seeing Mario and Maria and Sonia again, and who knows, maybe catching up with you and Diogo for a cafe com leite in Lisboa!


Claudia -- do you have any more specifics? I did a quick forum search and can't find anything else about that, but maybe my computer files (currently inaccessible) have already noted that in the "Lisbon updates" file. Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[TangoBravo]

Davkel,
I'm looking forward to your observations from Porto to Santiago...since I'm doing that route in a couple of months.

Having now walked Lisbon to Porto, I think it's time for me to pass some judgements on what I've experienced so far.

General Observations

1. Road walking - yes there is some - but not as much on BUSY roads as I had been led to believe. What I would say is that if FEELS like a lot of the bad road walking is at the end of days as you come into towns (I'm looking at you Azambuja and Golega). I think if there was one change I would make about the routes it would be trying to find alternatives to these.
2. Signage - WAY better than I was expecting. There has been major work by either towns or by the Via Lusitana or both and the are many, many markings (including granite way-markings and camino symbols with arrows) that go beyond the painted yellow arrows. This has in general meant very little stress about finding the routes, HOWEVER...
3. The 'Official' routes (that is, those shown by the signs) is often significantly different to that which is in either the Brierley book or the CSJ guide available from this website. In some cases (see below) this has resulted in significantly longer walking days than are comfortable and in others some anxiety about where you are.
4. Early on the 'Official' distances seem very low compared to what we walked each day.
5. Accomodation and food - accomodation has not been an issue and the albergues are generally WAY better than expectation. I don't want to single out any but suffice to say it has been very comfortable, especially since the weather hasn't been good at all for the last week (so much rain!). I would say that about 20% of the cafes listed in the Brierley guide are closed - a victim of the extended economic troubles in Portugal, so I would recommend that you get coffee when you see an open cafe and not wait for the next one. We were caught out more than once.
6. The Portuguese people - I say this without any reservation - the Portuguese are the nicest people in the Universe. It has been an umitigated pleasure to have been a guest in their country.

Specific Things (A Random List)

1. The route into Alhandra on Day 1 has changed to take you through a wetlands along a boardwalk. It adds a bit of distance to the day. We walked 35kms to finish at Verdalha.
2. The climb into Santarem is tough at the end of the day. It should be reported as a crime against humanity...
3. Santarem - Golega - this has been re-marked AGAIN with very 'offical' markings. This initally made me more comfortable as I was aware there had been some ambiguity about the marking (going around Pombalinho vs going through Azinhaga). Now the markings take you THROUGH Pombalinho (where we had lunch) AND through Azinhaga AS WELL. This means that we walked 37.8 Kms for the day! I would suggest that the Golega town authorities have set this up to maximise sales for both towns. When we had walked five Kms from Pombalinho only to arrive in Azinhaga, I said some VERY bad words...
4. The walk into Porto was not as bad as I had been led to believe. The good news is that once you hit the built up areas it's almost all gently downhill - even after 30Kms I was able to walk at 6 Kms per hour pace, which meant it disappeared pretty quickly

That's about it - two things left to say:

1. Please forgive the spelling in this post - the computer is using Portuguese as the default and so it sees everything as incorrect, so I can't really check things and...
2. I can't wait to walk from Porto to Santiago from tomorrow

Cheers