Lisbon

[Dom Hunt]

I am going on my second Camino this May from Lisbon and I am a little apprehensive considering the French Way was so wonderful. I am wondering if you have done it was it as good as the French Way or completely different.

 

[LesR]

I am going on my second Camino this May from Lisbon and I am a little apprehensive considering the French Way was so wonderful. I am wondering if you have done it was it as good as the French Way or completely different.

Quite different....

Put expectations on hold and go with the flow (probably much as you did with CF when you started out...

Yes, CF spoiled me and there were times when I wondered why I was walking CP, but there were good (but different) times on CP!

 

[Helen1]

Quite different - good/bad might depend on what you're looking for! I walked in August a couple of years ago, from Lisbon to Porto it was quiet with a handful of people walking very long days but who you bumped into at various places/walked together for the first mile or two out of an overnight stop, for me it was mostly a solitary walk without being able to see people ahead/behind. Far more people walking in the other direction to Fatima. Not many cafes/bars but some unexpected pleasures like cold beers from a couple sitting in their garden who shared them with a small group of us (I think the locals were friendlier on the CP - or perhaps the number of pilgrims is less of a tiresome intrusion into their lives). A couple of us were camping and met up at campsites but hotel rooms were so cheap and the campsites so far out of town that I didn't camp as much as expected. I had some memorable experiences on the CP such as the campsite just outside Viana with the loo/showers in the open stables with the horses and staying alone in an old hotel straight out of a horror movie

I took the coastal route Porto to Santiago. The pilgrims I met who were expecting a similar experience to the CF were disappointed. There aren't as many people, it isn't as social, you don't *need* a guidebook but the waymarking was nowhere near as obvious as on the CF and there are various routes to consider. The bed race conversations are the same but probably more warranted. Also "coastal" might not be what you imagine, it is by the coast and you do see the sea from time to time but unless you do the route that is actually along the beach (so usually not the signposted route) you're on farm tracks in maize fields and [in August] a lot of the time there isn't that much to see other than maize.

 

[LesR]

Quite different - good/bad might depend on what you're looking for! I walked in August a couple of years ago, from Lisbon to Porto it was quiet with a handful of people walking very long days but who you bumped into at various places/walked together for the first mile or two out of an overnight stop, for me it was mostly a solitary walk without being able to see people ahead/behind. Far more people walking in the other direction to Fatima. Not many cafes/bars but some unexpected pleasures like cold beers from a couple sitting in their garden who shared them with a small group of us (I think the locals were friendlier on the CP - or perhaps the number of pilgrims is less of a tiresome intrusion into their lives). A couple of us were camping and met up at campsites but hotel rooms were so cheap and the campsites so far out of town that I didn't camp as much as expected. I had some memorable experiences on the CP such as the campsite just outside Viana with the loo/showers in the open stables with the horses and staying alone in an old hotel straight out of a horror movie

I took the coastal route Porto to Santiago. The pilgrims I met who were expecting a similar experience to the CF were disappointed. There aren't as many people, it isn't as social, you don't *need* a guidebook but the waymarking was nowhere near as obvious as on the CF and there are various routes to consider. The bed race conversations are the same but probably more warranted. Also "coastal" might not be what you imagine, it is by the coast and you do see the sea from time to time but unless you do the route that is actually along the beach (so usually not the signposted route) you're on farm tracks in maize fields and [in August] a lot of the time there isn't that much to see other than maize.

I walked Lisboa to Santiago via the Coastal Route/Senda Litoral. As you have noted, the way-marking was not a fool-proof as for the Camino Frances and possibly the Central Route of CP.

Yes - the views of the ocean were superb but i did miss the olde world environment of CF and I gather the Central Route has more of this aspect too. That said, the camino does pass through parts of Portugal that are clearly more modern and sophisticated than the much of the parts of Spain that CF transits - I dont mean to use this in a derogatory or condescending manner - just to highlight differences in the two paths.

Frequently, I seemed to be walking out of one settlement and into the next without any perceptible change, and there were many long kms of walking along heavily-trafficked major roads and through industrial areas, in contrast to the generally rural roads and paths through farmlands of CF.

Long and short - I think the Camino Frances has defined my expectations of a camino, and the CP is quite different so I felt a little deflated when the CP didn't provide quite the same experience...

If I were to walk CP again, I would take the Central Route.

 

[Dom Hunt]

Quite different - good/bad might depend on what you're looking for! I walked in August a couple of years ago, from Lisbon to Porto it was quiet with a handful of people walking very long days but who you bumped into at various places/walked together for the first mile or two out of an overnight stop, for me it was mostly a solitary walk without being able to see people ahead/behind. Far more people walking in the other direction to Fatima. Not many cafes/bars but some unexpected pleasures like cold beers from a couple sitting in their garden who shared them with a small group of us (I think the locals were friendlier on the CP - or perhaps the number of pilgrims is less of a tiresome intrusion into their lives). A couple of us were camping and met up at campsites but hotel rooms were so cheap and the campsites so far out of town that I didn't camp as much as expected. I had some memorable experiences on the CP such as the campsite just outside Viana with the loo/showers in the open stables with the horses and staying alone in an old hotel straight out of a horror movie

I took the coastal route Porto to Santiago. The pilgrims I met who were expecting a similar experience to the CF were disappointed. There aren't as many people, it isn't as social, you don't *need* a guidebook but the waymarking was nowhere near as obvious as on the CF and there are various routes to consider. The bed race conversations are the same but probably more warranted. Also "coastal" might not be what you imagine, it is by the coast and you do see the sea from time to time but unless you do the route that is actually along the beach (so usually not the signposted route) you're on farm tracks in maize fields and [in August] a lot of the time there isn't that much to see other than maize.

Thanks for that . I don’t mind walking all day by myself but I did enjoy the afternoon and evenings meeting people from everywhere. I am going through Fatima to make it on the 13 May which is the main reason starting from Lisbon. I also like walks over twenty days ,helps you get deeper into yourself.

 

[doctorherman]

I agree that the Frances is so wonderful and thought the Portuguese was very different. The section between Lisbon and a day after Porto was probably my least favourite of any camino, though there are certainly some amazing places along it, such as Lisbon, Tomar, Santarem, Coimbra and Golega. There is also one village in particular that is so decked out in all things Saint James, I felt I was back on the Frances for the 5 minutes it took to go through it. The actual walking tracks on the Camino improve massively a day after after Porto (on the main, central route) in my opinion.
I wouldn't walk the Portuguese Camino between Lisbon and Porto again, though I'm glad I did it. I'd walk the Frances again any time and this year will go back for another Frances.

 

[John Sikora]

Very different but equally enjoyable. I walked from Lisbon to Santiago. Don't let the first few days get to you. It's more urban and not as historic (although you could dispute that) than the CF. I found the food better than the CF. I also enjoyed the Lisbon to Porto part due to the intermediate size cities. Tomar was particularly nice. You have to have a different set of expectations (or rather none at all) since each Camino is different. You won't see the hordes of walkers like you find on the CF but you will meet some very nice people and won't be alone. Also, the walk along the sea coast north of Porto is fabulous (as long as it's not foggy). The best day would be a day where it's sunny and the wind is out of the west. It's a bit hard walking in the wind but the waves crashing onto the beach make it all worthwhile. I'd walk it again (even the Lisbon to Porto leg). My only regret is that I didn't take longer and spend more time enjoying the towns and cities along the way.

 

[Liana]

I started with the CP central, then the coastal and last one was the CF. Of course, I say the first is ones most special and magical (at least for me) and you wonder if you could ever "top it"? As long as you go with the mindset that NOTHING is ever the same the second time around, you will have an Amazing Camino. Each one has been very special and amazing in it's own way and I can't say I prefer one over the other. As long as you go with an "open mind" and let the experience unfold the way it is suppose to, you will LOVE it! One has to take the good and bad and make the best of everyday that you are able to walk the camino. Many on this forum cannot afford or are not physically able to walk and live through all of us on this site who can, so being grateful for this alone, you will have a wonderful camino! Altreia

 

[lt56ny]

Every, every camino is different. Even if you walked the CF again and walked the exact same itinerary and slept in the same exact albergues it will be different. Get rid of your ideas about one camino to another. Of course the first camino (I have walked 5 and I know there are lots here who have walked many more) will always be special and unique because it was the first one. Each one is going to have its own personality, character, pain and happiness. Just walk and get out of your head. I am sure you have been learning not much good comes from thinking especially on the Camino. 99% of what is in our heads is crap, for many that is why they walked in the first place.

 

[Walking Lover]

I am going on my second Camino this May from Lisbon and I am a little apprehensive considering the French Way was so wonderful. I am wondering if you have done it was it as good as the French Way or completely different.

Did not like it nearly as well. It is less scenic and 82% hard surfaces.

 

[Walton]

The CP is very different to the CF.

On the whole we enjoyed it - the people along the way were very welcoming - we had fruit trucks stopping and asking us to help ourselves to whatever fruit they were carrying. In one town, a gentleman stopped his car and gave us a package with a bottle of water, fruit and some tissues while thanking us in passable English for our Pilgrimmage.
Food on the whole was better than Spain. Do not expects cafe's to always be open. Quite often our guide said there was a cafe say 5kms ahead, and with great expectation, we looked forward to a coffee and a rest, only to be disappointed that the said cafe was closed. So we decided that if we found an open cafe, it would be a surprise. No more expectations!
Those famous Portugeuse cobblestones caused each of us to have foot issues. If I were to walk again, I would select a shoe that had firmer soles.
Loved Porto and the coastal route but probably because we don't live near the sea and the sea is a bit of a novelty to us.

I would do the walk again except that for the first few days out of Lisbon, I'd just walk and be rather than look forward to anything. It's the start of a walk, when one is not walking fit and the old body needs to blow out the cobwebs so to speak.; The scenery after Lisbon is rather "meh" and all combined, it can be a bit of drugery. You have to remember this.

You should carry some food and also plenty of drink - but better still is to drink extra water before you start the days walk so you leave fully hydrated and some more!

Cheers

Graham

 

[Helen1]

The scenery after Lisbon is rather "meh" and all combined, it can be a bit of drugery. You have to remember this.

Agree. I also think that bit just outside Lisbon isn't the safest of places. For the first 3 {?] days I left my things at the Ibis hotel near the station in Lisbon and walked very long days but with a very light pack and an audiobook. I got train to/from where I need to walk (really easy and the trains go frequently). This approach won't suit everyone but made for an easier start that walking those distances with a fully loaded rucksack. There are some beautiful/rural bits Lisbon to Porto but there's quite a bit which is more of a slog, I followed the Brierley guide which often takes you off the main road but I ended up on gleaming white crushed rock roads in 40C heat which seem to follow the railway track on one side and something 'interesting' like a sewage works on the other. The photos in https://www.pilgrimagetraveler.com/day-one-camino-portugues.html will give you a good idea of what to expect.

 

[bubba]

Different yes,
after Coimbra it was much more manageable ,the first few days were long and solitary. I really didn't come across any walkers till I reached Santarem. Started the last week in March , lots of mud the first few days and some rain. Overall it was a great experience and I enjoyed the solitude , from Porto to Santiago it was more like the Frances save for the crowds.

 

[Dom Hunt]

Agree. I also think that bit just outside Lisbon isn't the safest of places. For the first 3 {?] days I left my things at the Ibis hotel near the station in Lisbon and walked very long days but with a very light pack and an audiobook. I got train to/from where I need to walk (really easy and the trains go frequently). This approach won't suit everyone but made for an easier start that walking those distances with a fully loaded rucksack. There are some beautiful/rural bits Lisbon to Porto but there's quite a bit which is more of a slog, I followed the Brierley guide which often takes you off the main road but I ended up on gleaming white crushed rock roads in 40C heat which seem to follow the railway track on one side and something 'interesting' like a sewage works on the other. The photos in https://www.pilgrimagetraveler.com/day-one-camino-portugues.html will give you a good idea of what to expect.

Thanks for the link . I was thinking of doing about 35km a day for the first three days and then slowing down for the rest. I do a lot of road walking while I get ready for these trips so that doesn’t faze me. It seems the CP improves as you go.

 

[CaptainBonnie]

Quite different - good/bad might depend on what you're looking for! I walked in August a couple of years ago, from Lisbon to Porto it was quiet with a handful of people walking very long days but who you bumped into at various places/walked together for the first mile or two out of an overnight stop, for me it was mostly a solitary walk without being able to see people ahead/behind. Far more people walking in the other direction to Fatima. Not many cafes/bars but some unexpected pleasures like cold beers from a couple sitting in their garden who shared them with a small group of us (I think the locals were friendlier on the CP - or perhaps the number of pilgrims is less of a tiresome intrusion into their lives). A couple of us were camping and met up at campsites but hotel rooms were so cheap and the campsites so far out of town that I didn't camp as much as expected. I had some memorable experiences on the CP such as the campsite just outside Viana with the loo/showers in the open stables with the horses and staying alone in an old hotel straight out of a horror movie

I took the coastal route Porto to Santiago. The pilgrims I met who were expecting a similar experience to the CF were disappointed. There aren't as many people, it isn't as social, you don't *need* a guidebook but the waymarking was nowhere near as obvious as on the CF and there are various routes to consider. The bed race conversations are the same but probably more warranted. Also "coastal" might not be what you imagine, it is by the coast and you do see the sea from time to time but unless you do the route that is actually along the beach (so usually not the signposted route) you're on farm tracks in maize fields and [in August] a lot of the time there isn't that much to see other than maize.

Hi Helen
Thanks for the update on the Camino Portuguese where I too intend to walk from Lisboa to SdeC in early May (2020) this year!
With a frozen shoulder I need to get my Mochila transported ..
It’s Lisboa to Porto in the central route as per John B’s maps !!
pray how many kilometres did you walk every day .. I wish to limit my walk to a max of 23-25 km ( gradients are easier than CF!) but are these maximum distances possible rather than +30 Km which would be pretty demanding for me?
Also are there companies / good folk who will transport your Mochila like the the excelente Correos in Spain?
Every Best Wish
Vivek

 

[CaptainBonnie]

Hi Helen
Thanks for the update on the Camino Portuguese where I too intend to walk from Lisboa to SdeC in early May (2020) this year!
With a frozen shoulder I need to get my Mochila transported ..
It’s Lisboa to Porto in the central route as per John B’s maps !!
pray how many kilometres did you walk every day .. I wish to limit my walk to a max of 23-25 km ( gradients are easier than CF!) but are these maximum distances possible rather than +30 Km which would be pretty demanding for me?
Also are there companies / good folk who will transport your Mochila like the the excelente Correos in Spain?
Every Best Wish
Vivek

Further ... could I get accommodation between 22-25 every stretch ?
Warmest wishes
Vivek

 

[Rick M]

Further ... could I get accommodation between 22-25 every stretch ?
Warmest wishes
Vivek

I am walking from Lisbon this April as well. While I can't speak from experience on the Lisbon-Porto segment YET, I have been researching. Have you looked at Gronze.com yet? It lists all the accommodation on the segments, and the bad news is that it will not be easy to construct 20-25 km days in all cases. There will be five or so days where you will need to stop well short of 20 km, or walk more than 30 km. The villages are just not the right distance apart in some cases, and you find that you will need to do much longer or shorter segments.

One of my walking partners is over 70, and he will make use of the trains when necessary. The consensus is that buses are really not an option, and taxis are also not always available. With only a couple of days exception though, you are never more than 5 or so km away from a train station. There is a regional train system with cheap (2-4 euro) trains that run north-south every hour or two, and will let you shorten days, or walk to a station, take a train forward or back to accommodation, then return to the same station and continue on the next day.

My plan is to play it by ear. I can walk 30+ segments if I have to, but if the weather or my feet decide to intervene, the trains seem to be Plan B on the Lisbon - Porto leg.

Another piece of bad news: There is no formal pack transport system that I could find until Porto, where TuiTrans can help you out all the way to Santiago. For Lisbon - Porto, you are going to have to carry, or find a taxi to ship your bag ahead day by day.

If any more experienced walkers have any alternatives, please bring them on, this is all I could learn from Gronze and google maps, as well as the forum!

Buen Camino

 

[CaptainBonnie]

I am walking from Lisbon this April as well. While I can't speak from experience on the Lisbon-Porto segment YET, I have been researching. Have you looked at Gronze.com yet? It lists all the accommodation on the segments, and the bad news is that it will not be easy to construct 20-25 km days in all cases. There will be five or so days where you will need to stop well short of 20 km, or walk more than 30 km. The villages are just not the right distance apart in some cases, and you find that you will need to do much longer or shorter segments.

One of my walking partners is over 70, and he will make use of the trains when necessary. The consensus is that buses are really not an option, and taxis are also not always available. With only a couple of days exception though, you are never more than 5 or so km away from a train station. There is a regional train system with cheap (2-4 euro) trains that run north-south every hour or two, and will let you shorten days, or walk to a station, take a train forward or back to accommodation, then return to the same station and continue on the next day.

My plan is to play it by ear. I can walk 30+ segments if I have to, but if the weather or my feet decide to intervene, the trains seem to be Plan B on the Lisbon - Porto leg.

Another piece of bad news: There is no formal pack transport system that I could find until Porto, where TuiTrans can help you out all the way to Santiago. For Lisbon - Porto, you are going to have to carry, or find a taxi to ship your bag ahead day by day.

If any more experienced walkers have any alternatives, please bring them on, this is all I could learn from Gronze and google maps, as well as the forum!

Buen Camino

Thanks Mr Smith!
I would then need to play it by ear.
I understand the CP is not at all as popular as CF but nonetheless it’s the 2nd most popular camino ! It’s a pity the facilities are sparse if non existent. I was hoping to walk the entire camino ..
Again Thank You for your very kind response.
Warmest Wishes
Vivek

 

[peregrina2000]

I am walking from Lisbon this April as well. While I can't speak from experience on the Lisbon-Porto segment YET, I have been researching. Have you looked at Gronze.com yet? It lists all the accommodation on the segments, and the bad news is that it will not be easy to construct 20-25 km days in all cases. There will be five or so days where you will need to stop well short of 20 km, or walk more than 30 km. The villages are just not the right distance apart in some cases, and you find that you will need to do much longer or shorter segments.

One of my walking partners is over 70, and he will make use of the trains when necessary. The consensus is that buses are really not an option, and taxis are also not always available. With only a couple of days exception though, you are never more than 5 or so km away from a train station. There is a regional train system with cheap (2-4 euro) trains that run north-south every hour or two, and will let you shorten days, or walk to a station, take a train forward or back to accommodation, then return to the same station and continue on the next day.

My plan is to play it by ear. I can walk 30+ segments if I have to, but if the weather or my feet decide to intervene, the trains seem to be Plan B on the Lisbon - Porto leg.

Another piece of bad news: There is no formal pack transport system that I could find until Porto, where TuiTrans can help you out all the way to Santiago. For Lisbon - Porto, you are going to have to carry, or find a taxi to ship your bag ahead day by day.

If any more experienced walkers have any alternatives, please bring them on, this is all I could learn from Gronze and google maps, as well as the forum!

Buen Camino

Have you seen this forum resource on walking short stages from Lisbon? It is a little out of date now, but if anything, it is less of an issue, because there are many more places to stay than when we put this together. The albergue in Alpriate, 21 km from the cathedral, for example, was still just a dream in the hearts of the Lisbon camino association.

I haven’t looked at gronze, but they are usually very up to date. And the Via Lusitana website also has a very comprehensive list.

I think things are in pretty good shape for shorter stages now, but more recent walkers than I will have to fill in here. Bom caminho, Laurie

 

[Rick M]

I had not seen this resource, thank you!

 

[CaptainBonnie]

I had not seen this resource, thank you!

I could not find the list of Albergue owners who help in the transport of your Mochila!
but thank you loads for directing me to the links

 

[Zoran K.]

Quite different - good/bad might depend on what you're looking for! I walked in August a couple of years ago, from Lisbon to Porto it was quiet with a handful of people walking very long days but who you bumped into at various places/walked together for the first mile or two out of an overnight stop, for me it was mostly a solitary walk without being able to see people ahead/behind. Far more people walking in the other direction to Fatima. Not many cafes/bars but some unexpected pleasures like cold beers from a couple sitting in their garden who shared them with a small group of us (I think the locals were friendlier on the CP - or perhaps the number of pilgrims is less of a tiresome intrusion into their lives). A couple of us were camping and met up at campsites but hotel rooms were so cheap and the campsites so far out of town that I didn't camp as much as expected. I had some memorable experiences on the CP such as the campsite just outside Viana with the loo/showers in the open stables with the horses and staying alone in an old hotel straight out of a horror movie

I took the coastal route Porto to Santiago. The pilgrims I met who were expecting a similar experience to the CF were disappointed. There aren't as many people, it isn't as social, you don't *need* a guidebook but the waymarking was nowhere near as obvious as on the CF and there are various routes to consider. The bed race conversations are the same but probably more warranted. Also "coastal" might not be what you imagine, it is by the coast and you do see the sea from time to time but unless you do the route that is actually along the beach (so usually not the signposted route) you're on farm tracks in maize fields and [in August] a lot of the time there isn't that much to see other than maize.

Thank for this post as I wasn't sure if I should do CP or Lucca to Rome on VF. It is going to be VF

 

[jsalt]

I am wondering if you have done it was it as good as the French Way or completely different.

Looks like you’ll just have to walk it yourself to find out.

The CP is all about the people . . . not the scenery and the terrain and the sea views.

Open your mind and your heart to the others you meet along the way

and especially to the locals . . .

 

[peregrina2000]

I could not find the list of Albergue owners who help in the transport of your Mochila!
but thank you loads for directing me to the links

Look on page 2 of this “short stages from Lisbon” document. It’s called, “Pick ‘n Drop”.

 

[Renascer]

Quite different - good/bad might depend on what you're looking for! I walked in August a couple of years ago, from Lisbon to Porto it was quiet with a handful of people walking very long days but who you bumped into at various places/walked together for the first mile or two out of an overnight stop, for me it was mostly a solitary walk without being able to see people ahead/behind. Far more people walking in the other direction to Fatima. Not many cafes/bars but some unexpected pleasures like cold beers from a couple sitting in their garden who shared them with a small group of us (I think the locals were friendlier on the CP - or perhaps the number of pilgrims is less of a tiresome intrusion into their lives). A couple of us were camping and met up at campsites but hotel rooms were so cheap and the campsites so far out of town that I didn't camp as much as expected. I had some memorable experiences on the CP such as the campsite just outside Viana with the loo/showers in the open stables with the horses and staying alone in an old hotel straight out of a horror movie

I took the coastal route Porto to Santiago. The pilgrims I met who were expecting a similar experience to the CF were disappointed. There aren't as many people, it isn't as social, you don't *need* a guidebook but the waymarking was nowhere near as obvious as on the CF and there are various routes to consider. The bed race conversations are the same but probably more warranted. Also "coastal" might not be what you imagine, it is by the coast and you do see the sea from time to time but unless you do the route that is actually along the beach (so usually not the signposted route) you're on farm tracks in maize fields and [in August] a lot of the time there isn't that much to see other than maize.

“in an old hotel straight out of a horror movie ”
Hilarious! Jee What was so horrific about it? Lol

 

[Renascer]

The CP is very different to the CF.

On the whole we enjoyed it - the people along the way were very welcoming - we had fruit trucks stopping and asking us to help ourselves to whatever fruit they were carrying. In one town, a gentleman stopped his car and gave us a package with a bottle of water, fruit and some tissues while thanking us in passable English for our Pilgrimmage.
Food on the whole was better than Spain. Do not expects cafe's to always be open. Quite often our guide said there was a cafe say 5kms ahead, and with great expectation, we looked forward to a coffee and a rest, only to be disappointed that the said cafe was closed. So we decided that if we found an open cafe, it would be a surprise. No more expectations!
Those famous Portugeuse cobblestones caused each of us to have foot issues. If I were to walk again, I would select a shoe that had firmer soles.
Loved Porto and the coastal route but probably because we don't live near the sea and the sea is a bit of a novelty to us.

I would do the walk again except that for the first few days out of Lisbon, I'd just walk and be rather than look forward to anything. It's the start of a walk, when one is not walking fit and the old body needs to blow out the cobwebs so to speak.; The scenery after Lisbon is rather "meh" and all combined, it can be a bit of drugery. You have to remember this.

You should carry some food and also plenty of drink - but better still is to drink extra water before you start the days walk so you leave fully hydrated and some more!

Cheers

Graham

Is firmer soles better when you are walking on cobblestones? In my mind i would think softer shoes the better? Could you explain?

 

[Helen1]

“in an old hotel straight out of a horror movie ”
Hilarious! Jee What was so horrific about it? Lol

I have fond and quite terrifying memories of that hotel. It was as old (around 150 years) building with lovely tiles, a creaky wooden staircase up to the rooms, a saggy dark wooden bed that had been there forever and huge dark wood cupboards that looked original but were big enough for a person to fit into - or creep out of. I was staying there alone because the owners didn’t stay at the hotel at night. As the evening cooled everything started to creak which was a bit unnerving. Then, whilst trying to get to sleep I squealed because I thought I saw a light which turned into a green luminous ghost slipping across the room. I quickly realised it was car headlights going round a traffic island and catching the green mesh across the window but it totally freaked me out for a few minutes!

It was quite a nice place to stay, lots of original features inside but being there alone made my imagination run riot.

 

[Renascer]

I have fond and quite terrifying memories of that hotel. It was as old (around 150 years) building with lovely tiles, a creaky wooden staircase up to the rooms, a saggy dark wooden bed that had been there forever and huge dark wood cupboards that looked original but were big enough for a person to fit into - or creep out of. I was staying there alone because the owners didn’t stay at the hotel at night. As the evening cooled everything started to creak which was a bit unnerving. Then, whilst trying to get to sleep I squealed because I thought I saw a light which turned into a green luminous ghost slipping across the room. I quickly realised it was car headlights going round a traffic island and catching the green mesh across the window but it totally freaked me out for a few minutes!

It was quite a nice place to stay, lots of original features inside but being there alone made my imagination run riot.

Sounds like the movie. Lol. I cant believe you did not leave in middle of the night.

 

[Walton]

Is firmer soles better when you are walking on cobblestones? In my mind i would think softer shoes the better? Could you explain?

Absolutely Ranascer

I wore Asics gel walking shoes. These shoes have soft soles.

I could feel the hardness of the cobblestones through the shoe soles. Now, that wouldn't normally be a problem, except that on a very hot day, the soles, through heat, become much softer and that, along with the heat penetrates the sole causing the feet to sweat more eventually leading to blisters.

I wear 1000 mile dual layer socks and have never had a blister in over 1000kms of Camino walking. The inner layer wicks perspiration away to the outer layer. Wet skin = Soft skin and is more prone to the rubbing effect of friction. thus leading to blisters. Ouch!

So, my theory is that if the soles of my shoes were harder, the heat wouldn't penetrate to the same extent and the feet would be less affected by tens of thousands of cobblestones that one walks on in some places in Portugal.

Stiffer soles should retain more firmness on hot pathways than gel like soles.

Have I explained this very well?

It is like road walking versus earth pathway walking. Road walking is hard on feet and shoes. Give me a dry earth path anytime.

Cheers

Graham

 

[Renascer]

Absolutely Ranascer

I wore Asics gel walking shoes. These shoes have soft soles.

I could feel the hardness of the cobblestones through the shoe soles. Now, that wouldn't normally be a problem, except that on a very hot day, the soles, through heat, become much softer and that, along with the heat penetrates the sole causing the feet to sweat more eventually leading to blisters.

I wear 1000 mile dual layer socks and have never had a blister in over 1000kms of Camino walking. The inner layer wicks perspiration away to the outer layer. Wet skin = Soft skin and is more prone to the rubbing effect of friction. thus leading to blisters. Ouch!

So, my theory is that if the soles of my shoes were harder, the heat wouldn't penetrate to the same extent and the feet would be less affected by tens of thousands of cobblestones that one walks on in some places in Portugal.

Stiffer soles should retain more firmness on hot pathways than gel like soles.

Have I explained this very well?

It is like road walking versus earth pathway walking. Road walking is hard on feet and shoes. Give me a dry earth path anytime.

Cheers

Graham

Wow Graham thank you. This is very interesting and i never thought about it. It all makes sense. Now i will be more aware because of your great explanation. Thank you. So much to learn!

 

[Walton]

Wow Graham thank you. This is very interesting and i never thought about it. It all makes sense. Now i will be more aware because of your great explanation. Thank you. So much to learn!

It's a theory of mine Renascer.

There are other dear forum members here with vastly more experience than I.

Their comments in regards to hiking on cobblestones are be very interesting and worth keeping in mind.

Dave Bugg's most excellent posts about shoes (search the forum) are also very, very well worth noting.

And of course, there are 1000 posts if not more, here about hiking shoes. There are 1000 opinions also

Other things come into this discussion such as pack weight, poles, how heavy or otherwise the shoe wearer is, probably age of the wearer, and of the shoes, and so on.

My weight is about 80kgs, pack weight about 9 kgs (More.....if I don't carefully watch my wife before leaving in the morning ).

Cheers

Graham