Porto to SDC - albuerges and weather in August

[man-to-ray]

Hi fellow peregrinos!

Two years ago I planned to walk the Camino Portugues and I posted some questions on this forum but I finally didn’t leave because of gear issues. In about a week I finally will get to walk the Portugues from Porto on the central route. I have Cordula Rabe’s guide from Rother and the gps tracks as back up. I am happy to finally come round to this Camino, it feels like I can finally end a period of my life and open up to new beginnings.

I have however a few questions that concern me bit. I hope some feedback from experts can clear things out. I realize that August is the most busy month on the Camino and the most challenging concerning weather.

- I have a list of albuerges from http://www.vialusitana.org/caminho-portugues/albergues/ . Do I need to worry about finding a place to sleep every night? I can image that looking around for accommodation after walking whole day is anything but pleasant and can give rise to stress - it stresses me now a bit atleast ;-)

- Would I need a sleeping bag or just a liner? I’ll probably go for the sleeping bag. Is a sleeping mat handy?

I would like to thank you for any feedback in advance.

PS: some personal info
I am Kristof Bosmans, age 35, living in Ghent, Belgium. I recently have been hiking with my tent in Normandy and Spain(Sierra Nevada). For me this Camino is about integrating change in my life on many levels.

 

[arajput]

Hi!
I'm starting the walk on Aug 2nd, when are you planning on walkig? While I'm no expert I did find on the forum someone recommending an app called TrailSmart (you have to pay for it) that gives you a list of all the amenities for the Camino Portuguese for both coastal and central route. This inclides Albergues and hostels with their phone numbers so I guess you could call up these up as you walk. Others have suggested to book the first couple of nights and then go with the flow. Hope this helps!

 

[man-to-ray]

Hey arajput!
Thanks for your reply!
I guess my list of albuerges will do fine then but thanks for the tip for the app.
Will you be sleeping in albuerges as well or will you book private accommodation? Maybe I'll book the first two nights as you suggest, just for the peace of mind. ;-)
I leave next Wednesday with a friend to the south of Portugal to visit some other friends and at the end of the week I'll travel north to Porto, spend a day there and start walking. Maybe our paths will cross on the Camino.

 

[arajput]

Hey arajput!
Thanks for your reply!
I guess my list of albuerges will do fine then but thanks for the tip for the app.
Will you be sleeping in albuerges as well or will you book private accommodation? Maybe I'll book the first two nights as you suggest, just for the peace of mind. ;-)
I leave next Wednesday with a friend to the south of Portugal to visit some other friends and at the end of the week I'll travel north to Porto, spend a day there and start walking. Maybe our paths will cross on the Camino.

I'll be sleeping in albergues, however, if I'm in desperate need of a goodnight's sleep then I'll check out private accomdation. I haven't booked anything yet, but I should probably take my own advice and book the first two days! I'll be walking the coastal route and then coming central from Vila do Conde to Rates. Perhaps out paths will cross

 

[man-to-ray]

I'll be taking that exact route as well, as most people do I guess. Tomorrow I'll buy my last items such as a new sleeping bag and maybe an inflatable pillow. The sleeping mat stays home, it seems quite unnecessary. I found the gronze.com website also helpful for accommodation. Let me know how it goes as you'll set off a few days before me. Have a nice trip to Porto!

 

[JCLima]

Hey, I just wanted to warn you both that this week we will have a heat wave; it will start on wednesday.
Temperatures around 40°; be careful.

 

[arajput]

Hey, I just wanted to warn you both that this week we will have a heat wave; it will start on wednesday.
Temperatures around 40°; be careful.

Thanks for the notice!

 

[Anamya]

It will be quite hot there - a sleping liner should be enough. Also, places have pillows, so you may save carrying the weight of the inflatable one. i know it's small, but if you add each small thing...

About accomodation: I highly recommend booking the first night in Porto, and maybe the next one in a close place, if you know how much you are used to walk.

If not, I suggest just walking and stopping when you feel like - there is plenty of accomodation in that route and finding a place to sleep is thankfully not difficult at all.
The Gronze website mentioned above is extremelly useful and has links to booking.com, so once you feel like soon you should stop, you can just log in and garantee your place in a private room. For albergues, you just walk in - in August they may be full (does not happen often), but then just walk a few more steps to the next one. There were places with 2-3 albergues donativo e privados on the same block.

I also walked the Portuguese at 35 (last year) and loved it more than I expected. the food in incredible, the places are beautiful and everything was so tranquil! Buen camino, peregrinos!

 

[man-to-ray]

It will be quite hot there - a sleping liner should be enough. Also, places have pillows, so you may save carrying the weight of the inflatable one. i know it's small, but if you add each small thing...

About accomodation: I highly recommend booking the first night in Porto, and maybe the next one in a close place, if you know how much you are used to walk.

If not, I suggest just walking and stopping when you feel like - there is plenty of accomodation in that route and finding a place to sleep is thankfully not difficult at all.
The Gronze website mentioned above is extremelly useful and has links to booking.com, so once you feel like soon you should stop, you can just log in and garantee your place in a private room. For albergues, you just walk in - in August they may be full (does not happen often), but then just walk a few more steps to the next one. There were places with 2-3 albergues donativo e privados on the same block.

I also walked the Portuguese at 35 (last year) and loved it more than I expected. the food in incredible, the places are beautiful and everything was so tranquil! Buen camino, peregrinos!

Thanks for the tips! Thank you ;-)

 

[Leon Ivan]

I'll be taking that exact route as well, as most people do I guess. Tomorrow I'll buy my last items such as a new sleeping bag and maybe an inflatable pillow. The sleeping mat stays home, it seems quite unnecessary. I found the gronze.com website also helpful for accommodation. Let me know how it goes as you'll set off a few days before me. Have a nice trip to Porto!

Hi fellow peregrinos!

Two years ago I planned to walk the Camino Portugues and I posted some questions on this forum but I finally didn’t leave because of gear issues. In about a week I finally will get to walk the Portugues from Porto on the central route. I have Cordula Rabe’s guide from Rother and the gps tracks as back up. I am happy to finally come round to this Camino, it feels like I can finally end a period of my life and open up to new beginnings.

I have however a few questions that concern me bit. I hope some feedback from experts can clear things out. I realize that August is the most busy month on the Camino and the most challenging concerning weather.

- I have a list of albuerges from http://www.vialusitana.org/caminho-portugues/albergues/ . Do I need to worry about finding a place to sleep every night? I can image that looking around for accommodation after walking whole day is anything but pleasant and can give rise to stress - it stresses me now a bit atleast ;-)

- Would I need a sleeping bag or just a liner? I’ll probably go for the sleeping bag. Is a sleeping mat handy?

I would like to thank you for any feedback in advance.

PS: some personal info
I am Kristof Bosmans, age 35, living in Ghent, Belgium. I recently have been hiking with my tent in Normandy and Spain(Sierra Nevada). For me this Camino is about integrating change in my life on many levels.

Please tell me about your hike in Sierra Nevada , albergues etc.

 

[Leon Ivan]

Please tell me about your hike in Sierra Nevada , albergues etc.

my email is leonbenk@gmail.com and vivevox@outlook.com