Questions for Coastal Camino (Porto-Santiago)

[The New One]

Hello guys,

I'm doing my first Camino (Coastal Camino Portugues) in July and am totally excited about it but on the other hand I'm worried about few things as well. I really hope you guys can help me here.

1. Is the Coastal Camino marked well? I can really easy get lost so I know I'll be constantly looking for the signs. I really wouldn't want walking back for miles because of going in the wrong direction.

2. I only have 14 days to walk (app. 20 km a day - that's my limit I guess) from Porto to Santiago. I was looking on booking.com for places/hostels to stay overnight. I couldn't find cheap accomodiation in every village. Are there more albergues which are not on websites? Do you think I should book my accomodation in advance? I can do that but what if something goes wrong and I will not be able to get to it?
Are the albergues on Coastal Camino very busy in July? Is there a chance that I don't get a bed and have to walk to the next village?

3. Where can I get Camino Passport if I start walking in Porto? In which church/info exactly?

4. I am also worried about high temperature during the day and coolish nights. What clothes to take, f. e. extremely light anorak (just for rain) or slightly thicker one?

Thank you,

The New One

 

[Former member 22438]

The coastal is fully waymarked. The Douro river and the Atlantic ocean is allways at your left.

In January the Portuguese bath season is on so hotels and hostals are more difficult to find
Albergues are at some places so you will cope with that
If it will be too busy, jump over to the central route. You can do that at Vila do Conde, Viana do Castelo lo and Caminha.
When it is hot the best remedy is shorts, t shirts and so on.

 

[The New One]

Thank you. So do you think it would be better to find and book the hostel before?

 

[Doogman]

As noted above, the route is pretty well marked. I believe the Briereley guide covers the coastal route if you want to use that.

Both times in Porto I have been able to pick up my credential at the Cathedral. There is a desk on the right, just inside the main entrance. They have charged 2 euros each time (or maybe they requested a 2 euro donation).

I did the coastal route in July, and the weather was wonderful. Not chilly at all in the evening, maybe a light sweater or jacket, and a nice breeze off the ocean to keep it cool during the day. Once you move inland a bit and connect with the central route at Redondela, it starts to warm up significantly. I remember it being extremely hot in Pontevedra one afternoon.

 

[KariC]

You can also order your credencial through this website.
The Brierly guide sets out stages often longer than 20 km a day, so you won't be able to just follow his book and recommendations, but it is FULL of albergue recommendations, so I recommend getting it for the towns when your stops will match his stages.
I would not bring a heavy coat - as lightweight-yet-waterproof as you can get + a light layer for double duty.
Bom caminho!

 

[alipilgrim]

you can look at gronze.com too

 

[Elle Bieling]

Hello @The New One. I have written extensively about our Camino Portugues. Have a look at my website. It is loaded with information. Bom Caminho!

 

[Former member 22438]

Thank you. So do you think it would be better to find and book the hostel before?

In summertime I should do
I do not know your schedule and where you will stay. Popular place is Vila Praia de Âncora where the people come for bathing. 20 kms from Viano do Castelo so I should book there .we stayed at Quim Barreiros -a popular musician/artist in Portugal-who rents rooms.

 

[The New One]

you can look at gronze.com too

Is it only in Spanish?

 

[The New One]

As noted above, the route is pretty well marked. I believe the Briereley guide covers the coastal route if you want to use that.

Both times in Porto I have been able to pick up my credential at the Cathedral. There is a desk on the right, just inside the main entrance. They have charged 2 euros each time (or maybe they requested a 2 euro donation).

I did the coastal route in July, and the weather was wonderful. Not chilly at all in the evening, maybe a light sweater or jacket, and a nice breeze off the ocean to keep it cool during the day. Once you move inland a bit and connect with the central route at Redondela, it starts to warm up significantly. I remember it being extremely hot in Pontevedra one afternoon.

Thank you for your answer. Hopefully I'll have nice weather too. How fast did you walk? Were you walking early in the mornings or rather in the evenings? I imagine it is way too hot to walk during the day.

 

[MacMac]

I walked from Lisbon to Santiago via Porto and the coastal route last July/August, delivery together with my 20y old daughter.

14 days from Porto to Santiago is about right. Despite it being the main summer holiday time, we didn’t have any problems finding beds in albergues. I suggest using Gronze.com ... it lists all albergues and accommodation available per village/town along the entire route. It is in Spanish and still aeasy to figure out, I don’t speak it myself.

The weather/temperature depends... some years are very hot, some aren’t. We were lucky to have warm, sunny weather throughout with the temperatures never going above 33c. However a week after us, they had some days in the 40s.

Most of the Camino coastal is along well built footpaths (often wooden) and paved ways .. easy to find, well marked ... you will pass along many beaches with families and tourists ..

The Brierley book was very helpful.

Enjoy yourself! Buen Camino.

 

[alipilgrim]

Is it only in Spanish?

Yes, only in Spanish but with the elevation plot, distance between towns, and lists of accommodation, it's pretty easy to figure out. If necessary, you can use Google Translate or the Chrome browser to translate before you leave.

 

[Doogman]

Thank you for your answer. Hopefully I'll have nice weather too. How fast did you walk? Were you walking early in the mornings or rather in the evenings? I imagine it is way too hot to walk during the day.

Maybe we were fortunate, but we walked throughout the morning into early afternoon. Most days were sunny and quite pleasant, but there were only one or two days that were extremely hot. As mentioned above, these were towards the north end of the route where the path moves a little inland.