Walking from Lisbon - 16 Oct to 14 Nov 2024. Options?

[marsheng]

I met a a Spaniard living here in NZ today and she said the Portuguese way can be very wet this time of year.

Would I be better off doing the French way ?

The things to consider are

Possibility of rain
Temperature range
And number of other travelers. (I would like to meet people along the way.)
I presume the daylight period would be much the same.

Any suggestions even if there is a better forum to ask this question.

 

[peregrina2000]

I met a a Spaniard living here in NZ today and she said the Portuguese way can be very wet this time of year.

Would I be better off doing the French way ?

There are lots of websites that will give you comparative average rainfall charts. This website suggests that Navarra (at the beginning of the Francés) is a little wetter in October than the Lisbon area, but weather patterns are anything but reliable and “normal” these days.

There will be fewer pilgrims on the Português (at least south of Porto) than on the Francés.

But there will be a difference in terms of daylight, since Portugal and Spain are (ridiculously) in different time zones. In Spain in October, you can expect sunrise around 8:30, which makes for very late starts if you like to walk during the day. In Portugal, the clock will be an hour earlier, so sunrise will come sooner.

 

[marsheng]

The flight from NZ has taken its toll. 29 hours. I have booked in an extra day in Lisbon to recover. I have to decide whether it is going to be an all out walk or to balance it with some relaxation. Something I really need. Do I really need to walk in the poring rain? I planned 'enough' time for the walk but if I decide it's getting too much, how do I skip a stage? If for example I go straight to Santarem, do I get a stamp at Lisbon and Santarem or just Santarem ? From the map books, I can see which towns have trains and busses.

 

[trecile]

for example I go straight to Santarem, do I get a stamp at Lisbon and Santarem or just Santarem ?

I get my first stamp at the place where I actually start walking, but if you want to get a stamp from the Cathedral in Lisbon that's okay too.

 

[peregrina2000]

I have booked in an extra day in Lisbon to recover.

Enjoy that day, Lisbon is a beautiful city. I think the best place to get up to date info on the caminho from Lisbon to Porto is the newly opened Pilgrim Office in the Church of the Conceição Velha on the Rua Alfándega. It’s very close to the Terreiro do Paço and not far from the cathedral. The office is open 7 days a week, and I believe they are going to keep it open till the end of October. The Cathedral also can give you a credential and a stamp/carimbo, but the office is staffed by members of the Via Lusitana (the Lisbon amigos group) and is in touch with everyone up and down the route.

See this thread for details.

 

[marsheng]

An update. I arrived in Lisbon broken. Lot of mental stress buildup from other things and that crashed me. I visited a friend in Toulouse for the weekend and then flew direct to Porto. Spent 3 days there, just as well as it prepared my calves for the walk. I ended up do a few big walks and now in Valenca on day 4. I had a rest day today. I was so tired when I got to Valenca, (hard to stop when you go over the hill and see the city in the distance.) I decided to book into a motel with bookings.com and once booked I realized I was staying inside the Roman fortress. Big plus. Worth the price.

Ok Rain, day 2 was rain. What we had was drizzle. Not a problem at all. I had a rain jacket and a poncho and was dry. I'm originally from Africa and when it rains there it RAINS. The sky gets so black with the clouds and rain, the street lights come on in the middle of the day. There you cant walk from the house to the car in the driveway without getting completely wet. I must admit that some of the tracks would be very slippery with the drizzle.