- Time of past OR future Camino
- Portuguese, 2022
Frances/Fisterra 2023
Greetings!
I walked the Portuguese Camino from Porto (taking the Senda Litoral, Coastal, and Central routes) from April 1 to April 13. This was my first Camino, and it was so wonderful. I wanted to post this trip report in case some details help others in planning their spring trips. I walked with a friend and we met many wonderful folks along the way.
Stages (13 days walking, no rest days. We averaged 20 kms/day, maximum day was 27 kms, minimum was 16):
(Note: Average KM has been corrected to 20 km per day)
Senda Litoral
Porto to Praia de Angeiras
Angeiras to Agucadores
Agucadores to Marinhas
Marinhas to Viana do Costelo
Viana do Costelo to Vila Praia de Ancora
Coastal (along Portuguese side of Rio Minho)
Vila Praia de Ancora to Vila Nova de Cerveira
Vila Nova de Cerveira to Tui
Central
Tui to O Porrino
O Porrino to Cesantes
Cesantes to Pontevedra
Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis
Caldas de Reis to Cruces
Cruces to Santiago de Compostela
Weather: Mix of sun, wind, rain, clouds, with cool mornings and generally mild temperatures (10 to 20 degrees C) in the afternoon. Very pleasant. A couple mornings along the coast there was frost on the ground.
Here are my thoughts/observations on some of the many questions I saw posed on this forum:
Covid and masks: Mask wearing was ubiquitous indoors in Spain and Portugal when we were there. Folks in the hostels/hotels would wear masks checking in, but then remove them generally once in the hostel. I didn’t hear of anyone getting covid along the route. I was able to get my 24-hour antigen covid test to return to the US at the airport in Lisbon, it was quick, easy and cost 25 euro. There are also covid testing at street locations in Lisbon. To get into Portugal, I had a PCR test here in the US, which was required by my airline (United) to check in for the flight. No one in Portugal asked to see my test results, but I couldn’t have boarded the flight without it even though I’m double vaxxed and boosted. I carried my US vaccine card but was never asked for it.
Lodging and booking ahead: We didn’t reserve anything ahead until we got to Tui. Then we booked one night ahead. I’m guessing that due to Semana Santa, the last 100 kilometer portion that starts soon after Tui, and the routes converging, it got noticeably busier once we got to Tui. We stayed in a mix of municipal and private albergues, and small hotels. We had no trouble finding lodging by booking one day ahead.
Apps and maps/guides: We used the Camino Ninja app, which was actually quite good. Linking it to Maps.me to use offline maps to find our lodging really helped make the app more useful. I also brought the Porto to Santiago portion of the Brierley guide. It was helpful to get a bigger picture overview of how the various routes converged and merged. When I tried to research the Portuguese Camino before my trip, I found the Brierley guide to be very frustrating and unorganized to use. But once you’re actually on the Camino, it makes much more sense. It wasn’t necessary to bring it, but it was nice to plan when we were going to leave the Senda Litoral and move inland.
Blankets and cooking: The municipal albergues were not generally providing blankets and I didn’t really see much kitchen activity (cooking, communal eating, etc.). I brought a very small lightweight sleeping bag (10 degree C, less than 1 pound) and was very happy to have it (I tend to “run cold” so generally needed more insulating layers than others, I noticed).
Poncho or jacket/pants/pack cover: I took a poncho and was very pleased with it. The rain poured down for hours one day, and my pack (included shoulder straps and waist belt) stayed perfectly dry, compared to some folks with pack covers whose waist belts, straps and pack contents got wet. My boots and lower pant legs were wet, but then I rolled my pants up (it wasn’t cold, just rainy) and I was very comfortable. Other days when the rain was on and off, it was great to have the easy on-off of the poncho. So now I’m a big poncho fan.
Clothing layers: As I mentioned, I run cold. So I lived in my puffy vest, longer sleeved lightweight layered shirts and hiking pants. Others were in T shirts. So the bottom line is, know your own temperature tolerances, check general weather conditions, and pack appropriately for you. I can provide my packing list if anyone want to see it. My pack is a Gregory 40L Zulu and weighed about 6.5 kilos without water. It was very comfortable for me to carry, and I had plenty of room in it. I made sure the weight was right for me and didn’t overpack my pack even though there was room for more stuff.
Water: I took a 1.25 liter water bottle (just a regular store bought plastic bottle, nothing fancy) and usually didn’t fill it completely. Tap water is good to drink and it was easy to refill along the way (also, it wasn’t hot, so wasn’t drinking as much water). I used a “smart tube” bought on Amazon so I could sip water from my bottle in my side pack pocket as I walked. I don’t like carrying a water bladder in my pack, and my shoulders aren’t flexible enough to get my bottle out on my own. The smart tube worked great, I recommend it.
All in all, the Camino experience exceeded my expectations. The scenery, comradery, wonderful variety of walking conditions (gravel roads, cobblestones, dirt trails, old roman roads, coastal boardwalks, villages, rural town and farms, forests, along streams, wow!) were just incredible. What a great way to see Portugal and Spain. I also really enjoyed meeting so many people from all over, sharing drinks and meals, stories and dorm rooms, and then running into these same folks days later in different towns. I also walked on my own for parts of several days which was nice. I felt very safe and the route was easy to follow, especially with the Camino Ninja app. Bom Caminho to all!
I walked the Portuguese Camino from Porto (taking the Senda Litoral, Coastal, and Central routes) from April 1 to April 13. This was my first Camino, and it was so wonderful. I wanted to post this trip report in case some details help others in planning their spring trips. I walked with a friend and we met many wonderful folks along the way.
Stages (13 days walking, no rest days. We averaged 20 kms/day, maximum day was 27 kms, minimum was 16):
(Note: Average KM has been corrected to 20 km per day)
Senda Litoral
Porto to Praia de Angeiras
Angeiras to Agucadores
Agucadores to Marinhas
Marinhas to Viana do Costelo
Viana do Costelo to Vila Praia de Ancora
Coastal (along Portuguese side of Rio Minho)
Vila Praia de Ancora to Vila Nova de Cerveira
Vila Nova de Cerveira to Tui
Central
Tui to O Porrino
O Porrino to Cesantes
Cesantes to Pontevedra
Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis
Caldas de Reis to Cruces
Cruces to Santiago de Compostela
Weather: Mix of sun, wind, rain, clouds, with cool mornings and generally mild temperatures (10 to 20 degrees C) in the afternoon. Very pleasant. A couple mornings along the coast there was frost on the ground.
Here are my thoughts/observations on some of the many questions I saw posed on this forum:
Covid and masks: Mask wearing was ubiquitous indoors in Spain and Portugal when we were there. Folks in the hostels/hotels would wear masks checking in, but then remove them generally once in the hostel. I didn’t hear of anyone getting covid along the route. I was able to get my 24-hour antigen covid test to return to the US at the airport in Lisbon, it was quick, easy and cost 25 euro. There are also covid testing at street locations in Lisbon. To get into Portugal, I had a PCR test here in the US, which was required by my airline (United) to check in for the flight. No one in Portugal asked to see my test results, but I couldn’t have boarded the flight without it even though I’m double vaxxed and boosted. I carried my US vaccine card but was never asked for it.
Lodging and booking ahead: We didn’t reserve anything ahead until we got to Tui. Then we booked one night ahead. I’m guessing that due to Semana Santa, the last 100 kilometer portion that starts soon after Tui, and the routes converging, it got noticeably busier once we got to Tui. We stayed in a mix of municipal and private albergues, and small hotels. We had no trouble finding lodging by booking one day ahead.
Apps and maps/guides: We used the Camino Ninja app, which was actually quite good. Linking it to Maps.me to use offline maps to find our lodging really helped make the app more useful. I also brought the Porto to Santiago portion of the Brierley guide. It was helpful to get a bigger picture overview of how the various routes converged and merged. When I tried to research the Portuguese Camino before my trip, I found the Brierley guide to be very frustrating and unorganized to use. But once you’re actually on the Camino, it makes much more sense. It wasn’t necessary to bring it, but it was nice to plan when we were going to leave the Senda Litoral and move inland.
Blankets and cooking: The municipal albergues were not generally providing blankets and I didn’t really see much kitchen activity (cooking, communal eating, etc.). I brought a very small lightweight sleeping bag (10 degree C, less than 1 pound) and was very happy to have it (I tend to “run cold” so generally needed more insulating layers than others, I noticed).
Poncho or jacket/pants/pack cover: I took a poncho and was very pleased with it. The rain poured down for hours one day, and my pack (included shoulder straps and waist belt) stayed perfectly dry, compared to some folks with pack covers whose waist belts, straps and pack contents got wet. My boots and lower pant legs were wet, but then I rolled my pants up (it wasn’t cold, just rainy) and I was very comfortable. Other days when the rain was on and off, it was great to have the easy on-off of the poncho. So now I’m a big poncho fan.
Clothing layers: As I mentioned, I run cold. So I lived in my puffy vest, longer sleeved lightweight layered shirts and hiking pants. Others were in T shirts. So the bottom line is, know your own temperature tolerances, check general weather conditions, and pack appropriately for you. I can provide my packing list if anyone want to see it. My pack is a Gregory 40L Zulu and weighed about 6.5 kilos without water. It was very comfortable for me to carry, and I had plenty of room in it. I made sure the weight was right for me and didn’t overpack my pack even though there was room for more stuff.
Water: I took a 1.25 liter water bottle (just a regular store bought plastic bottle, nothing fancy) and usually didn’t fill it completely. Tap water is good to drink and it was easy to refill along the way (also, it wasn’t hot, so wasn’t drinking as much water). I used a “smart tube” bought on Amazon so I could sip water from my bottle in my side pack pocket as I walked. I don’t like carrying a water bladder in my pack, and my shoulders aren’t flexible enough to get my bottle out on my own. The smart tube worked great, I recommend it.
All in all, the Camino experience exceeded my expectations. The scenery, comradery, wonderful variety of walking conditions (gravel roads, cobblestones, dirt trails, old roman roads, coastal boardwalks, villages, rural town and farms, forests, along streams, wow!) were just incredible. What a great way to see Portugal and Spain. I also really enjoyed meeting so many people from all over, sharing drinks and meals, stories and dorm rooms, and then running into these same folks days later in different towns. I also walked on my own for parts of several days which was nice. I felt very safe and the route was easy to follow, especially with the Camino Ninja app. Bom Caminho to all!
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