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Vila do Conde to São Pedro de Rates

RodrigoD

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2024
Hello! We had originally intended to walk from Vila do Conde to São Pedro de Rates but it looks like the route is unsupported. How is the walk, if anyone has done it? We would rather avoid walking along a highway if possible. In the “Wise Pilgrim Guide” the path appears as pink, unlike the official paths. Our intention is to connect to the Central from the Coastal.
 
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RodrigoD said:
Hello! We had originally intended to walk from Vila do Conde to São Pedro de Rates but it looks like the route is unsupported. How is the walk, if anyone has done it? We would rather avoid walking along a highway if possible
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I'm not sure what you mean by unsupported but yes, hundreds of thousands of people have done it. It is not on a highway as such, but there is a stretch of a few hundred metres along a busy road with no shoulder and care is needed. Otherwise it's fine, with good services along the way..
 
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I just walked Vila do Conde to Rates last month and it was easy to follow. Leaving VdC was the trickiest part, as there are two routes out of the city. We took the "river" route and it was a lovely walk. Met some folks at the albergue in Rates that evening who took the "aqueduct" route and they didn't have good things to say about it. You can see both routes in the WIse Pilgrim app. (Also: the donativo in Rates was one of my favorite places to stay on my entire walk. Highly recommended!)
 
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I did the "aqueduct" route out of Vila do Conde in June 2023. I downloaded the gpx coordinates from the Dutch camino website and followed the route in the OSMand app. Compared to other days walking on roads, I didn't find the route especially bad or tedious. I also met a few other people who were walking the route.

Dutch camino website with gpx coordinates (look under routes for Portugal): https://www.santiago.nl/downloads/#nederland
 
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There are several ways to walk there. The one I did, you turn right and walk east along the river as soon as you cross the bridge into Vila do Conde. It is well marked. There are certainly parts along the road but I didn't feel too unsafe. It joins the Central at Arcos, and then you can walk the Central from there to Rates (as I did). Some don't like that route and prefer one that goes by the aqueduct.
 
There's also a rail trail that runs from Pavoa de Varzim to Rates. I haven't taken it, but I've heard it's a nice, flat, traffic-free walk. It starts near the Pavoa de Varzim metro station. We took a taxi from Fao to Rates when we switched from the coast to the central. I would have like to walk, but some folks in our group were pressed for time.
 

I just said unsupported because in our book there is no mention of that particular stretch. But really appreciate the input
 
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It certainly isn’t terrible. The river portion is nice. I used Mapy.cz and I was happy to have it as the initial markings are very sparse. The Mapy.cz app is free. It has an outdoor layer, which shows the entire Camino. Download the Portugal and Galicia Mabs, and you will not need data service to navigate. Buen Camino
 
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