Walking the Portugues starting mid to end May

[man-to-ray]

Hi all,

I am Kristof from Belgium and I have been scouting this forum the last 2 months because I was planning to walk the Camino Portugese from Porto in mid May. This will be my first Camino!

I have been seriously confused about the footwear question and eventually bought Hanwag Canyon Wide boots 3 weeks ago which gave me a lot pain in my heel leading to not so healthy tendons. After going back to the shop the gave me support soles and that seemed a lot better although my tendons are still recuperating. A few days ago I had the first walk without pain, just sensitivity in the parts of tendons that are healing. Now I am doing a 3 day retreat so my feet are getting the necessary rest.

I have size 42 and they gave me a size 42,5. I asked them if I shouldn’t buy a larger size and they insisted that this was not necessary. I walk comfortably with my boots now but I am still worried my feet will swell to gigantic ones in some magical ways in the Camino. Does this need to be so? DO you really need so much space in your boots that you buy them 1-2 sizes larger?

I intend to walk from Porto to Vila do Conde and then back inland according to the guide from Cordial Rabe. I think this is a fairly standard route.

The issues with my feet caused me to loose time so I am not the best prepared. I might delay the Camino with one week(as I haven’t book any tickets yet) just to prepare more.

Some other questions:

# Should I feel guilty if I take the metro from Porto centre to Matosinhos to shorten the first day to 20 kms? Can I still get a stamp in Vila de Conde and on the way back to the inland route? Or is this part not an official part of the route to get a compostela?

# Do you need to get 2 stamps every day? What about a rest day?

# Is a sleeping bag necessary? I don’t want to get fleas or bed bugs ;-)

# Do most of you buy a bread and picknick on the road?

# Is it super busy on the Portuguese as it apparently is on the Frances? Because I would feel more comfortable if I know I’ll find a sleeping place every night without having to book in advance.

Thanks for reading. I am looking forward to get some feedback from you guys!

 

[Utgaard]

Welcome Kristof!

I walked the Portuguese route in late May, 2014. Let me try to answer your questions.

Feet swelling varies by individual. I had no problems with my feet swelling. I was used to walking every day in my boots before I started my Camino. I put my feet up as high as I could for five or ten minutes every night and I think that really helped.

Stamps are pretty easy to get - they are available from bars, albergues, churches, tourist offices. It is easy to get two a day.

Many people start their walks at Matosinhos. You should not feel guilty if you want to start walking here. However, I think it is a beautiful walk from the cathedral to the Douro and along the ocean. If you have a half day to spare after arriving in Porto you can walk the coast to Matosinhos, take the subway back to town, then the next morning take subway back to Matosinhos and continue your walk.

I carried a sleeping bag. Some nights it was a little warm, but it was never too cold.

I did picnics every day. It is a good excuse to sit down and take off your boots and socks to let your feet dry during the day.

There was no problem with finding a bed when I walked. It will get more crowded after Valenca and Tui,

Bom Caminho!

 

[Ahhhs]

You should never feel guilty about however you choose to do your Camino. It is completely up to you and there are many different ways to do it that are all just fine. People take taxis, buses, boats, trains, even horses and donkeys, or have their packs shipped ahead. Walk fast and far or short and slow. It's all good. The only thing that is necessary is to walk the last 100 km if you want to get your Compostela.

Buen Camino however you choose.

 

[Former member 22438]

Hi all,

I am Kristof from Belgium and I have been scouting this forum the last 2 months because I was planning to walk the Camino Portugese from Porto in mid May. This will be my first Camino!

I have been seriously confused about the footwear question and eventually bought Hanwag Canyon Wide boots 3 weeks ago which gave me a lot pain in my heel leading to not so healthy tendons. After going back to the shop the gave me support soles and that seemed a lot better although my tendons are still recuperating. A few days ago I had the first walk without pain, just sensitivity in the parts of tendons that are healing. Now I am doing a 3 day retreat so my feet are getting the necessary rest.

I have size 42 and they gave me a size 42,5. I asked them if I shouldn’t buy a larger size and they insisted that this was not necessary. I walk comfortably with my boots now but I am still worried my feet will swell to gigantic ones in some magical ways in the Camino. Does this need to be so? DO you really need so much space in your boots that you buy them 1-2 sizes larger?

I intend to walk from Porto to Vila do Conde and then back inland according to the guide from Cordial Rabe. I think this is a fairly standard route.

The issues with my feet caused me to loose time so I am not the best prepared. I might delay the Camino with one week(as I haven’t book any tickets yet) just to prepare more.

Some other questions:

# Should I feel guilty if I take the metro from Porto centre to Matosinhos to shorten the first day to 20 kms? Can I still get a stamp in Vila de Conde and on the way back to the inland route? Or is this part not an official part of the route to get a compostela?

# Do you need to get 2 stamps every day? What about a rest day?

# Is a sleeping bag necessary? I don’t want to get fleas or bed bugs ;-)

# Do most of you buy a bread and picknick on the road?

# Is it super busy on the Portuguese as it apparently is on the Frances? Because I would feel more comfortable if I know I’ll find a sleeping place every night without having to book in advance.

Thanks for reading. I am looking forward to get some feedback from you guys!

In addition to @Ahhhs you need to collect two stamps a day if you walk the last 100 km in your situation from Tui in Spain. Go to albergues, churches, gemeentehuizen,
bars etc .etc. enough chances to get your credential full of stamps (in Portugues carimbo-in Spanish sello)
If you should be in Portugal or Galicia now you should need a sleepingbag. It is very cold and wet now here but they predict better wetter from next week friday. We are in the center now around Coimbra at an altitude of about 600 meters and it is freezing here.
We walked three times in Portugal and Galicia and never encountered bedbugs or fleas. But it allways can happen !
You can buy your breakfast at bars, bakeryshops (paderia in Portuguese-Panaderia in Spanish) and restaurants (in Portugal pequeno almoço or café da manha). We pay about 2€50 for a breakfast in Portugal. Coffee or tea brwad, tooadt or croissant with jam(confitura)
From about 14h 00 most Portuguese and Spaniards use a hot meal in a restaurant. In Portuguese "prata do dia" in Spain menu del dia Only on weekdays ! The day before yesterday we had a prata do dia in Viseu. 7€ per person inclusive a drink, a soup and a main dish ,chicken with rice and vegies. In Spain it is slightly more expensive. About 10 €. A coffee in Portugal is around 0,65 €.

You will find a place to sleep everywhere in Portugal. In Spain it is getting bussier from Tui because lots of Spaniards start there to walk the last 100 kms and obtain the Compostela certificate (good for their CV ! But there is no bed race like on the camino Frances
Last weeks we some hundreds of pilgrims in Pamplona and Burgos on our way to Portugal.
Here today we only saw a group of Portuguese pilgrims walking direction Fátima.

Don't forget to stay at casa da Fernanda in Vitorino de Piaës between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima The best "albergue"on the entire caminho Português from Porto. And forget the albergue in Redondela but walk 3 kms further to Cessantes where is -well waymarked-the refúxio de la Jérezana. Far better than Redondela

Bom caminho

 

[man-to-ray]

Thanks, guys! I just now got back from a retreat so sorry I couldn't reply earlier.

If I understand correctly, any stamps I can collect before the last 100 kms just serve as a decoration on my pilgrim's passport and are not relevant for the Compostela.

I think I'll indeed walk to Matosinhos on my Porto exploration day and then go back to town and leave again form Matosinhos on foot.

I was thinking of taking a very thin bamboo liner(which I used in Indonesia) but that might indeed be a little bit too little so I'll try to look for a light and thin sleeping bag. Would it be a good idea to bring a sleeping mat so you can sleep in albuerges even when the beds are taken? I really don't look forward of taking a sleeping mat with me but if it is a good idea then.. .

I think I'll picnic at times and enjoy the cafes and restaurants as well for lunch ;-)

Thanks for the tip on the albuerge in Cessantes!

Some more questions for the experts :

I bought the Rother guide form Cordula Rabe. I plan on only using this and not really do more research as there will be yellows arrows everywhere. Am I taking this to lightly?
The guide mentions the walking scheme that I encounter a lot here in the forum. It divides Porto to Santiago in 11 walks. Depending on fatigue or feet rest I can take it slower and plan a break in between.

I plan to spend a night in Casa Fernanda after all the positive messages from people on this forum(like you, Albertinho). Would I need to book that a few days in advance as I guess it must be a popular place by now ;-) I kind like to keep everything spontaneous and just see where I get and find a place to sleep there.

I just went to the store where I bought my walking boots and bought a new pair of socks(Bridgedale) and a thin sock to wear in that. The first 1,5 hr long test walk seemed to be ok. Less ankle pain(I guess they are healing). But with boots there is always a bit of discomfort involved I guess. I hope to stick with Canyon Wide boots as I have been walking with them for 3 weeks now(although with a lot pain in my tendons before the shop gave me some inlay soles). If the shoes hold up I can think about booking my ticket to Porto. My original plan was to start walking next week but I'll have to delay that a little bit.

 

[KentuckyJay]

I start from Porto on Friday 13th. I'd be concerned if I was doing anything but walking a Camino!