camino Archives - Books And Travel

A Pilgrim In The Path Of History. Solo Walking The Camino De Santiago Portuguese Coastal Route With J.F. Penn

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In September 2022, I walked the Camino de Santiago along the Portuguese Coastal route. It was around 300 kilometers from Porto in Portugal north along the coast and then inland to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which took 14 days of back-to-back walking.

I walked alone and carried my pack with everything in it, and I organized my accommodation through Macs Adventure so I knew where I was sleeping every night. I’ve posted a day by day breakdown of the route and my gear list separately, and in this episode, I go through some of my lessons and thoughts from the Way.

JFPenn at Farolim de Felgueiras lighthouse, Porto

Show notes

How walking in the path of history puts life in perspective
If you’ve lost direction in life, pilgrimage can help
Pilgrimage proves you can do hard things, and that knowledge helps back in your daily life
A fusion of sacred and secular
The Camino is an industry — and it always has been
Your Camino, your way. Practical considerations and tips.
Why I needed these last years of walking alone across a seasonal change in my life

You’ll find additional reflections and tips in Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, out now at jfpenn.com/pilgrimage.

Walking The Camino Portuguese Coastal Route From Porto To Santiago De Compostela: Overview

Religious, Walking

In September 2022, I walked the Camino Portugues Da Costa, the coastal route, from Porto in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It was around 300 km in 14 days with links to each day’s walk below as well as extra decisions and packing info, as well as links to my other pilgrimage content. Bom caminho! Buen camino!

Preparation: Decisions to make, packing and gear list

Day 0: Exploring Porto, Portugal

Day 1: Porto city around the coast to Matosinhos (13km)

Day 2: Matasinhos To Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal (31km)

Day 3: Póvoa de Varzim to Esposende, Portugal (21km)

Day 4: Esposende to Viana do Castelo, Portugal (27km)

Day 5: Viana do Castelo to Vila Praia de Ancora, Portugal (19km)

Walking The Camino: Decisions To Make, Packing, What To Take And Leave Behind

Walking

There are a few decisions to make if you want to walk your own Camino.

(1) Which route to take?

There are many routes to Santiago de Compostela from different directions, and the route you choose will be determined by the amount of time you have and if you want to do it in one trip, as well as your confidence with walking long distances.

Most Camino books and films are about the Frances route that starts in St Jean Pied-a-Port, France, and crosses over into northern Spain, then heads west. I originally wanted to do this route, but it takes 5-6 weeks and I couldn’t take that much time off work.

I decided on the Portuguese Coastal route as it could be completed end to end in two weeks, at around 300 kilometers in total. It’s also one of the quieter routes, as the Frances can have several thousand pilgrims traveling per day in high season, especially in a Holy Year. I also liked the idea of walking along the coast, and I love Portugal as well as Spain.

Camino waymarkers of Galicia Photo by JFPenn

Make sure you schedule rest days. I walked 14 days back to back with no rest day and regretted it. There were a couple of shorter days walking but I still had to lace up my shoes, put on my pack and walk for hours every day.

(2) Independent travel vs. using a company to organize accommodation

Cathedral Of Santiago De Compostela, Spain

Places, Religious

It was wonderful to explore the city of Santiago de Compostela without a backpack on! I taped up my blisters and headed out for the Cathedral where I spent several hours looking around and visiting the museum, as well as attending Pilgrim’s Mass. There are 3 per day so you will find one that suits and it lasts about 45 minutes.

Pilgrims arrive in the Plaza del Obradoiro which has the most imposing cathedral facade. You can’t enter the church this way but the entrance to the museum and the Portico da Gloria are on this side.

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela Plaza del Obradoiro Photo by JFPenn

Walking The Camino Portuguese Coastal Route: Padron To Santiago De Compostela, Spain

Religious, Walking

The final day, 27km to from Padron to Santiago De Compostela.

My feet were blistered, I was exhausted — but I was ready to finish strong! I left the hotel at 6.30 am in the dark (sunrise was around 8.15 am), intending to find coffee along the way. The hotel provided a picnic so I had food with me.

Leaving Padron in the dark Photo by JFPenn

Walking The Camino Portuguese Coastal Route: Caldas De Rei To Padron, Spain

Religious, Walking

The penultimate day! Most of the 19 km walk was through agricultural pathways and back streets.

camino

(1) Which route to take?

(2) Independent travel vs. using a company to organize accommodation

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