Another (much-needed) shorter day at 15km. I didn’t take any complete rest days, so these shorter walks were helpful for restoring some energy, as the days ahead grew longer in terms of kilometers.
There was a tail end of a hurricane threatening and the clouds were gathering as I walked out of A Guarda.
[Read more…] about Walking The Camino Portuguese Coastal Route: A Guarda to Oia, Spain
This was a short walk (14km) with a river crossing into Spain.
I walked out of Vila Praia de Ancora early through the detritus of the festival and the party-goers who had been up all night. There were still some fireworks going off occasionally, so it was definitely a good night for some! I slept through it all with the help of earplugs.
There are two routes onward — a coastal path and a shaded one, which is the official one. I was going to take the coastal route but once I saw the weather forecast for another hot day, I chose the shaded path — and was grateful for it!
The day began with walking in quiet, stony back streets at Carreco. You can see how these stony paths are hard on the feet over repeated days!
The 27km walk out of Esposende began through urban back streets. On this route, you can never escape the Portuguese hand-tiled roads that are particularly hard on the feet!
21km on a rainy day on beachside boardwalks and paths, then through an agricultural area and into the back streets of villages before reaching Esposende.
There are many churches along the Camino, but I particularly liked the many variations on this roadside shrine. Sometimes they were modern and colorful and, at other times, ancient stone. They all portray Mary and angels pulling sinners from a fiery boat on the ocean. This shrine was just outside my hotel.
This was the first official day of my Camino de Santiago and a long one at 31km.
I stayed in central Porto and took the first metro just after 6 am back out to Matasinhos, as I walked there along the coast the previous day. Exit at Mercado station (about 40 mins from Trindade station, central Porto) and cross the Ponte Móvel de Leça bridge immediately.
