Camino Portuguese Coastal Route - Latest update

Thanks to everyone who has contact me. The updated information is in bold below:

This week's post bag brought 6 enquiries from pilgrims thinking about walking the coastal route from Oporto to Redondela - and then onwards to Santiago on the "usual" interior route. The route along the coast is very beautiful and I am committed to writing a guide to it. I hope to return for two or three separate weeks this spring and summer. In the meantime I'll publish here the notes I walked with. If anyone has further information particularly about accommodation and route finding I will post that too.

Overall Map of the route:

This map is published on the enormously helpful website http://www.caminador.es

And another map I used. The full version on paper is readily available at Tourist Offices in Portugal. Or e mail them (English is fine) and ask them to post one to you. 

Contact: http://www.porto-tourism.com/tourist-information-offices-in-porto.html

How much is accommodation?
A couple of people have written with this question. Accommodation along the route in hostals costs between 20 - 35€ for a single room and around 40 - 50€ for a twin room. Sharing is always cheaper!


Waymarking

The route is very well waymarked in places but it is patchy in others. On the map above you follow the green dotted line to A Guardia and then the red dotted line. As you can see you always keep the water on your left. If you scout around a little you can find the arrows. Remember there is very little actual walking on the sand which is difficult to do for any length of time - there is a waymarked path nearby! I will eventually provide detailed walking notes on how to find the start of the route each day...but when I walked I found the arrows although sometimes I had to look around a little!

Leaving Oporto:

Ian Holdsworth of the Peterborough Pilgrims wrote:

"All the way along the first section it is old style resort type frontage like Blackpool.( there is also an old style tram) About 4 or 5miles along you come to the Youth Hostel on the ridge above. With the timing of the first Ryan air fight of the day this is a good place to make a first night stop. If one gets the tram into town from the airport and then walk to the Cathedral and then on it, makes a good easy day that is enough with the rigours of flying from home.

Plenty of places to stop for food along the way. Beware some of the beachside eateries are very expensive foodie seafood places. But there are other enough for all tastes. The boardwalk does not start till after Matosinhos . By the bridge on the Porto side is a great Bar/restaurant for breakfast. Also we found a pharmacist that would sell heart medicine to someone who had left his prescription behind in the UK at 8:45 in the morning without a script or doctors letter. Well way marked from Matsinhos, Cannot remember before, but there is no need the ocean is arrow enough."

Oporto – Vila do Conde  25 kms

Tourist Office -Vila do Conde

Tel: 252 248 473

http://www.cm-viladoconde.pt

E-mail: turismo@cm-viladoconde.pt

There are hotels and hostales at all prices – for a full list e mail the tourist office. There are two reasonably priced establishments by the harbour:

Pensão Patarata 3.ª

Cais das Lavandeiras,

18 * 4480-789

Vila do Conde

Tel 252 631 894

Hospedaria O Manco d'Areia

Praça da República,

84 * 4480-715

Vila do Conde

Tel 252 631 748

Fax. 252 631 748

Vila do Conde – Esposende  23 kms

Esposende – hostal as you cross the river and another by the old fort

Esposende – Viana do Costelo  22 kms

Viana do Costelo – lots of options including youth hostal

Details of the albergue:

http://www.cruzdoscaminhos.blogspot.co.uk/p/regulationuk.html  

Viana do Costela – Camiña/ A Guarda 24 kms (28kms)

Camiña – albergue, hostals, tourist office with list or cross to A Guarda by ferry

Camiña/A Guarda – Oia  20 kms (16 kms)

Oia – casa rural in village and good hotel #

I found their business card:
Hotel A Raíña
Tel: 986 362908
Mobile: 607 986 644

E mail:  oia@hotellaraina.com

Web: www.hotelaraina.com

Oia – Baiona  18 kms

Baiona – many options

Baoina – Vigo  22 kms

Vigo ( option 1 follow yellow arrows: modern route no probs but tedious walk in. Option 2 at outskirts of Vigo leave yellow to follow GREEN arrows to Freixo where you can stay in social centre. steep climb up......from Freixo better walk in but longer. Pass v interesting church. OJO! the green arrows tend to run out in Vigo and there are some confusing red ones as well. This is supposedly the original route. Once pass the church ask how to get to city centre.

Vigo – large town, many hostals

Vigo – Redondela  16 kms

Follow CSJ Guide - http://www.csj.org.uk/guides-online.htm

Redondela – Pontevedra 20 kms

Pontevedra -  Caldas de Rei 22 kms

Caldas de Rei – Padrón 17 kms

Padrón– Santiago de Compostela  24 kms