With thanks to Rosemary
Hillard who set out on her birthday in October 2013
Porto Cathedral > Matosinhos
along the Duoro
always water on our left
the sound of sea gulls
A beautiful walk ... following the river until it meets the sea.
Senhor de Matosinhos
Pensão-Residencial
Matosinhos > Vila do Conde
We made a few wrong turns on this stretch (markings are
contradictory at a few points but helpful locals finally got us on the right
path). It was raining hard when we arrived in Vila do Conde and we were pleased
that our room had a nice big bath tub and a family run restaurant right downstairs.
Facilities were somewhat dated and basic, but very clean and comfortable. Good
food and plenty of it.
Pensão Patarata
Lavandeiras
Pier 18, Vila do Conde
252
631 894
Vila do Conde > Viana do
Castelo
The weather was not much better the next morning so we took the
bus to Viana do Castelo to rest and reevaluate our plans (at this point we were
seriously considering ditching the caminho and taking a train from Viana to
somewhere/anywhere it wasn’t raining).
Pensão o Laranjeira
Viana do Castelo is a lovely town and Laranjeira a wonderful place
to stay. We had dinner in the restaurant downstairs from the Pensão (both run
by the same family) and it was truly extraordinary. This was the only
“breakfast included” place we stayed in that wasn’t just coffee, juice and
toast or a buffet ... this was a beautiful breakfast, served at a table with a
white linen cloth. Juice, cheese, pastries, eggs, fruit ... delicious. Thus
fortified (and with our spirits renewed) we decided to continue on the caminho
despite the continuing threat of rain.
Viana do Castelo > Vila Praia
de Ãncora
Hotel Meira
Vila Praia de Ãncora > A
Guarda
Good signage on the camino makes it easy to find Hotel Bruselas. The hotel is a bit dated
but our room was clean and comfortable and the place is well located ... an
easy walk down to the waterfront. Halfway down the hill to the harbor (as
directed by the hotel clerk) I stopped in a vodaphone shop to pick up a Spanish
sim card for my phone ... ready to go. Took a great walk around town and later
had a fabulous (fried little fishes, garlic shrimp, padron peppers) and
inexpensive meal at the Porto Guardés
Restaurante ... a very low-key local place right on the harborfront (I
highly recommend).
Hotel Bruselas
A Guarda > Santa Maria de Oia
A beautiful walk along the coast to our next stop (I believe Hotel
A Raiña was recommended by JohnnieWalker). This is a family-run place, very
friendly and helpful people and the restaurant downstairs serves excellent
food. The family also operates a taxi service and since they were already
contracted to take someone into Baiona the following morning, the proprietress
insisted on taking our packs along and dropping them off at our next hotel (she
would not accept payment for this). In
the morning, before she left, she directed us to a short-cut to pick up the
path. The owner’s son and daughter-in-law work at the hotel and restaurant too
and both are deaf. If you know even a few signs you’ll get an extra big smile
(I thank my deaf friends for teaching me a bit of ASL).
Hotel A Raiña
Santa Maria de Oia > Baiona
A gorgeous walk but the last hour into Baiona the sky opened up
and it poured ... our shoes were wet and our coats dripping when we arrived.
The kind clerk at Pinzon put our boots and coats in the boiler room to dry out
and gave us the choice of 2 rooms (we took the attic room which was fairly
large and had a skylight ... not to mention a nice deep bathtub and lots of hot
water!). The streets of the old city
were right around the corner ... many affordable bars and restaurants and a
lively evening scene. We liked Baiona and the Pinzon so much we stayed another night
and were treated to a fireworks display over the harbor (all visible through
the skylight in our room).
Hotel R. Pinzon
Baiona > Vigo
From Baiona the way follows the ocean for miles on a shared
bike/pedestrian way. It's gorgeous ... you can see the Cies islands in the
distance all day. Surfers were out at Playa America which goes on for quite a
distance. Once you leave town you walk the pedestrian path on the highway for
some miles until the path turn off using secondary roads then a nature pathway
on the outskirts of Vigo. The waymarks are sometimes easy to miss, so if you
seem off course, just regularly ask ... we found everyone to be approachable
and helpful (it will help if you speak some Spanish).
Hotel R. Ogalia
Vigo > Redondela
From Vigo to Redondela (10.7 miles) you spend most of the day
going uphill but you're treated to incredible views of the city, the ocean, and
the harbor dotted with rafts supporting oyster farms. It was raining hard when
we did the last stretch into Redondela and we did make a few wrong turns but
finally arrived at the Albergue where we spent the night.
In Redondela you join the main Portuguese camino route to Santiago
... very well marked and with ample lodging at all levels from municipal
albergues to paradors.
Redondela > Pontevedra
We completed the camino from Barcelos to Santiago in 2012 so we
were familiar with this stage. In May of 2012 we stayed in the municipal
albergue which is very nice but a bit of a walk into town. Pontevedra’s a
wonderful little city and we wanted to be able to enjoy the night life a bit
more so we stayed at the Hotel Comercio, inexpensive and well located. Staying
in town will also save you a bit of walking the next morning!
Hotel Comercio
Pontevedra > Caldas de Reis
We knew this would be a long day (and we felt like indulging
ourselves) so we had our packs transported by taxi to our next stop, Hotel
O’Cruceiro in Caldas de Reis. It rained off and on for most of the day but a
generally pleasant walk. Nice woodland paths and some through grape arbors and
farmland. A few slightly scary highway stretches, but easy to forget once they
are done.
Hotel O’Cruceiro
O’Cruceiro also
operates an albergue in the same building as the hotel (different floor) and
word is that it’s very nice, like the hotel, clean and well cared for. Another
plus is the lively bar on the ground level and a very good supermarket right
across the street.
Caldas de Reis > Padron
Unrelenting rain! I obviously hadn’t rinsed all the soap out of my
socks on their last washing as I had soapsuds oozing out of my boot laces!
Pension Jardin was well located (in a beautiful old house across from a park,
just a short walk from the cathedral) and the downstairs was rather lavishly
decorated with antiques (probably original to the house). Rooms, except for
one, were less lavish but very comfortable and clean.
Pension Jardin
Padron > Santiago
Overlooking the Plaza Galicia. Great location and
value. It is located right next to the old town, less than 10 mins from the
cathedral and less than 15 mins from the train station. The rooms are well
equipped, the WiFi signal is very good, and the staff is friendly and helpful.
Residencia Fornos
