Camino Portuguese by the coast - a most helpful itinerary

 

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

http://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/residencial-senhor-de-matosinhos.en-us.html?aid=311088;label=bruselas-IkunIabgtvf9MeLhIYp4YwS24390959643%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac927843%3Aap1t2%3Aneg;sid=f53ae8a5495504fee948e6bf481af6fb;dcid=1;checkin=2013-12-18;checkout=2013-12-19;srfid=b734473e8997e95f4312f4ea48ce96b8aa7a24b1X1

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

                        http://www.olaranjeira.com/index.php/en/quartos

                                    http://www.olaranjeira.com/index.php/en/o-restaurante

http://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/residencial-laranjeira.en-us.html?aid=311088;label=bruselas-IkunIabgtvf9MeLhIYp4YwS24390959643%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac927843%3Aap1t2%3Aneg;sid=f53ae8a5495504fee948e6bf481af6fb;dcid=1;checkin=2013-12-18;checkout=2013-12-19;srfid=96c259a31c0632510a81c20aa3f63b9f8298ba70X8

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

Another beautiful walk over Roman roads, woodland paths and rural roads ... marred only by a couple of very scary snarling farmyard dogs just a few miles from our final destination. I used my smartphone and a local sim card to make most of our reservations through http://www.booking.com on day of arrival or night before. If you set up an account with them you can store your credit card info. and contact information making it very easy to book a room... and it also makes you privy to special deals. Hotel Meira popped up as a “secret deal” for 24.50€ (for a nice room for 2 and a huge buffet breakfast the next morning). Granted this is a beach town and it was very off season but it was still a fabulous deal ... generally we averaged about 35€ a night for a double.

Hotel Meira

http://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/hotelmeiravilapraiaancora.html?aid=356980;label=gog235jc-hotel-pt-pt-hotelmeiravilapraiaancora-unspec-us_ma-com;sid=f53ae8a5495504fee948e6bf481af6fb;dcid=1;dist=0;type=total&lang=en-us

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

http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/bruselas.en-us.html?aid=311088;label=bruselas-IkunIabgtvf9MeLhIYp4YwS24390959643%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac927843%3Aap1t2%3Aneg;sid=f53ae8a5495504fee948e6bf481af6fb;dcid=1;checkin=2013-12-18;checkout=2013-12-19;srfid=efe92c46328b06b01393b05907b9c043c5aa639aX1

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

http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/a-raia-a.en-us.html?aid=311088;label=bruselas-IkunIabgtvf9MeLhIYp4YwS24390959643%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac927843%3Aap1t2%3Aneg;sid=f53ae8a5495504fee948e6bf481af6fb;dcid=1;checkin=2013-12-18;interval=1

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

http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/pinzon.en-us.html?aid=356980;label=gog235jc-hotel-pt-pt-hotelmeiravilapraiaancora-unspec-us_ma-com;sid=f53ae8a5495504fee948e6bf481af6fb;dcid=1;checkin=2013-12-18;checkout=2013-12-19;srfid=9d6d4ed6edeae4c24175d4e8c03140ca3f847059X1

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

http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/ogalia.en-us.html?aid=311088;label=hotel-93404-es-LIqQ4PSY4qo31ILQ16iMwgS24397019043;sid=f53ae8a5495504fee948e6bf481af6fb;dcid=1;srfid=fac98ea8f62622728b618af99689a266a10b87f1X1

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

http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/comercio-pontevedra.en-us.html?aid=311984;label=comercio-pontevedra-b18C2NSNf3P6sPTVHGjfQwS32458803913%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg;sid=f53ae8a5495504fee948e6bf481af6fb;dcid=1;srfid=4529e73af7b1c93b90448d90ce9c170a87e4f08dX1

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

http://www.hotelcruceiro.com/

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.

http://www.ocruceiroalbergue.com/#

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

http://www.pensionjardin.com/

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

http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/pension-residencia-fornos.html

Even more on the Camino Portuguese by the coast...

Recently pilgrims have helpfully been posting information about the Coastal route on the Pilgrims' Forum.

I'll collate everything here as a central resource pending writing a guide to this route:

Rebekah reported:

Accommodation options on the Coastal Portuguese route between Oporto and Redondela. 

Albergue de Peregrinos in Caminha, Portugal. 

It is situated underneath a school alongside the big public park by the river, which sounds very pretty but translates to, well... damp and rather dark. 
There´s a kitchen with cutlery, plates, and a microwave oven. 

There is one smaller dorm room with four bunks, and a much larger dormitory with about 40 bunks, (and four blankets among them) seperate showers for men and women (three stalls each), plenty of hot water. 

The facility was clean, but musty and damp. Access was restricted, we phoned a number posted on the door and waited for an attendant to come and unlock it for us. We stayed on a donativo basis, the attendant spoke only Portuguese and a form of French, and snored like a champion from the small dorm room. (Had I been traveling alone, I would not have stayed.) 

Caminha is a charming town with plenty of places to eat and drink and lots of historical sites. Internet is available at the public library, which also houses an interesting little museum. It is on the train line between Spain and Oporto, and also home to the ferry boat that carries pilgrims onward across the ria to A Guarda and Spain.

Rickster reported:

Vila do Conde- Estalagem do Brazao-nice clean hotel in good location, but was a little expensive at
39E, including breakfast.
Esposende- Hotel Suave Mar- nice hotel on the sea and on the trail

Viana do Costelo- stayed in Residencial Laranjeira, in the "old town", perfect location for 40E,
very pilgrim friendly, place outside of room to hang laundry.
A Guarda- It was late in the day and I decided to ferry across instead of staying in Caminha for the
day. Caminha was a beautiful town, but was warned that ferry sometimes is not able to
cross in morning until 10 or 11 because of low tides or weather. Stayed at Hotel Vila da
Guarda for 20E including breakfast.
Oia- Stayed at Hotel A Raina for 30E, including breakfast and laundry, with room overlooking
the sea. A fantastic dinner was served for 8E. Owe this great recommendation to Johnny
Walker.
Baiona- Hotel Anunciada for 20E. Ask for pilgrims' rate. Very nice room in great location.
Redondela- stayed at municipal albergue- good facilities, except small kitchen and very noisy.

All of these accommodations were well located, friendly hosts and could have been less expensive if sharing a room. At the beginning of the coastal route after Vila do Conde, I struggled with finding
waymarkers and many days made several passes back and forth between the road path and any way
I could manage close to the sea. This led to several exhausting days, so I was ready at the end of the day for any clean place to lay my head and didn't take the time to look for albergues or hostels, etc.
The coastal route is beautiful and in my opinion, a great way to start the Portuguese Caminho. 

Daimarlow reported:

Hi we did the coastal route in June 2013. We started from Porto airport where we stayed in a private hostel for 14 euros including breakfast. It is highly recommended. The next evening we stayed in Vila do Conde but I do not believe that there is a hostel there but the tourist information office has a list of bed and breakfast places. Some are expensive but there are some cheaper ones. You need to have a look at them before deciding!!

There is now an albergue in Marinahs.If you follow the signs to the alberque you will pass the red cross ambulance depot. You need to call in to the red cross and obtain the key to the albergue. If you are lucky they will give you a lift in an ambulance. There is one problem with this albergue. It appears that there is only one key. So if someone gets there before you and they go out for dinner you will have to sit around waiting for them to come back.

The next albergue is at Viana do costelo in the convent. It is very easy to miss this albergue. When you cross over the bridge with amazing views there will be stickers on posts directing you to the albergue but you can walk past it. There is a small sign on the wooden doors of the convent.

Caminha has a large albergue with a room with 4 bunk beds and then a large room with 24 beds. There is a telephone number on the door and someone will come with the key in about 10/15 minutes. Unfortunately we had a bad experience at this albergue. We arrived and booked in and at that time we were the only people registered. When we were going out to eat we saw 2 walkers approaching the albergue. When we returned the 2 walkers had taken over the 4 bedded room and put all their gear on the 4 beds and gone out. They were not registered in the book but 5 cyclists were. Imagine our shock when we saw that as well as our 3 beds the other 21 bad been taken up by cycling gear. So we had registered and 5 cyclists had but 19 other people had not. Except for us all the others were out and they had filled the locks with cardboard etc to prevent us locking the doors. We did not know what to do and so phoned the number on the door and were told someone would be there i ten minutes but nobody came. At 11.45 they all came back cyclists and walkers they turned all the lights on played music in the kitchen. When they eventually went to bed about 1am they started to pretend to snore and then had a competition to see who could make the loudest "rude" noise. The lights went back on at 5.15 am when the cyclists all got up and left. They appeared to be a cycling club out for the weekend rather than travelling the Camino. I have no idea how they all got in. This is the only bad experience we have had in the three times we have walked the camino.

Kellyz reported:

I just got back from this route (July 2013). Luis has a map which posts an "A" next to every town with an albergue on the coastal route. Here's a link:http://www.caminador.es/wp-content/uplo ... N-2013.pdf. If this doesn't work, download the map from his website: http://www.caminador.es

I met some Polish men who said they slept on the floor of a fire station in Vila do Conde. I stayed in a pension (the one mentioned by Johnny Walker) for 20e.
Instead of the albergue in Caminha, I took the ferry in the evening and stayed in the albergue in A Guarda.(I was told the very wouldn't run at all on the first Monday of the month.) It was on the far side of town in a facility run by the police and St. Vincent De Paul. Be aware it is slightly off the route (the arrows will not lead you directly to the door). We called the police on the way in to let them know we were coming. We had a great dinner at the restaurant on the corner just before the albergue, and in the morning, we were let into the bakery next door before opening hours. Or we wandered in and they were very patient with us and sold us croissants.
Mougas: private albergue for 10e. I think this might have been a junta that the government could no longer sponser after 2010. Currently run by a local family who might also own the bar next door. The bar served good food.
Ramallosa: Lovely, clean private "cell" at the Apostolic Sisters convent for 10e. Also, an amazing dinner including goose neck barnacles and Coquilles St. Jaque in a slightly rough looking cafe/bar/restaurant in a square near the bottom of the hill. The bar is next to a tapas place and faces a large modern building with a vegetarian breakfast cafe.
O Friexo: where Luis and his neighbors run a village albergue in a former (?) town library. Only four beds. Also mats in a common room. Bar downstairs. The hospitalera prepared a good. simple, inexpensive meal. Luis made queimada after dinner.
Luis's website has all I ever needed to know about walking the various coastal options...if only I'd downloaded and printed the material before I left!

Kelly

Musicman reported:

DATEDESTINATIONHOTEL/HOSTALCBOOKINGPRICE
Thursday 5th, P, (15km) Porto
Airporto Hostal, Rua da Estrada 244, Porto, 4470, tel: 00351911046710, email: airoportohostel@gmail.com Chostalbookers.com £14.67
Friday 6th, P (27km) Vila do Conde
Casa da Laura, Rua Estreita, Vilarinho, 4480, Vi do Conde CFacebook, E-mail ?
Saturday 7th, P, (25km)Esposende
Apulia Praia Hotel, Avenida da Praia 45, Apulia - Esposende (Minho) 4740-033, tel: 00351253989290, email: geral@apuliapraia-hotel.comCBooking.com€39.00
Sunday 8th, P, (27km)Viano de Castelo
Hospedaria Senhora do Carmo, Rua Grande, 72 ou Viela da Cega, 44 Viana do Castelo, 4900-542, tel: 00351258825118, email: batistaesilva@sapo.ptCBooking.com€20.00
Monday 9th, P, (22km) Caminha
San Pedro, Rua da Parede Alta, 14 (sao Pedro), Caminha, 4910-341, tel: 00351258727475, email: geral@residencialsaopedro.com CBooking.com €35.00
Tuesday 10th, SP, (20km approx)Oia Hotel Araina (Tel 0034 986 362908)CBy phone on 31/7€30.00
Wednesday 11th, SP, (26km approx)Baiona
Carabel La Pinta, Camino Entrehortas 21-1, Baiona, 36300, tel: 0034986355107, email: info@hotelcarabelapinta.comCBooking.com€32.00
Thursday 12th, SP (20km approx)Vigo
Hostal la Colegiata, Plaza de la Iglesia 3, Vigo, 36202, tel: 0034986220129, email: hostalacolegiata@hotmail.esCBooking.com€20.00
Friday 13th, SP, (18.2km) Redondela Albergue Xunta, Casa de TorreTBCN/A?
Saturday 14th, SP (23.1km)Pontevedra
Hotel Comercio, Gonzalez Besada 3, Pontevedra, 36001, tel: 0034986851217, email: info@hcomercio.comCBooking.com €30.00
Sunday 15th, SP, (18.1km) Caldas de Reis
H Balneario Acuna, Herreria 2, Caldas de Reis, 36650, tel: 0034902104841, email: reservas@relaistermal.com, NO WI-FICBooking.com £30.07
Monday 16th, SP, (24.9km) Padron,
Hotel Rosalia, Marixa Villanueva, S/N, Padron, 15900, tel: 0034981812490, email: info@hotelrosalia.esCBooking.com€25.00
Tuesday 17th, Santiago
Hospedaria San Martin Pinario, Seminario Mayor, Plaza de la Inmaculada 3, C.P 15704, Santiago, tel: 0034981560282, email:reservas@sanmartinpinario.euCMe/print off€23.00
Wednesday 18thAIRPORT HOME. An excellent route recorded on my Blog "ensuitepilgrim/ Wordpress.com".

Wakerbrother reported:

The following accommodation costs for a double room:

Povoa de Varzim Hotel Luso Brasileiro (Booked 45 euros B&B)
http://www.hotellusobrasileiro.pt/en/

Esposende Hotel Estalagem do Zende (40 euros B&B)
Wouldn't bother with this gaff again. Bit dingy. The albergue at Marinhas 4km or so down the road looked ok.
Shortage of budget rooms in Esposende.
Viana do Castelo Hospedaria Senhora do Carmo (30 euros room only)
batistasilva@sapo.pt

Caminha Residencial Galo D'Ouro (40 euros room only)
http://residencialgalodouro.blogspot.co.uk/

Oia Casa Puertas (40 euros B&B). Best place we stopped.
http://www.casapuertas.es/location.html

Didn't stop in Baiona as we had two nights rest and recreation on Las Islas Cies.

Vigo Hotel Hesperia (72 euros B&B). Bit of a splurge but we were very tired.

Redondela Rosa's Albergue no. 33 just up from the official albergue.
(51 euros included Bed, Evening Meal, Breakfast and quite a few beers!)

Pontevedra Hotel Boavila (45 euros room only). Nice room but right in the centre which is very noisy at the weekend.
http://www.hotelboavila.es/

Caldas de Reis Hotel Lotus (30 euros room only). Excellent value.

Padron Chef Rivera (70 euros room only but it did have a jacuzzi…bliss)

Santiago Hotel Barbantes http://www.libredonbarbantes.com/ (50 euros a night room only)

  

More on the Camino Portuguese by the coast...

Hola everyone

I'm getting many more enquiries asking for information on the route by the coast from Oporto. The original post is here

And here is a very helpful note from Sandra. 

Vila do Conde

 Johnnie, I emailed you some time ago asking for info on the above route. I have since been there, walked it, and the other day found your account of the coastal way which is the one I really wanted to do....

We walked from Porto to Santiago from 13th to 24th June. 
On the first day we took the metro to Matosinhos and along the boardwalk: absolutely wonderful day, brilliant sunshine and not too strong breeze. 
In Vila do Conde we found a really good place to eat: from the sello, it looks like Jose Gaifem, Adega Do Testas. It is a good bit away from the harbour, to the left and behind as you look over from the bridge into town. We were just strolling, so maybe ten minutes or so from the quay.
Jose, the owner, who has walked the Camino several times, was outside cooking sardines on his brazier, and easily negotiated a late menu del dia for us, although it was way past time for that. He told us of a Residencia near his restaurant which has reasonable rates for pilgrims, and also the Fire Station, but by then we had booked into a small hotel. The food was really good, freshly cooked by his wife and served by his son.

Then we cut across to join the route from Rates. That day was so hot, and the local fiesta of their patron included a 4 way set of speakers playing latino music all day and all night...!

The second place of particular note was in Ponte de Lima. It was a busy day of fiesta and we looked for a place recommended in our guidebook, to be waved off by a member of staff telling us that menu de pelegrino didn't start till 7pm... Walking on a little bit we found Restaurante Mercado. An excellent choice. It has recently changed hands, and the service and quality of food was excellent.

Last Stamp Albergue - highly recommended

The third place of note was the albergue we found in Santiago itself: El Ultimo Sello. This is a private albergue, to the right of the square at the top of the street leading up from the Cathedral to Caso Manolo.
It is absolutely spotless, only a few months in business. There are around 50 beds in various rooms. Sheets! Pillows! laundered! Duvets! There is a really well stocked kitchen and a great double patio for clothes, dogs, bikes... rate varies depending on the number of nights but around €16 or so. Very central: when we did the French Way seven years ago we had booked ahead because of the date of arrival being very near the feast of Santiago, and the albergue, also private, was a good walk out of town. This time we were so central it was much easier and when we didn't eat in Casa Manolo we were actually able to cook and invite some our walking companions to join us in the kitchen. The desk is attended 24 hours a day.

We had time to visit the City of Culture. A vast monument to .. what, exactly? I have never been to the Pyramids, but I imagine it might feel similar... the scale of the buildings in relation to human frame...
We saw maybe eight other visitors, and it was Wednesday, free entrance (usually €4.00) to the Orinoco exhibition.
Santiago itself is the city of culture, no need to compete with it. A Galician woman left us in no doubt as to how the local taxpayer feels about it.

I promised Jose in Vila do Conde, the owner of the restaurant in Ponte de Lima, and the receptionist in el Ultimo Sello - not forgetting Manolo himself in Santiago (where fast food is freshly prepared and excellent value) that I would pass on my experience of their special service, and so, here I am asking you to include brief references to them. If you think there is a better way of doing that, please let me know and I will send on the recommendations to a different site. 

I think I have taken enough of your time, thanks again for your excellent blog.
Regards,
Sandra

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

  

Coastal Route - Camino Portuguese

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

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!

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

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

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

  

Just what the doctor ordered

                   

It has been a busy time in Santiago. The Amigos project is well under way and tonight Mildred and Elizabeth, or “Amigos 7 and 8” arrive. They take over from William and Mario, who themselves took over from Patro and Laraine two weeks ago.  The number of pilgrims arriving is increasing daily and regularly now we receive around 1000 pilgrims in the day. Many have questions or simply want to talk about their Camino. The Amigos provide a ready listening ear.  The Amigos are recognised easily by their distinctive blue Tshirts. This is having the added and welcome consequence that they are easily recognised in the streets on their way home when pilgrims who have been welcomed by them return the compliment with waves, greetings and even more questions.

Amigos Patro and Laraine meeting Eduardo and D. Jenaro from the Pilgrims' Office

As well as Amigos arriving so too did a group of 15 members and associates of one of the City of London Livery Companies, the Tylers and Bricklayers. They elect a “Master” each year who can mount a special project to mark their term of office. This year’s Master is Piers Nicholson, Camino addict and owner of the popular website http://www.santiago-compostela.net/   So it was no surprise that his project was leading a group walking the Camino Inglés from Ferrol. I helped them organise things on the ground including identifying “pick up points” where they could be assisted by car if it all became too much! However they didn’t need this safety net very much and they duly made a triumphant entry into the city. They were very pleased with themselves.

They were quickly followed by old friend Rebekah who had walked the Camino Portugese with Kathy Gower of the American Pilgrims and friend Phillip from Belgium. It was great seeing them and meeting Kathy at long last. They arrived at the same time as George Greenia and Kay Jenkins both professors from the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg University. There they have an Institute of Pilgrimage Studies and they were in Santiago with a group of students before starting to walk the Camino Francés with them. All these folk in one place was a good excuse for a party and we had a wonderful dinner together.

Then I had a visit from old friends Jenny and Graham from Edinburgh who were the very first people to introduce me to the Camino. I explained this to friends in the Pilgrims’ Office who immediately retorted “you have created a monster!”

Vila do Conde

After the first groups of Amigos arriving and all of carousing with visiting friends I was feeling the pressure and looming large is the 9 Day Novena held annually in the church in A Coruña where I am playing. There are 2 services a day for the 9 days starting from Tuesday...more of that later. Yes, overwork and stress can happen even here in Santiago. Fortunately a cure is at hand and with the Big Man who will sing during the 9 Day Novena I set off on the Camino Portugese.  There are a number of routes through Portugal and I have walked the “interior route” from Oporto to Tui to Santiago before. This time I wanted something completely different and so we decided to explore the route along the coast from Oporto.

Karla making sardines

It seems there are two costal routes in Portugal we decided to try and find our way along the very coast of Portugal and Spain until we joined with the interior route at Redondela. Time constraints meant we started in Vila do Conde which can be reached either by walking along the coast from Oporto or by Metro. I’ve stayed in Vila do Conde before and I think it is beautiful town. With rooms in a harbour side hostal we were perfectly located to see the locals buying fish straight from the arriving fishermen.  When Karla who runs the hostal presented me with a chilled glass of white wine and grilled sardines which had come out of the sea only hours earlier I was in heaven. 

Next day we set out with only a map of the coast of Portugal. We had been told that there was some waymarking but that the arrows might be yellow, green or red.  No matter. We were determined to see if we could walk as close to the sea as possible and in doing so end up in Vigo or Redondela. Shortly after setting off we discovered some yellow arrows which we followed. These took us along beach side promenades, boardwalks and paths always within sight of the sea. Had we tried to walk on the sand it would not only have made walking difficult but we would have missed the arrows which as it turned out were plentiful and very helpful. Some 24 kms of good walking later despite some rain we arrived in Esposende. As we entered the town the rain got heavier and we were glad when we got to the hotel which had been recommended. Only it was full. There was a huge wedding in progress. The receptionist took pity on the hungry and very wet pilgrims and telephoned the three other hotels in town. All full. Undeterred she phoned more until she found us rooms at almost half the price 10 kms out of town. The “taxi for Walker” was duly organised. Next day we set out early from Viana do Costela to walk the 27 kms to Caminha. Although the weather was mixed this was stage where this route really revealed itself. 

Following clear waymarks we made our way mile after mile along paths just by the side of the ocean. We passed people collecting shellfish from the rocks and fishermen with long rods impossibly perched on the rocks as the waves crashed around them. With the smell of the sea in my nostrils and occasionally the spray from the waves dotting my spectacles I fell in love with this route. I love the sea and in this stage of the route there was plenty of it. Once or twice we had to work out where the arrows were going. But we found the way forward without much difficulty and we arrived in Caminha tired but full of anticipation for the ferry journey the next day which would take us to A Guarda across the river to continue on to Baiona 36 kms to the north.  Down where the ferry leaves there is a very good rooftop restaurant looking out over the water. The dinner was excellent. Not so was the news from the waiter that the ferry had broken down and might not be replaced for some days. “Taxi for Walker” was the only answer if we wanted to continue on the route along the coast without a 22 kms detour walking on the road. Soon we were in A Guarda and we set off following the arrows along seaside paths with magnificent views of the ocean. Sail boats sailed passed way out at sea. The breeze carried the sea spray and the only sound was from the huge waves crashing on the rocks. I found the beauty of all of this almost overwhelming and I resolved that day to produce a guide to this particular route. It has so much to offer.

We decided to split the stage in two and walk 19 kms to Oia then move on next day to Baiona. This was a wise decision because we were so enjoying walking close to the sea we missed the waymark which takes the route up onto a path then road looking down on the rocks. As we found ourselves scrambling over rocks thinking “this can’t be right” a man appeared pulling on his clothes from bathing in a sea pool and he happily gave us directions and all was well.  

Arriving in Oia was for me once of those magical Camino moments. We passed a small chapel at the entrance to the village which sits on a beautiful bay. Soon we passed the mighty 12 century church and monastery which dominates the seafront. We booked rooms in the local hotel which cost 35€ for lunch, dinner, bed and breakfast. Moncho the son of the family is profoundly deaf but we all found a way of communicating. He showed us our rooms and also a terrace where he asked us to wait. As we looked out over the bay Moncho arrived with a huge jug of beer, a plate piled high with steaming hot roast beef and a fresh loaf. The walking, the beer, the beef, the scenery.Wonderful.

Next day as we continued the rest of the stage to Baiona the sun came out and temperatures soared. The route remained at the water’s edge for many kilometres taking us all the way into the seaside resort. Baiona is very picturesque but  because of the proximity of Vigo airport with flights to the UK it has also become a popular holiday destination and for the first time I heard English voices and saw pubs advertising English beer. I wouldn’t have been surprised if there were boards next morning advertising “Full English Breakfasts”. But it was a useful stopping point and early next day we were off to Vigo where this few days break would soon end.

The route from Baiona to Vigo basically follows a number of beaches before heading inland on a peaceful and long forest path.  The longest beach before reaching the path for Vigo is the Playa  América which stretched for miles before us. Totally relaxed and recovered by this point I made two decisions. The first is to return and produce a guide from Oporto all the way up the edge of the sea to Redondela. The second was to take off my boots and socks and walk as far as I could in the water. Just what the doctor ordered.