The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St James) is an extensive network of ancient pilgrim routes across Europe, all coming together at Santiago de Compostela where the tomb of St James, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ, is believed to be located.
We decided to walk the Portuguese Coastal Camino from Porto Santiago over a period of 15 days (including one rest day). This was our route (300km).
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| Our Camino Route (15 days, nearly 300km) |
We had engaged a company called Portuguese Green Walks to plan our Camino, book our hotels in each village/town and to transfer our suitcases each day to our hotel for the next night. This turned out to be a great decision as all the hotels they selected for us were 4 or 5 star hotels with private facilities and amazing breakfasts.
Arrival from United Kingdom to Porto
We spent the first night in a lovely hotel in Porto, the Neya Porto Hotel (click here) and we had the opportunity to wander around the City for the afternoon and evening.
Day 1 - Walking from Matosinhos to Vila do Conde (19.3km)
Quite a long day for our first day but once we got into a rhythm the kilometres went by quite quickly, particularly as the scenery was so beautiful. We alternated between walking on pavements and wooden boardwalks, with the Atlantic Ocean to the left of us the whole route. We walked through nature reserves and local fishing villages and we stopped at one lovely village for lunch (sardines).
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We had been advised that waymarkers would be throughout our whole Camino and it was quite impressive how well marked the whole of our Camino was. We also had a GPS app which was a great help, mostly for us to double check we were on the right track.
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| A typical waymarker |
Vila do Conde, with its origins dating back to 953, was a charming town with many lovely historical buildings. Our hotel was Villa C Boutique Hotel (click here) which was lovely and we made good use of the indoor swimming pool and indulged in a typical Portuguese meal at the hotel restaurant.
Day 2 - Vila do Conde to Esposende (25km)
The first 8km continues along the coast before heading inland along cobbled paths and dirt tracks. We walked through market gardens, along side a golf course, through patches of forest and cute little villages before crossing the River Cavado and entering Esposende.
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| Povoa de Varzim, one of the lovely towns we walked through |
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| Apulia |
When we arrived at Esposende we checked into the
Hotel Suave Mar (click here). This was probably our least favourite hotel of the whole Camino due to the fact that the room was extremely small, there was no complimentary water and there were not many restaurants/bars around the hotel. The breakfast, however, was excellent and set us up well for the day of walking ahead.
Day 3 - Esposende - Viana do Castelo (24km)
After leaving Esposende, the Camino led us inland but we still had brief glances of the Atlantic Ocean for most of the day. It was also the first day we had any hills to climb but they were mostly gentle slopes taking us through lovely quaint villages so it was easy to forget about the climb. We also had a section of forrest, farming areas and rural landscapes.
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Fantastic spot, Afife, where we had a break for lunch
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| Typical path - they definitely like the cobbled paths/roads |
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| Change of path - easier to walk on and of course no cars |
We walked across a 645m Eiffel bridge into Viana do Castelo, a town which was once one of Portugal’s most important ports (at the mouth of the river Lima). The town is famous for its architecture with its celtic settlements and medieval monuments. Our hotel was the
Hotel Casa Melo Alvim (click here) which was built in the 16th century and renovated in the 1990’s. The hotel has a brewery where we decided to have our evening meal and of course we had to try the beer they brewed.
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| Tony outside Hotel Casa Melo Alvim |
Day 4 - Viana do Castelo to Vila Praia de Ancora (18.4km)
This day was mostly inland walking through small villages and forrest. Around the halfway point for the day we descended into flat lands around Vila Praia de Ancora, a pretty seaside resort town.
The hotel we stayed at in Vila Praia de Ancora was
Hotel Meira (click here) a lovely small hotel in the centre of the town, again close to all the cafes and restaurants.
Day 5 - Vila Praia de Ancora to Caminha (9km)
Today was the shortest walking day of our Camino, which was probably good as a large part of the walk was along a yellow cycle path and a path along a long straight road next to a train track. This part was definitely not as nice as all the other paths we had walked on since starting our adventure but still interesting. Funny how a long straight path seems to take so much longer to walk along than a nice cobbled path with interesting scenery.
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| The long cycle path, my least favourite part of the Camino |
Once we arrived in Caminha we soon forgot about the yellow path as it was a beautiful town, centring around a large cafe-filled square in front of a historic clock tower.
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| The village square - full of lovely cafes, bars and restaurants |
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| The old clock and our hotel on the left right in the square |
Our hotel, the
Design & Wine Hotel (click here) was located in the town square and was a beautiful old building that had been renovated inside. We took advantage of the lovely indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam room before heading out for a wander and drinks in the square.
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| Wine & Dine Hotel right in the town square |
This was our last day in Portugal before crossing the border into Spain. We had thoroughly enjoyed the start of our adventure and loved our experiences in Portugal.
Day 6 - Caminha to Oia (19km)
After a lovely breakfast in the hotel, we headed to the ferry terminal to take a boat taxi across the River Mingho to A Guarda in Spain. The boat taxi held 6 passengers and the engine wasn’t working well so we felt as if we were being people smuggled across the border. After leaving the town the track meanders between coastal paths, forest tracks and sections of tarmac roads before leading into a small but extremely pretty village of Oia.
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| One of the taxi boats that cross the River Minho into Spain |
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| The path into Oia |
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| The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria of Oia, a former Cistercian Monastery founded in 1137 |
We loved the little village of Oia, in particular our accommodation at
Casa Puertas (click here). Our room was the room above the front door and it was beautifully renovated. The breakfast was particularly special with the owner squeezing us fresh orange as we watched and cooking a lovely breakfast for us. She had also made some cakes which we had a couple of slices of. A very unique and special experience.
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| Casa Puertas, Oia |
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| Great view for dinner and our first sample of Spanish wine for the trip |
Day 7 - Oia to Baiona (17.1km)
This section of the Camino took us through rural coastal stretches with small fields and a few villages before we headed inland to cut across the mountains towards Baiona. It was a bit of an uphill climb but not too steep or long and then we descended into Baiona.
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| Painted stones by a local artist surrounding a typical Camino sign to Santiago |
Baiona is a cute Spanish seaside town with a mix of scenic views and plenty of history. There are several popular beaches, yacht club and lovely narrow cobbled streets. There are also some nice cafes, bars and restaurants and as we had a rest day in Baiona we were able to visit some great spots each evening.
The hotel we stayed at for 2 nights was
Parador de Baiona (click here) which was quite an amazing hotel inside the Baiona Fortress. A fantastic place to take a day off from walking although we still walked quite a lot taking in the sights of the town.
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| One of the beaches in Baiona and the Yacht Club |
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| The fantastic hotel we stayed in - Parador de Baiona |
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The Fort of Baiona
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Day 9 - Baiona to Vigo (25.3km)
After a day of rest from walking the Camino, day 9 was quite a demanding day. The first few kilometres were through the residential areas of Baiona before we headed to more rural areas. We, again, walked through some lovely villages, interspersed with woodland and quite a busy road compared to our previous days. We had been warned to pay attention to the waysigns to avoid getting lost so we also had to concentrate in some areas but we managed to get to Vigo without too much difficulty. An interesting and challenging route and the only night of our walk where we were too tired to go out for dinner so we ordered room service. The hotel we stayed in was
Agua de Mar Boutique Hotel (click here)
Day 10 - Vigo to Redondela (15.45km)
This was a pleasant day walking mostly through hillside villages and a forest. As 15.45km was now starting to feel like a short walk, we took our time and stopped regularly to admire the scenery.
Our accommodation for the night,
Casa Rural as Chivas (click here) was the first that was actually off the Camino track and we were picked up and taken 1-2 kilometres into the hills. The hotel was quite unique and due to the location we had our dinner in the hotel restaurant which was delicious home cooked food.
Day 11 - Redondela to Pontevedra (19.6km)
The day started with a slow climb to an altitude for 153km (mostly wooded) towards the riverside town of Arcade. We followed ancient stone paths through the woods and most of the day continued through the woods. There was another hill to climb to an altitude of 145m and luckily this was mostly in the shade as the temperature had increased during the last couple of days (30C). Our destination, Pontevedra, was a particularly attractive city with a historical centre full of bustling squares and tapas bars where we were able to sit and enjoy the world going by.
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| The Historical section of Pontevedra |
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| The historical area of Pontevedra |
Our hotel,
Parador de Pontevedra (click here), was located in the historical area of the City and was, once again, quite spectacular with fantastic facilities and location.
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| Our hotel, Parador de Pontevedra |
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| The entrance to the hotel, Parador de Pontevedra |
Day 12 - Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis (21.21km)
The stage today was again quite long but not difficult and was mostly through pleasant countryside including vineyards, woodland and small villages. Certainly by this point in the walk, our legs were used to walking all day.
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| Many small vineyards in this region |
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| Locals out on their morning horse ride through the forrest |
Our accommodation for this evening
Torre do Rio (click here) was located 3km from the town of Caldas de Reis and was probably the highlight for us in terms of accommodation and is somewhere we would definitely love to return to. We had a welcome drink in the lovely lounge area, our meal on the beautiful balcony and the food was first class.
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| Pre-Dinner Gin (Nordes) & Tonic served in the lovely lounge |
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| Our hotel - quite spectacular |
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| Lovely setting for dinner and breakfast |
Day 13 - Caldas de Reis to Padron (18.73km)
After a lovely breakfast at the Torro do Rio we set off for yet another lovely day of walking. The day began with us meandering through some lovely hamlets, gradually climbing to a high point of 165m. We passed some particularly attractive churches and old buildings. The town of Padron has historical significance as it is reputedly the town where the boat bearing the body of Saint James the Greater from Jerusalem first moored.
Our hotel in Padron,
Pazo de Lestrove (click here) was slightly off the Camino track. As it had been quite a hot day, we decided to have a lazy cooling swim in the swimming pool before having a lovely dinner in the hotel restaurant. We were starting to feel sad as we were getting towards the end of our Camino journey.
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| Our hotel, Pazo de Lestrove |
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| Lovely lounge area in the hotel |
Day 14 - Padron to Santiago de Compostela (25.28km)
Our final day of walking and a long and, at times, quite hard walk although as we clicked down into single digits (10,000m) we started to feel excited about arriving at our destination. With Santiago being a City, we seemed to spend quite a long time on sidewalks until we arrived at the historical centre with its maze of ancient streets. We walked through these, which were extremely busy, and turned around the corner to view the Cathedral. We did exactly the same as the majority of pilgrims/walkers, sat down on the ground in front of the cathedral and just took it all in! Quite an amazing experience and what a way to finish our Camino.
Our hotel for the night,
Parador Reis Catolicos (click here) was located next to the Cathedral and, as you would expect, was quite magnificent. It is the oldest hotel in Spain although the interior has been beautifully renovated. Luckily, we had booked two nights in the hotel so had a very special couple of days wandering the City and just enjoying the atmosphere.
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The Town Hall (left) and our hotel, Parador Reis Catolicos
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The Pilgrim Passport for the CompostelaThe pilgrim card identifies you as a pilgrim throughout the Camino. Each day we obtained two stamps each in our passport which could be stamped by hostels, parishes, bars, shops and restaurants who are confirming you were at their venue. This proved the distance we had travelled and enabled us to attend the Oficina do Peregrino and obtain the Compostela (certificate of completion) and a certificate confirming the distance walked.
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| Kay’s Compostela |
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| Certificate of distance completed |
