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Portuguese Coastal Camino
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Portuguese Coastal Camino

A 38-day adventure by Olddustyboots.com Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 9, 2025
    Olddustyboots.comPortuguese Coastal CaminoOlddustyboots.com

    Day 1 Porto to Vila do Conde

    August 11 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    23.25 km Train to Matosinhos to cut 10 kilometers off my day. After having my flight cancelled in Montreal due to mechanical issues, I finally made it to Porto, Portugal and started my Portuguese Coastal Camino. As I walked on a boardwalk alongside the mighty Atlantic ocean, the crashing waves and jagged rocky shore emphasized why this area is the Costa Morta or death coast. Many ships and sailors have perished here, but the sounds of the ocean, children laughing and the tapping my walking poles created a private symphony that made this coast a paradise for me. Bom Caminho!Read more

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    Day 2 - Vila do Conde to Esposende

    August 12 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    23.70 kilometers August 12th - Vila do Conde to Esposende, Portugal. My route took me along the coast again, past ancient windmills, and seaweed harvesting farmers today. I recognized what the farmer was doing because I recently watched a movie where a fellow was harvesting "Irish moss" in PEI. The seaweed can be added to fields as natural fertilizer and this farmer uses it for fields of polenta. I proudly used my rusty French to explain the process to a very confused Hungarian pilgrim.
    Step by step, muscles aching, and the mind questioning the sanity of this activity, I made it to my Albergue by 2 pm. I keep reminding myself, it's not the grandiose accomplishments that matter in the end, but the small, continual ways that we push ourselves to be our best selves, and that perseverance makes the biggest difference in life.    Read more

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    Day 3 Esposende to Vila Nova de Anha

    August 13 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    20.01 km. Today we left the beaches and urban areas behind and climbed hills. Luckily they weren't super steep, but it was a really good workout by the end of the day and the 26C temperature felt so hot. I held my head under several public fountains along the way which was heavenly.
    I walked for a while with a couple from Italy and had lunch with two Venezuelan ladies that currently live in Madrid. And then I took the time to book the rest of my Albergues (hostels) for my walk.
    This is the busy season for the Camino, so I have been having trouble finding accommodations that line up with my walking endurance. While I am okay walking long distances and sleeping in dorms, I draw the line at sleeping in the ditch, which I was becoming worried about.
    Actually that made me remember when my family drove our herd of cattle home from pasture by horseback when I was a teenager. It took two days to get them home and we did sleep in the ditch like cowboys of old with our horses tethered nearby. I guess that means I've turned picky in my old age!    Read more

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    Vila Nova de Anha -Vila Praia de Ancora

    August 14 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Day 4 - 21.40 kilometers. I had just finished crossing a long bridge over waters dotted with fishing boats when I heard drums beating nearby. I turned from my trail and came to a central square crowded with people. Obviously a festival was in full swing and I watched a drum group in traditional dress play. They were followed by another group that was half bagpipes and half drums. A third group represented a more traditional marching band with players of all ages. To the side were these large "people" and many locals were trying on the heads. I still had many kilometers to go or I would have stayed to see more. What an opportunity! Bom Caminho!Read more

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    Vila Praia de Ancora to Sabaris

    August 15 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Day 5 - 49.43 km. Now if you pay attention to the kilometres of my stages, you'll notice a huge jump today which might make you think I suddenly became the bionic woman. Not so.
    Today I crossed from Portugal into Spain aboard a small boat from Xacobeo transfer company. But many of us pilgrims are now facing a shortage of Albergues to stay in. It is high season and town after town are fully booked. So I ended up taking a bus from A Guarda to Sabaris.
    Google and I are currently not speaking after it decided to lead me on a merry chase all over A Guarda to the bus stop. The first time that Google proudly announced that I had arrived was at an overgrown rocky lot between some houses. A bus couldn't even get in there!
    The second time Google delivered me to an actual bus stop way out on the edge of town with no indication if a bus would come at all.
    As I headed back into a more populated area, a local man walking his dog became my rescuer. Communicating through Google translate, he let me know today's a holiday and only one bus will come at 2:30 pm. Other days there's a bus every hour. He led me to the proper bus stop and told me that he would drive by there at 4. If I was still there, he'd take me to Sabaris himself.
    Luckily the bus arrived and I'm at my Albergue in Sabaris waiting for my laundry to dry. This was my Albergue in Sabaris. The privacy curtains make the bunk bed seem quite glamorous! Buen Camino (Spanish)!    Read more

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    Sabaris to Vigo, Spain

    August 16 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    22.86 kilometers - I left before dawn and enjoyed walking through quiet streets in cool temperatures. Today was lots of steep hills through forest, with rocky terrain. After 4 hours of this type of walking without any cafes or stops, I lucked out in seeing a sign to take a small pathway to a promised restaurant. I felt a bit like Red Riding Hood. Should I take the shortcut? Is a Big Bad Wolf waiting? Well, I did take the path and was rewarded with a lovely breakfast at a beautiful restaurant! So the fairytale isn't always right! Buen Camino!Read more

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    Vigo Ghost hotel

    August 16 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    August 16 and 17 - I stayed at the Vigo Beds and Rooms for 2 nights so I could have a rest day. It looks modern and clean in the picture right? It was, but that's where the fun ended. This is what locals call a Ghost hotel. Not for being haunted, but because there's no staff, no reception, no assistance except one cleaning lady who has no ability to help. Check in is on line and I got emailed a code for the entrance door. Another code let me into my room containing 3 bunk beds, one chair and some lockers. In addition to these luxurious offerings, there was a women's bathroom down the hall, with toilets, sinks and showers with lukewarm water.
    There was no kitchen or lounge area and no patio or outside rest area. No laundry facilities which is a problem for a pilgrim who only has 2 sets of clothes. Luckily there was wifi.
    While I did get a day off from walking, I was glad to say goodbye to this Albergue. Buen Camino!    Read more

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    Vigo to Arcade, Spain

    August 18 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    August 18, 2025. Vigo to Arcade. 23.32 km, but one of the steepest areas on this route. Before dawn, I walked a couple of km to the bus station, which was a real life bus station this time, and I cut a few kilometers off my day and avoided the steepest part of today's trail by taking the bus for a short ride. Then on I walked through more hilly and forested areas to Arcade where I was rewarded with a great Albergue. There are people here to welcome the pilgrims, an outdoor pool, lounge area, bar, restaurant, laundry facilities and supper and breakfast are included, I'm here for two nights and am loving it already!Read more

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    Arcade to Pontevedra, Spain

    August 20 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    August 20, 2025 . 14 km. My "shadow" is taller and slimmer than I am! Hahaha. Today was a shorter walk and I spent some of it with Michelle from New Zealand, who had a company organize her Camino and move her backpack ahead each day.
    We walked through farmland and forest, seeing sheep and horses grazing. Tractors passed us occasionally and we came across a few pop up cafes in the woods where coffees and fruit could be had. Beun Camino!    Read more

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    The Pilgrim's Church

    August 20 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    At Pontevedra, my favourite spot was the Pilgrims Church built in the shape of a scallop shell, which is the sign of the Camino. I went to a Spanish pilgrim's mass here after supper. This is the first pilgrim's mass I've found on the Portuguese Coastal Camino, whereas they were found just about every night on the French Way. The voices of Alleluia rose in the circular nave like those of angels. So beautiful! Beun Camino!Read more

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    The Spiritual Variant

    August 21 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    August 21, 2025. Pontevedra to Combarro, Spain. 13 kilometers. This picture is how I think I look while walking the Camino - so serene and peaceful. But in reality, I'm a sweaty, red-faced mess and although it's hot and really difficult at times, it's also very rewarding.
    Today I left Pontevedra in a swarm of pilgrims who were all chatting and it was like being a part of a busy beehive that was always buzzing. Some groups had a guide leading them, while others were walking their own Camino, but all were less than 60 kilometers from Santiago which would be their end goal.
    And then we came to a junction and I turned onto the Spiritual Variant Camino and just like that all the noise was gone. The crowd went from 100 to about 20 pilgrims and I could hear the birds again. The atmosphere changed from an excited, buzzing energy to a quiet, calm pace again.
    The Spiritual Variant is a loop of the Camino that adds kilometers to the trail, and follows the last part of the journey of the Apostle St James' remains which are now held in the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. Buen Camino!    Read more

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    Witches, Granaries and more

    August 21 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The Spiritual Variant is deep in the province of Galicia where there are many churches, monasteries and religious statues, but there's also witches around every corner. These people are deeply religious and strongly superstitious at the same time . The culture is Spanish, with Celtic, Viking and French influences and it all makes for a fascinating part of the world. Buen Camino!Read more

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    Combarro to Vilanova de Arousa

    August 22 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    34 kilometers. This part of the Camino would normally be divided into two days for my calibre of pilgrim. But, accommodation shortages dictated that I have to do this in one day. 34 kms is way beyond my tolerance and the first 10 kms today is a very steep climb up a mountain. With projected temperatures in the high 20's, I made the decision to hire a taxi to take me to Armentiera which took 10 km off the day's total and skipped the hardest part.
    So with 24 kilometers still to go, which is about my maximum daily walking distance, I headed off through mossy forests following a creek down the mountain side. This area is full of ancient mills that would have been powered by this creek and some of the buildings still have their mill stones intact. It was like walking back in time and it was easy to imagine the locals bring their grain here to get ground into flour.
    Forests gave way to fields of corn taller than I am, and still further along I came to vineyards heavy with clusters of grapes. Occasionally a tractor would pass by and I was reminded that most people are working hard around me, not on a Camino pilgrimage holiday. Buen Camino!    Read more

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    Vineyards and Beaches

    August 22 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today was a long, hard and hot walk. My heart kept reminding me that it would be worth it, while my brain was trying to organise a mutiny against the whole operation. Luckily my feet aren't talking to the top half of my body and just kept plodding along until I arrived at Vilanova de Arousa.
    My day ended at the seashore where lots of people were swimming in the turquoise waters or sunbathing on the white sand. After I dropped my gear off at my Albergue, I returned to one of these beaches and cooled off in the ocean wearing my sweaty walking clothes. Although I wasn't the most stylish one at the beach, I was probably the happiest! Buen Camino!    Read more

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    Vilanova de Arousa to Padron

    August 23 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    32 kilometers. This lovely boat was my chariot to Padron. Our route headed out to sea where the water is scattered with wooden rafts used to grow mollusks. We saw one boat harvesting the creatures that grow on ropes hanging into the water.
    Then we headed past a series of islands that bear cement crosses to mark the route that St. James' body followed when he was brought to Spain after being beheaded in Jerusalem, according to the information sign. Our captain explained all this in Spanish, but I only understand the odd word here and there.
    After docking, I still had a couple of kilometers to walk in the blistering heat. That's when I discovered that I missed pre- booking accommodation for Padron. Every albergue that I checked was fully booked! I had a choice of going to a more expensive option, or taking a taxi to another town which would have cost about the same amount. I got a hotel room for 64 euros and got checked in.
    I was really brave tonight. I went to the Pulperia Real restaurant and had two Galician favourites - pulpa (octopus) and hadron peppers. Both were good but way too much food for one person. Buen Camino!    Read more

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    Padron to O Milladoiro

    August 24 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    17.61 kilometers. Using my headlamp, I left before dawn today to beat the heat. Roosters were crowing as I passed farmhouses, and sheep were in the pastures, but otherwise, all was quiet on this misty morning.
    As the day progressed, many more pilgrims joined the trail and most of today was a steady climb up towards Santiago. At one fork in the trail a bagpiper played us a jaunty tune. The Celtic influence introduced bagpipes here a longtime ago, but their songs are different from the Scottish ones I've heard.
    At another part of the Camino, a man serenaded us with his guitar. His voice was rich and pleasant and he even had a stamp for our credentials. Another stamp was available when we lined up in the lobby of a stone church. These stamps are how pilgrims prove they walked the Camino and each credential will be inspected in Santiago before a certificate of completion is issued.
    The Spanish police were patrolling the Camino on horseback today and we actually ran into them two different times. Other times I've seen police cars near the trail as Spain takes the safety of the pilgrims very seriously, and it does feel very safe on the Camino and in the Albergues.
    I do have a hip and a knee that are starting to complain, but I'm nearly at Santiago de Compostela. Hopefully my body holds out to the end! Buen Camino!    Read more

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    O Milladoiro

    August 24 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Visiting churches, getting the pilgrims' credentials stamped and getting serenaded on the Camino becomes a part of this very simple, but difficult life. As I approach the end of my walk, a bittersweet mood develops because it will be good to celebrate the end, but it will also be hard to say goodbye to my Portuguese trail.Read more

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