Day 4: Vila do Conde to Pedra Furado

Today was my longest walk so far, almost 20 km. The walk from the Coastal Route to the Central Route isn’t technically part of the Camino, and I was walking along a highway for several kilometers. I’m not talking about an interstate in the US, but it was still a fairly busy road with no sidewalk in certain places, so it wasn’t the best walk for a few km. I read that a lot of people take a bus or taxi from Vila do Conde to Arcos, where they can rejoin the Camino Central Route. If I had it to do over again, I would probably take the bus, but I’m here now and all is well. My original plan was to stop in Rates, but I felt like I still had a little gas in the tank so I decided to go about 5 km further to the next town, Pedra Furada, which is where I am now. I’m staying in a big guest house (Casa da Maria, €40) and I’m the only person here. Even the girl who checked me in is gone, so I have this whole huge place to myself. I’m so tired that I’m sure I will sleep fine, but it is a little unsettling to be in this big place by myself. I locked all the doors and checked the rooms. Hopefully you’ll hear from me tomorrow. 😂
I had the pilgrim’s dinner at a little restaurant that has been serving Camino pilgrims for the past 78 years. The owner, Antonio, has tons of photos and showed me a picture from 2008 with two ladies from Alaska. I guess he doesn’t get many Alaskans through here.
I basically walked through farm country all day. The farmers have already harvested their crops, and now they are spraying their fields with cow manure, I guess to help get the soil ready for spring. So basically I’ve been smelling cow shit all day and it was not pleasant. 🐄💩 😂
I’ve had incredible weather, in the 70s and sunny all day. There’s rain in the forecast for tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens. Since I went further today, my walk will be a little shorter tomorrow, which will be good if it’s raining.
Foot report: My feet felt pretty sore by the end of the day, and I almost felt some tender spots, but no blisters so far. I might try using the lambswool in those spots tomorrow just to be on the safe side. Preventing blisters is super important on the Camino. My legs are feeling okay, but I was dragging the last 1-2 km today. I’m proud of myself for pushing through this long day of walking!Read more