In September 2022, we were finally able to walk the Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The first pilgrimage routes were established in the 10th century. The most famous route is the Frances route from St. Jean Pied de Port, over the Pyrenees and across Spain. This is a 4-week trip. We didn't have 4 weeks and found the Portuguese Coastal Route, starting in Porto and ending in Santiago de Compostela, a journey of a little over 2 weeks.
Leaving Porto, we actually followed the Senda Litoral, which follows the ocean and is fairly flat and beautiful. It is less crowded but the infrastructure is less and it may be windy and rainy. On our journey in late September, we met with 2-hours of a light rain. It was windy in spots but not bothersome.
At Redondela, the Coastal Route meets with the Central Route. The signs were better posted but then we were joined with more people.
Traditionally, you spend the night in Albergues (pilgrim hostels), which have large rooms with bunk beds. Because Covid was still a problem, we chose to stay in hotels and I needed to modify the usual itinerary to make sure we could find hotels at the end of each day. The downside to this plan was we didn't have any wiggle room to modify our itinerary since I made reservations at every hotel before embarking on the trip. Fortunately, the itinerary worked well and I would make only a few minor changes, if I were to do it again. Here's our final itinerary.
Day 1--arrive in Porto
Day 2--Porto
Day 3--Se Catedral, Porto to Matosinhos, 6.7 miles, 3:00 hours, 75m up/76m down
Day 4--Matosinhos to Vila do Conde, 13.7 miles, 5:50, 47m up/25m down
Day 5--Vila do Conde to Apulia, 10.7 miles, 4:30, flat
Day 6--Apulia to Chafe, 14.9 miles, 6:20, 61m up/43m down
Day 7--Chafe to Afife, 10.7 miles, 4:45, 135m up/157m down
Day 8--Afife to Caminha, 10.6 miles, 4:40, 150m up/80m down
Day 9--Caminha to Oia, 9.2 miles, 4:20, 52m up/11m down
Day 10--OIa to A Ramallosa, 11.9 miles, 5:25, 113m up/6m down
Day 11--A Ramallosa to Vigo, 10.8 miles, 5:00, fairly flat
Day 12--Vigo to Arcade, 9.8 miles, 4:30, 199m up/172m down
Day 13--Arcade to Pontevedra, 9.5 miles, 4:15, 174m up/233m down
Day 14--Pontevedra to Calda de Reis, 12.6 miles, 5:40, 231m up/212m down
Day 15--Calda de Reis to Teo, 15.7 miles, 7:00, 221m up, 174m down
Day 16--Teo to Santiago de Compostela, 6.6 miles, 3:15, 246m up/91m down
Day 17--Depart Santiago de Compostela
The hotels we stayed at in Caminha, A Ramallosa and Arcade were just okay. I would look for other places or walk a little further. More details in the following posts.
I chose to carry my backpack and was able to get it down to 11lbs, including the weight of the pack and a bottle of water. My clothes were lightweight and quick-dry. I could wash them in the sink and they dried overnight. We did use a laundromat in Oia, which was conveniently located next to our hotel. This gave us a fresh start halfway through the trip.
Packing list:
Granite Gear Vapor Trail Pack
Passport
Photo of passport
Credit cards x 2
ATM cards x 2
Conditioner--many hotels did not have
Soap—small hotel bar in box
Body lotion--many hotels did not have
Clarifying lotion
Cotton balls
Face moisturizer
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Dental floss
Comb
Contact lens--disposable so no need for case or solution
Glasses
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Sun Hat--also covered neck
Umbrella
Rain Poncho
Bandana--useful for drying hands after washing and as a napkin
Thin glove liners--for chilly mornings
Thin hat
Mini nail file
Motrin
Restoril—sleep aid for jet lag
Baby aspirin--to prevent DVTs on plane ride
Imodium--for diarrhea but we never needed it
Prescription meds
Antifungal cream
Moleskin
Bandaids
Mini sewing kit
Alcohol wipes
Kleenex
Hand sanitizer
Day bag
Ziplock bags
Pen
Cell phone
Cell phone charger
European adapter
Covid Vaccination Card
Altra Lone Peak Trail Running Shoes
Croc sandals—for walking around town
Hiking pants x 2
Long sleeve shirts x 2
Short sleeve shirt x 1
Lightweight jacket
Puffy jacket
Wright socks x 2
Puma socks x 1
Pajamas
Underwear
I also brought a small amount of toilet paper (which I replenished at the hotels for the next day)--some bathrooms didn't have them
If you do not want to carry your pack, there are luggage services available that will transport your bag to your next hotel. Services are available with Tuitrans, Caminofacil, Pilbeos; Correos (in Spain.
I brought a plastic 500 cc water bottle and filled it along the way. There are plenty of places to get water. Restaurants and grocery stores are abundant so you don't have to carry too much food.
2022 09 23
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