Back in 2022 I didn’t walk this stage due to a sprained ankle which I suffered the day before when I rolled over on it. I spent the day in Viana do Castello and took the train to Seixas later in the day. Upon recommendation from a friend, I purchased an ankle strap, and it did the trick. The next I could walk again. In Seixas in 2023, I stayed in a spectacular bed and breakfast close to the station (picture of the house with the tower at the bottom of the post). The house that was built by a rich Portuguese returning from Brazil where he had made a fortune.
Viana do Catelo is famous for a special cake, as are many Portuguese towns. Two years ago, the queue was long outside the shop selling and making them, so this time I was there when the shop opened. When the shop opened, ten minutes late, they told me that they had to make them first, so they went on sale at 11.30 am. Disappointed, I walked through town preparing for its yearly carnival to the bus station. The charging dock for my earbuds must have fallen out of my pocket on the bus from Coimbra yesterday and I hoped that somebody had handed them in. No luck there either.
Finally on my way for what would be a 33km walk in beautiful sunny weather. I walked north about 1km inland from the coast for much of the day. Initially it was mainly along quiet roads through scattered residential areas. There were also a number of cobbled paths that I find difficult to walk on, and dirt paths. Every now and then, the paths were flooded and required small detours.
I walked past a house with a garden full of sculptures made of different items.
In Cabanas I passed a house that if you come at the right time of year is covered in Magnolia flowers and where the Portuguese poet Pedro Homem de Melo was inspired to write some of his poems according to the plaque on the wall.
I passed through Ancora and had a chat with a lady reading her paper in the sunshine, whilst her do walked around. She was wearing a padded coat whilst I was in T-shirt and shorts and she was sure I was too cold. When In told her it was minus 9 degrees and snow in Denmark, so her at 15 degrees is like late spring and summer, she let me go and wished me a nice trip.
I stopped in Vila Praia de Ancora for a coffee and cake. My stomach was rumbling, but as I found out, not because I was hungry, but because of something I must have eaten.
I continued along the coastline, with many people out enjoying the fine weather. It was a great way to effectively close the last gap on the Camino Portuguese by walking next to the sea, hearing it thunder against the rocks and smell the seaweed, salt and sand. I really do enjoy walking along the less populated parts of the coast.
A guy pulled up on a bike next to me and asked me where I lived, when I answered Denmark, he told me that it was a great place for cycling. We talked about that for a bit before he told me to follow an alternative route to the next town Caminha. I decided to follow his advice and walked through a small forest before hitting the coast again with great views of Caminha. Many pilgrims/walkers on the Camino Portuguese make a decision here. Take a small boat across the estuary to Spain or walk along the Minho river to Valenca and take an inland route towards Santiago. The path through the forest stopped at the estuary, just at the spot where pilgrims take the boat across.
I didn’t feel well today, and my stomach was very unhappy as I walked towards Caminha. Caminha seems to be a busy town, with one big square where most people seem to congregate. I still had 3 kilometers to walk, but was feeling drained. I managed to drag myself through the last kilometers, reaching the station at Seixas with 30 minutes to spare before the train to Valenca. I bought a cola in the bar next to the station hoping it would settle my stomach.
The train to Valenca, the last town in Portugal before Spain, was on time. The trip was short, only 40 minutes. Again I stayed at the same hotel as last time. After a shower I went out for something to eat, fish and potatoes which hopefully doesn’t have too much impact on my stomach.
I have now walked each and every kilometer between Sagres in southern Portugal and Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Santiago is tomorrows destination.