Day 14: Arnados to A Coruna Airport The last day of my trip to fill in the bits I hadn’t walked, started off in beautiful sunshine, which stayed with me for the whole day. I had convinced the owner of the hostel to open for breakfast at 8.30am instead of 9am, which gave me an extra 30 minutes walking, which was good…
Day 13: Malpica to Arnados Today I start a 2-day walk between Malpica and A Coruna airport i northern Spain. The last time I was in Malpica was the autumn 2023 after completing the Lighthouse Way from Finisterra (Stage 2 on my walk to Rome). Back then, I took a bus to A Coruna and flew home. In Spring 2024,…
Day 12: Olveiroa to Cee A short day today, only 20km, a relatively flat stage with some elevation (350m) but a lot of downhill towards the coast at Cee, and a fairly steep downhill at that. It was pretty cold as I left the pension and soon I saw frost on the grass, after passing a couple of streams that…
Day 11: Negreira to Olveiroa After a days rest in the rain, I was back on the road with 35km and 925m elevation. There wasn’t any breakfast at the place I stayed overnight in Negreira, so after a shower and packing my stuff, I was on my way by 8.30. Leaving town, I didn’t find anywhere to stop for breakfast.…
Day 10: Santiago do Compostela to Negreira Today was supposed to be my rest day. It is Sunday after all, and spending an afternoon in the church and town that in Spain is seen the same way as Fatima in Portugal, Lourdes in France and Rome in Italy, i.e. centres of Catholicism, seemed fitting. When walking, the weather plays a central role,…
Day 9: Viana do Castello to Seixas 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…
Day 8: Coimbra to Mealhada It was two years and a day since I last was in Mealhada. Back then I decided to take the train to Mealhada and walk the few kilometers to Sernadelo, so that I could spend the morning in Coimbra and not least see it’s world famous library. Again this year, I decided to take the…
Day 7: Freixianda to Fatima Today was always going to be a hit or miss day. I needed to take a taxi ca. 30km to the start point, I needed to walk 32 kilometers, that turned out to be 35km in a hilly terrain and there was a bus to catch at 16.30. Breakfast was at 8am, and the hotel…
Day 6: Carregado to Azambuja Following yesterday’s marathon 37km, only 13km remained to reach Azambuja. That gave me some time to wash my clothes. I was up early and at the laundry as it opened at 8am. A 35min wash took 45 minutes and I had plenty of time to walk around the old town, and see the trams. My…
Day 5: Lisbon to Carregado I walked the Camino Portugues from Lisbon as far as Porto in February 2023, but I didn’t walk the two first stages to Azambuja. I actually ended up taking a taxi from Lisbon to Azambuja, as there was a train strike. Therefore the second part of my filling the gaps walk is to complete the…
Day 4: Setubal to Lisbon (via Barreiro) As many walkers know, walking is far easier in beautiful surroundings than walking along a busy main road, where one is worried that a car driver is more interested in their phone than the road – which happened to me today. In many respects today was a pleasant walk, starting with an uphill climb leaving…
Day 3: Brejos de Carregueira to Setubal A magnificent start and end to the walking today, so-so in between. After two heavy days I was wondering how my legs and body would react today, which was a somewhat shorter day at 23 or 27kms, depending on where I took the boat from to Setubal. I was down for breakfast at 8 sharp…
Day 2: Vila Nova de Santo Andres to Brejos de Carregueira The dreaded second day and on a Saturday, the day where many of my wettest, longest and least memorable walks have taken place. This Saturday was no exception. At breakfast I had a long chat with an American couple who wished they could move to Europe instead of flying home. I set off at 9.30…
Day 1: Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Santo Andres Two years and three days since I was in Porto Covo on the Fisherman’s Trail, I’m back. Last time I left Porto Covo on a bus, with broken shoes and travelled to Lisbon to buy a new pair. In Lisbon I had planned to take a train the 50 or so kilometer’s to Azambuja, where…
Day 0: Copenhagen to Porto Covo The plane left on time at 6.15am, destination Lisbon. I was up early and my wife drove me to the nearest metro station to enable me to get to the airport by 5.15 am. Safely buckled up on the plane, that is when my traumatic relationship to my ear buds started. I dropped one of…
Day 1: Toulouse Airport to Muret A long first day, with a 7am flight from Copenhagen, leaving Toulouse airport by 10.30. The first five days follow the Garonne river from Toulouse towards its source in the Spanish Pyrenees. In total the river runs 529km with its mouth at the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux, I will be walking ca. 150km along…
Ribadeo to A Coruna – Conclusion/Hotel list My overall conclusion is that this is a fabulous walk. This is the ultimate alternative route on the Camino del Norte, staying on the coast after Ribadeo and joining the Camino Ingles in Ferrol for those wishing to walk to Santiago. The views are spectacular, the signage excellent, at least whilst still on the Ruta…
Day 23: Pontedeume to A Coruna My last day before flying home and the day I missed a turn and walked almost 2 kilometers before realising and having to walk back. Typical on my last day and typical on the hottest day so far. I slept well, and went to one of the four bars in the town square to eat…
Day 22: Valdovino to Pontedeume My legs were tired as I walked to the bar for breakfast, not a great sign with ca. 35km to walk, for the most part along roads passing through Ferrol, before joining the Camino Ingles and meeting other walkers. I left at around 9am, after the customary, coffee, toast and juice breakfast. It was pretty…
Day 21: San Andres de Teixdo to Valdovino For the very last time on this trip, I’m writing this waiting for my clothes to be washed and dried. It’s ca. 6pm, and I haven’t even reached this evenings hotel. Last night at the excellent Casa Rural in San Andres, I slept badly. No idea why, it was an excellent bed and it was…
