Day 20: Ortigueira to San Andres de Teixdo Legend has it, that if you don’t visit the church at San Andres de Teixdo whilst alive, you will eventually do so after your death, as a tormented soul or as a reptile or insect. I didn’t want to take any chances so here I am, after passing the highest point of my walk to…
Day 19: O Vicedo to Ortigueira A day of two walking parts. A morning where I covered 20km in some of the most beautiful nature one can find (even more spectacular than the previous days if at all possible) and an afternoon where, after a very heavy lunch, I covered 12km of not so exciting road walking. I have read that…
Day 18: Celeiro to O Vicedo I’m running out of superlatives for this part of my walk along the coastline of the Cantabrian Sea. Anybody walking the Camino del Norte and wishing that they’d seen more of the coastline, should just continue straight on at Ribadeo instead of going inland. Another great day with view after view after view. Todays walk…
Day 17: San Cibrao to Celeiro Although the elements were against it being a great walk, today was fabulous. Today’s challenges started as soon as I was up – no breakfast, no bars along the way until 2km before my destination, 28km, 1.000m in ascent – it was constantly up and down – and finally at least 30 rain showers, non…
Day 16: Foz to San Cibrao Back at the laundry to wash my walking clothes. If you’ve read more than a couple of my posts, you know that it isn’t something I love doing, but it needs to be done. It helps that it is pouring down outside, so there would be little else to do anyway. I slept well, apart…
Day 15: Rinlo to Foz A song from my youth, “So Close Yet So Far Away” by the Strawbs came to mind today. I was less than 200m from today’s destination, Foz, but still had to walk 12kms to get there. After a very nice breakfast, served with a stunning 270 degree view of the coast and surrounding countryside, I…
Day 15: Fisterra to Lires Today I officially started the highly anticipated Camino dos Faros (Lighthouse Way), following yesterday’s warm-up from Cee. I was up to see the sun rise, before an excellent breakfast (first served at 9am), so I wasn’t on my way until 9.45. It was only going to be 24km, so I would have plenty of time…
Day 14: Cee to Fisterra I was up early. After breakfast, I walked a couple of kilometers to the bus station and asked for a ticket to Cee on the 9.00 bus. The lady behind the counter looked at me blankly and then said “Oh Cee”, but her C sounded like a combination of C, S and X! There was…
Day 21: Vila Nova de Gaia to Porto I woke fairly early, showered and packed my stuff. Today is my last day in Portugal, at least for this time, and I am scheduled to fly at 16.00 from Porto, via Lisbon and home to Copenhagen. Breakfast was until 10am, so I went down around 9 am, and ate a leisurely breakfast. I have…
Day 20: Oliveira de Azemeis to Vila Nova de Gaia Today turned out to be mega stage. I hadn’t decided whether I would walk to Grijo (28km) or just short of Porto in Vila Nova de Gaia, where I was staying my last night in Portugal. Buses run regularly from Grijo to Porto, so I could walk the stage from Grijo to Porto tomorrow. I…
Day 19: Mourisca do Vouga to Oliveira De Azemeis Today was going to be a long day. I’d cut 4 -5 kms by taking the train to Mourisca do Vouga and walking back to Agueda, where I spent the night. But I still needed to walk 33 kms to Oliveira de Azemeis. I breakfasted at the hotel, checked out and bought at sandwich to…
Day 18: Sernadelo to Mourisca do Vouga I’ll remember today for how an 8 minute train journey lasted for over 2 hours. There was no breakfast at the hotel and when I left, my Camino friends had already left. I walked down to the supermarket for a coffee and croissant and bought some bread for todays stage to Agueda. It is a…
Day 17: Coimbra to Sernadelo I had a lie in until 8 o’clock showered and packed my stuff before an OK breakfast. Today’s stage to Sernadelo was relatively short, 26kms. The stages after Lisbon haven’t been great, not particularly scenic, partly because of the time of year where there is little life in the fields, so everything is a bit…
Day 16: Condeixa-a-Nova to Coimbra Despite ten hours sleep, I was tired and just as importantly my legs were tired. Today was a short stage, 18 kms to Coimbra, but it was a hard to get through them. It wasn’t helped by being the most boring stage so far, walking along roads. The stage picked up a bit towards the…
Day 15: Ansaio to Condeixa-a-Nova Another 30 kilometer plus day ahead and I woke up feeling a bit rough – not sure whether it is the wine or all the food. Breakfast didn’t live up to the high standard set by the room and I was on the road just before 9 o’clock, feet and legs not in total agreement…
Day 14: Fatima – Freixiande to Ansaio After the rest day yesterday exploring Fatima, I hoped the my feet and right calf would hold up to 26km. I skipped the first 20 km of Rota Carmelita (between Fatima and Coimbra), when I took a rest day yesterday and today I added 6 more kilometers by taking a taxi to Freixiande. After the…
Day 13: Fatima Today was supposed to be a short stage, 20 kilometers, and for the first 5 kilometers, a repetition of yesterdays stage. Following yesterday’s tough stage I decided that I would instead, stay in Fatima and visit the Sanctuary of Fátima. The city is the site of a world-renowned Catholic miracle and is visited by more…
Day 12: Tomar to Fatima I was looking forward to today, but the blister on the sole of my foot was a concern given that the stage was probably the most strenuous I would walk this time around, with lots of climbs and descents, and many rocky paths. This stage is also called the Camino Nascente, and covers 31 kms…
Day 11: Tomar Today was a planned day off from walking. Tomar was famous for it’s knights, and the Knights Templar Castle, as well as the convent, Convento de Cristo. However there were also more pressing things to do, wash my clothes and pick up something to help the blister under my foot. I slept until 8 o’clock,…
Day 10: Golega to Tomar I’m not exactly sure why, but I slept badly. I woke to see that the swelling on my ankle had subsided, and could feel that the muscle I strained yesterday was stiff but OK. I felt that there was a good chance to walk. I woke at 8 o’clock, and as there wasn’t breakfast, I…
