I had another good night sleep with only three to the room. The wind direction had changed and pushed that smoke cloud in our direction, so this morning we smelt like a BBQ.

Today is the last day in Portugal and it is meant to be the hardest on the route, with having to climb over a mountain and into the adjacent valley.

As soon as the sun peaked into the valley, I could tell it was going to be another hot day, luckily it was forest paths over the mountain.

This was the first real climb of the route and I was in my element. The cool shaded air, no more roads or cobblestones and a gradient to get the heart thumping. It wasn’t that difficult, nothing compared to the Camino Frances.

On the way up we passed a stone cross monument in dedication of those who died in the Napoleonic Wars.

At about 5km I was on the summit and making my way down the other side. I stopped at a bar with my fellow pilgrims.

It was mostly flat from this point, following more farm tracks and forest footpaths. There is very little amenities from Labruja to Valença.

At the villages that had restaurants, they were closed on Mondays. So it was hungry walking into Valença. We managed to find a bar that sold snacks as we entered Valença; I had a slice of pizza.

We booked into a guesthouse as word on the Camino grapevine, is to best avoid the municipal albergue.

We found another little gem, small swimming pool, garden with hammocks and a well stocked fridge. The host again is very friendly and accommodating. Another slice of paradise; he also promised to bring some 1906 beer later! (This was a personal favourite from the Camino Frances).

I had the best night sleep on the Camino so far. There were only 5 pilgrims in the dorm last night and we had the patio doors open so it was fresh cool air all night.

Just before 7am fireworks were popping and there was singing; another day of festivities! In fact the music continued throughout the valley all the way to Ponte de Lima.

The route today was much better, the best so far. Mostly through woodland and farm tracks; little road Walking. The temperature didn’t reach the heights of the last few days. As we walked into Lima, it was along the river bank and through an avenue of trees. It was very picturesque.

We stopped for lunch before crossing the medieval bridge that reminded me of Hospital de Orbigo, on the Camino Frances.

After about 3km Erdal, our Berlin friend with a sore knee had to stop. Even though I lent him my walking poles, the pain was too much. With the help of a kindly local man, a taxi was ordered to take him back to Lima.

He was going to have to rest it for a day. It was sad to leave him behind, but hopefully we will meet again in Santiago.

Me and Daniel pushed on for the last 5k to our albergue. The last couple of hundred metres was up a steep hill, where at the bottom, two young girls were offering freshly picked apples to pilgrims. This gave me an energy boost to get to the albergue.

It sits on the hillside where on the opposite side of the valley, there is a huge smoke cloud, presumably from the wildfires, Portugal is currently experiencing.

After showering and chores, all the pilgrims, I have been walking with over the last two days shared the communal meal together. Another great night.

It was a hot night and half the albergue emptied at 4.30am, disturbing everyone’s sleep. I was up at 6am and started to get ready for the day.

By 7 me, Jelonda and Daniel hit the road. The air was cool, perfect as it was up hill for most of the morning.

We stopped for breakfast at a little village that had a day of festivities. Fireworks were being set off at 8am! If you weren’t awake, you would be now! There was a marching drum and bagpipe band playing through the streets.

The route was mostly on the road in a rural setting. As we came into Tamel we met a chap from Germany, who was struggling with a sore knee. We all stopped for a snack at a small restaurant.

We then moved on as the temperature increased. It was hard going in the heat and we were thankful to reach the albergue.

We had hit jackpot with this one. The host is very accommodating and friendly, it’s surrounded by vineyards and has an ‘eco pool’. It only hosted 7 guests today.

At the sight of the pool, we stripped to our underwear and plunged in. The water was so refreshing, just what we needed. After cooling off we sat in the courtyard with the other pilgrims, chatting and having a few drinks.

The whole albergue had a communal dinner together, with wine and olive oil made from the grounds of the albergue. A pilgrim on the 7 Camino challenge, performed songs on his guitar for us. A truly magical night.

It was an intimate night sharing our experiences on the journey and making great friends and memories.

I had dinner last night at a local restaurant with several pilgrims near to the albergue. A table of Swiss, Spanish, German, Welsh, Dutch and Canadian. The food was plenty and so was the wine!

This morning I was back on the route by 8am. Having spoken to my new friends they were stopping at Barcelos, so I made that my target.

I set off on my own in the cool morning air calling into a cafe for breakfast about 4km in. When I left I joined Daniel from Switzerland and Jelonda from the Netherlands. We soon came upon the rest of the party from last night at a bar. Perfect time to stop for a refreshing lemonade.

After the cold drink the three of us continued onto Barcelos. The sun didn’t pull any punches today and the lack of a breeze made it slow going.

The route mainly followed the roads and the Portuguese don’t break for anyone! This certainly kept us on our toes. By the time we reached Barcelinhos we were gasping for a cold drink.

We called into a the first the bar we saw and had a lunch. There was some time to kill as the albergue didn’t open until 3pm. So we chilled in the shade for a while before making our way to the albergue.

We crossed the river that separates Barcelinhos and Barcelos. Above the bridge were the ruins of an old palace/fort that boasted views up and down the river.

Barcelos has a myth about a rooster, very similar to the one at Santo Domingo del Calzada on the Camino Frances. I think some plagiarism is a foot!

It had been a short day but it was welcomed after covering 30km yesterday. The albergue is another donativo and a charming little place.

By 8am we left Lavra and rejoined the board walk along the coast. Blue skies and the sea breeze was still there, making it again pleasant walking.

The Camino was quiet this morning, it wasn’t until we stopped for breakfast, 4km in before we saw any pilgrims.

We had left the industrial outskirts now of Porto swapping them for seaside villages. We made great progress and by 11am we covered 14km to arrive in Vila do Conde. Noticeable by its star shaped sea fort guarding the estuary.

We called in a bar opposite to have lunch and a beer. James was in a quandary as to stick with the coastal route or follow me inland to the central route.

In the end he decided to stick to the coast. It reminded me of my decision to have a rest day in Sarria on my Camino Frances. It was difficult to part ways with your walking buddies.

At 1pm we donned our packs and continued on our own Caminos. I had to back track a kilometre to join the bridging route that connects the two.

The markings were difficult to spot as they had severely faded by the Sun and clearly it had been a while since they last saw a paintbrush. I was constantly scanning the usual places; lampposts, curbs, trees, walls, backs of road signs and barriers, for the paled yellow arrows.

My vigilance paid off as I made it safely to the central route, joining it at Arcos. It was very hot going and all by the road. There were some hairy bits, like crossing a single track bridge, that was quite busy with traffic.

For about 2km of it, the road was being resurfaced and the freshly laid tarmac was radiating the heat up at me, thus it was hot from above and below.

I made it into Arcos at 4pm where I was planning on staying, however I found there only to be hotels here. The next stop was Sao Pedro, where there was only one albergue, a donativo as well!

Thirty minutes later I arrived. Turns out this is the oldest albergue on the Camino Portugués, according to the host. A little bit of Camino magic, had I stopped at Arcos, I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of stopping here.

It is good to be back on the Camino. I arrived at Porto Cathedral at 9am to collect my credential and have a look around inside. There was a small queue of pilgrims that quickly moved.

I took my time, to take in the artwork, decorated painted walls, the stone masonry and the elaborate alters. I climbed the tower to get views of the city.

As I exited I met a pilgrim called James from London, who is walking the coastal route. As I would be starting on the same route we walked together.

From the cathedral you descend to the river and follow this to the coast. There was light cloud cover and the sea breeze made it perfect for walking.

We passed under the many bridges that connect Porto to Vila Nova and out to the lighthouse that marks the entrance to the sea break into Porto.

I had a walk out to it, enjoying the cool sea spray. From here I could see down the coast where I spied a bar. Perfect as it was time for lunch.

After fuelling up we continued along the promenade, crossed over a port and joined a wooden board walk. This was the terrain for the remainder of the day.

After stopping for a drink at another beach side bar, we made it to our destination. Turns out it isn’t an albergue, it is a campsite with glamping pods!

After showering and chores we had dinner at a local restaurant before retiring for the night.