The albergue stirred around 6am, so I joined in and geared up for the day. 30mins later I was back on the way.

Yesterday was hills and forest, today was rivers and sea. For 13km the route follows the Rego da Armenteira and the Rio Umia. It was pitch black resulting in the use of my head torch.

The first 2km was tricky as the path was uneven with boulders and tree roots. But that subsided to easy dirt paths. It was very peaceful and fun to see bats darting after their pray in the torch light.

As dawn broke I stopped for breakfast at a restaurant then joined the Rio Umia. Ducks and herons were enjoying the early morning waters; no sound but the running water and the birds.

At Ponte Arnelas I left the river to climb over a small hill to descend to the coast, then it was a stroll into Vilanova along the water front.

I called into the information centre to find out what I have to do about booking the boat for tomorrow; the Maritime Camino ‘Via Crucis’. This is the supposed route that brought St. James’ remains into Spain.

The route is marked with 17 stone crosses and is the only one in the world. There is an option to walk from Vilanova to Padrón, but the chance to do the Via Crucis is one I don’t want to miss.

Oh! And I managed to find a place to stay, so no sports hall or sleeping under the stars. The Camino provides!

It was stiflingly hot last night in the albergue and even packing my bag, had me sweating like I was climbing O Cebreiro on the Camino Frances!

It was a relief to be out walking in the cool sea air, it was also overcast. Perfecto! We crossed the bridge in to Ponte Sampoio, which was a quaint little village. From there we joined a forest track that took us up and over to a neighbouring valley.

By 10.30am we arrived in Pontevedra, that didn’t have much going for it. Only nice thing was the church, it was mostly new buildings, no historical ones.

The route out follows the railway line and to the point where I start the Espiritual Way. I had to say goodbye to my walking companion, Daniel, if all goes to plan, I’ll meet everyone in Santiago on Sunday.

The Espiritual goes up and over a hill similar to this morning, arriving at Cidrás. This is another quaint little village with narrow winding streets that sharply ascend the side of Mt. Castrove.

This began a very intense climb for the next hour or so. The Sun was at it’s zenith and there was no shade. Once at the top and 5km to go, I ran out of water.

It was a long descent in to Armenteira where at the bottom was an oasis, a bar! I dumped my bag outside and ordered a water and a coke, that I pretty much absorbed instantly.

It was only a short walk to the albergue where I had a cold shower to cool off. At 7pm there was a pilgrim blessing at the monastery that I checked out; got a special stamp for attending!

It was a long day, covering 34km and the climb to get to Armenteira was brutal, but it was worth the experience and the cold drink at the end!

Two turigrinos had set their alarm for 5am then proceeded to make breakfast waking everyone up in the albergue. It had gone 6 and they were still chatting away and clinking cutlery.

I decided to get packed and hit the Camino. I was out the door by 7 and dawn still hadn’t arrived. It reminded me of the predawn starts on the Frances route last year.

It felt good to be walking in the cool morning air, which I was thankful for as it was a constant incline for nearly 3km. Then the descent into Redondela was brutal. I stopped at a little albergue for breakfast, before tackling the drab town.

Redondela is where the coastal route merges with the central, thus it is a hive of pilgrims. Most were the Turigrinos.

I pushed on through the town and up out into forest paths. Through the woods the sound of bagpipe music was playing. A busker was perform to the passing peregrinos.

Another steep decent and I arrived in Arcade for 10.30am. We had no choice other than to stop here, due to how busy the Camino is now. The albergue didn’t open until 12.30, so I had a wander around and waited for the my friends to arrive.

While I was milling around I met Kim who had been at the albergues in Vitorino and Labruja. We stopped for a beer before she moved on to her stop, only 2km away. So I invited her to join us tonight.

Once booked into the albergue, showered and chores done, I had a beer at a bar opposite and waited for my travelling companions to arrive.

Once they did I had the pilgrims lunch with them and relaxed for the rest of the day.

It was a very hot and uncomfortable night with little sleep. There was no breeze, so I pretty much melted into the mattress.

After breakfast at the guesthouse, Jelonda said her goodbyes as she was going to take a short day, by 8.30 me and Daniel set off.

The route goes through the old fort that guards the border, then over a bridge into Spain. After taking photos and experiencing some weird time paradox, by traveling 1 hour into the future, where they all now speak Espanyol, we continued on the Spanish section of the way.

The route winds its way up to the Spanish fort that watches over the river, then makes its way towards O Porrino. We started to see the tourist pilgrims; they are easy to spot with their small backpacks and smelling of fresh laundry.

They didn’t bother me last year, but they are a bit of a menace on the Portuguese route. They book all the albergues!!! We aimed to stick to the villages between the official stages to avoid these turigrinos.

Today was also the hottest on the route, so it was tough going. We reached Porrino by 1pm, 20km in good time, despite the time travelling!We were so thirsty we had ordered Two lemonades and two 1l water bottles, and drank them like shots.

Once our thirst was quenched, we tackled the last 6km to Mos. It was again all road, but it wasn’t too bad and we crossed the last 100 km mark. We booked into the albergue taking the last beds.

After everyone had showered and done their chores, we went for tapas at a local bar. We had talked with the other peregrinos, and everything is busy from here on.

We have tomorrow booked, but the day after after, I want to take the Espiritual route. After numerous phone calls in my pigeon Spanish, I’ve got a booking for the 25th, but none for the 26th. All the albergues are full! The municipal one, you can’t book, and they put the over flow in the local sports hall. So when I get to Vilanova I’ll be either on a gym floor or under the stars that night!

¡Buen Camino!

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.