We set off this morning from A Guarda on the fairly short walk further up the coast to to Oia.

A fairly large lunch yesterday meant no great desire for a big dinner so we had a couple beers sitting enjoying the view of the town and the harbour before heading up to a town square where a large screen was showing the French Open tennis and the Portugal vs Spain Nations League final. It was very much a family occasion with locals of all ages filling the square.

Due to its geographical location and the confluence of the Miño Riverand the Atlantic Ocean, A Guarda has both small river and small marine beaches. The beaches of O Muiño, and A Lamiña, are salt water when the tide rises and fresh water when the tide goes down.

As we walked out of A Guarda, and a last look back at the pretty town, we passed the Museum of the Sea (I tiny museum showing fishing gear and shells from around the world) and past a pilgrims statue sitting on the ever present scalop shell.

Even though this a short day, the path was still varied. We walked through some small hamlets, along the coast for a while the ascended up onto the hillside for stretches of walks through wooded areas and alongside a (not too busy) main road. We caught up with a group from Tasmania (Husband, wife and 2 sisters) that we talked to yesterday. He asked if we wouldn’t mind him walking a bit with us to give his ears a rest from the constant chatter of 4 women. We were happy to oblige and walked with him as far as the next cafe when duty took over and he went back to his group.

A few more spectacular views and we found ourselves in Oia where Whit Monday mass and celebrations were in full swing. The Mass could be heard from quite a distance outside town – we didn’t see but think the church gardens were also full of celebrants. There was a school band preparing to play and apparently this evening will be live music and dancing.

Today was short and tomorrow is only a little bit longer as we head further north to Baiona.

This morning would see us leave Portugal and enter Spain as we walked from Vila Praia de Ãncora to A Guarda. Vila Praia is a fishing village with a beautiful long beach that was designated a village in 1924 and had its official name changed from Santa Marinha de Gontinhães to Vila Praia de Âncora. From a population of 1,199 in 1864 the village has barely grown to 4,623 in 2021.

The village church, built in 1936 in the local style, was looking beautiful decked out in flowers. We walked out past the inevitable photo-op town sign and the Forte da Lagarteira built in the reign of Pedro II of Portugal (1667-1705), who strengthened the defences of the border line of the Minho River and the oceanic coast south of its mouth.

As we walked along the coast path to Caminha (and the ferry to Spain), the path was lined with Flowering Gum trees on one side and rocky coastline on the other in what was quite a change from the long sandy beaches oof yesterday.

We could see Spain in the shape of Monte de Santa Trega in the near distance as the coastline slowly returned to sandy beaches. After a couple of kilometres on a sandy path through a wooded area we came to the River Minho and our “ferry” to A Garda in Spain.

The ferry was a short speedboat ride across the river and our disembarkation point was where the boat was pushed partially up the beach. From there we wandered around the coast a short while to sit on the balcony of a restaurant for a coffee and admire the view. In the distance was an island that held the Farolim da Ínsua de Santo Isidro (Ínsua Lighthouse). We were in no rush as today was a very short day.

The coast path around Monte de Santa Trega seemed to be a very popular walking / jogging path for the local population – this was the most people on one path that we had seen and very few were pilgrims heading in our direction. We saw some Roman Salt pans as we walked (the exploitation of salt by the Roman by evaporation dates back to the seventh century BC).

We then walked into A Garda, which was bustling with people out enjoying Sunday lunchtime. By the time we had checked in to the hotel, showered and headed out for a beer everyone had disappeared for their siesta!.

Tomorrow we head up the coast to Oia on another short walking day.

Today we left Viana do Castelo and headed to Vila Praia da Ãncora. The port in Viana do Castelo played an important role in the city’s development. In the 15th century, it was on the trade routes between the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, when textiles, fruits, wood and iron were headed south while salt and agricultural products were northbound and the city was an important supplier of textiles to the newly established colonies in Madeira and the Azores.

Rather than following the traditional Camino path we opted to go “A Costa” and walk up the coastal camino as far as possible. As we walked towards the coast, the sun was out but thankfully not too hot early in the day. We came to the Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Agonia (aka Chapel of our Lady of the Agony), built around 1750, and popped in for a look and a stamp in our pilgrim’s passport.

Walking beside the sea, looking back the hill with monastery and church on top, looked quite moody but the clouds stayed put and didn’t disturb our journey. The shore was very rocky, and with the tide quite far out, was completely different to previous days beaches.

We walked past the Areosa Fort, built during the War of Restoration of Portuguese Independence (1640-1668), this was one of three similar forts built along the coast between Caminha and Viana do Castelo with the aim of strengthening the defence of the Atlantic coast of Alto Minho which was vulnerable to possible attacks by pirates or the Spanish navy. We also passed a handful of old Moinhos de Vento (windmill) as we continued northwards.

Our favourite boardwalk came back for a short while – this could do with some maintenance though as it was not only bound but also very wobbly. The seashore was now back to the familiar sandy beaches and it was warm enough for little lizards to start wandering out onto the footpath. We left the coast here and started uphill into the town of Montedor. Visible from quite a distance was the Farol de Montedor – it is the northernmost lighthouse in Portugal and was opened on 20 March 1910.

It’s wonderful how, in a short distance, the scenery goes from the coast, through a village and then up into the green hills. After some meandering uphill and along wooded paths we came to a quite delightful cafe with seating arranged throughout the garden and some in the shade beside a rapid stream. The homemade lemonade and tarts were commensurate with the surroundings.

We always seem to hit a hilll climb straight after some food and this was no exception. Not as steep to as long as yesterday but in the heat this was still an effort to get to the highest point of the day. Periodic views of the sea in the distance confirmed just what a beautiful area this is. At the foot of the hill was a strange curved bridge where the water running under it was crystal clear.

A bit more boardwalk as we walked past a wetland area and then we were into the seaside resort of Vila Praia de Ãncora and its beautiful sandy beach.

As the room wasn’t ready yet (we walk too fast !) we found a local restaurant for a cold beer and some fresh sardines before heading down to the beach for a quick paddle. The hotel is very nice, only 10 rooms and only a few years old – the pool a definite bonus as well.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to Portugal and hello to Spain as we head to A Guarda.

Today was Helena’s last day with us as we set out from Esposende to Viana do Castello. She walked with us for an hour before heading back for an Uber to Porto airport. Esposende is situated alongside the final stretch of the Cávado River before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean and has a heritage that is mainly fishing but the area’s history goes back far beyond this. Close by are a number of Bronze Age sites, most notably the fortified village of Castro de São Lourenço which dates back to the 4th century BC.

Walking out from our hotel we walked past the Forte de São João Baptista de Esposende, a navy fort built 1699-1794 to defend the mouth of the Cávado River, and the rather large Esposende town sign.

That was the last we would see of the sea for quite a while as we headed inland past fields of newly planted corn and a surprising number of eucalyptus trees – Portugal has the 5th largest area worldwide of the trees which were introduced in the 18th Century to prevent soil erosion.

Encountering our first climb of the day we passed the parish church São Miguel de Marinhas built in the 1930s but the Renaissance High Alter is preserved from the original 11th century church. We also saw plenty of these flowers, Brugmansia, also known as Angel’s Trumpets. Apparently these are toxic (part of the nightshade family) and are extinct in the wild.

We then talked in to the village of Belinho and took a few minutes respite (it was now warm and getting hilly) to look around the church of Matriz of Belinho.

We then wandered off, up a pretty steep incline, into a beautiful wooded area. The smell of the eucalyptus was lovely, as was the noise of the river down below and the cool shade of all the trees. We passed a couple from Nevada doing the Camino of a tandem bicycle – due to the tree root and stone covered path we both passed each other multiple times as they had to get off and walk!

We thought we were done with hills but as soon as we passed the Igreja de Santiago de Castelo do Neiva we were then back climbing up into the wooded hills again – this time is a loop around the cemetery and the church before descending again. It was pretty humid and the hill climbing extortion meant we needed to stop for a drink at what seemed (judging by the crowds) the only cafe on the route for quite some time.

Finally we could see our destination, Viana do Castelo across the river. On a hill above the town stands the Santuário do Sagrado Coração de Jesus, built in 1904. During the pneumonic pandemic in 1918 and terrified by the violence of the outbreak and mourning the loss of so many who had perished, the people of Viana vowed to climb annually on a pilgrimage to “Monte de Santa Luzia” if no more lives were taken. When the mortality ceased, the inhabitants fulfilled their promise, and they began ascending the mount annually in 1920. 

We walked across a busy, long bridge where the footpath was pretty narrow and the railing was quite low – a definite no-no for people with a fear of bridges/heights. We walked through the town square on our way to our hotel.

Following a needed shower (and clothes wash) it was time to head back into town for a cold beer. Tomorrow we are walking to Vila Praia da Ancora.

This morning we left Póvoa de Vadim and headed for Esposende. Póvoa de Varzim has been a well-known beach resort for over three centuries, the most popular in Northern Portugal, which created an influential literary culture and historical-artistic patronage in music and theatre. Casino de Póvoa is one of the few and prominent gambling venues in Portugal.

We started out walking on pavement beside the sea, which was looking very different (and moody) from yesterday. The grey overcast sky also meant that it was relatively cool for the first part of the journey. After a while the boardwalk started again as we headed over the sand dunes. There are very few people doing this Camino, we only passed a handful yesterday and today was shaping up to be similar.

Continuing over the dunes we passed a windmill in someone’s front garden – the way the sails were folded looked like it was in active use in the right weather. The path passed by the town of Areosa with its distinctive church in the centre.

Walking on we came to a curved piece of boardwalk with no visible reason why it was that shape and passed a local football ground with what looked like a synthetic pitch. We then walked alongside Estela golf course for a while – we stood and watched a player make a pretty decent put on this par 3 – he was very surprised when we applauded from over the fence!

As we walked further we went inland and the scenery changed completely- gone were the dunes and vies of the sea replaced by a greener environment with poly tunnels full of tomatoes, manicured gardens, bamboo hedgerows, colourful hedgerows and a series of flowering cactuses.

Then the greenery ended and we walked through the town of Apulia with a brief stop to have a look at the church – it wasn’t possible to get a good look inside as it was being renovated. Apulia seemed to go on for ever with not a soul in sight.

After a brief walk through a nice wooded area we came into the town of Faro which sits on the south side of the Rio Cavado. As today was a fairly short walk we stopped for a coffee to avoid being at our hotel way too early. On the way to the bridge over the river we passed the fire station (all volunteers) with a Model A Ford fire engine sitting beside the rescue jet ski.

Just over the bridge into Esposende we spotted a restaurant serving sardines – they were excellent, very fresh and well cooked. 7 sardines, potatoes, garnish and a drink came to a massive €8 (£6.75) each. Hopefully we find more of the same on future days!

Esposende looks to be a little more affluent than previous towns, the centre being very fresh and clean. We wondered into the church that is the “official” end of the path for the day hoping for a steam in our passport but left empty handed.

Tomorrow is a slightly longer day as we head further up the coast to Viana do Castelo.

We left Porto to head up the coast to Povoa de Varzim. Helena is with us for the first couple of days walking. Everyone knows about Port Wine and Porto but the city has a very rich and long history. An example is that unrest by Republicans led to the 31/01/1891 revolt in Porto, the first uprising against the Portuguese monarchy. This resulted ultimately in the overthrow of the monarchy and proclamation of the republic by the 05/10/1910 revolution. On 19/01/1919, forces favourable to the restoration of the monarchy launched a counter-revolution in Porto known as the Monarchy of the North. During this time, Porto was the capital of the restored kingdom, as the movement was contained to the north. The monarchy was deposed less than a month later, which marked the final end to monarchy in Portugal.

We took the metro (as recommended by the guidebook), to avoid a long walk through the city suburbs, to Matoshinos. At the end of the 19th century, the Port of Leixões was constructed to provide a sheltered port to service the city of Porto, which supported Matosinhos’s fishing industry and led to the development of a local fish canning industry. Production and exports of canned fish in Matosinhos rose during the world wars and peaked between 1940 and 1960, when there were a total of 54 factories. The Port of Leixões and the fishing industry contributed to economic development and a growth in resident population and in 1984 Matosinhos became a city.

Today’s route would be entirely alongside the coast with mainly sandy beaches interspersed with rocky patches and a very nice looking salt water swimming pool. This enviromnent as led to many shipwrecks on this coast over the years.

Our walk then moved from the pavement beside the beach to a boardwalk that would take us nearly the rest of the days journey. Some areas of the boardwalk has weathered slightly worse than others leading to a nice bouncy walking experience.

As we continued up the coast the cloud cover slowly lifted but the (fairly) gentle breeze from the sea meant we didn’t get too overheated. Plenty of suncream was needed though. We passed a few pretty fishing villages and this prompted a wish to have local sardines for lunch. Alas this was not to be as most of the bars / restaurants on the sea front has fairly standard “snack” food. Not to be deterred we promised ourselves sardines for dinner.

Coming close to the end of our day we stopped at a small church to get on of our required stamps (in our pilgrims passport) for the day and wandered through the town of Vila Chã. The whole town was being decorated for a festival of some sort but I couldnt find any further information.

Finally we reached our destination of Povoa de Varzim which was a much larger than we initially thought. After a needed freshen up in the hotel we found a beachside bar (it wasnt difficult as there are plenty) for a well earned cold beer. Dinner, unfortunately didnt provide any sardines to the search continues. Tomorrow we walk to Esposende.

In preparation for the Portuguese Coastal Camino, we are spending a couple of days in Porto getting acclimatised. There is a lot so see and do here.

The Grande Hotel do Porto is a lovely place to stay and very close to the old town where most of the things to see and do are situated.

The day started by walking downhill (and Porto is very hilly) towards Porto Cathedral. This pre-Romanesque church is mentioned in the De Expugnatione Lyxbonensi as being present in 1147, so it is assumed that construction of the present building began in the second half of the 12th century and work continued until the 16th century. There were major Baroque additions in the 18th century, and further changes were made in the 20th century.

We continued downhill to the waterfront for a coffee and soak up the sun, before the crowds started. It wasn’t too long before tour groups from cruise ships started filling the waterfront cafes.

The only way back to the hotel for an ice cream before heading off to our afternoon guided tour was up a series of (very steep) flights of steps – definitely got some good leg exercise stored up for starting the Camino.

We started the tour at the Portuguese Centre of Photography which was a prison during the dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar – 1933-1974 but in now a very different building. The author Camilo Castelo Branco was imprisioned there for adultery and wrote his book Amor de Perdición (Love and Perdition) while incarcerated. Next stop was the Livraria Lello which, along with Bertrand in Lisbon, it is one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal and frequently rated among the top bookstores in the world (placing third in lists by guidebook publisher Lonely Planet). Local legend has it that JK Rowling used the staircase as inspiration for her Harry Potter books (she lived in Porto for a couple of years).

Next stop was São Bento station, constructed over a number of years, starting in 1904, based on plans by architect José Marques da Silva. The large panels of around twenty thousand azulejo (tin glazed ceramic) tiles (551 square meters) were designed and painted by Jorge Colaço. The murals represent moments in the country’s history and the multicolored panels depict rural scenes showing the people of various regions.

We the crossed the Dom Luís Bridge over to the town of Vila Nova de Gaia. At its construction, its 172 metres (564 ft) span was the longest of its type in the world. and the project was initially proposed In 1879 by Gustave Eiffel as a new bridge over the Douro, with a high single deck in order to facilitate ship navigation.

The last part of the day was the very touristy boat tour of the 6 Duoro bridges. The temperature dropped and the wind picked up noticeably as we passed under the last bridge before the sea, but only for a short while as we turned back to the mooring.

Tuesday started with a visit to the Majestic Cafe. The cafe originally opened in 1922 and was designed to look like a Parisian cafe in the Art Nouveau style by the architect José Pinto de Oliveira. It was originally an exclusive and upmarket cafe that acted as a place for the elitist members of society to meet. JK Rowling conformed that she wrote some of Harry Potter while sitting in this cafe. The pastéis de nata was absolutely delicious.

Next stop was the Tower of the Igreja dos Clérigos. Construction of the church began in 1732 and was finished in 1750, while the bell tower and the monumental divided stairway in front of the church were completed in 1763. The tower is 75.6 metres high, dominating the city while there are 240 steps to be climbed to reach the top of its six floors and have a commanding view of the city

Final tourist part of the day was a visit to the Museum and Stadium of PC Porto. The museum was very impressive – an interesting point being that FC Porto stood against the dictatorship and has to face many sporting “incidents” as preference was given to Lisbon based teams.

Helena is joining us later today for the first couple of days walking. Tomorrow morning we start the Camino and head up / along the coast to Povoa de Varzim.