My diary of walking c154km of the Camino de Santiago (Portuguese Way). You can find out more about the Camino Portuguese here.
The first proper day of walking would take us from Valenca to O Porrino, crossing the border over the famous International Bridge dating from 1879.
We’d been woken up in the night by torrential rain and according to the forecast it would be raining for most of the day. The alarm went off at 0630hrs and we were out the door by 0715 having grabbed a quick coffee. It was at this point I realised I’d packed the wrong charging lead for my phone so photos are scarce for a day or two.
In the darkness before dawn we set off through the narrow streets of Valenca, emerging at the Portuguese end of the International Bridge. Immediately we donned our ponchos (more of which later) as the rain was incessant. Within yards our boots were soaked but the proofing held up and our feet remained dry. As it was so early there was no traffic so we sauntered across the bridge in the middle of the road eeking out what shelter we could from the old rail line above us. The end of the bridge saw us in Spain in the old town of Tui, and also the clocks went forward an hour.
Despite the rain it was a fairly pleasant walk through the old parts of Tui then into the woodland which at least gave some shelter from the rain. The ponchos did their job, keeping us and our rucksacks dry and were far better than a ‘normal’ waterproof jacket.
Mid morning we happened across a small roadside cafe (link to google maps), full of locals, so took the opportunity to get out of the rain and warm up with a couple of ‘cafe con leches’ and a couple of scabby doughnuts. Here’s a picture of said cafe from the google street view car in better weather!
Whilst in the cafe the rain absolutely hammered down for about half an hour so another ‘cafe con leche’ seemed in order. Once the rain eased a bit we set off once more. The next hour or so was alongside a main road and wasn’t very pleasant but we soon turned right and into the forest where the track was easy to walk on. The rain started to ease a bit with the odd heavy shower for 5-10mins and would remain like this for most of the day.
The guidebook mentioned an alternate route which kept you away from a long interminable slog through an industrial estate and we were determined to take this other route. Despite keeping our eyes peeled we never did see the option where the route split but looking at maps later we realised part of the route had been closed due to flooding and we’d been following temporary signs which dropped us onto the alternate route so win/win.
Early afternoon we heard music and as the guidebook mentioned a cafe we were hoping we were close as we were starving. Rounding a corner we were greeted with said cafe, full of locals again! The rain had just stopped so it was off with the ponchos (very damp inside from condensation) and a welcome sit down to enjoy a massive sandwich and a refreshing Kas Limon (lemon fanta type) drink.
Suitably fuelled we donned the rucksacks again and set off for the last 6km or so into O Porrino. The rain had stopped completely so it was a pleasant last 90minutes or so walk along the river into the industrial town of O Porrino. We’d booked a private room for 4 in an Albergue and were suitably impressed with the accommodation (link to google maps) despite its looks from the outside.
A warm shower, change of clothes, and arranging of the wet stuff to dry took all of half an hour and it was back out the door to find food. First stop was a bar just down the road (natch) then a pleasant meal in the town centre. On the way back we found a really nice bar just down the street, full of locals (again) and ensconced ourselves there to enjoy a couple more beers.
Fairly early to bed, ready to rise at 0630 for the second day. The weather forecast had improved dramatically so hopefully that was the one and only time we’d need the ponchos.
Including all the wandering about in O Porrino we’d covered just over 25km and 34k steps.
