Walks

CAMINO PORTUGUES

In September 2012 my husband and I walked from Porto to Santiago de Compostela along the Camino Portugues.  It wasn't the prettiest walk I've ever done, but it was fairly easy and we met some lovely people on the way.  I'm not a particular religious person, but it was a spiritual experience.  The route is marked by yellow scallop shells or, in some places, yellow flashes. We used the guide book, Camino Portugues by John Brierley, which was very useful.

Here are my notes/memories from the journey.


Porto to Vila Do Conde - 23kms

We took the metro to Mercado (by the port) and this is where our walk began.  It was a great hike along the coast - nice and flat!  A path of decking ran almost all the way and made for easy pleasant walking.  We followed the odd yellow arrow.  We received our first "Bon Camino," which was great.  Passed by a huge oil refinery, a huge blot on the coastline.  We walked through sleepy, simple, fishing communities.  We arrived in Vila Do Conde in the late afternoon sun.  We were expecting a coastal resort, but were happy to find that it wasn't like that at all.  It was a pleasant town to stay.  The approach into town is over a bridge, which overlooked by a huge villa.


Vila Do Conde to Barcelos - 30 kms

A relatively easy walk, but a long one.  Also it was very hot.  We met lots of pilgrims at breakfast and we couldn't believe it as we hadn't met anyone on the route from Porto to Vila Do Conde.  We were on the trail by 8.30 am stopping to buy croissants and water.  It was a bit confusing leaving Vila Do Conde as no yellow signs, but basically you head for Jacqueria.  A lovely day's walk through fields of giant sweetcorn. We also walked through a smouldering Eucalyptus forest, which was a bit scary.  Barcelos is located on the banks of the Rio Cavado.  Barcelos is famous for the Portuguese Black Cockerel and you see the image throughout the town, including a giant cockerel outside the tourist office.  The main pedestrian shopping street is part of the Camino and leads to the beautiful octagonal Igreja do Bom Jesus da Cruz.  A pleasant town, but a bit too touristy for us.


Barcelos to Ponte De Lima - 34 kms

Our longest day yet!  A few uphill stretches, which were made worse by the heat.  Facilities along this stretch were limited so we had to carry plenty of water.   The second half of the walk was beautiful and less populated as we entered the river Lima valley.  We met some walkers cooling off in a pretty natural swimming pool, we would have liked to linger, but had a long way to walk so we pressed on.  We had thought about staying in the Quinte Portella (owned by a Dutch couple).  It did look stunning, but it was only 4pm and only another 2 hours to Pont de Lima so we pressed on.  The approach to Ponte De Lima was via a vine covered cobble path by the river, which was lovely.  When we arrived at the town we discovered it was en fete and we hadn't booked anywhere to stay!  We eventually found a simple room for 35 Euros.

Ponte De Lima to Rubiaes - 17 kms

This morning we discovered we had lost our credit/debit cards!  A long story, so I will just say don't lose your bank cards while abroad as it's not that straightforward to get cash!  With all the drama of lost bank cards we didn't leave Ponte De Lima until 10.30 am.  A truly spectacular walk through stunning scenery.  We had a steep climb up the beautiful Labruja Valley.  We stopped for a welcome coffee and water at a trout farm, we were the only customers.  There are not many options to stay in Rubiaes so we opted for a the Reposa Del Pelarrenos, which is good value at 30 Euros for a lovely room with a balcony.  We enjoyed a beer in the local bar come shop and it was like stepping back in time.  It was a much easier day today, despite a long climb.

Rubiaes to Valenca - 19.3 kms

A lovely easy walk today on natural pathways or quiet roads.  It was sad leaving the remoteness behind and entering a busy town.  It was our hottest day yet, but we had started early so arrived in Valenca at 1.  The modern outskirts of Valenca is a bit ugly.  It does have an old fortified town, which is beautiful, but sadly full of tacky tourist shops - all seeming to sell bed linen and table cloths.

Valenca to Porrino - 19 kms

From Valenca a huge bridge spans the river and on the other side is the town of Tui and Spain.  Tui is a gorgeous town.  The start of today's route was lovely along old roman roads and tracks passing by Kiwi orchards.  Unfortunately, there was also a long stretch along a main road.  We had the most amazing lunch on the outskirts of Porrino - freshly made Tortilla and a tomato salad.  Then we descended into the horrors of the Porrino industrial estate - a long slog through factories and the worst section of the whole walk, but there was no way to avoid it.



Porrino to Arcades - 22 kms

Today we had an long ascent up to the town Mos and up again to the town of Monte Cornedo.  We treated ourselves to a coffee in the Albergue de Mos where we met lots of pilgrims.  There was now a long descent into Redondela. The original plan had been to stay in Redondela, but we decided to press on to the town of Arcade and the hotel Durate - another good value place to stay.  We had our first glimpse of the sea since leaving Porto.  

Arcades to Pontevedra - 11 kms

A very easy day!  It was a cooler day too as slightly cloudy.  This part of Spain is dotted with small concrete houses on stilts and we were told that these are grain stores.   The majority of the route was through lovely countryside, with the exception of the last 4 kms, which was a bit of a slog down a main road.  The outskirts of Pontevedra weren't promising (the pilgrim's hostel is in a grim-looking building near the railway station).  However, at the heart of its modern suburbs is a beautiful medieval quarter and that's where we headed for.  We visited the XV11th century pilgrim chapel Santuario de la Peregrina, which is built to a floor plan in the shape of a scallop shell.


Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis

It was a lovely temperature for walking today.  A relatively easy day's walk through fields, but to be honest I don't recall much about it as I was suffering from a tummy bug!  We had hoped to sample the hot springs in Caldas, but they were closed!

Caldas de Reis to Padron - 18.6 kms

A cloudy day, but still no rain.  Lots of pit stops en route.  A lovely walking day through woodland pathways and quite country roads.  A sociable day too with the chance to chat to other walkers we have met along the way.  We stayed at the Hotel Rosalia (really it should have been called Station Hotel, but luckily the trains were infrequent!)

Padron to Santiago de Compostela - 24 kms


We set out at 9am crossing the railway track (the hotel owner had shown us a short cut!)  We felt a little sad as it was our last day on the trail, but we were excited too and eager to see Santiago de Compostela.  As the day passed, we saw no one.  Very different from the previous day when we had seen so many pilgrims.  13 kms into the walk we eventually came across the "Irish ladies" we had met on previous days.  They were enjoying a picnic lunch.  It seemed a very easy walking today and not too much of it on the road, which was good.  We had a very quite route into Santiago, not another pilgrim in sight.  We went straight to the cathedral just to see it from the outside.  Very atmospheric with everyone happily posing for photos and congratulating themselves.  We eventually found our hotel (hotel Moure) - very modern.  We went to see the inside of the cathedral.  It was very ornate and a huge contrast to life on the trail.  Santiago de Compostela is a lovely city.

The next day we went to the Pilgrims' mass. A Pilgrim's Mass is held each day at noon for pilgrims.  The cathedral was packed, but we managed to find a space ont he steps.   It was very atmospheric.  In the crowds we saw most of the people we had spotted on the way.  Three pilgrims of different nationalities said a few words at different times during the service.  The musical and visual highlight of the mass is the synchronisation of the beautiful 'Hymn to Christ' with the spectacular swinging of the Botafumeiro, which is full of burning incense.  The name Botafumeiro means "smoke expeller" in Galician.  Amazing to see.  A lot of the congregation had come straight from the trail, ruck sacks on their backs.  It was very thought provoking.

The next day we said goodbye to Santiago and caught the bus to Porto!  A very easy bus ride back to Porto, hard to believe it had taken 11 days to walk it!

MORE CAMINO PICTURES

JEBEL SAHRO, MOROCCO - FEBRUARY 2009

In February 2009 we went walking in Jebel Sahro, Morocco with KE Adventure Travel.  Our Trek leader was Hajj, a tall smiley Berber man.  There were 16 in our group and I was the youngest member, the oldest being 73.


We set off from Marrakech by mini bus driving across the Atlas mountains to Ouarzazate where we stopped for lunch.  Oarzazate is a bustling town in the middle of the plains.  We passed oasis areas with palm trees and lush green vegetation surrounded by arid nothingness.  It took all day to reach the town of N'Kob, a village on the fringes of the Sahara and our accommodation for the night - a wonderful Kasbah (fortified town house).  

N’Kob was also the start of our trek.  A wander around the town led to us being surrounded by groups of children chorusing "merci pour un stilo," a phrase we would hear often en route.  

We set out into the foothills of the Jebel Sahro on a bright sunny Monday morning with six muleteers, a cook, eight mules and Hajj.  The walk, which was paced very well, took us through farms and villages in the Hanedour Valley.  Our first night’s camp was near the village of Tiguiza (1210m/3970ft).  Hajj walked with an easy long stride, almost as if he was just out for a short stroll, while we huffed and puffed behind.  

On Day 4 we ascended Jebel Amial (2,450m/8,038ft) and it was a hard, long day - 10 hours of walking.  We did have fresh donoughts in the mess tent when we got back to compensate!  

Day 5, described as one of the best day's walking was amazing and my favourite.  The walk took us to the high plateau of Tadaout ‘n Tablah via Bab n’Ali (reminiscent to Monument Valley).  The sky was blue, the rock formations stunning.  We even got to see a nomadic family with camel and baby camel.  It was another long day of walking, but mostly flat.    We lunched in a dry river bed under the shade of a palm tree.  

For the next two days the walking was easier, but we had the option to climb a few of the nearby crags, which we did.  There then followed a longer day as we climbed to cross a high pass and high ridges via an old French fort to the foot of Bou Gafer.  The next day we had the option to trek to the summit of Bou Gafer (1978m/6490ft).  We then descended from camp following a stream through green valleys and deep gorges to the village of Oulili where we camped.  The next day was a short day as we climbed out of the Oulili Valley towards the settlement of Tanemlalt.  

Almond Blossom

The last day's walk up Amalou n Mansour (2,712m/8898ft), the biggest peak in the Jebel Sahro range, was a fitting finale with views showing the route we had trekked, with views of the snow-capped High Atlas and the Sahara.    

We ate well.  Haji always carried a bag of “trail mix,” which he would offer at intervals during the day.  Lunch was usually (unless we were up a mountain) a huge salad with fish, pasta or rice, sometimes there was lentils - a group favourite.  Dinner was fiery Harissa soup with freshly baked roti bread (they cooked the bread on hot stones - amazing), followed by boiled vegetables and tinned fruit.   We were usually up between six and seven and two nights we camped in the same spot, which was good.  Most afternoons we managed to have a wash with water from little streams or communal wells.  The locals were a little reserved, but a smile usually did the trick. The children were great and on one particular day I found myself surrounded by a group practicing the verb Etre!  In total we walked 200kms.

Some Berber words:-
Sahar - thank you
Layal - goodbye
Salam - hello
Mahaben - welcome