For the past 2 1/2 days, we've had some excellent trails to walk. Rain is intermittent, but we're getting just as much sunshine. Today was our first full day in Spain. Immediately, trail conditions were better along with more places to stop and enjoy a coffee or something to eat. Still, at this time of year, there aren't a lot of pilgrims walking this Camino. Most of the time we have the trail to ourselves. As you'll see from these photos, the Portuguese and Spanish countryside are quite beautiful.
Today, we were advised to take an alternate route through a forested area that turned out to be an excellent recommendation. Instead of walking for several miles on a highway through an industrial area, we strolled through a wooded area often along a stream. Walking doesn't get any better that this.
We've decided to add a day on to our walk thus cutting down the number of miles we would have had to walk today. Seems like a popular decision being made by a number of other pilgrims we've talked with. We'll have one less day in Santiago, but one more day on the trail.
The Camino Portugués is relatively flat. We've only had one hill of any significance to climb so far (about 450 meters in elevation). The goat trail we went up reminded me of many of the trails in the Adirondacks. And, at the too, a pretty nice view as well!
Is the last picture lilacs? Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYes, lilacs are in full bloom!
DeleteHi, I'm going to try for the third time to get this published. Sorry if it repeats. I have been following your blog and love your pictures. I will be on the Portugal camino late May, traveling with a friend who has sensitive knees. We plan on hiring a service to carry our bags from place to place each night. You mentioned you added a day to your journey through the woods do you mind sharing where? Would you stay at the same places again? Any advice would be gratefully accepted. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that you've enjoyed my blog. The wooded path I referenced is a few miles outside outside Tui. It's a bit of a tricky turn due to the markings. The arrow that points to the "alternative" isn't the alternative. It's just the opposite. At the markings, take the lath to the left that will take you to Porriño and avoid the highway and the industrial zone. We've been very pleased with our albergues/hostels. Would stay at them again. We changed in Ponte de Lima, but I need to look that name up. In Porriño, we stayed at the Albergue Camino Portuguese. Nicer than the public albergue.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I appreciate it. What would I do without your blog? Can't wait to try the seafood, and experience the Camino Portuguese . I'm sure all the planning one can do will never match the experiences that lay ahead,
ReplyDelete