Camino Portugués
30.2 km, 427 m up and 282 m down, through 5 places, 2 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Atalaia. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.
Keep on straight through town, following the road. It will veer to the right and begin a short climb to the church.Keep on straight again beyond the church along the N110 but keep an eye open for where the camino departs from the road along a track through the forests on your right.
Keep on the country lane past the church. You will pass a dirt football pitch that has been re-purposed as an off-road track for dirt bikes, and the road will descend into Asseiceira.
Keep on the paved road out of town, it will rejoin the N110. From here to Tomar things can get a bit hairy, so be on the lookout for arrows.Stay on the N110 until the first roundabout at a point where it joins the larger A13; at this point you cross under the A13. Once on the other side, at the roundabout, the basic strategy is to keep straight on uphill (towards the "Zona Industrial") rather than turning right to stay on the N110 (though if you did that you would eventually arrive to Tomar, so don't fret). On your way up the road will level out and cross over the railway which parallels the N110 into Tomar. Immediately after crossing the railway, look to your right for a dirt trail and when you spot it, turn right and follow it. At this point the railway is to your right, and beyond it is the N110. You will pass a few small hamlets strung along the road before rejoining the N110 into Tomar.
To leave town cross the river over the Marques do Pombal bridge (it is a single lane bridge with a pedestrian path, and you will be going against the car traffic). Turn left at the start of the Alameda, left again onto Joao dos Santos Simaos, and then right onto Avenida Doutor Egas Moniz.Just past the bullring turn left and then right slightly. Not far ahead you will pass the very prison-like (literally and metaphorically) Infantry Barracks.The road gives way to a country trail and in a short distance arrives at the locally renowned Ponte de Peniche.Keep straight at the junction after the bridge, and continue to cross under the IC9, keeping to your left after doing so. It is pleasant country roads through planted forests.At the first paved intersection (a four-way intersection 3km after passing under the IC9), turn right onto the road. Follow it to the first fork and veer right into Casais.
Keep on through town, turning left towards the church and curiously large cemetery and back onto the road into Soianda.
Passing through Soianda is a straight shot, with the only real choice of direction at the far end of town. Turn left when you get there.There is a steep grade ahead, first down and then back up into Calvinos. The road signs indicate a 10% grade, so take your time and if you are out of breath by the end, it is to be expected.
Keep more or less straight into town, through an offset intersection.Turn right at the next intersection to follow the primary road.The next ‘square’ has a bar and a mini-market. Turn left there to leave the main road and head back into the countryside.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 261 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 29.3 km.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.