Camino Portugués
22.4 km, 360 m up and 241 m down, through 9 places, 6 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Barcelinhos. 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.
Leave town across the bridge over the Río Cávado. At the end of the bridge, turn left (against traffic) and follow the curve in the road up to the church and the ‘palace’.
A fresh set of arrows and signs direct the way through town, past the Igreja Senhor da Cruz and the large market square opposite it (open on Thursdays).
After rounding the church, keep on the road to the first side street and turn right. At the next fork (identifiable for the wash basin and cruceiro) keep to your left. One more right-hand turn and you are heading straight for the railway. At the tracks, the arrows turn left, but that is a not strictly necessary detour to an underpass. You are in the countryside now until Lijó. Turn left at the first fork and into town.
The camino passes a convenient bakery on your left as it crosses through town. Pass the front of the chapel and keep to your left, passing another chapel and park not far after. At this point you begin the steady uphill climb to Portela de Tamel, passing along the way intermittent strings of housing.
Arrows at the end of town, opposite the ‘Restaurante 2000,’ direct you up the stairs and to your right to pass the church and albergue. They eventually bring you back to the road, which you must follow for about 400m. Follow the road signs for Quintiães to the left, and shortly thereafter leave the road along a gravel track on your right.
Cross the railway on your right and keep an eye open for the arrows that will take you left shortly after that.The camino turns to track and passes through the countryside, across a stone bridge and eventually to a paved road that leads into Quintiães.
Public restroom next to the church. If you are after the ATM, coffee, or the shop, you have to keep RIGHT at the left arrow after crossing the tracks, otherwise see below.
At the far end of Quintiães keep an eye out for the arrows that indicate a sharp right-hand turn off the road. It is often blocked by the trucks and traffic parked around the farmer store.From there it is back to the countryside, passing the Ponte das Tabuas on the way to Balugães.
A small stone bridge over a stream with a sandy beach suitable for soaking your feet or taking a quick dip. One of the more pleasant rest stops between Barcelos and Ponte de Lima.
At the far end of town, where there is a small fountain set in a wall, the camino indicates a left turn. Go that way to visit the Romanesque church, or turn right and save yourself the not-strictly-necessary climb and detour. The camino follows along the paved road until the road turns right to return to the national road; at which point the camino keeps on straight and into the forest. The forest track emerges to a small cluster of homes where you turn right and cross the national road. Follow the narrow road to Lugar do Corgo and beyond.
Keep on along the narrow road climbing up to Vitorino.
The only accommodation in town, Casa da Fernanda, is highly recommended as a pilgrim friendly experience.
Turn left at the church, and then keep on straight through the next roundabout to follow the camino uphill.The way to Portela is more uphill.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 239 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 22.5 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.