Camino Portugués
28.2 km, 301 m up and 296 m down, through 10 places, 7 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Fão. 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.
Crossing the Rio Cávado from Fão to Esposende is done via bridge, take your time as the pedestrian section of the bridge is quite narrow. At the end of the bridge turn left, and at the next roundabout keep to your left into Esposende.
There are multiple ways through town but the easiest is along the pedestrian path near the sea. When it comes to an end follow the natural bend in the road to the right. From there the camino turns inland towards Marinhas.
The camino from Marinhas keeps away from the sea, and climbs gradually to offer an elevated view. The path is along paved back roads with little traffic. Eventually, beyond Belinho, the camino crosses descends to cross over the main road and joins a narrow forest path down to the Ponte do Sebastião.
Most services in Belinho are along the main road, the N13, but there's a small supermarket along the camino itself. The village sits on slightly elevated ground, and the walking ahead descends through forest to the Ponte…
A small hamlet between Belinho and the Ponte do Sebastiao, with no services to speak of. Keep moving.
After crossing the bridge the official camino turns right and uphill. However it is possible to turn left and take the old (unmarked) road which follows the coastline. Note that while this route is very doable it is best undertaken with a sense of adventure. There are several bars along the way, and at least a bit of beach walking.
Castelo do Neiva takes its name from a medieval fortress that once guarded the mouth of the Rio Neiva. Almost nothing remains of the castle itself -- the stones were repurposed centuries ago -- but the elevated terrain i…
The Mosteiro de Sao Romao de Neiva is a Romanesque church that survives from what was once a larger monastic complex. The monastery itself is long gone, but the church retains its original portal and some carved stone de…
A small village between the Neiva river and the approach to Viana do Castelo. No significant services, but the walking through here is quiet and rural.
From Anha the camino makes its way to the very long dual carriage bridge that crosses the Río Limia.
The iron bridge that carries the railway across the Rio Lima is commonly attributed to Gustave Eiffel's engineering firm, and its industrial elegance certainly fits his style. The bridge dates to 1878 and served as a cri…
Leave the centro historico of Viana do Castelo from the main square. Head north from the fountain (keep the length of the square to your left) and follow the pedestrianized and tree lined street (the Passeio das Mordomas da Romaria) to the first intersection. Turn left there to follow in the same direction as traffic along the Rua Candido Dos Reis/Luis do Rego. The road ends at the Park and Garden of Dom Fernando, turn right and at the next intersection keep as straight as possible to what looks like a dead end road. Arrows here will direct you down steps and underneath a busy avenida.At the top of the stairs on the other end keep going straight (you will have turned right just before climbing the stairs). DO NOT follow this road all the way to the busy avenida. Instead, turn left uphill and against traffic along the first street. It is signed as a dead end road. Follow it to the underpass.As you exit the underpass you will be in a more residential neighborhood. Turn left at the first street which is directly in front of you, the Rua Dom Moisés Alves de Pinho. From here you continue straight for several kilometers to leave town.The way passes through several narrow streets and cobbled lanes but is well marked. The Quinta da Boa Viagem is the next obvious landmark in Areosa.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 832 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 28.3 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.