Camino Portugués
19.5 km, 20 m up and 50 m down, through 5 places, 3 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Valença. 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.
When leaving Valença do so by following the signs through the citadel, or along the Avenida de Espanha, crossing the Tui International Bridge (often called the Valença International Bridge, but almost never the Tui Valença International Bridge). The rather quaint building nestled into the bridge on the opposite end is the original checkpoint that has long been out of use.TIP: Cross the bridge using the walkway that is on your right, not the more naturally accessible one on the left. You will have much better views of Tui this way.
Change the time on your watch/phone/sundial/wind-up alarm clock. Spain is one hour ahead, so assuming you wake up at the same hour as the day before you will find things to be darker than usual.
The camino leaves town just as quickly as it entered it, crosses the N551, and turns right onto the Camino Virgen del Camino at kilometer marker 111.499; a numbers whose significant digits inspires false confidence.
The Louro Valley lies ahead, and the massive granite mining industry situated along it lends a distinctly different feel to the way homes are built compared to only a few kilometers away in Portugal. It is not uncommon to find large slabs of rough granite used to build fences around even the most modest of family plots.
You are advised to get your credential stamped at least twice a day between here and Santiago.
The stretch of camino ahead of you is undergoing changes for the better and keep the camino on a more tranquil and safe path, but there are sections that have become slightly longer, and the directions are not fully set in stone.
This area is one of Galicia’s largest industrial centers, most of the industry centered around O Porriño. In years past this meant a grueling romp through town, just the way that the businesses (read bars) like it. Competing arrows and confusion may ensue; despite the best efforts of local activists.
As usual, a healthy dose of common sense and the use of your best judgment is in order.
In periods of high rain the stretch of road between here and O Porriño is often flooded. In these cases, the camino is temporarily re-routed. When it is, the signs are clear but not frequent and at times it will feel like you just keep walking on the road forever. Stick to the road; the signs will appear when they are needed most.
From the church here turn left onto the road and cross the large highway. You will soon begin walking alongside this road, on a pedestrian section that is paved and separated from automotive traffic. Less than 2km from the church you will pass under the highway and very soon after that the camino leaves the road up a dirt track to your right. It is here, at kilometer marker 109.278 that the camino may detour due to high water. Otherwise, it is back over the highway and onto a dirt track into Ribadelouro.
Shortly before arriving here you'll have crossed a very old stone bridge — the modern wood decking disguises its age. Locals call it the Puente de la Fiebre (Bridge of Fever) after San Telmo fell ill and died here during…
Pay close attention to the following directions. For several years, and even at the time of publication, the route ahead has been the subject of much trouble.
Keep your eyes wide open when passing through Orbenlle. This town is nothing of note but is a very confusing place for pilgrims to find themselves.
The route splits here and depending on who you ask the answer of where to go will differ. The deciding point is at the end of town at a fork in the road. Don’t fret. There are only two ways to go:
LEFT, towards Centeáns and O Porriño along a longer but much more tranquil path. Distances indicated in this guide are for this route. It has been created by the pilgrim association in Galicia as a peaceful alternative to the out of control industrial zone into O Porriño and is often referred to as the riverside walk.
NOTE: After turning left to head into the forest and towards the river, there is another junction where you again have to turn left. There are arrows and the yellow "x" all over the place (designed to steer you back to the industrial zone) but have faith that you will get to the river soon.
The stretch through the forest ends at the highway, where you enter Centeáns.
RIGHT, directly to O Porriño but through an almost 5km stretch of an industrial zone.
The best advice is to turn left; bearing in mind that some arrows and even the locals will tell you to turn right.
After the highway, the walk into O Porriño can follow the main road or the river — the split occurs immediately after passing under the highway, with the river route requiring an immediate left turn. Distance is the same…
The walk into O Porriño can be done along the main road, or along the river, and again there are lots of conflicting arrows and warnings painted everywhere. The split occurs immediately after passing under the highway, and the new alternative river route requires an immediate left turn. The distance into town is the same.
The camino leaves town along the N550. On the north end of town, you will cross a roundabout, keeping to your right. Soon the road passes under the highway, and the trail leaves the road immediately after. After going under the highway, look to your right for a tunnel that passes under the off-ramp. It will take you to Ameirolongo.
Distances are the sum of the town-to-town measurements in my data, not a straight line on a map. Climb and descent come from the altitude of each place listed above, so they under-read where the path goes over a hill between two of them.
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.