I set off at 8 o’clock, with beautiful sunshine and a blue sky, on my journey. But after 20 minutes, I popped into a café for breakfast (coffee and a croissant) because there’s nowhere to buy food for the next ten kilometres.
As I was planning this route linking the Coastal and Central Caminos, I wasn’t sure whether the path would be suitable for walking, or indeed whether it was even walkable at all. But today, what a surprise – it turned out to be one of the best walks I’ve had so far.
View to Viana do Castelo
I walked a short distance under a motorway bridge, then away from the river and back towards it in a curve.
Forest PathEucalyptus Trees
The path was absolutely beautiful, mostly sand, forest floor or country lanes. I had several magnificent views of the river towards Viana do Castelo in the distance.
Beautiful Lima River Beautiful Lima RiverAnd this time, my plan to have a hot lunch at the only restaurant on my way worked out perfectly. I ordered “water to drink and a salad with pasta, rice or chips, without meat or fish”, which turned out to be just what I wanted. Including coffee and a tip, it came to €10.Lunch
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel refreshed after the one-hour rest. My legs and back started to ache, but I still had a few kilometres to walk.
Stone Banks
With the temperature at 21°C, I was out in shorts for the first time.
Rest at the river
I carried on, taking a few short breaks, and reached my new accommodation at 5 pm. It was the cheapest one I’d booked: €17 for a private room with a shared bathroom and kitchen in a village. And it was the only accommodation on my route from there.
Luckily, I still had some leftovers from lunch, some snacks and some water, as there was nothing to buy for miles around. But at least I could make myself a hot cup of tea because the house was cold.
R2 Tea2
At a glance
Automatically extracted from the post
Length of time
1 Day
Weather
Autumn · 21–21°C
Accompaniment
Alone
Mood
AdventurousRelaxing
Highlights
A beautiful walk through forest paths, sandy tracks and country lanes
Views of the Lima River and Viana do Castelo
Topics
NatureAdventureEat
Cost
Lunch, coffee and tip€10
Private room€17
camino-portugues-roundtripLike a newsletter: every new post arrives via email.
