Seven Days doing The Portuguese Camino with Mammy Bear.

WHEN – Tue 22nd March – Tue 29th

WHERE – Porto – Labruge – Rates – Balugaes – Ponte De Lima – Rubiaes – Valenca

TRANSPORT

• Flight from Dublin to Lisbon @ 7 am, landed in Lisbon @ 10 am
• Train from Lisbon to Porto – Metro from airport to Oriente Station (3 stops) — train from Lisbon @ 12.10 pm (3hrs)  — Metro from Porto to Trindade (3 stops) 
• Walk from Trindade to accommodation – Look at Me Apartments AMAZING PLACE, like five beds, all wooden, so clean and new and trendy. 

Arrival Day

Tue 22 March 2022

After we got settled in the apartment, we went walking around the city, a little cold and rainy. Went to Se Bento church, and then to the cathedral to see where we start in the morning! Dinner @ Cantina 32, a really delish and cozy place – wine, cheese, bread, yummy mushroom soup. Back and in bed by 9.30. Long day and a big day tomorrow. Eeeek!!!!!

Day 1 – Porto to Labruge (26.5km)

Wed 23 March 2022

Let’s begin! We got up at 7 and got organized. The man came to get our bags (we used a transport company to take our bags daily to the next place, email them at [email protected] , there are lots of reliable companies, etc but few start in March, and most start in April. It was about 7euro per bag per day :0).

We went to the Cathedral to get our FIRST STAMP!! (You can order the Camino Passport before you go on your trip and the company will send it to your address). We chose to walk THE LITERAL WAY for Stage 1 as that was nicer and along the coast! It was advised by the amazing website https://stingynomads.com . I used this website to plan our whole trip along with these books by John Brierley.

We started through the old town and down cobbled streets and we reached the River Duroc and walked 5km until we reached the beach coastline. It rained for the morning but cleared at 11 am. We took a break at 10km in for our flask of tea and coffee! 🙂. Continued towards Matosinhos, got a stamp there, walked through a fish market, and back to the BEAUTIFUL COASTLINE, so quiet and the waves were beautiful. We went to a Moroccan restaurant along the coast for lunch, and got soup, burgers, chips, the works! The interior was very cool and very fancy, not very Camino vibes haha. Then we went another 10km to Labruge, just coastline, waves, laughter, and peace! Stayed at Praha Da Casa. We showered and chilled. I went down to the boardwalk, had a beer, wrote in my diary, and watched the sunset 🌅 What a fantastic special first day, loving it already!!!! 

Day 2 – Labruge to Rates (27km)

Thur 24 March 2022

We got up @ 6.30, got sorted, and went to a local bakery where we got free brekkie – coffee, bread, and pastries. Then wow wow wow on the coast for 10km along fab beaches. A GREAT START! Unreal, into Vila De Condo where we navigated our way through TonguinhA – TonguinhO – Arcos – Rates. (That was a little confusing haha)! Now, we did 27km, defo a few extra due to my navigation, whoops. It was hot and there were lots of steep parts too!! We had lunch in a cafe, so quiet around and not many places open. Vila de Condo is a fab we cobble town but we didn’t get lunch there. We found another place on further – I was trying to order (very badly) so basically we went with the pilgrims’ menu, meat, chips, and egg (let’s not talk about the thick sausage meat mam ordered, she couldn’t even look at it haha, defo not a Denny sausage!). The cost was only 15 euros with beer, tea, dessert and coffee. Stayed at Casa Anabela that night. Arrived @ 4.30 pm. Her son Andre was so sweet. I had a bath/shower and went down to the tiny village (2 pubs) for a beer, salad, and bread. Back up at 9 pm and we went straight to sleep about 10 pm.

Day 3 – Rates to Balugaes (34km)

Fri 25 March 2022

Up at 6.30 and we hit the road at 8.30! Omg so much easier to navigate the road from yesterday. Signs EVERYWHERE. Camino signs. The plan was 30km today so we said we would do 10/10/10. Well, it was very beautiful, with a lot of country lanes and roads. We sat on a wall at 11km in and attracted a man in a car hahahaha…a full-blown conversation in Spanish was had, mam, smiling and chatting back in English with empathy and agreement haha. I couldn’t look at them straight without nearly peeing myself. Mam just constantly saying YAAAAAA, I KNOW YAAAAA, like not a notion what he was saying haha!! I then had to climb down into a vegetable garden to find the sunglasses that fell off my head (the karma from sniggering got me there)!

We continued to a town called Barcelos, which was lovely, it is defo a place you could stay en route! It is famous for the cockerel that rose from the dead. Mam made me get up on the statue (which was basically in the middle of a roundabout, haha)! A big river runs through the town, very nice. Then we had a long stretch to Tamel. A few steep inclines and at 27km we stopped again for a break!! We sat at a cross and finished our tea and oranges, I was wrecked. Mam was a trooper! It gave us a boost to power through to Balugaes. And OMG was it worth it! The accommodation, that mam organized and it was a surprise, was SO AMAZING!! IT WAS BASICALLY A CASTLE! Like a small, little stone castle, but it was a house! Blue-painted doors on the gate entrance. Like a house from the 1920s, even the interior probably hadn’t changed. They had old-style washing basins and then modern ones of course! I went into the lovely communal kitchen and wrote in my diary for an hour with lots of tea. I went for a stroll to look for some dinner for us and came across the only place that served food which was chicken and chips, yum. And it was yum, proper paper bag and all! We chilled back in the accommodation, feet up, and watched Dopesick, bed at 11 pm!

Day 4 – Balugaes to Ponte De Lima (20km)

Sat 26 March 2022

We got up at 8 am, and slept great!! We had the most amazing brekkie – toast, bread, coffee, and fruit. We took stuff away for our lunch. We headed off around 9.30 am. Yvonne, the landlady was very sweet (we didn’t want to leave). On we went to Ponte De Lima …today was FAB. A lovely walk and we took a break at a shrine to St. James @ 11km in. It was full of country roads and cobble paths and we made it to the beautiful destination. There was a big beautiful bridge in the city with cool statues around the place. Omg, so mam booked us into a hotel that overlooked the river!! We checked in, sat out on the balcony, and had tea and sandwiches, chill time! I then had a jacuzzi bath and washed my hair -it was delightful ha! 

We went out to explore the city @ 6 pm and went to a China mart to get a suitcase!! That was an experience haha…and low and behold we got the bag!! So funny, we tried to barter with not the most polite person working there. Then we headed back to a lovely Tapas Bar called FAVAS CONTATAS. They made up a yummy chicken salad for me and I had wine (the nicest red)!! We had all the laughs and the staff were so kind and beautiful. I defo did not want Mam to leave 🙁 The week flew. We got home at 10 pm and were in bed by 10.30 (clocks changed time – 1 hr forward).

Day 5 – Ponte De Lima – Rubiaes (20km)

Sun 27 March 2022

An early start today! We got up @ 6.30 am. We got our bags sorted and in for brekkie for a proper BUFFET of food. Like everything was there; pastries, breads, cereals, fruits, the lot. Made our packed lunches again of course! We started @ 9 am and there were little markets along the river, so cute. We did the first 10km and they were ok, mam was a trooper, defo the steepest day!! We had our break and OMG you wouldn’t believe it… some old man followed us… held/grabbed my hand and was trying to kiss it, actually, he did kiss it!! He was trying to whisper something to me and all I thought was (I must be polite and smile, just smile and agree) big mistake… he went to lob the gob (KISS ME) and I nearly DIED, MAM NEARLY DIED, he was at least 80 years of age! Like I can’t, it was so so funny, mam with her knife to cut the oranges, hahaha.

Now, he was not all there, bless. He kept calling me Maria which we later found out from a fellow hiker that he wanted to marry me/ both of us even and that I was his love! So on we went (from our lovely little rest stop) tea still in mammy’s hand haha and we go up up up to the top of the mountain. We sit for a peaceful break looking into the pine woods and mountains when a lovely lizard just appeared in front of us. I tried to get my phone to take a pic and then I heard this almighty scream come out of mam’s mouth as the lizard freaked out and ran with the speed of lightning through and under her legs!!! Omg, I nearly wet myself, so funny. What a day!! We headed downhill from there and found a cute little bar just 1km from our accommodation. We sat outside, taking in the sun, ice cold beer in hand and tea for mam. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! We shared a panini and it was so relaxing. It was in the middle of the mountain. So, so quiet too.

We checked into our accommodation at 3 pm, we had a room each and we showered, rested, chilled on the balcony, and rang the family. I tried to sort out some more of my trip and wrote in my diary. We had a lovely relaxing evening and watched more Dopesick. Bed at 10 pm, I didn’t sleep till 11.30.

Day 6 – Rubiaes – Valenca (20km)

Mon 28 March 2022

What a lovely, peaceful place. Woke up about 7 am and the mountains around us were all misty. We had brekkie at 7.30, just coffee and bread. We started our walk at 9.30 am. This is our last day together, I can’t believe it!! It was a lovely walk today, mostly flat, cobbled streets and country lanes. We found a fantastic little farmhouse where we had coffee, tea, and toast! I got some badges there and my CAMINO SHELL. On we went towards Valenca. The town at first seemed a bit industrialized, then we found the old fort, like a beautiful old town behind it with cobble streets. Our accommodation was perfect, really cute two beds, an amazing shower, view down on the streets below. We took a stroll around the place, got a few souvenirs, and had some food and wine @ the square. Then we went to watch the sunset and went looking for a supermarket to get some goodies for our last night. The continental shopping center was near to get some essentials. Back at 9 pm, watched some TV, and bed at 11 pm.

I headed off the next day without mam and it was shitty but we will do many more adventures like this I’m sure. 🙂 What a unique, funny, and special time to spend with mam!! Just such an incredible experience!!

ACCOMODATION

Porto – Look at me Apartment Loft.

Labruge – Casa De Praia Guest House

Rates – Casa Anabela, Rua Padrao Da Vila9, Sao Pedro De Rates

Balugaes – Casas Da Quinta Da Cancela, Rua Candido Batista De Sousa

Ponte De Lima – Hotel Imperio De Norte Avenida 5 De Outubro, 97 Ponte De Lima

Rubiaes – Pensao Repauso do Peregrino, EstradaDe S. Pedro De Rubiaes 2192

Valenca – Portas De Sol, Rua Conselheiro Lopas Da Silva51, Valenca