You guys may remember our friends, Steven & Linda of The Chouters. We’ve been besties and frequent travel partners since our first epic adventure in 2016, when we traveled to AK together. Our travels since have been in the US and abroad. They know we are always up for at least considering a new experience. Sometimes we can join them, sometimes not. An example of the “sometimes not” was when Linda invited me to join her and a group of 3 other ladies when they walked the Camino Portuguese a few years ago; I was intrigued, but very concerned about being too slow, plus the timing was just bad for me.
A bit of housekeeping info before I dig in: I will be dividing pics between this post and the next one. This one will have pics from the beginning of our trip and up to Valenca, our last place in Portugal. The next post will pick up in Tui and end in Santiago de Compostela. Then there will be a third post about the “reward” part of the journey. I hope you follow along!
Back in summer 2024, they mentioned to us they were going to walk another Camino, which is defined, according to Google, as: “In Spanish, as a road, path, or way. It can refer to a literal physical path or a metaphorical route or journey. A famous example is the Camino de Santiago, a series of pilgrimage routes in Spain that lead to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.” There are many Camino’s in different countries, such as Portugal, France, etc. This time they would be walking from Le Puy, France to St Jean Pied de Port, also France. In SJPdP, pilgrims can continue on to Santiago on the Camino Frances, but S&L had already done that. It would take them 40+ days. They asked us to join them. Bill really wanted to do it, but 40+ days is a LONG time. Linda suggested an alternate, we walk a shorter, more doable walk and meet up with them for the going to Paris part of their trip. Paris? Hell’s YES!
Once we agreed to that, the planning began, and you guys already know how much I love planning! First thing was we decided to walk the Camino Portuguese as it’s mostly flat and shouldn’t take more than 2 to 2 1/2 weeks to walk. We then asked my BFF, (also named) Linda, and her partner, Rick, to join us. She and Bill had talked many times about multi-day hiking so it was just natural to include them, if they wanted. Linda Y took about 5 seconds to say “YES!” Rick didn’t feel like he was up to the walk, but agreed to meet us at the end in Santiago to be our cheerleader as we walked into the square in front of the cathedral, then continue on with the rest of the trip.
Next we had to develop a route, as even the Camino Portuguese has a few variants. Linda Y spent a good bit of time reading up on this and came up with a great path, which includes a couple of days on the coast (Litorial), moving over to the Central, then switching to the Espiritual before returning to the Central, which would take us into Santiago. I appreciated the pace she laid out, 17 days. Most of the days were 10 – 12 miles, the longest one 15. Our “rest” day was 1 mile, the day we would cross the bridge from Valenca, Portugal into Tui, Spain.
We discussed the type of lodging we wanted to use. Each option had pluses and minuses. Hotels or AirBnB’s guaranteed us a private room and bath but were by far the most expensive. Private albergues (hostels) also guaranteed us a bed, may or may not be private room or bath, depending on price and location. The least expensive and the most “pilgrim oriented” would be the public albergues. This type of lodging was only available to pilgrims, and you needed to show your credential (more on that later) when checking in to stay there. They do not offer reservations, therefore no guaranteed bed, but instead are first come/first served, a concept we are familiar with since some places we stay in our RV are first come/first served. They are dormitory style, with large rooms filled with bunk beds, with varying degrees of privacy, even in the bathrooms (well, in the shower area anyway.) What we came up with was we would use a mix of all these options. I’ll mention here that a lot of people just show up at their starting place and “wing it.” We were not comfortable doing that, not entirely anyway.
Exact dates needed to be decided on for flights and other transportation, so we consulted with Steven & Linda D and got those dates nailed down. Booking things began. Aside from flights, we would need to get train and bus tickets to get us from Santiago to St Jean Pied de Port, and then on to Paris! Since there was no direct train, we decided to take advantage of the stop over in Madrid and spend 2 nights there. We also included a night in Pamplona since the bus left fairly early in the morning. We then booked one night in SJPdP, which is where we would meet up with Steven & Linda D. Steven took care of the AirBnB in Paris. He also gave us the info about getting from SJPdP to Paris on the bullet train.
There are a couple of well known places to stay along the Camino Portuguese, so Linda Y reserved them for us. After closer review of the “schedule”, we decided to add a couple additional reservations, for example the longer (15 mile) day I mentioned earlier. We didn’t want to arrive after such a long day and not have a guaranteed bed, especially since that town, Armenteira, didn’t have many options.
Once we made the decision to do this, we started training, and also making lists of the things we would need. We started walking a lot more regularly and over the course of 5 months, we added frequency, distance, and weight in our packs. Oh – did I forget to mention? We would be carrying EVERYTHING we would need in backpacks. You read that right. We would be filling our backpacks with our clothes (all of which needed to be purchased), toiletries, first aid, rain gear, “recovery shoes” (what you wear on your feet in the evening to let your feet breathe after being stuck in your trainers all day), sleep sack (public albergues MIGHT give you a paper sheet/pillowcase, private ones generally provide cotton but its common knowledge that they don’t necessarily wash them every day).
Gear
Bill and I headed to REI. The main reason is you can return/exchange gear (we were looking specifically for back packs) for any reason for up to a year. Longer story short, I exchanged my pack twice, while Bill did only once. While we were with Cindy & James, I got new sneakers, which I needed anyway. I initially thought I would just wear them to walk in. Turned out that was not a good idea. While training, I realized I could feel the smallest things under my feet since sneaker bottoms aren’t designed for rougher surfaces. I ended up with Topos trainers, which I loved. They have a huge comfy toe box, perfect for toes that swell as you walk 10+ miles per day for 17 days in a row. We ordered Altus rain ponchos (special ones that have an area for a backpack AND also had arms and zipped up in the front) online, which took about 6 weeks to get. Special shout-out to Cori and Greg, who re-mailed them to FL for us when they arrived like 2 days after we left. I also ordered Teva flip flops online and they took so long that I finally had to order a different pair. They still haven’t arrived, no idea what happened. Bill ordered us stainless steel clips and carabiners for us to attach things to the outside of our packs, as well as paracord to use as a clothesline when needed. Another thing Bill ordered us was Apple Tags, just in case. We each got quick dry towels. There was also small LED lights that easily attached to our packs. Honestly, when we got back to my Mom’s in early April it was like Christmas!
We shopped in person, in REI, Cabelas/Bass Pro, Academy, etc. for clothes since I prefer to try things on. Why all new clothes you ask? Well, there are a couple of really good reasons: quick dry and weight. No cotton, not even underwear. Especially not socks, wool socks only. The only things I brought that weren’t new were my bras.
Complete list of what went into my pack and how much it weighed and cost:
| item | weight in pounds | cost | item | weight in pounds | cost |
| pack Osprey 32L Mira | 2.4 | $220 | undies/sleep wear/socks | 1 pound 7.7oz | $5 each undies $8 each socks $15 sleepwear |
| 2 skorts | 1 pound 1.5oz | $15 each (on sale) | 2 long sleeve button down shirts | 14oz | $50 for both (on sale!) |
| 1 pair long pants | 4.5oz | $30 | 2 short sleeve shirts/ 2 tank tops | 1 pound 1.1oz | about $12 each (on sale) |
| puffer jacket in sack | 1 pound 1oz | $17 (on sale at Academy!) | gators | 2.6oz | $8 |
| extra pair RX glasses | 4.3oz | $0 | phone | 7.7oz | – |
| body wash/ shampoo/conditioner | 13.5oz | negligible since I took some from my larger pump size containers | other toiletries: pantyliners/ brush/nail file/tissues/ deoderant/ advil, etc | 7.1oz | had most of this |
| toothbrush/ toothpaste | 5.2oz | $5 | Sea to Summit sleep sack | 13.4oz | $50 |
| towel (REI) | 11.3oz | $18 | small purse for driver license/ passport/ camino credential/ credit cards/cash | 5.3oz empty 6oz rest of stuff | $6 (clearance) |
| Teva flip flops | 6oz | $55 | Altus rain poncho | 11oz | $55 |
| extra pillowcase/ travel pillowcase | 3oz | $5 | bottle of water w/hydration drinking tube | 1 pound 6oz | $17 |
| vitamins | 1 pound | (see other column) | TOTAL weight carried | 14 pounds 13.4oz | $681 (just Kelly) |
Keep in mind, this list is EVERYTHING I brought, so while the weight for all my clothes is included above, I was wearing one set of clothes so that weight was not in my pack at that time. I also carried 20oz bottle of water, that I refilled at every opportunity. I brought a total of 4 pair of undies, 2 bras, 4 pair of wool socks, 2 pair toe socks to wear with flip flops, 1 oversize t-shirt and 1 quick dry “boy shorts” for sleeping. The oversize t-shirt (which I purposely bought big) was very handy sometimes in the morning as I could get dressed under it if needed. My button down shirts were worn to keep sun off; we also had some cool breezy days, and it was nice to have something on my arms. The pants I brought were very thin and comfy, but just enough to wear on cooler mornings. Sometimes it warmed up enough that I was able to change into a skort at lunchtime. My puffer jacket was folded up into the travel size pillowcase I brought, and used as a squishy pillow. The full size pillowcase was used over whatever pillow cover was on the pillows we were given.
Last but never least I brought sticks. Well, trained with some before leaving, but then I bought new sticks at the Decathalon when we arrived in Porto. We had read that while some people get away with bringing their sticks (Linda Y did), most people end up donating theirs to the TSA. They were awkward to walk with at first, but once I figured it out they literally were my lifesavers on the way. It is common knowledge to people who use them that walking sticks (or poles as they are also called) can be very helpful in keeping weight off your legs. They help with stability, they help the user keep themselves balanced, especially on climbs and descents. According to Google, “studies have shown that the use of walking sticks can reduce the compressive force on the knees by up to 25%, allowing hikers to go further and longer.” I can attest, they helped me a lot.
Route
| Start | End | Miles | Slept At | Notes |
| Porto | AirBnB | Reserved 2 nights/2 bed/ 1 bath | ||
| Porto | Cabo do Mundo | 10.6 | Casa Velha | Reserved/ Private rooms and baths |
| Cabo do Mundo | Vila do Conde | 10 | Santa Clara | Public/FCFS /dorm style /shared bath |
| Vila do Conde | Rates | 8 | S Pedro de Rates | Public/FCFS/ dorm/shared bath |
| Rates | Barcelos | 10 | Cidade de Barcelos | Public/FCFS/ dorm/shared bath |
| Barcelos | Lugar do Corgo | 12.4 | Casa da Fernanda | Reserved/ Private room and bathroom/ Communal meals/music/ singing BEST STAY |
| Lugar do Corgo | Ponte de Lima | 8.6 | Municipal | Public/FCFS/ dorm/shared bath |
| Ponte de Lima | Rubiaes | 11.4 | Municipal | Public/FCFS/ dorm/shared bath |
| Rubiaes | Valenca | 10.3 | Residencial Portas do Sol | Reserved/ Private “family” room/bath |
| Valenca | Tui | 1.7 | Ideas Peregrinas | Reserved/ 4 bed (2 bunks) room with privacy curtain/shared co-ed bath |
| Tui | Porrino | 11.2 | Xunta (municipal) | Public/FCFS |
| Porrino | Redondela | 9.6 | Casa da Torre/ Xunta | Public/FCFS |
| Redondela | Pontevedra | Bill/Linda 12.2 Kelly 7.5 | Acola Hostel | Reserved/ Private/ privacy curtains |
| Pontevedra | Armenteira | Bill/Linda 13.2 Kelly 7 | AirBnB | 3 bedrooms/2 bath, kitchen |
| Armenteira | Vilanova de Arousa | Bill/Linda 15 Kelly 7 | A Corticela | Reserved/ Private/ shared bath |
| Vilanova de Arousa | Pontecesures Padron | Boat 16.8 walk 1.6 | Xunta (municipal) | Public/FCFS |
| Padron | Milladoiro | 10.8 | Albergue Milladoiro | Public/FCFS/ privacy curtains/ switched with younger nice man after I fell |
| Milladoiro | Santiago de Compostela | 4.5 | AirBnB | Reserved/ 2 bedroom/ 2 bath/kitchen |
The distances I used above were from the books we bought prior to leaving. Linda Y bought one and I bought a different one. Their distances were all but exact. Bill and I both wore FitBit watches that showed very different distances, from each other as well as the books. Bill’s FitBit registered a total of 531,176 steps, or 31,246 steps average per day. These numbers show that he walked a lot more miles (240 vs 161) than the guide books or GoggleMaps shows, but that can somewhat be accounted for with the walking done in the evenings.
Accommodation/Food Costs
The public/municipal albergues were about €10 ($11.56) per night per person. Most of the time when checking into these type places, we were given paper’ish sheets/pillowcases. Sometimes there was a blanket, sometimes not. Always a pillow, but they were mostly flat and had to be folded in half. I brought myself a regular pillowcase to use over the paper’ish one. I also had brought a sleep sack/sleeping bag liner with me so I wouldn’t lay directly on the paper’ish sheet. We also had our own quick dry towels, since they were not provided at all.
The private ones were all different, anywhere from €20 ($23.11) per night per person up to €30 ($34.67) per night per person. These would have regular sheets, but we still used our own pillow cases and sleep sacks because we had read that the beds were already made up, the sheets weren’t always washed every day. I know – yuck – but we were prepared. I think all the private ones we stayed at had blankets. Never towels though.
AirBnB’s were higher yet the lower end being €88 ($101.69) for a room for the 3 of us, the most expensive was €130 ($150.22) per night for 4 of us. We would use their sheets, pillow cases, and towels.
Food costs were reasonable. A latte and pastry in the morning was about €3.25 ($3.75) each. A sandwich (usually ham and cheese) was about €5 ($5.78) each. Dinners were either a pilgrim meal (pilgrim meal was usually a portion of meat, with maybe a small salad, rice or potato and fries, sometimes dessert), which were around €12, including a glass of wine or non-alcoholic drink; if ordering off the regular menu average was €25 ($28.89) each, including a glass of wine or beer and a dessert. If we didn’t have dessert where we ate dinner, we would stop for a gelato on the way to the albergue and that was between €1 and €2.50 ($1.16 – $2.89)
The above numbers are for the Camino part of the trip, which will end in Santiago. Costs for the reward part of the trip were a good bit higher.
I just realized I didn’t tell you about the pilgrim credentials. While in Porto, we visited the Cathedral there and registered as pilgrims and were given a pilgrim passport a.k.a. credential. See pic below. Each day we walk we had to get at least 2 stamps in our passport. Generally one from where you spend the night and another from where you get lunch or something during the day. It basically proves you walked. It also allows you to stay in public/municipal albergues (they did all ask for them) and order pilgrim meals at restaurants that offer them. We were told we may be asked for them, and while we had them with us, we were never asked at a restaurant.
I know above I gave a brief, very simplified, look at what a day on the Camino looked like: wake up, walk, eat, walk, and so on, but I thought I would get into a little more detail, in case anyone wants to know. You’ll have to check back next time to read all about it!
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Next Up: CAMINO! Walking the walk!
After that: CAMINO! The REWARD! Madrid, Pamplona, SJPdP, and PARIS!
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What an adventure! From prep to long days on the trail, you guys really handled your stuff 🙂 You two really look like pilgrims in that poncho pic.
Thanks Jodee! It’s still truly amazing to me that I finished. Stay tuned for more!
What an adventure…you guys are troopers!
It definitely was an adventure! More about it in the next post!
Love all the info ! Great job on the entire walk!! I’ve wanted to do a Camino for over 20 years. Maybe one day. We lived Porto and were still waiting to try one of those sandwiches. They keep escaping us:
Thanks! Considering how you guys hike so much you could probably easily handle a longer more difficult one. This one is considered an easier one.
I have really enjoyed following your adventures from afar…great, great job~~
Thanks Ellen! There’s more to come!