17kms. After the traumas and exhaustion of 30km yesterday, we had an easy day today. The section from Barcelos to Ponte de Lima is 33.6km, much more than we want to walk in a day. So we split it into two, detouring 1km (see map) to Casas do Rio at Cossourado, near Sao Bento close to the half-way mark of the stage.
It was market day (every Thursday) in Barcelos so we spent time wandering around an enormous market, that had been set up in the town square. Everything from fruit and vegetables, to furniture, to clothes to handicrafts. We left at 11:00am, walking out in warm weather about 26C. We were passed by another pilgrim from Spain. We are meeting pilgrims everyday, when in the camino before Porto, we were lucky to see a pilgrim once a week. It was all quiet roads and farms tracks until we reached Portela, where we saw the new Alberque that has been built, and bought 3 litres of cold bottled water from a cafe (they gave us two glasses to drink it). We crossed Ponte das Tauas, where we met a pilgrim from Amsterdam who (with his dog) has been on the road since last August (walking all the way from Amsterdam to the Camino Frances, and then backwards along the Camino Portuguese).
We then left the camino at San Bento to walk to Casas do Rio, which without doubt is the best place we have stayed at on the whole camino.
Directions from the Camino Portuguse (red) to Casas do Rio (green). It is 1 km (click for larger image)
Detailed map with directions to Casas do Rio (click for larger version)
Walking along farm tracks (click for larger version)
How fabulous you are in Ponte de Lima. It’s such a pretty town. Did you see the house covered in tiles?
We’ve only just arrived and our feathers are a bit ruffled at the moment from trying to find somewhere to stay. First hotel was ‘closed for renovations’, next on the list had absolutely no signs, but the third on the list had a room and we’re now settling in. House covered in tiles …. we’ve seen so many houses and churches covered in tiles since we arrived in Lisbon, I don’t think we really notice them any more.
Ah…the market in Barcelos…I remeber that fro when I was a child!
Hope in between the walking and saving your lives you do get the chance to enjoy it all.
X
Lovely to ‘see’ you Mickey! We are enjoying it all very much, except that we are leaving Portugal tomorrow morning, and we’re a bit sad about that. But we’ll be back, I’m sure!
Hope your transfer to Canada is all going smoothly. xx