There are two routes onward — a coastal path and a shaded one, which is the official one. I was going to take the coastal route but once I saw the weather forecast for another hot day, I chose the shaded path — and was grateful for it!
The day began with walking in quiet, stony back streets at Carreco. You can see how these stony paths are hard on the feet over repeated days!
The 27km walk out of Esposende began through urban back streets. On this route, you can never escape the Portuguese hand-tiled roads that are particularly hard on the feet!
21km on a rainy day on beachside boardwalks and paths, then through an agricultural area and into the back streets of villages before reaching Esposende.
There are many churches along the Camino, but I particularly liked the many variations on this roadside shrine. Sometimes they were modern and colorful and, at other times, ancient stone. They all portray Mary and angels pulling sinners from a fiery boat on the ocean. This shrine was just outside my hotel.
This was the first official day of my Camino de Santiago and a long one at 31km.
I stayed in central Porto and took the first metro just after 6 am back out to Matasinhos, as I walked there along the coast the previous day. Exit at Mercado station (about 40 mins from Trindade station, central Porto) and cross the Ponte Móvel de Leça bridge immediately.
Whether you’re setting out on the Camino Portugues da Costa to Santiago de Compostela, or just want a lovely walk around the coast from the city, this route from Porto central to Matasinhos in the city’s outer suburbs is a delight and highly recommended. The ‘official’ Camino route goes up through the streets and suburbs, but the coastal route is a much better experience, especially if the weather is good.
It’s around 13km in total so you can do it slowly and still make it to Matasinhos port for lunch. It’s an easy, flat walk — just keep the river and then the ocean on your left.
I stayed at House of Sandemans on the south bank of Porto Gaia which has a view over to Cais de Ribeira where you start the walk. As I walked along the waterfront with a pilgrim I met, a man called out from a window high up — “Bom Caminho!” — the first of many such greetings over the following weeks.
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How is pilgrimage different from just a long walk? Why do we feel a calling to pilgrimage even when not religious? How does pilgrimage connect us to our physicality, and simplify life so we find some perspective? Kevin Donahue talks about some of his ‘sacred steps’ on various pilgrimage routes across Europe.
Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes in 2019 and hosts the ‘Sacred Steps Podcast,’ where he discusses pilgrimage with fellow pilgrims. He’s currently writing a book, Sacred Steps: A Pilgrim’s Journal, out in 2023.
Show notes
You can find Kevin Donahue at SacredStepsPodcast.com and on Instagram @kevincdonahue
You can listen to my interview on Kevin’s podcast about my pilgrimage to Canterbury here.
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