Spotting yellow arrows becomes a critical skill when walking the Camino. I learned this quickly when I recently walked my first Camino de Santiago, or the Way of Saint James as it’s known in English. For thousands of years, pilgrims have walked across Europe to reach the sacred destination at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. There are at least 8 major routes from various points across Europe all heading to the same destination. The most popular route begins at Roncesvalles, in the Spanish foothills of the Pyrenees, and continues for 500 miles across northern Spain. It typically takes pilgrims 4 or more weeks to walk this distance in a single trek. It’s not uncommon, however, for pilgrims to divide the trip into multiple segments and complete the journey over time.
The second most popular route is the Camino Portugués or the Portuguese Way. There are two popular starting points‒either Lisbon for a journey of 610+ km or Porto for a distance of 227+ km. There is also a choice of routes‒the two major routes are the Central Route or the Coastal Route. For my very first Camino experience (or any long-distance walking experience for that matter) I chose to start in Porto Portugal and walk solo on the Camino Portuguese Coastal Route for a 110+ km journey to Camposancos Spain. Here’s a screenshot from the Wisely Pilgrim app I used to guide me along the way. The Coastal Route is shown in blue with Porto in the south and Caminha in the north.
In addition to its impressive provenance, the Camino is known for its well-established pilgrim support system and infrastructure. There are a variety of places to stay and eat along the way. There are resting places and water fountains. The route is clearly marked with bright yellow arrows. The most unusual Camino arrow I saw was painted on the side of a van (see below)–wonder what happens when the owner needs to drive somewhere.
Unlike many wilderness long-distance hikes, it’s not necessary to camp outdoors and cook meals. Traditionally, pilgrims stay in shared accommodations such as hostels or albergues and carry everything they’ll need for the journey with them. This makes the Camino very affordable. It also makes it very challenging. I decided to take a less traditional approach by staying in hotels and leveraging luggage transfer services. While such an arrangement is obviously more comfortable, it’s a little less flexible than the traditional approach. I also set a relaxed pace, walking two days followed by a rest day. So I had every third day to relax and catch my breath before the next major effort. As I understand it, most pilgrims take rest days, they just don’t take them so frequently.
I’m proud (and relieved) to report I walked 110+ kilometers in a week from Porto to Camposancos. I consider this a major victory especially since I’m no athlete. But I do like to walk and I’ve power-walked for exercise, multiple times a week, for years. Walking the Camino, I discovered, allowed me to get up-close and personal with my surroundings so I got a real sense of the places I visited. It was a great experience!
I took hundreds of photos which I’ve culled for this post. Here are the daily highlights from my first Camino walk. The first few shots are leaving Porto and walking along the Douro River.
Notice the mosaic fisherman at bottom left. A home in the fishing village of Vila Chã was decorated with dozens of unique mosaics like this one. You can imagine how many photos I took there!
The stone arches at bottom right are part of the Aqueduct of Santa Clara which is an astonishing 999 arches long. Interestingly, while it looks like an ancient Roman aqueduct, it was built in the early 1700s. For the record, I did not spend my rest day lounging on those amazing beach beds at bottom left. Instead I learned all about the bobbin lace for which Vila do Conde is famous. Check out my post Tied In Knots In Portugal to get the full story.
The route veered inland after Vila do Conde and I traded wood boardwalks for country lanes. 
Walking was considerably more challenging on Day 5. There were narrow forest paths, rocky hills and narrow bridges to maneuver.
After seeing dozens of social media shots of Portuguese villages with colorful umbrellas strung across the streets, I was really hoping to see it for myself. Viana do Castelo came through for me! And the umbrella-dressed streets did not disappoint‒they were a joyful sight.
Thankfully, the wood boardwalks were back after Viana do Castelo. It seems pilgrims like to build stone cairns. Or so it seems based on all the cairns I saw along the way. The beach stone version at top left was my favorite.
The final step in my journey was to cross the Minho River by ferry from Caminha to Camposancos Spain.
I now understand how the Camino could become an obsession and why some folks keep going back. I’m convinced it’s the perfect slow travel experience. When I think about it—in what other situation could I take on an attainable physical challenge that gives me an abundance of quality time to spend with nature and in simple towns and villages while meeting a community of like-minded folks from around the world? I’ll wrap up with one of my favorite Camino photos. This was taken on my last day at sunset in Caminha Portugal.
More Info
The most popular online source of information is the Camino de Santiago Forum. This is a very active forum. Many experienced pilgrims generously share their recommendations and answer questions.
I purchased an app called Wisely from Wise Pilgrim. It was a great tool for planning my route and for providing real time route guidance during the walk. I was able to download the maps so they worked offline. You can learn more on the Wise Pilgrim website.
During my walk, I came across a Caminhos de Santiago website specifically for the Camino Portuguese Coastal route. I discovered it a little too late but a quick scan of the site suggests it could be quite helpful.
The most popular source of reference that probably every pilgrim uses is a Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino de Santiago by John Brierley. He has separate guidebooks for the different routes.
There’s a great movie from 2010 called The Way. The movie is a Spanish drama, produced and written by Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen, which honors the Camino de Santiago and promotes the traditional pilgrimage. Plus, there are dozens of books written by fellow pilgrims sharing their experiences walking the Camino.
But the absolute best source of information is an experienced pilgrim‒someone who has already walked the Camino and knows the positives and negatives of the experience. Many thanks to my bother-in-law, Eric, for fanning the spark and being my go-to Camino guide!
I was so inspired by my recent trip to Portugal that I wrote a series of blog posts about what I learned and experienced. Check out:
. Tied in Knots in Portugal about the bobbin lace traditions of Vila do Conde.
. Following the Yellow Arrows (this post).
. Making Curls and Swirls with a Filigree Master about my experience making a traditional Portuguese filigree heart.
. Talk About Tiles! which features the beautiful tiles (azulejos) so prevalent in Portugal.
. Lavish Lalique in Lisbon which looks at the René Lalique Collection of Art Nouveau jewelry at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.
. Lines and Patterns in Wrought Iron shares a variety of wrought iron designs spotted in Portugal.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Traditionally, the Camino de Santiago is a religious pilgrimage whereby people walked from their homes in Europe to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain.
2. Walking the Camino is a great way to get a real sense of the places you’re visiting.
3. If you’re looking for a fun and interesting challenge, why not consider walking the Camino?
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