Caminho do Norte: Day 2 – Ponte de Lima to Barcelos

 

We have another long day ahead of us on the Caminho do Norte. Having combined two stages yesterday, we’re tackling a stage-and-a-half on our second day. The third stage outlined on the Caminho do Norte website would have seen us walking 24 kilometres and finishing at Tamel. Instead, we’re pushing on to Barcelos which means we’ll be covering more like 36 kilometres. I have to keep reminding myself that I signed up for this!

Unfortunately, I’d woken up feeling slightly under the weather, with a blocked nose and sore throat. Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with my appetite and I wolfed down my share of the huge chocolate croissants we’d bought last night.

We always get going earlier when there’s no breakfast provided and today was no exception. Maybe it was yesterday’s epic hike, but I just wasn’t feeling great this morning: my rucksack felt even heavier than yesterday and my legs were aching.

The river promenade in Ponte de Lima was much quieter on this dreary, chilly morning, although there were quite a few runners about. There was a statue depicting a bull with a woman poking a stick into it so I delved into the tradition behind them – and felt quite sickened.

Vaca das Cordas dates back to 1646 and takes place annually in Ponte de Lima on the day before the Corpus Christi celebrations (we were actually in Caminha for them this year). Basically, a live bull is tied with ropes and guided through the city’s streets by crowds of people. Thankfully, this poor creature is not killed, but it must still be terrified. Not all Portuguese traditions are pleasant it would seem.

Romans

I pondered the significance of two rows of Roman soldiers standing on our side of the Lima (there appeared to be a Roman on horseback on the other side), but it wasn’t until we returned home that I read about a local legend linked to the Roman invasion of the Iberian peninsula. It’s claimed that when the Roman troops first reached the Lima, they believed it was the River Lethe – the mythical river of forgetfulness from Greek and Roman mythology – and refused to cross it. It wasn’t until their general, Decimus Junius Brutus (the one on the horse), crossed and proved it was safe to do so that his soldiers followed.

It doesn’t take long to leave these small Portuguese cities and we were soon back on the cobbles walking alongside more cornfields and vineyards. From the outset, we saw plenty of pilgrims; I wondered if their feet were aching as much as mine.

The landscape was pleasant enough, although we were mostly walking on cobbles/hard surfaces through small villages. I’d been admiring the lovely trees laden with chestnuts when one fell and narrowly missed Harri’s head.

We’ve noticed the pilgrims we’re seeing today seem mostly be older – and unencumbered by backpacks or even regular daypacks in the case of one large group. Don’t they realise that suffering with a heavy load is an integral part of the caminho experience?

With 11.9 kilometres under our belts, the weather was deteriorating and the wind picking up. There weren’t many options for sitting so we settled ourselves inside a bus shelter on a wide road for elevenses and hoped a bus didn’t come along.

Soon after our brief rest, we stopped again – this time to chat to a friendly Canadian couple who were walking the Caminho Português from Lisbon (nearly 650 kilometres). The husband told Harri the first two weeks had been tough … on their marriage!

Tractors and farm machinery dominated the agricultural landscape. Harri steered us well out of the way of a young girl who seemed to be having a driving lesson on a tractor.

There had been rain in the air for some time – we’d noticed other pilgrims were donning their wet water gear and even umbrellas – but the humidity had persuaded us to hold off as long as possible. My weariness was increasing and even looking for my waterproof in my rucksack felt like too much effort.

We were actually having lunch when the heavens opened on us. Soon it was well and truly raining; finally, the waterproofs came out. Anybody familiar with long-distance hiking knows what a miserable experience it is to trudge on during a downpour. On the bright side, at least we encountered no boggy mountain slopes on the Caminho do Norte.

While we’re on the topic of water, maybe I should mention that we passed a lot of fonts on this (third) stage of the caminho. Some are suitable for drinking from, while others have signs saying the water is untested.

The rain was easing as we reached Tamel, but it was still grey and blustery. How I wished we’d reached the end of today’s stage rather than facing another 9km to Barcelos. My whole body was aching by now, so we plonked ourselves down on a damp wall and I took some paracetamol.

The final drag into Barcelos was just that – lots of main road walking, punctuated with ubiquitous statues of the rooster that legend has long been associated with the city.

We arrived at our hotel just after 5pm and had barely checked in when the heavens really opened. Looking through our window at the torrential rain, we realised we’d dodged a bullet. We didn’t leave the hotel that evening, but snacked on the provisions we had carried with us. There were tea and coffee making facilities just outside our room which helped my mood massively. I dosed myself up with flu and cold medication and was in bed just after 8pm. The forecast is for good weather tomorrow; with any luck, I’ll be feeling a lot better too.

Summary

While we survived this second combined-stage day, with hindsight it might have been better to have stuck to one stage and stayed in Tamel. The landscape was mostly rural and agricultural although the weather meant our surroundings looked grey and dreary. The last few kilometres into Barcelos were not enjoyable as we were walking on pavements alongside busy main roads.

Accommodation

We stayed at Top’Otel next to the river and paid 67,50 euros for a doube room (king-sized bed) with a river view and a good buffet breakfast.

Tea/coffee was available 24/7 and the buffet breakfast was very good.

Our route

Our combined one-and-a-half stage was mapped at 35.9km with 473metres of ascent.

Tracking with Outdoor Active, I recorded 35.7 km with 374 metres of ascent.

Download the GPX file of our hike here.