300km in 12 days from Porto to Santiago de Compostela where a Cathedral looms as the most beautiful ‘Welcome’ imaginable. The accomodation arranged by UTracks was consistently excellent & the ease of only having to worry about carrying your backpack and what you’ll pack for lunch is perfect. Yes, most days at breakfast you can make up your own bread roll and filling. Notes and directions were included but once you arrive in Spain you just need to look for the ‘shell’ and ‘yellow arrow’ to find your direction. I consciously chose to walk alone however I met some fabulous people along the way and finally had hours on end with ‘no headchatter’. There’s healing which catches you unaware & makes every step very worthwhile.
This holiday was made extra special for us by the professionalism and kindness of the Headwater reps - Tony & Ludmilla. The one day when we got soaked, they came to our rescue and collected us early with no no fuss whatsoever. Apart from that one day the weather was kind and the walks spectacular
The Porto to Tui section of the Portugese camino is far quieter than Sarria to Santiago in Spain, which has its own charms but requires more thought about where to stop. The route gets progressively more rural (and hillier!) passing through some delightful villages and small towns. The cathedral in Tui makes a good end point for those just doing this section of the Camino.