Lisbon to Porto March 26 2026

Lisbon to Porto

Agueda

March 26, 2026

This morning we were picked up by the taxi which was to drive us back to Mealhada at 8:15.  I arranged with the taxi driver to take us about 4 kms north. He wanted 16 euros which probably wasn't a great deal but we were already committed. When we got to the little village which was up the road he then insisted on buying us coffee.  He was a very engaging fellow.  

The trail north was down a bunch of paved roads which were not overly busy but busy enough that you had to keep your watch out.  At about 9 kms after we left the the place where the taxi had dropped us off we were walking through an industrial park.  At this point Ken T wasn't feeling very well.  It might have been the heat as it was quite warm.  It wasn't much of hike so Ken and I took an Uber into town.  

When we got to the hotel it was too early to check in so Ken and I went and had a great chicken dinner and enjoyed sitting on the patio down by the river.  It was very relaxing.  I certainly didn't regret missing the hike in the sun through an industrial area.   

After lunch we wandered back to the hotel and checked in.  This is the place on the tour where we are staying for two nights. Tomorrow we hike 16 kms and are taxied back.  The room we have might be the smallest room I have ever seen.  It brings to mind the old Nelson DeMille comedy line "The room was so small I had to leave to change my mind."  I asked if they had a spare room but the place is fully booked.  

While the walk wasn't so good, spending the afternoon sitting on the patio in the sun with my good friend Ken was absolutely the best.

Terry 

 

Lisbon to Porto March 25, 2026

 Lisbon to Porto 

Mealhada

March 25, 2026

Today's hike was close to 25 kms.  I don't know why I thought it was going to be an easy day.  It certainly didn't turn out that way.  

When we left our hotel in Coimbra we had a huge down hill back to the river.  Going down th 130 of what was probably 20% down hill on really rough cobble stones was not a lot easier than going up the night before, other than we were on fresh legs.   Once we got down the hill to the river the course followed the river for several kms.  There is a beautiful pedestrian stroll along the river and in the early morning there were a lot  of commuters headed in to the city.  The trail followed  though farm land until we reached the 8 km mark when the route turned into the hills.   This was the big climb of the day and we had about 45 kms of around 10% to reach the summit.  The last 1.5 kms was down a freeway which had a bike lane but was still kind of scary.  I had my hat tied down tight as I didn't want it snatched off may head by a semi.

After we got off  the freeway we took a path through a eucalyptus grove.  This trail was the first off pavement we had seen all day and there was about 6 kms of the grove.   It was great to be off the highway and in the trees.  The trees provided shade which was really welcome as it was probaly close to 23 C and the heat was just bouncing off the asphalt   

From the the grove it was back on to some quiet back roads where there weren't many cars but it was hot on the  pavement.  

I was certainly glad to see the Inter-Marche where the taxis were to meet us and whisk us to our hotel. The hotel is a great country estate but it is a long way out in the country and with no food services.  Good thing we stopped at the store and picked up some supplies.  

I know that I am not the only one who is tired tonight. I think Calgary Ken and Sally are all in as well.  Ken T was the power house today out front leading the way all day.  

Great weather and beautiful country side certainly made for a wonderful day.

Terry 

Lisbon to Porto March 24 2026

 Lisbon to Porto Com

Coimbra

Marchn24, 2026

I am absolutely floored by the streak of great weather we are having.  Nothing but blues skies, temperatures in the high teens, to low 20's with almost zero wind.  I hope that by saying it I haven't jinxed it.  However it really needs to be said and I thank the weather Gods.  

This morning we were all in great spirits as it was only a 19 kms day.  So after a very nice breakfast we were off down the road.  Karen who was really sore after yesterday's hike had nothing but big smiles on all day.  Even myself who has been suffering from lack of proper training felt great.

The first section out of town followed down a very busy road and we sure glad to get off it and on to the proper trail.  The trail it's self followed the main freeway north which connects up to Porto.  In fact Sally spotted a sign which said Porto 121 kms.  We have a lot further to go but we aren't on the freeway.  

The trail wandered through a lot of little villages but there wasn't a café to be had anywhere so we trudged on.  We finally stopped in a parking lot of a large grocery market for a break.  I got a 1.5 liter bottle of ice cold water for 0.42 Euros and drank the bulk of it. Best 0.42 euros spent ever.  

When we got to Coimbra it was just past 12:00 so we stopped just short of the river at a sidewalk Kabob shop for lunch.  My kabob in a pita was huge and was absolutely delicious.  The view of Coimbra across the river was stunning.  It is a beautiful city, set against the river back on a huge hill.  

The hotel was at the very top of the hill past an ancient aqueduct.  The hotel is rated as two star but is a very nice comfortable place.  It is totally remodeled and a great place for tired travellers. 

What a wonderful day it has been. 

Terry 

Lisbon to Porto March 23

 Lisbon to Porto

Condeixa-a-Nova

March 23, 2026

We were looking forward to a warm day and we certainly were not disappointed.  Although the weather channel was saying 22 C it was a lot warmer out on the pavement.  

The route was 32 kms with quite a few ups and downs along the way.  It was kind of a mixture of paved roads, gravel roads, and trails.  The paved roads were hot but easy walking, the gravel roads were  not as easy walking but were not as hot and the trails tended to be the hardest walking as they were generally very uneven stones but were the coolest.  

As we travelled up the valley the hills got steeper.  The first 13 kms were pretty much all up hill and after that there was a lot more down than up. Some of the trail sections were really steep to the point of almost stair steep.  

As the day wore on I was getting more and more tired as was Ken T and Sally.  By time we reached the 24 kms mark the three of us were all in.  We had hoped to find an Uber in a little town of Zambujal however there was no Uber to be had.  The young man behind bar there had a little English and he called us a taxi.  About 15 minutes later the taxi showed up and the three of us pilled in.  It was only a 15 minute ride but would have taken us about 2 hr to walk it.  We were so happy to see the taxi. 

The weird last picture is of a steel wire and rod sculpture of an antique sewing machine.  It didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped. 

We are in a beautiful older hotel tonight with what is probably the best room so far on the tour.  

Tomorrow is an 19 kms walk we should be in good shape.

Terry 

 

Lisbon to Porto March 22, 2026

 Lisbon to Porto

Ansiao

March 22, 2026

To day was one of shortest days of the trip with only 13 kms.  Breakfast wasn't until 7:30 am so we were not on the road until 8:20.  Not that it mattered as check in was not until 3:00 pm and we were easily going to be down to the hotel well before that.  The plan was to get down to town and find a place to have a good meal and then find some groceries for tonight's supper. Being Sunday it was unlikely much would be open later.  

The rain and clouds from the stormy weather had mostly dissipated and it was broken clouds when we started but it wasn't long before we were under bright blue skies.   As the first half of the route was all up hill the sun was making it pretty hot as we trudged up the hill.  We were on a little used road which helped as you weren't stumbling over a lot of rock.   Do to my poor training I had to stop quite a few times over the first 6 kms of 10% up hill gradient. I was certainly glad to see the summit. 

On the way down the route took us off the road and down a winding trail between to ancient stone walls.  It had a really nice tree canopy so it was nice and cool.  The trail was quite rocky and you had to watch your step, but it was great to be off the pavement. 

I commented on how the flowers have suddenly appeared.  Well today they were out in full force.  All the trees are just covered in blooms.  There is a lot of citrus here and they are in full bloom as well.   Walking down the shaded trail showed lots of tiny but beautiful flowers out competing for the bees attention.  

We were in town by just after 12:00 and found a good restaurant for lunch.  I had the grilled pork platter which was really delicious.  

Today we completed walking day 9 of 17 walking days and have completed 198 kms of the 382 kms, so we have passed the half way point in the journey.  The weather forecast looks great for the next couple of weeks so it should be a very pleasant second half. 

Terry 

Lisbon to Porto March 21 2026

 Lisbon to Porto 

Alaiazere

March 21, 2026

Last night Ken and Sally joined us in Tomar.  They had flown in from Calgary and caught a taxi up to Tomar.  They had said they would arrive at 5:30 and sure enough they were there at 5:28.  This meant that our little band has grown to 6 people.  This is Ken and Sally's first hiking trip so they were pretty excited to be joining us.  This of course meant a new group picture and we did this at the first Camino sign we came to.

It wasn't long before we were out of Tomar and down the trail which took us past some old canal and water works which took boats from the city down to the river.  It was really pretty walking along the river.  It is so nice to be out of the industrial paths by Lisbon and the farm lands where there were just rutted muddy trails past one field after another.  

The rains of the last few days have ade the trail quite wet however the rains have really brought out the wild flowers.  There are these little yellow bell shaped flowers which have put on a great display.  All the flowering trees are in full bloom.  Weather looks great going forward so we are all pleased. 

Today was another long day with a distance of 30 kms and 580 m of climb.  However it was a very nice day as there was no highway and it was all trail hiking.  However there was some really steep sections and some really difficult sections as a huge wind storm with winds over 200 km had blown down a lot of trees across the trail which meant that a person had to detour around the blown down trees.  By time we got to 22 kms we decided to jump in a taxi. The hills and the blown down trees had taken their toll on us.   

Tomorrow looks like a short day at only 13 kms and with lots of sun forecast we are really looking forward to it. 

What a great day. 

Terry 

Lisbon to Porto March 20

 Lisbon to Porto

Tomar Rest Day

March 20, 2026

To day was a rest day or layover day.  We could not have chosen a better day weather wise.  It has been off and on rainy here all day but the next two days all look sunny and warm.  

It was great to be able to have not have to jump up and pull clothes, get the luggage together and have breakfast before hitting the trail.  The luxury having a nice leisurely breakfast with no time constraints was wonderful.  

There was a laundry in the next block and so Ken and I headed over there.  Ken knows about this sort of stuff where as I know nothing about laundry.  I have a magic hamper at home.  I simply put my dirty clothes into the hamper and they magically re-appear a day or so later  all on the shelf in the closet.  Having a bag full of clean clothes is great. 

We wandered around down town which is just a few blocks from the hotel but it started to rain, so it was a short walk.  It is a very pretty downtown with a beautiful church on the main square.  The town has a long history dating back to the 1600's. It was a Templar Knight town and this is reflected today as a number of the tourist junk shops sell knight swords and shields.    

About 12:30 we walked back down town where a I found a new walking hat.  It wasn't cheap at 35 Euros but it is exactly what I needed to replace the one I lost.   We had a lunch in a sandwich shop and headed back to the hotel. 

Ken and Sally Coburn are expected in sometime later this evening. Hopefully everything goes smoothly for them.

Terry 

Lisbon to Porto March 19 2026

 Lisbon to Porto

Tomar

March 19, 2926

Last night we were staying at a riding academy which as it turns out was quite famous in Portugal.  They turn out the horses and riders which compete in the bull fights.  

The weather forecast for today looked really rainy.  However there were quite a few breaks in the rain and the weather radar showed that there were going to be significant periods with no rain, so we were going to take advantage of the these breaks.   The second factor in today was that the first 11 kms of the walk was down a busy highway.  Not anyone's favorite especially when there is no shoulder or side walk and it has been raining.  Cars flying past blasting you with wet spray.  The second 11 kms was an off road trail through a eucalyptus forest.  The last 7 kms was down another highway into Tomar. 

We waited until the rain was past which was about 8:30 and Ken, Karen and myself took an Uber to the start of the eucalyptus forest.  It was by far the steepest section that we have encountered so far.  However it was really beautiful walking through the trees.  There were little blue flowers everywhere.  The trail was very well marked with what looked like new markers, a lot of which had stones on top. 

It didn't take long before we were in the out skirts of Tomar and walking down the busy highway into the city of Tomar.  So we ducked in to a cafe for a snack and where we called an Uber.  Timing turned out to be just right as it started to rain as we got into the car.  

A few minutes later we were in the Hotel Kamanga which is our hotel for a couple of days as we have a rest day tomorrow.

I walked up to a sporting goods store which promised to have Tilley type hats on line but didn't.  I wound up with a white base ball cap which will work to keep the sun off me.  I also found some new hiking pole tips as the others were worn out.  

Tomorrow is a layover day.  Do laundry and rest up.  Ken and Sally are also joining us tomorrow, which I am looking forward to seeing them. 

Terry