A Pilgrimage We Never Planned

Our Camino Teaser

If you'd told us two years ago that we’d be walking over 250km across Portugal and Spain with backpacks, blister kits and early morning alarms… we would’ve laughed, poured another wine, and ordered dessert.

But life, as we’ve come to learn, has a funny way of taking your best drunken ideas and turning them into something unforgettable.

Around this time last year, April/May 2024, we set off on the adventure of a lifetime: walking part of the Camino de Santiago, a centuries-old pilgrimage route through the Iberian Peninsula. What started as a slightly hazy group decision over drinks with two of our dearest friends turned into 12 months of researching, training, gear testing, and dreaming.

And when we finally laced up our boots and stepped out onto the Camino, everything changed.

🚶‍♀️ Our Camino in Brief

We walked for 13 days, carrying our own packs and mostly staying in private accommodation we booked a day or two ahead. Our route combined the Portuguese Coastal and Central Camino paths — starting just north of Porto, and finishing (with happy tears) in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

We made it! Portugal to Spain on foot and still smiling.

Here’s a quick look at where we went and how far we walked:

• Day 1: Matosinhos to Vila do Conde – 24km

• Day 2: São Pedro de Rates to Barcelinhos – 14km

• Day 3: Barcelinhos to Aborim – 11km

• Day 4: Aborim to Ponte de Lima – 22km

• Day 5: Ponte de Lima to São Roque – 17km (hello, mountain!)

• Day 6: São Roque to Valença – 17km

• Day 7: Valença to O Porriño (Spain!) – 16.5km

• Day 8: O Porriño to Redondela – 15km

• Day 9: Redondela to Pontevedra – 18km

• Day 10: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis – 21km

• Day 11: Caldas de Reis to Padrón – 16km

• Day 12: Padrón to O Milladoiro – 17km

• Day 13: O Milladoiro to Santiago de Compostela – 5km

In total, we covered over 250km on foot. Through seaside towns, quiet forest trails, bustling cities and sleepy villages, we talked, laughed, sang, complained (just a bit), and made memories we’ll carry forever.

We’ve spent the past 12 months reflecting on the experience, what it meant, what it taught us, and how special it was to share it with friends. And now, we’re finally ready to tell the whole story.

So this is your official invitation to join us on our Camino, one day at a time.

👉 Our first daily blog (Days 1–4) is now live: read it here, and follow along as we unpack the blisters, the belly laughs, and the bottles of wine that shaped our walk to Santiago.

-Mish xx

PS: interested in what one packs for the trip of a lifetime, living out of a pack? our tips and pack list here.