Camino Chronicles: Days 5-7

Mish
Jun 15
3 min read

Updated: Jul 2

Sweat, Mountains & Spanish Tapas

By Day 5, the Camino had started to feel less like a challenge and more like a lifestyle. Early mornings, lacing up boots by headlamp, walking with the sunrise, finding our rhythm. But the Camino isn’t one long beach walk. Sometimes, it’s a mountain. A very big mountain.

Day 5: Ponte de Lima to São Roque - 17km

This was the day. The one everyone talks about. The one with the mountain.

We’d heard whispers from other pilgrims, steep, rocky, hard-going. And honestly? It was all of that. But also, it was beautiful in that raw, wild kind of way that only difficult things can be. The climb pushed us to the edge, both physically and mentally, but somewhere in the slog of switchbacks and sweaty silence, I felt strong. And also slightly feral.

By the time we rolled into São Roque, we were too tired to do much more than shower and collapse. But there was a shared sense of accomplishment in our little group, we’d climbed a mountain. Together. And no one cried. (Well, not out loud.)

Day 6: São Roque to Valença - 17km

After the mountain day, this walk felt like a gentle exhale. Rolling countryside, mossy stone walls, sleepy towns. We chatted more, stopped more, limped a little less. I think it was around here that Ash perfected the art of the mid-morning pastry break, a true Camino skill.

Valença was our last stop in Portugal, and it came with a mix of emotions. We’d fallen in love with the food, the language, the warmth, and now we were about to cross into Spain. We spent the evening soaking it all in, wandering the medieval fortress walls and watching the sunset behind the tiled rooftops.

Day 7: Valença to O Porriño - 16.5km

Crossing into Spain felt huge. The terrain didn’t change, but something in the energy did. The yellow arrows had a new look. The language shifted. The food changed (hello, tapas). And the wine? Still excellent.

We arrived in O Porriño ready to celebrate. We checked into Pensión Restaurante Puente, rooms right above a restaurant (a genius move when your legs are done). That night, we found the most amazing spot: Cólleo Con Pinzas Cervecería. Tapas, laughter, wine, that sense of “we’ve made it this far” it was one of those travel evenings you remember long after the details fade.

Ash declared it his favourite meal so far. I may have agreed, mostly with my mouth full.

🧡 Looking Back (and Forward)

These three days tested us, physically and mentally, but they also gave us mountain-top highs, border-crossing joy, and a sense that the finish line, while still far, was well within reach.

Next up? We keep walking through Spain: from O Porriño to Pontevedra via the lush Galician countryside, with a few surprises, market stalls and mucho vino tinto along the way.

👉 Catch up on the journey so far:

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