Camino Chronicals - Wrap Up of our Camino Portuguese

Camino de Santiago: What Walking just over 250km Taught Us

One year ago, we were a few drinks deep with some of our best friends when someone floated the idea: "Let’s do the Camino."

We laughed. We cheered. And then, surprisingly, we followed through.

Twelve months later, we were standing in front of the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, sweaty, emotional, and overwhelmed, in the best possible way. The end of our journey on the Camino Portuguese route.

Day 1, on our way to Matasinhos

Markers along the way

strolling through a city after a long day of walking the Camino

Our 1 and only Albergue experience

Celebrating another long day on the Camino Portuguese

Goodbye Portugal!

Octopus - one of our favourite meals on the Camino

exploring again

An Espresso backed up with a white Port Wine for breakfast

the end of the Camino - Santiago de Compostela

the end of the Camino - Santiago de Compostela

💬 Why We Did It (And Would Do It Again)

We didn’t start the Camino with a grand spiritual quest. Honestly? It was more curiosity and chaos than anything else. But what we found on the way was far more meaningful than we ever expected.

• We shared 13 days of walking, covering over 250km from coastal Portugal to the heart of Galicia.

• We stayed in charming apartments, hillside homes, and the occasional albergue (once was enough).

• We lived off octopus, pilgrim meals, and pastries, and found a drink called Tinto de Verano that basically carried us through Spain.

• We laughed, limped, got lost, got found, and somehow never got sick of each other.

🗺️ Our Route at a Glance

• Matosinhos → Vila do Conde

• São Pedro de Rates → Barcelinhos

• Barcelinhos → Aborim

• Aborim → Ponte de Lima

• Ponte de Lima → São Roque

• São Roque → Valença

• Valença → O Porriño

• O Porriño → Redondela

• Redondela → Pontevedra

• Pontevedra → Caldas de Reis

• Caldas de Reis → Padrón

• Padrón → O Milladoiro

• O Milladoiro → Santiago de Compostela

We didn’t walk the “whole” Camino, we walked our Camino. And it was enough.

🌟 Would We Recommend It?

Absolutely. Whether you're seeking solitude, reconnection, or just a different kind of holiday, the Camino gives you exactly what you didn’t know you needed.

If you’re curious, start planning. If you’re unsure, say yes anyway. And if you're reading this wondering if you could do it, you absolutely can.

Thank you for following our Camino series. If you missed any posts, you can catch up on each stage of the journey here. And if you’ve walked it yourself, we’d love to hear about your Camino too.

Next up, we'll be sharing our pre and post Camino trip. A few days in Porto before we started our Camino adventure, and Madrid and Barcelona after Camino. There's lots of feasting and frivolity to share.

Mish (& Ash) xx