Camino Portuguese 12: Albergaria-a-Velha to São João

Friday, June 13, 2025

Camino Portuguese: Day 12 – Albergaria-a-Velha to São João da Madeira

I was not happy when my alarm sounded this morning and I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed. My feet were still sore, but overall doing better with each passing day. As I was preparing to leave and filling up my water bottle, I bumped into the French man who I’ve been seeing regularly the past few days – he had stayed at the same hotel last night!

I set out close to 06:00 and made my way out of town. Unsurprisingly, the route followed along the roads for quite a while this morning. I have to admit that I was getting rather tired of walking on the shoulders of main roads day in and day out. It makes for dull walking and I can’t truly enjoy my surroundings because I constantly have to watch for traffic.

The path eventually left the road and diverted into a wooded area. The place where I left the road was a bit confusing because they were doing some roadwork, so the signage wasn’t very clear. The initial section of the dirt path was in very poor condition – it was clear that some farm equipment regularly drives through that area, leaving deep tracks and only a sliver of viable ground on which to walk. Thankfully this was only a short stretch and soon the path was back to normal.

It was short-lived though and soon I was back on the road. There were several steep hills to climb throughout the morning, each one exhausting me more and more. In one little village, I deviated slightly from the Camino and stopped off at a small café for a coffee. I spent about 20 minutes there resting and enjoying my coffee. Just before I stopped, the cloudy skies appeared ready to start pouring rain! There was an heavy misty drizzle in the air, so I was happy to have the break in the hopes that the weather would improve. The rain never came and soon the clouds parted to reveal the sun!

The next segment of the Camino had a few bizarre sections, all of which revolved around the train tracks. After climbing and then descending a large hill, the route led past a small house and then directly onto the train tracks themselves! There was a small stone path directly next to the tracks that I walked on for about ten minutes. It was all a bit strange and uneasy because there wasn’t really anywhere to go if a train should happen to come along. The Camino crossed the same train tracks several times throughout the latter half of the morning.

When I stopped for a second break, I got a carrot cake pastry that was divine and enjoyed it on the patio. As I sat there, Carl and his companions arrived and joined me. He was walking with a woman name Mel (from Australia) and a man named Pete (from the UK). We spent about 20 minutes chatting and enjoying our snacks. I had such a good time talking with them – this was the first time that this truly felt like the Camino! Unfortunately, they were planning to spend two nights in Porto, while I was only staying one, so it would be highly unlikely that we’d see one another again after tomorrow’s walk. I hope I run into them again tomorrow though!

The last stretch to reach town was a long and boring slog. Kilometer and kilometer of walking along the roads, walking through nondescript villages, getting barked at by countless aggressive dogs, etc. I could tell that I was approaching a larger city though because the last hour or so was spent walking through the outskirts.

I stopped for lunch at KFC (the first proper meal I’d had today) and then made the final 20-minute walk to my hotel. The hotel was basically an old apartment that had been converted, though it had been beautifully decorated. I had a huge suite, with an outer sitting room, a bedroom, and an attached bathroom. It was quite nice, except for the fact the one has to walk up three flights of stairs to reach the place! It doesn’t sound like much to walk up, but it is hard on the legs and feet after a long day of walking.

For dinner tonight I went to a nearby kebab place, then I stopped at a supermarket to get more Powerade, and then I returned to the hotel for the night. I am excited to reach Porto tomorrow because the Camino experience will (or should) change dramatically. Porto is the most popular starting point for the Camino Portuguese, so I have high hopes of meeting some people and hopefully making some new friends!

Distance Walked: 30.23 km
Steps Walked: 40,470

Total Distance: 354.00 km
Total Steps: 471,584