Camino Portuguese 13: São João da Madeira to Porto

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Camino Portuguese: Day 13 – São João da Madeira to Porto

I had not been looking forward to today’s walk because it was going to be the longest day of the Camino thus far. To reach Porto, I would need to walk around 35km (according to the Buen Camino app, though the actual distances I walk always exceeds their numbers). Waking up at 04:45, I planned to get an early start to the day – I wanted to walk as far as possible before the sun started beating down on me.

The temperature this morning was very cool and I was glad to have my coat with me. I was on the road by 05:15 and started out walking at a brisk pace. It should come as no surprise that today’s walk once again followed the roads, and so it was as I left Sao Joao da Madeira. It was a boring and unremarkable walk and I was yearning to be away from these streets. I truly hoped that the Camino would make a change for the better in the next few days as I began making my way up the coastline.

The Camino eventually started following along a major highway, but there was a sidewalk for pedestrians, so I felt safer this morning than on other days. I started listening to more Keith Morrison podcasts while I walked. I must have been entirely absorbed in the episode of Dateline because I soon realized that I was no longer on the Camino! I had followed the highway and just kept walking, but the actual Camino deviated a few kilometers behind me to follow a different highway. Happily, the road I was on merged back with the one on the Camino, so all was not lost. I was so upset with myself though because it appeared that this screw up was adding a couple of kilometers to my walk.

When I met up with the Camino again, there was supposed to be a café nearby, but it ended up being closed, which was infuriating. I had walked nearly 15km already this morning and I needed to find somewhere to take a break. Walking just over a kilometer further, I finally found a café that was open! I got my usual coffee, along with a yummy pastry. I spent about 30 minutes at the café resting my feet – they were so sore from this morning’s long walk.

For the next 90 minutes, the Camino stuck to the roads, taking me through several villages that had, by now, started looking exactly the same. It began to get lightly misty and the clouds did look like rain could come at any second. I had yet to see any other pilgrims on the walk this morning, which was disappointing. I had hoped to run into Carl and his friends, but this was not to be today. This lack of company along the Camino, either while walking or at coffee breaks, was beginning to wear on me. The friends I made during the Camino Frances is what made that experience so magical and memorable. This was virtually impossible on the Camino Portuguese (so far) and thus I was not really enjoying this walk as much. It’s become more a test of endurance rather than something enjoyable or an accomplishment.

I took another break at another café, which was located in a small square in the town. Lots of people were milling about and it was somewhat fun to “people watch” as I relaxed. The clouds vanished during my break and any worry of rain today evaporated. Shortly after I left the town behind, the Camino finally went “off road” today and led into a wooded area. I soon regretted this…

The route through the woods was pleasant at first and I was enjoying the nature. Soon I came upon a very long uphill climb that seemed to go on forever. I kept climbing and climbing, getting hotter and more exhausted with each step. Each time I thought I’d reached the top of the hill, I realized that it was just a small level area leading to the next uphill climb! Nearby were some bike trails and I heard a few people yelling and cheering as they raced their bicycles through the woods. When I finally came to the top of the hill, the path split – to the left was the official route, but I could see more climbing; to the right was a detour that would circle around the hill and meet back up with the Camino. I went right and had zero regrets. The remainder of the dirt path was mostly flat and easy going.

Rejoining the roadway, I soon realized that I was in the outskirts of Porto! Huzzah!! I had walked around 30km by this point and I was ready for this long day to be over. The further I went into the city, the sorer my feet became. I could feel a couple of new blisters on my feet that were sending tendrils of pain up my legs. The areas I was walking through were not the nicest, with a lot of old drunk men stumbling around.

I sought some refuge in a small café so I could rest my feet. The café was quite run-down and the only other customers there were old men drinking their beer. I had a water and a Sprite, which I hurriedly drank. The bathroom, located in the corner of the café, reeked of urine – a smell made manifestly worst each time the door was opened, wafting the stench into the café. It was nauseating.

I walked for another 30 minutes or so, getting ever so close to the city – I could almost taste it! My feet, however, were screaming at me and I was barely shuffling along the sidewalk. When I saw a Starbucks ahead of me, I made a beeline to it because I knew that I could get a decent snack to eat. The barista was a very nice man and tried making a dad joke when I ordered, but I was so worn out that it went right over my head. His joviality did make me smile though – mostly because this was the first social interaction that I’d had all day!

As I sat at Starbucks I made the toughest decision of the entire Camino. I decided to take the metro the last 3km to reach my hostel. One of the most important things every pilgrim needs to do throughout the Camino is to listen to their body. The Camino is physically demanding and it will tear you down if you do not listen to what your body is saying. Today my body – my feet specifically – were telling me that enough was enough. I had walked nearly 35km by the time I reached Starbucks, which is far too much for one day. I felt deep shame and regret once I sat down on the metro, but I soon accepted that I had made this decision. It isn’t something to be ashamed of – some people take taxis, buses, or trains to skip entire days of walking, but I was just skipping roughly 3km today (and I’d already covered an extremely long distance today).

Tonight I was staying at another hostel and I was a bit disappointed to see a sign at check-in stating that it was a party hostel. The sign warned pilgrims about this, but that hadn’t been communicated to me when I made my booking online. I was worried that the noise would be too loud later this evening, but once I reached the room, I was slightly reassured. I couldn’t hear any noises from outside the room, so hopefully it would remain like that later tonight when I went to bed.

My backpack was waiting for me, as was my carry-on sized suitcase which I had shipped from Lisbon. I spent some time consolidating my bags because I would now be carrying my backpack each day. I managed to squeeze almost everything into the suitcase, keeping the backpack at a very manageable weight for me to carry. I then took a shower which I desperately needed!

The rest of the afternoon I spent at a Starbucks in town, working on this blog. For dinner tonight, I went to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant that had my favorite Viet food on the menu: bun cha! It was a good meal… good, but not outstanding. I was happy to have a taste of home though.

Back at the hostel, I expected there to be lots of music and noise since it’s a “party hostel”. There was loud music playing in the lobby and common room, but I could not hear any of it once I was in my dorm room. I got my bags mostly packed up before curling up in bed for the night. It was delightful to stretch out and let my aching feet rest. I was a bit worried that they would still hurt when I woke up in the morning – I had pushed myself much too hard today.

Distance Walked: 34.17 km
Steps Walked: 45.465

Total Distance: 388.17 km
Total Steps: 517,049