Camino Portuguese 05: Golega to Tomar

Friday, June 06, 2025

Camino Portuguese: Day 05 – Golega to Tomar

I awoke at 04:45 this morning and quickly got my things together so I could get started on the day’s walk. My feet were still sore, but they had recovered somewhat overnight. I left my backpack for the transfer service to pickup later in the morning and set out on the Camino. There were other pilgrims staying at the same hotel, but they were obviously getting a later start to the day because I neither saw or heard them this morning.

I followed the yellow arrows to head out of Golega and I was soon back in the farmlands and vineyards. Sunrise this morning was even more beautiful than yesterday. The path was mostly along a road for the first bit this morning, but it soon turned off onto a dirt and gravel road. I soon walked through a small, abandoned village that was quite eerie. The buildings were overgrown with plants, doors ajar and windows broken. I picked up the pace so I could get through the area quickly – I didn’t like being there all by myself.

As with previous days, I encountered no other pilgrims as I walked. The Camino Portuguese was definitely more solitary – and lonely – than the Camino Frances. I had hoped to see a few pilgrims each day as I walked, but thus far I’d only met Alan (and he wasn’t much of a companion during the walks).

When I came to the town of Moita do Norte, I planned to stop for breakfast as I was roughly 9km into the day. However, the café I found on Google Maps turned out to be closed and the other one in town didn’t open until 08:00 – nearly 45 minutes after I arrived in town! I decided to press on to the next town to have breakfast. As I continued walking, I stumbled upon a tiny café so I stopped to get a quick cup of coffee. Roughly 40 minutes later, I reached the delightful Café Meeting Point in Atalaia, where I took a proper rest. I had a ham, cheese and butter sandwich for breakfast, alone with fruit juice. The staff were very friendly and I enjoyed relaxing on the patio for a short while.

Once back on the Camino, I soon reached the national road N110, but I somehow missed the arrows pointing me onto the proper Camino path. Rather than turning back, I decided to press on and follow the road… though I soon regretted this decision. The road was quite busy without much of a shoulder for walking. One section had a dirt road following alongside the N110, which I walked along until it dead-ended. Later on there was a median in the road that I crossed to because it offered a small measure of safety from the traffic.

About 10km later, I stopped for my second rest at a restaurant. The staff were not very helpful or friendly. I bought a cold drink along with a large bottle of water to replenish my supply for the remainder of the day’s walk. As I relaxed on the patio, Thinh and I had a video call together. It’s been difficult for us to find time to really talk on the phone much due to the time difference and our schedules. It was so nice to be able to talk to him, even if just for 15 minutes.

I set off on the final stretch towards Tomar at noon, leaving the busy N110 behind and walking along some local roads instead. I still had to walk along the shoulder of the road, which was still somewhat unnerving when cars or trucks drove past. It was a long walk, even though it was only 8km to Tomar. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on me as I walked. My energy was quickly fading – and my feet were getting increasingly more sore with every step. The closer I got to Tomar, though, I was able to get more and more shade from trees lining the roadway. I had spent the day listening to “Dateline” podcasts (Keith Morrison episodes, of course), and they helped keep me entertained.

I was thoroughly worn out and drained by the time I reached Tomar. My feet were hurting so much and I was practically hobbling along the road as I entered the city. I ducked into a café shortly before my hostel so I could get a cold drink, as well as an ice cream, with which to cool down slightly.

Tomar itself is the prettiest town along the Camino thus far. A small river runs through the center of town, with several bridges crossing to the other side. My hostel for the night was across the river, along a cobblestone pedestrian street. This was the first town that I wanted to explore, but I was in far too much pain to muster up the strength to walk another step.

I got checked in at and shown to my private room, where I spent some time resting – stretching out on the bed felt amazing! I discovered that I had a few blisters on my feet, including one huge one on my left foot! It was a wonder that I was able to walk with these damnable blisters! When I got out of bed, I was literally unable to put any pressure on my left foot due to the blister. I decided to pop it with a small hole to drain it, which massively relieved the pain. I put on antibacterial cream and bandaged it up to keep it clean. I know popping blisters isn’t the best idea, but if I didn’t do something tonight, I would be unable to walk tomorrow.

I went to a restaurant located down the pedestrian street this evening. The waiter was friendly and spoke very good English. I had some bread and butter to start, and then an amazing roll filled with brie and pumpkin jam (every bite was delicious!). For my entrée, I had a beef steak with egg, rice and fries. It was a large meal and very filling.

I then returned to the hostel so I could blog and rest up so I could recover my strength for another long walk tomorrow (the last of my four 32km+ days in a row).

Distance Walked: 33.56 km
Steps Walked: 44,879

Total Distance: 161.60 km
Total Steps: 214,153