Day eight on the Camino Portugués between Baiona and Vigo was going to be our longest walk of the whole Camino. Would we manage the entire stage without needing to pull on our wet weather gear? Read on to find out!!
As with the stage between Esposende and Viana do Castelo the Senda Litoral and Coastal routes are noticeably different with the Coastal route being mainly inland.
Day Eight: Baiona to Vigo
Date: Sunday 6 October 2024
Start Point: Hotel Carabela la Pinta, Baiona
End Point: B&B Hotel, Vigo
Distance Walked: 18 miles (28.97 kms)
Time Taken: 7 hours 35 minutes (including rest stops)
Weather: Cloudy but dry
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Leaving Baiona
It had become a habit to check the weather app on my phone regularly and, apparently, it was due to start raining around midday so we set off early in the hope of missing most of it.
It was still dark when we left our hotel and headed down towards the harbour where we stopped for breakfast in Café Erizana, a lovely little café bar where we had the usual café con leche and a croissant.
By the time we’d got our morning caffeine fix the sun was just starting to rise and, although it was cloudy, we got a real sense of what a pretty seaside town Baiona is as we walked alongside the beach.
We kept to the promenade and walked alongside the beach leaving Baiona rather than follow the yellow arrows which are a few streets back from the sea.
Doing it this way meant that when we reached A Ramallosa we crossed the Rio Miñor over the new bridge rather than the ancient bridge that runs parallel to it. In fact, I was so busy admiring the view to my left that I totally missed the old bridge to my right, even thought it had been on my radar as something I wanted to see along the way and I didn’t realise until it was too late!
Green arrows or yellow arrows?
Once we were over the bridge in A Ramallosa we had two choices. We could turn right and follow the official Camino route which would take us inland or turn left and stick to the coast.
As with most other days we decided to stick to the Senda Litoral which obviously has the added bonus of being mostly flat and, with the good weather, it seemed the right choice to have a day beside the seaside. Taking the route we were following green arrows rather than the traditional yellow ones although it was easy enough to keep on track without them.
There were some lovely long stretches of golden sands, and even though the sun was still barely up and it was a cloudy morning the views were lovely.
Make sure to check behind you occasionally for a last look at the fortress in Baiona.
After walking alongside the expanse of Praia América the path went slightly inland and across the headland before coming out at Playa de Patos, a pretty beach that was practically deserted at that time of day.
There’s a very small section of the path that involves walking along the sand before heading inland again through some residential areas where you never know who you might bump into!
The path eventually dropped down to walk along the beach again at Playa de o Portiño.
It was then inland again and, by now, caffeine was calling so we stopped for a drink at Restaurante Curbeira before the path led us back down to the sea where we simply followed the promenade past one beach after another.
By the time we reached Samil it was starting to get busy. There’s a long stretch of beach here with plenty of places to stop for a drink or bite to eat. We stopped for a while just to admire the views of the Cies Islands in the distance and also to watch some sort of obstacle race that was taking place that, at one point, involved groups of runners clambering in and out of industrial skips filled with water. I’ll take walking the Camino over that any day of the week!
As we were walking on a Sunday it was busy with families out enjoying themselves and making the most of the good weather, not to mention all the participants and spectators of the obstacle race. There weren’t too many other pilgrims though – perhaps they were all walking the official route rather than the Senda Litoral.
Leaving Samil behind the path stayed close to the sea and it wasn’t long before we reached the outskirts of Vigo.
Arriving in Vigo
I’d been concerned about arriving in Vigo and immediately getting lost as I’d read countless reports on various Facebook groups and forums about how difficult it is to navigate through the city as the yellow arrows are few and far between.
However, following the Senda Litoral rather than the Coastal route meant that we arrived in Vigo near the port so it was easy enough to find our way through the city simply by walking along the main road and keeping the port and harbour to our left. Once we reached a roundabout near the Centro Comercial A Laxe (it’s a big shopping centre that you can’t really miss) it was time to bring up Google Maps on my phone to find the quickest way to get to our hotel.
Although I’d booked a hotel actually on the Camino route it was easier at this stage to rely on Google rather than hunting down yellow arrows.
After a week of mainly small towns and villages it was a shock to the system to be in such a big city again. Passing through the old town we walked along Calle de las Ostras (Oyster Street) which was packed with people enjoying this local delicacy.
As neither of us are oyster lovers Christine and I stopped a bit further on at Cantina Argentina on Rua da Laxe for a selection of empanadas to give us an energy boost for the final push to our hotel.
We were staying at B&B Hotel, a medium-sized chain hotel, which was conveniently right on the Camino path and, importantly, already part way up the hill to get out of Vigo. Little did we realise but we would be so thankful for this the next day!
We reached the hotel just before it started to rain – our timing couldn’t have been any better!
You can read about all my accommodation choices on the Coastal route of the Camino Portugués here.
Exploring Vigo
The rain put a stop to any plans to go out exploring fully but, during a dry spell, we did head out for a coffee and later had a bite to eat in Iemanja Bistró House on Rúa Cuba, a lovely little café serving delicious food including lots of vegetarian options. They also had a great selection of cakes and we promised ourselves a visit in the morning to get some treats for the next stage of our journey.
Vigo is definitely somewhere I’d like to return to so that I could explore properly. Despite being a modern port city it also has an old town and I must admit I do love wandering around old historic towns. I also spotted a few pieces of street art on the way into Vigo and finding great pieces is another of my favourite things to do in a new city.
It’s also the ideal place to jump on a boat for a visit to the Cies Islands which we’d caught tantalising glimpses of all day during the walk along the coast.
Today’s Credencial Sellos
I only managed two sellos today, both from coffee stops along the way.
If you want to walk the Camino but don’t know where to begin I’ve written this Camino Portugués planning guide which tells you everything you need to know and outlines all the steps you need to take to get you on your way.
Highlights of Day Eight
The beaches in this part of Spain are lovely so it was enjoyable to walk alongside them, and occasionally on them. I’m so glad it was a sunny day, at least for the most part.
Lowlights of Day Eight
The walk into Vigo itself wasn’t particularly inspiring as it passed through the industrial port area. However, it wasn’t an overly long stretch so I can’t complain too much when the rest of the walk was so picturesque.
It was also a shame that the bad weather put paid to any sightseeing in Vigo.
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Bom Caminho/Buen Camino
Follow my Camino Portugués Coastal adventure:
Day 1 – Porto to Praia de Angeiras
Day 2 – Praia de Angeiras to Póvoa de Varzim
Day 3 – Póvoa de Varzim to Esposende
Day 4 – Esposende to Viana do Castelo
Day 5 – Viana do Castelo to Caminha
Day 6 – Caminha to Oia
Day 7 – Oia to Baiona
Day 8 – Baiona to Vigo
Day 9 – Vigo to Redondela
Day 10 – Redondela to Pontevedra
Day 11 – Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis
Day 12 – Caldas de Reis to Padrón
Day 13 – Padrón to Santiago de Compostela
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