Day six on the Camino Portugués between Caminha and Oia and it was time to leave Portugal behind and cross to Spain for the remainder of the Camino. It seemed that we’d barely spent any time in Portugal and we were already almost at the halfway point of our journey.
Day Six: Caminha to Oia
Date: Friday 4 October 2024
Start Point: Aldeamento Turistico do Camarido, Caminha
End Point: Casa Toñi, Oia
Distance Walked: 17.82 miles (28.68 kms) although this did include the boat crossing into Spain
Time Taken: 8 hours 5 minutes (including rest stops)
Weather: Cloudy with sunshine later
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Leaving Caminha
We were up and on our way fairly early eager for the next stage of our journey.
As we walked towards Caminha we could barely see what was in front of us as it was so misty – we certainly couldn’t see Monte de Santa Tecla across the water in Spain.
After popping into a supermarket for some supplies we stopped in a café for a coffee and croissant. It wasn’t the best croissant I’ve ever had but it would do for now.
Adeus Portugal!
From Caminha you can link to the Central route by walking along the river all the way to Valença and then crossing the Rio Minho by the Ponte Internacional.
However, we were staying on the Coastal route so were crossing the river by speedboat. There are a number of boat operators who ferry pilgrims across the river – you’ll spot them as you walk towards the river. We hadn’t made any bookings so just went with the first one we saw which was Taxi-Mar which cost €6 for the short trip.
It was still very misty when we climbed on board along with a handful of other pilgrims and around ten minutes after leaving Portugal behind we were now in Spain.
Don’t forget that Spain is an hour ahead of Portugal so, once you cross the Rio Minho, you’re in a new time zone.
Hola Spain!
When you arrive on Spanish soil you have two choices – walk to the right and follow the inland path or take the slightly longer route to the left and follow the boardwalks with the sea on one side and a forest on the other.
We turned left and I’m glad we took this route as it meant I got to see the Celtic symbols painted on the trees in the forest.
At first glance as you look at the trees you can see what appear to be random patterns painted on the bark.
However, at various points along the way you’ll see a pair of feet painted on the ground – stand on the footprints and look at the trees again and suddenly it’s not so random anymore as the markings line up to reveal Celtic symbols.
There’s an information board at the end of the track to explain what each symbol means, although you’ll need Google Translate if you don’t know any Spanish.
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Once through the forest we continued alongside the ocean until we reached A Guarda where it was time for another coffee break. We stopped in Xeito Restaurante near the harbour which is lined with colourful houses.
Fully caffeinated we were on our way again and made a detour to the small Iglesia de San Benito in the old town. We even spotted our luggage in the back of the Pilbeo van as it picked up more bags from the hotel next door to the church!
Leaving A Guarda along the coastal path we passed some interesting murals plus a statue of St James, before the path turned inland and we walked uphill which gave us great views of the coastline.
We spotted a couple of chairs that had been strategically placed along the path so took a moment or two to have a rest and admire the view. It was still cloudy but the mist had cleared and the sun was trying its best to come out.
The path eventually reached the PO-552 so we had to walk alongside the main road for a while – thankfully there was a pavement and I never felt unsafe from the traffic at any point.
The best chips ever
By now we were starting to feel hungry so were more than happy to see Cafeteria Horizonte. We stopped for a coffee (of course) plus a slice of tortilla and a plate of possibly the best chips I’ve ever eaten. The place was busy with pilgrims both inside and out, and we sat and rested for about an hour before setting off for the final stretch to Oia.
By now the skies were blue and the views as we walked along the coast were just stunning.
Arriving in Oia
Oia is a small seaside town with only around 3,000 people living there and, as we came into town along the coast, we couldn’t help but notice just how quiet it was.
Overlooking the sea is the Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Oia which was closed, unfortunately, so we couldn’t go in for a look around.
We were staying at Casa Toñi which is just outside of Oia and a short walk off the Camino path but we’d been sent instructions on how to get there so found the place with no trouble.
Toñi’s husband checked us into the apartment and brought us a cold beer and later Toñi very kindly drove us back into town to pick up some food at the local supermarket as well as doing our laundry for us.
Toñi and Guillermo are definitely perfect hosts and I can’t recommend a stay here enough.
You can read about all my accommodation choices on the Coastal route of the Camino Portugués here.
Today’s Credencial Sellos
A grand total of four sellos today – two from cafés, one from a church, and one from our accommodation.
Are you planning to walk the Camino Portugués?
If you want to walk the Camino Portugués but don’t know where to begin I’ve written a step-by-step planning guide which gives you all the information you need to know and outlines all the steps to follow to get you on your way.
Highlights of Day Six
The crossing by speedboat into Spain was good fun but my favourite part of today was discovering the Celtic symbols in the forest. Coming from the Isle of Man I obviously have Celtic blood in me so it was interesting to see a triskelion or two painted on the trees among all the other symbols.
Lowlights of Day Six
There really wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy about today – it seems to be the case that, when it’s not raining, even a long day of walking is a joy. The beautiful scenery certainly helped.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and it’s inspired you to walk the Camino yourself. If you have any questions you can pop a comment below or, even better, why not come and join the Camino Portugués Planning Facebook group where you can chat to others who are planning, or have already walked, the Camino.
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
Read more Camino posts
Check out the Camino Portugués hub, where all the posts I’ve written are saved in one place to make it easier for you to find the information you need for your journey.
You can access it here: Complete Guide to Walking the Camino Portugués
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I am trying to set my route . I want to go from Caminha to Vila Nova de Cerviera, then to Tui. I can’t get there using your app can you help?
If you’re heading to Tui from Caminha you’ll be moving to the Central route. I haven’t done this stage myself but, if you have the Camino Ninja app, you can find the route from Caminha to Vila Nova de Cerveira and then to Tui by looking at the Caminho Portugues da Costa section of the app.