Day two on the Camino Portugués between Praia de Angeiras and Póvoa de Varzim was spent following the Senda Litoral which meant that we walked almost entirely alongside the ocean.
The Senda Litoral isn’t as well signposted in terms of yellow arrows as the coastal route (which for this part of the Camino runs partly inland) but it was hard to go wrong on this day as we just kept the ocean on our left. We’d soon find out that this isn’t always the case but more on that in future updates!
Day Two: Praia de Angeiras to Póvoa de Varzim
Date: Monday 30 September 2024
Start Point: Blue Beach Apartment, Praia de Angeiras
End Point: Big House, Póvoa de Varzim
Distance Walked: 12.13 miles (19.52 kms)
Time Taken: 5 hours 42 minutes (including rest stops)
Weather: Sunny
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Leaving Praia de Angeiras
We were up early and on the road by 8am. The plan was to follow the Senda Litoral and, thankfully, the weather was lovely once again – perfect for a walk alongside the ocean.
As we got closer to Vila Chã we came across the group of ‘scarecrows’ on the beachfront.
When I walked this way in 2022 there were just two figures but now there’s an entire family of them keeping watch over passing pilgrims.
By the time we reached the house covered in mosaics at the edge of Vila Chã we’d been walking for about an hour so it was time for a breakfast stop.
There’s a small café, Padaria de Praia, on the road to the right where we had a wake up coffee and a croissant and, of course, collected our first stamp of the day.
Back on our feet and we soon reached Praia do Mindelo. At this stage there still weren’t many pilgrims. In fact, since setting off we’d seen more locals out walking their dogs or running along the boardwalk than fellow pilgrims.
There’s a bust of Dom Pedro IV here made with rubbish that had been washed up on the beach. As the sign next to it says “this garbage was carried here by the same waters which once brought liberalism to Portugal”.
The road does move away from the coast briefly on the way to Vila do Conde but was well signposted. As we walked through Azurara we were beckoned into the Capela de São Sebastião de Azurara, a small church up a flight of steps, by the priest who stamped our credencials before wishing us a ‘bom caminho’.
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Arriving in Vila do Conde
Crossing the bridge into Vila do Conde we decided it was time for a short break so we took a seat just outside the Praça de Republica for an early picnic lunch and to enjoy the sun. We didn’t know it at the time but sunny picnics would be very few and far between after this point!
The small harbour area of Vila do Conde has a collection of interesting statues as well as a replica of a Portuguese sailing ship from the early 16th century. You can pay to go on board where there are reproductions of life on board but we stayed on dry land – I didn’t want to be responsible for knocking a display with my backpack while looking around!
On my first Camino I turned right at Vila do Conde in order to join the central route in São Pedro de Rates. This time we turned left to continue on the Senda Litoral. However, there are yellow arrows that lead through the centre of the town and a slightly shorter route to Póvoa de Varzim – these are the arrows of the official coastal route.
Although the Senda Litoral is longer the actual difference between the two routes is minimal (according to the Camino Ninja app it’s 3.5 kms if you take the Coastal route and 5.8 kms if you take the Senda Litoral) and we were enjoying being beside the seaside.
The Senda Litoral to Póvoa de Varzim was a lovely walk alongside the ocean with plenty of sights along the way starting with the Forte de São João Baptista de Vila do Conde.
For the sake of the extra 2.3 kms I’d recommend taking the Senda Litoral between Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim particularly if the weather is good.
There are some interesting churches along the seafront, more statues, and just before the two routes converge at Praia Redonda a large wall decorated with the traditional blue and white tiles depicting the town’s historical events.
Arriving in Póvoa de Varzim
We reached the town around 2pm and decided to have lunch before we checked into our accommodation.
We found a very busy restaurant right on the beach, Guarda Sol, where I had a really tasty omelette with fries and salad. Just what I needed after that walk.
Our accommodation, Big House, was a short walk from the seafront and not too far off the Camino path. Christine and I had a private room each with ensuite bathrooms. Although the rooms were small they had a fridge, a coffee machine, and complementary bottles of water.
You can read about all my accommodation choices on the Coastal route of the Camino Portugués here.
After the usual hot shower and a rest we decided to head out to enjoy an ice cream on the beach and, potentially, a paddle in the sea.
Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn and the blue skies we’d enjoyed all day had turned hazy. It was still warm though so nothing was going to come between two pilgrims and their ice creams which we did take to the beach as planned. No paddling happened though!
As the weather wasn’t so great we headed back to our accommodation with plans to head out later for dinner.
Exploring Póvoa de Varzim
Although we didn’t do any exploring I’d been to Póvoa de Varzim previously and had a good look around the town centre. It’s small but very pretty with a nice square edged with pretty coloured houses.
There are also more interesting churches and be sure to keep any eye out for more buildings decorated with the traditional blue and white tiles.
If you walk into the town on the Coastal route you’ll pass through the town centre.
Vegetarian heaven
I’d heard good things about a restaurant called Theatro which is in a bookshop and, luckily, they had availability (and a decent vegetarian menu). I had shimeji and bimi mushroom soup which was far more substantial than it sounds (it was a huge bowl filled with noodles, mushrooms, and other veg in a really tasty broth) while Christine enjoyed a wild green asparagus risotto. Obviously with a glass of vinho verde. I don’t drink a lot but I have to admit that the local wine is one of my favourite things about Portugal!
Today’s Credencial Sellos
Another three sellos today – one from our breakfast stop, one from the small church outside Vila do Conde, and the final one from our accommodation.
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Highlights of Day Two
The weather was lovely for our walk today. It was sunny but, thankfully, not too hot as there’s no shade on the Senda Litoral. I ate some really tasty food today as well and that’s always a highlight in my book!
Lowlights of Day Two
There was nothing I really didn’t enjoy about today. Taking the Senda Litoral meant that a large part of the walk was on boardwalks so I didn’t have to endure the dreaded Portuguese cobbles that were my nemesis on the Central route!
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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