Day nine on the Camino Portugués between Vigo and Redondela was much shorter than the previous stage which we were grateful for as the rain that had started as we arrived in Vigo had got significantly worse!
Day Nine: Vigo to Redondela
Date: Monday 7 October 2024
Start Point: B&B Hotel, Vigo
End Point: El Piso de la Placita, Redondela
Distance Walked: 10.18 miles (16.38 kms)
Time Taken: 3 hours 53 minutes (including rest stops)
Weather: Cloudy but dry
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A late start
It had rained pretty much constantly during the night and it was still pouring down when we got up for breakfast. In fact, as we sat in the hotel restaurant and tucked into the buffet we could see some poor pilgrims heading out of the city – a literal uphill battle as the wind was blowing their ponchos up, and the rain was coming down in sheets and running in rivers down the pavement. All this while it was still dark as sunrise wasn’t until well after 8am.
It was seeing this that made us delay our start – we knew that it was only around ten miles (sixteen kms) to Redondela so figured that we could hold off until early afternoon if necessary to avoid the worst of the rain.
We’d planned to go back to Iemanja Bistró House where we’d eaten the night before for some sweet treats but it was too wet to venture far from the hotel. However, we were close to a shopping centre, Vialia Vigo, so dashed there for a mooch around the shops and a coffee while we waited to get going.
In the public toilets we spotted one poor pilgrim who was trying to dry her clothes with the hand dryers. Everything she had was wet through and I’m not convinced the hand dryer was going to make much difference. Seeing this made me glad we were waiting for the rain to stop – the memories of arriving in Viana do Castelo soaked to the bone were still too fresh in my mind!
By 11am the rain was easing off and the sun was finally starting to come out so it was time to get the show on the road.
Leaving Vigo
The path out of Vigo is steep but, as we were leaving from the shopping centre, we were already some way up the hill so it wasn’t particularly hard work to get out of the city.
Along the way up the hill I spotted some great street art (but no yellow arrows). In the absence of any signs we just stayed on Rúa de Urzáiz (it’s pedestrianised) before turning left at the top onto Rúa de Toledo.
We stopped briefly for a look at the Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción before checking the Camino Ninja app to make sure that we were on the right road and heading out of the city.
Compared to previous days we seemed to spend a lot more time walking on roads but we eventually reached the Senda da Agua. You’ll know you’ve reached the Senda da Agua once you see the yellow and green painted waves on the road. This still involves road walking but it felt quite safe. We’d started to see some yellow arrows at this point too – at last!
As we’d climbed so high we did have some marvellous panoramic views of the Vigo Estuary and the Cies Islands.
If you’re only planning to walk the last 100 kms of the Camino Portugués then you’ll start in either Vigo or Tui. If you haven’t yet decided which route to take you can read more about the last 100 kms in this post.
By now the sun was out and the clouds had almost disappeared – looking at the blue skies it was hard to believe that just a few hours earlier we’d had torrential rain!
In Chapela we stopped at El Mirador de Nerea where there’s a small shop selling drinks and snacks as well as Camino souvenirs. You’ll spot it by this little pilgrim out the front!
Shortly after the path led into a wooded area which had a few small waterfalls along the way too.
This was a lovely walk as we were away from the busier roads of earlier in the day and had some great views too.
Arriving in Redondela
As we’d climbed so high to get out of Vigo, it meant that we had a steep descent to reach Redondela. I was glad of my hiking poles at this point just to take some of the strain off my knees which were definitely feeling it once we reached the bottom of the hill!!
Thankfully from there it was an easy walk into Redondela. We were starving by this point as we’d not had any coffee stops today so we went into the first place we saw, Vila Bella, for something to eat.
I think a lot of other pilgrims had the same idea as it was very busy but the service was speedy and we were soon tucking into a veggie burger and chips. So good!!
Redondela is where the Coastal and Central routes merge. I’ve noticed that there are so many more people walking the Coastal route in comparison to when I walked the Central route in 2022. I don’t know if the Coastal route is just more popular or if the Central route also has a lot more pilgrims at this time of year.
Either way, the path is likely to get busier for the rest of the way to Santiago.
We were staying at El Piso de la Placita, an apartment in the centre of Redondela. I’d been sent a code to get into the apartment – the hard part was actually finding the right building as Google maps led us to a building a few doors down for some reason. Sometimes technology isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!
You can read about all my accommodation choices on the Coastal route of the Camino Portugués here.
Exploring Redondela
As we’d arrived later in the day we didn’t really go out to explore Redondela, other than to head out to look for a supermarket to buy something for our evening meal.
I’d visited on my last Camino though and there’s certainly enough to do for an afternoon which you can read about in this post.
Today’s Credencial Sellos
Three sellos in the credencial today – from the small shop in Chapela, our lunch stop, and our accommodation.
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 Nine
Once we finally left Vigo there was some lovely scenery along the way, despite the fact that a big chunk of the day was spent walking on, or near, roads. Of course, who wouldn’t love meeting a big fish too!
Lowlights of Day Nine
Obviously the early morning torrents pushed our start back considerably but it wasn’t too much of a hardship and it meant that at least we did stay dry once we set off.
The Vigo to Redondela stage has probably been my least favourite so far – getting out of the city wasn’t particularly inspiring after all the coastal views we’ve been spoilt with on previous days and there was a lot more road walking than we’ve had so far.
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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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