Vila Chã to Rates. Day Two on the Camino Portugués Central Route

Day two on the Camino Portugués was going to be a shorter distance taking me from Vila Chã to São Pedro de Rates. For the first few miles I was going to continue along the Senda Litoral, but my plan was to move inland at Vila do Conde and meet the Central route which I’d continue on until Pontevedra when I’d take the Spiritual Variant.

Day Two: Vila Chã to São Pedro de Rates
Date: Friday 22 April 2022
Start Point: Casa do Pinhal Guest House, Vila Chã
End Point: Casa Anabela, São Pedro de Rates
Distance Walked: 12.31 miles (19.81 kms)
Time Taken: 4 hours 43 minutes (including rest stops and a missed turn)
Weather: Mostly cloudy

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All those miles I walked on day one, combined with not having much sleep on my last night in Porto, meant that I slept like a baby at Casa do Pinhal.

Breakfast was served from 8am and, although I’d heard voices yesterday evening that I assume belonged to other pilgrims, no-one else appeared so I was the only person at breakfast.

I made sure to eat plenty (a croissant, bread and cheese, bread and Nutella, cornflakes, orange juice, and two coffees) – more than enough to power me through a few hours on foot!

Breakfast over, it was time to hit the road again. I’d adjusted my backpack to, hopefully, alleviate the shoulder strain that I’d been feeling towards the end of the previous day and it definitely felt more comfortable as I set off.

Thankfully the rain that had continued throughout the night had stopped and I had a spring in my step as I said goodbye to Patricia, the host at Casa do Pinhal.

Leaving Vila Chã

It was only a short walk from Casa do Pinhal back to the coast at Praia de Mindelo.  It was a blustery morning and the weather, combined with the long stretches of sandy beach, reminded me of being on the Northumberland coast. I’m hoping to walk the Northumberland Coastal Path in the future so this felt like good practice!

In some areas the boardwalks were covered with sand which wasn’t the easiest to walk on but, thankfully, those stretches were fairly short.  

As I walked behind the sand dunes at Praia de Arvore I started to see more people, but they were all locals out walking their dogs – still no other pilgrims to be seen. I hadn’t set off until almost 9am so maybe I was behind everyone else. I did spot the Mona Lisa though!

This piece of artwork is by Ciriacosir. If you spend any time in Porto you’ll see examples of his work around the city and particularly on the electrical boxes on Rua das Flores.

Turning inland briefly I couldn’t help but groan – more cobbles! As it turned out, I needed to get used to them as they were everywhere in Portugal. They might look lovely but they’re not much fun to walk on!

Before long I was crossing the bridge over the Rio Ave to Vila do Conde.                                  

This is decision time for a lot of pilgrims – go left through Praça da República and keep walking on the Coastal route, or take a right and head inland on the Central route. I’d already planned my journey on the Central route so my decision was made. The question now was, how do I actually get on to it?

By now there were a few other pilgrims arriving in Vila do Conde but they were all continuing on the Coastal route so I referred to my trusty guidebook to find the right path out of town.

I bought the Cicerone Guide because, at the time, it was the only one that could be downloaded to Kindle (although the latest edition of John Brierley’s guidebook is now also available as a download). Rather than put it on my Kindle I downloaded it to the Kindle App and my evening routine became to screenshot the relevant pages for the following day’s walk so that I had them available in the gallery on my phone to refer to if I needed to.

Passing through Vila do Conde

I had a few concerns about finding my way from Vila do Conde to join the Central route as I’d read that the markers weren’t very good, making it easy to take a wrong turn.

Surprise surprise, I did get slightly lost! My guidebook said to go under the N13 and, soon after passing the monastery, take a left turn. I passed under the bridge with no issues, but I turned straightaway after passing the monastery. In other words, I took the wrong left turn although I didn’t realise until I’d reached the top of a hill and found myself standing underneath the town’s aqueduct.  

The aqueduct was built in the early 18^th century and over 5kms of it have been preserved. It’s certainly an impressive sight.

Getting back on track

It was time to fire up the Google Maps app and I still wasn’t 100% sure I was on the right path until I saw the Agal showroom which was mentioned in the guidebook. I knew that there was a café coming up in Touguinho, not long after this, so decided it was time for a coffee break.

Café Novo is tiny but has outdoor seating. There was only one other customer – a local man watching the news on tv – so I took my café com leite outside to sit in the sun which had finally come out.

I hadn’t seen any other pilgrims since leaving Vila do Conde but, just as I sat down, someone wished me ‘Bom Caminho’. It was Laura, an American girl, also walking her first Camino. We chatted for a while about our plans before she started walking again. I wonder if we’ll bump into each other again?

I remembered to get my credencial stamped before I left Café Novo and, fully caffeinated, I hoisted my backpack on again and set off on the next stage.

By now I was walking in the beautiful Portuguese countryside where wildflowers grew in the meadows, calla lilies flourished in big clumps under grape vines, and every town and village seemed to have an ornately patterned chapel.

Although there was some walking on, or near, busy roads I knew at this point that my decision to take the Central route had been the right one.

Reaching São Pedro de Rates

Since speaking to Laura earlier in the morning I hadn’t seen any other pilgrims but, getting closer to São Pedro de Rates I caught up with two Danish women and we had a brief chat. I didn’t know at the time, but I’d bump into them most days between here and Pontevedra and we even crossed paths again in Finisterre a few days after finishing our Caminos.  

I was booked into Casa Anabela for the night. It’s right on the Camino and I arrived shortly before 2pm. I had a private room with a shared bathroom and, as I’d discovered yesterday, there’s nothing quite like pulling off the walking shoes and jumping in a hot shower after a long walk.  

You can read about all my accommodation choices on the Central route of the Camino Portugués here.

After a shower it was time to find some food and have a little look around the village.

Food heaven

There are a few places to eat in São Pedro de Rates and I decided to try D’Volta which is on the main route out of the village, opposite the municipal albergue. What a good decision that turned out to be. The food is all home-made and, honestly, I could have stayed all afternoon trying everything in the cake display.

I ordered a slice of vegetarian quiche, along with a café com leite and a big slice of banana cake, and took it to a window seat so I could people watch while refuelling.

I thought I’d been undercharged when it came to pay as my total bill was only €3.60 – definitely value for money and so tasty too.

I remembered to ask for a sello today and, although they hadn’t yet got one, the owner came out from the kitchen and drew one in my credencial. You can see it further on in this post.

When updating this post it appears that D’Volta is no longer open for business which is a real shame as the food was excellent.

Exploring São Pedro de Rates

The weather was starting to look a little less settled so it was time to do some exploring. São Pedro de Rates is only a small town with a population of around 2,500 so I knew it wasn’t going to take long.

The historical centre is only a few minutes’ walk from the Camino but had an interesting collection of buildings including a Roman Church and the 18^th century chapel of Senhor da Praça.

Today’s Credencial Sellos

Today’s sellos were from Café Novo, D’Volta and Casa Anabela.

Highlights of Day Two

Turning away from the coast to walk the Central route was definitely the right decision for me (although I’m sure I’ll be back to walk the full Coastal route at some point).

Yes, I have been back to walk the Coastal route – you can read my 13 day itinerary here.

Having grown up, and lived most of my life, near the coast I know only too well what it’s like to walk into a strong headwind blowing off the sea and, with the weather being unsettled, I didn’t fancy taking my chances with the Atlantic Ocean.

While I’d enjoyed my time walking along the coast, it was wonderful to wander through small villages and lush green countryside.

The banana cake at D’Volta was another highlight – especially at only €1 for a slice!

Lowlights of Day Two

The cobbles!! I guess the main drawback to walking the Central route is that there’s going to be a lot more road walking and much of that is going to be on cobbles! I’m sure I’ll get used to them eventually – I certainly hope so!

Having said that, views like this make it almost worth the discomfort!

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 Central route adventure:
Day 1 – Porto to Vila Chã
Day 2 – Vila Chã to São Pedro de Rates
Day 3 – São Pedro de Rates to Barcelos
Day 4 – Barcelos to Balugães
Day 5 – Balugães to Ponte de Lima
Day 6 – Ponte de Lima to Rubiães
Day 7 – Rubiães to Tui
Day 8 – Tui to O Porriño
Day 9 – O Porriño to Redondela
Day 10 – Redondela to Pontevedra
Day 11 – Pontevedra to Armenteira
Day 12 – Armenteira to Vilanova de Arousa
Day 13 – Vilanova de Arousa to Cruces
Day 14 – Cruces to Santiago de Compostela

Read more Camino posts

• Camino Portugués Planning Guide
• Camino Portugués Central Route – a 14 Day Itinerary
• Where to Stay on the Camino Portugués Central Route
• Walking the Camino Portugués Coastal Route – a 13 Day Itinerary
• Where to Stay on the Camino Portugués Coastal Route
• Camino Portugués – Coastal or Central Route
• Camino Portugués – Coastal Route or Senda Litoral
• Walking the Spiritual Variant – Everything You Need to Know
• The Best Towns to Stay on the Camino Portugués
• Walking the Last 100kms of the Camino Portugués
• Luggage Transfer on the Camino Portugués
• The Best Time to Walk the Camino Portugués
• Walking the Camino in Hot Weather
• The Credencial – All You Need to Know About the Pilgrim Passport
• Arriving in Santiago – A Practical Guide for Pilgrims
• Staying Safe on the Camino
• How to Walk the Camino in a Sustainable Way
• Learning Spanish for the Camino

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