Portuguese Camino Day 3 (Esposende to Viana do Castelo 24 km)

At last, we were away from the beach, rested after a day off, and ready for the road.

It was still a longish and hot day, but we made a smart move early and headed off up the coast before we headed into the foothills. The path underfoot was mostly cobble, with rough stone as we moved into the villages, and it all took a toll on the feet. From when we left Esposende until we entered the smaller villages, we were constantly surprised but the number of new, architect-designed houses, often sharing the street with older rural styles.

We had spent Sunday evening with two delightful retired school teachers from Boston, Jane and Thu-Han, and it was a shame to head off and think that we had left them behind, or vice versa. We did see them on the trail, but being refreshed after our rest day, we pulled ahead.

It was another warm day, but the shade under the trees more than compensated. At times, the eucalyptus plantations made it look and smell like we were bushwalking in Australia, but no Australian council would allow a fuel build up like the piles of leaf litter and bark under the trees. Unsurprisingly, given the late hot weather, we are hearing word of forest fires to the East.

The Portuguese are still very devout, and so we saw the image of Santiago at many churches and crossroads; but this may also have been canny tourism promotion, as this is fast becoming the second most popular Camino route.

Our day finished with the longest bridge in the world – or it felt like it – as we walk into Viana do Castelo over the Rio Lima. Our hotel was only adequate, but our evening meal in this pretty town was sumptuous.