Labruja to Valenca 25km

Knowing we had the big climb ahead, we set off early (around 6:30am). Of course, we started the day with a smile as usual …

It was another beautiful morning for a walk. Straight up the mountain!

It was a lovely walk through the forest, but we had to be careful at times because of the rocks. The forest was spectacular …

As we walked through the pine trees we noticed they were collecting sap from them. it looked quite surreal.

We saw different Camino signs this morning…

Once we got to the top of the first hill we saw the Alto da Pórtela monument, then did a slow climb down.

We reached the township of Sao Bento da Porta Aberta, stopped for a coke, and saw the beautiful church. Unfortunately, like most other churches on the way, it was closed.

And then we did the long, hot, frankly really uninteresting walk into Valenca. One of the standout differences on this Camino from the Francés is the lack of cafes/bars along the way. From sao Bento there was not another place to stop until Valenca 12km away. That’s a long way with no rest stops when you’re walking!

And we are all starting to really hurt. 6 big walking days are beginning to take their toll! Old blisters are healing and new ones are popping up.

And then there’s the curious camino phenomenon of the backpack that just seems to get heavier every day (when actually it’s getting lighter).

We eventually arrived in Valenca and we stayed at one of the nicest hostels so far (we’ve ranked it at #2 after casa sagres in Vitorino) called Hostel Bulwark. The owner greeted us with a glass of port, and good conversation. We played mastermind while we waited for our washing to finish.

This was the last day of walking in Portugal, tomorrow we cross the bridge and enter Spain. It’s been an interesting walk so far, unexpectedly solitary as there really haven’t been many pilgrims on the way. The country has been lovely in parts, and the people have been very welcoming. The albergues have varied in comfort and standards. I’m looking forward to seeing how things change once we get to Spain. (And I’m dreaming about my bocadillos con jamón and slices of tortilla!).

Tonight we went for dinner and met fellow pilgrim Margarita who told us she was planning to do 40km days!