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Day 20 | 21 July 2026 | Walking the Portuguese Camino
From Porto to Matosinhos | 12.1 km – 7.5 miles
In the morning we set off and left Porto in glorious sunshine. For the first time we were now walking along the Senda Litoral – the Seashore Route.
From Porto there are several choices for pilgrims heading towards Santiago. The main alternatives are the Camino Central and the Camino da Costa, while the Senda Litoral keeps even closer to the Atlantic shoreline. Many pilgrims mix the routes, which is quite easy to do as there are opportunities to cross between them along the way.
The number of pilgrims had now increased dramatically.
Leaving Porto, we saw more pilgrims in the first hour than we had seen during the entire 18 days it had taken us to walk from Lisbon.
The difference in numbers is enormous. According to 2025 Pilgrim’s Office statistics, only 2,866 pilgrims who completed the Camino Portugués Central had started as far back as Lisbon, compared with 72,343 pilgrims who started their Camino in Porto across the Portuguese routes.
It was very nice to be beside the sea and the route was completely flat all the way to Matosinhos – which I managed to walk. Nice.
In the early evening we sat outside a restaurant near a tram stop. On the other side of the road was a shop with a very noisy parrot in a cage that someone had taught to wolf whistle, which it did enthusiastically at everyone who passed.
It also chatted loudly with itself in what we assumed was Portuguese, as we understood nothing.
Matosinhos is part of the Porto metropolitan area, so it was easy for Pelle to head back into the city by tram. We said our goodbyes to our friend, who was flying home to Sweden the following day.
I too would be flying back to England the next day.
We had chatted about it for the past few days and Marianne had decided to carry on and finish the Camino and walk alone.
Suddenly, a car came driving down the tram tracks and screeched to a halt outside the restaurant.
A woman wound down the window and began hurling abuse at the four men and one woman sitting at the table next to us.
Everyone fell quiet.
Even the parrot.
It lasted for about five long minutes before she finally drove off – only to drive back, screaming again and this time accompanied by some very clear hand gestures.
The people at the table next to us retired inside the restaurant.
A man sitting behind us leaned over and, in perfect English, whispered:
“You have just witnessed a Portuguese family drama.”
He then went back to reading his newspaper.
As we left, the man said, “Bom Caminho” and the parrot gave us a wolf whistle.
The Previous Day
View all 20 Camino Portuguese stages
Update
Twelve days later, Marianne completed her Portuguese Camino from Lisbon to Santiago.
I flew down to meet her as she entered the Praza do Obradoiro in front of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral – the final destination for pilgrims completing the Camino de Santiago.
Big hugs and a huge congratulations!
The following morning we visited the Cathedral for the Pilgrim’s Mass – and we were so, so lucky to witness the Botafumeiro ceremony.
The Botafumeiro is a huge incense burner weighing 53 kg and measuring 1.5 metres in height. It hangs from a system of ropes and pulleys some 20 metres above the cathedral floor and is operated by eight men known as tiraboleiros.
Once they get it swinging, it sweeps spectacularly across the transept and can reach speeds of around 68 km/h.
We were extremely fortunate to have had a wonderful view and were sitting almost directly beneath it.
Absolutely amazing!
And a wonderful way to celebrate the end of Marianne’s Portuguese Camino.
Since returning home, I have finally discovered what had caused all the pain in my left knee and brought my Camino to a premature end – I had torn the meniscus in my knee.
I will return in early spring 2027 to finish what I started and complete the last section Porto to Santiago de Compostela.
