We encountered dozens of pilgrims as we travelled through Galicia! They were more obvious in the towns, but we also noticed many trudging down small roads, alongside the main roads, and sitting at cafes.
Read more: PilgrimsThe Portuguese Camino
Pilgrims which we saw would have been on the Portuguese route. The full Portuguese Camino is c.620kms long, between Lisbon and Santiago de Compostela. The pilgrims we encountered were starting in Porto, a route of c.240kms-c.280kms with three variants. It is explained in detail on this series of posts. In 2024 nearly 500,000 people completed a Camino, and c.20% walked the Portuguese route, the second most popular route; nearly 50% completed the French route.
Pilgrim Sanctuary in Pontevedra
In Pontevedra, the Church of the Virgin, dedicated to the Virgin who protected pilgrims on the Camino, dates from the 1770s. It is a curious building, in the shape of a scallop shell and on the Portuguese Camino. We saw pilgrims visiting at all times of the day and night. The church stands next to the Praza Ferreria, which is overlooked by the Monastery of San Francisco.
Pilgrims in Pontevedra
The lobby of the hotel had loads of suitcases every morning, the luggage of pilgrims, carried ahead for them by one of the many companies organising the walk as a walking holiday. We spoke to an elderly couple over dinner one night, and they were walking from Porto – 20kms-25kms daily!
Pilgrims thronged the streets at all times of the day as well.
Pilgrims along the way
I was particularly conscious of the pilgrims in Pontevedra, but we had seen them in all the towns, on small country roads, along main roads, and sitting in cafes. The couple below were at the Church of San Martino a Cova, near Monforte.
The goal was of course Santiago de Compostela. We had visited in 2014 and this is a sneak preview of our visit this year – exhausted pilgrims in the square outside the Cathedral!
We were very conscious of pilgrims throughout our trip, but perhaps especially so in Pontevedra. Is it still a ‘spiritual’ journey? Who knows, but it certainly seems to be a bucket list item for all ages.