On our ninth day of the Camino Portuguese we walked 12 miles from Caldas de Reis to Padron. The day started out with a very pleasant stretch of walking on a dirt path before veering off to a few side roads on the way into Padrón. This would be our final night on the Camino Portuguese before The Way would take us to Santiago de Compostela.
Stage Map And Overview
- Distance: 12 miles
- Elevation Gain: 922 ft
- Minimum Elevation: 62 ft
- Maximum Elevation: 564 ft
- Time: 6 hours
- Stage Overview: A short stage. Starts with dirt roads before hitting a few side roads on the way into Padrón.
Camino Portuguese Day 9: Caldas de Reis to Padrón
We began our day in Caldas de Reis with a quick breakfast before embarking on what we knew would be a shorter than average day for distance. It was a beautiful Camino morning, and the perfect way to launch into our second-to-last day of walking.
Unlike the departure from most cities and towns, The Way leading out of Caldas de Reis jumps quickly onto dirt pathways amidst a lush green landscape. It was a special morning for us, as we got to see friendly and familiar faces from day’s past. We wanted to take it all in and enjoy every second of it, as we knew we’d be arriving in Santiago the following day.
The first three miles of this day began with a gradual uphill, before heading back downhill while paralleling the railroad tracks. This railroad brings pilgrims to and from Santiago de Compostela. I can remember heading south on that very track in 2012, as I departed Santiago for a visit to Vigo and Porto. It was a bit surreal to be standing near the same track some six years later with a wife and son.
The final four miles into Padrón are on asphalt and cobblestone, and mostly avoid the main roads for side streets. Owen had fallen asleep for his customary midday nap, so we decided to skip lunch and push on towards Padrón.
Owen woke up just as we entered the main square of central Padrón. The Camino passes right alongside the Rio Sar on Paseo de Espolon. Since it was a Sunday, there was a huge farmers market with what seemed to be more than a hundred different market stalls. There was fresh produce, leather goods, clothes, crafts, and more. Once we reached the end of the farmers market, we stopped at the first pizza restaurant along our path to our albergue (Owen’s lunch request).
After lunch, we stopped at our accomodation for the night, Pension Jardin. This was one of the nicest places we stayed at on the Camino Portuguese. This pension was run by a family that greeted us at the door and made sure we had a very comfortable stay.
After taking a shower and resting for a bit, we made our way back out to central Padrón for dinner. We found a nice place in the city center and enjoyed a meal on our final night before Santiago. We were closer than ever, but still had a big 16 mile day before reaching the cathedral and the end of our journey.
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