Portuguese Way from Tui – Stage 5 – Travel Blog

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We begin our penultimate day of walking the Portuguese Way from Tui in the rain. With just 18km ahead, we're expecting to arrive around lunchtime—a winning combination for those of us who appreciate good food.

We leave Caldas de Rei and soon find ourselves on a dirt track cutting through the countryside. Fields and streams surround us on all sides. The forest envelops us in an instant, offering many of us time to think, reflect, and dream.

Silence proves to be excellent company on the trail, accompanied only by birdsong and the lively movement of streams, reinvigorated daily by fresh waves of rain and stormy weather.

The stage presents a straightforward altitude profile: we climb in the first section (highest point 165m) and descend in the second, reaching a town only at the end. A few bars line the route for those wishing to stop, but determined to arrive "early," we only pause to eat when just 4km remain.

We reach the village of Pontecesures, almost entirely dominated by a massive paper mill beside the Ulla River—a true industrial monster. To many's great disappointment, we announce that Padrón is still a couple of kilometres away, which we cover almost entirely along the riverbank. Up ahead, the Cathedral stands out majestically, impossible to overlook.

Silvia and Sabrina, having arrived an hour earlier, are waiting for us at the bar for lunch.

We relax for a while in our rooms, shower (some absurdly find themselves without hot water), wander through the village, and visit the Cathedral. The church that captures our attention most is the one dedicated to Santiago Apostolo: inside, we can admire various representations of Santiago and, beneath the altar, the stone around which the legendary boat is said to have been moored—the vessel that, sailing upriver, carried the apostle's remains.

We head out to dinner at a lovely outdoor spot discovered by Maurizio and Lidia that afternoon. A fine glass of Rioja brightens the evening, which we spend once again in pleasant conversation and laughter. Tomorrow we reach Santiago, and everyone already feels the emotion of this achievement.

And so we raise our glasses. A Toast to the Way!

Go to Stage 6 〉

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