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Camino Portuguese Saturday 02/05/2026 Vila Praia de Ancora Portugual to A Guardia Spain

01/05/2026 Friday

Today we walked from Vila Praia de Âncora, Portugal, to A Guarda, Spain. We started along the coast, passing donkeys and goats, plus a peloton of cyclists up on the highway—we could hear them coming long before they arrived. A celebration race for May Day, a public holiday.

When we reached Caminha, we found a water taxi and crossed the Minho River into Galicia, Spain.

We ordered tea and a cold drink at a café, though Kim and Alison only got half a small cup of tea. Then we ate our bread rolls in a park and decided our routes. Kim and Julie took the long, flat coastal path, while Alison and I tackled the hills to see the Celtic village ruins. When we finally reached the first house, I told Alison to look around while I waited. She took two steps up and said, "You have to see this." She was right—it was amazing. The village houses were built of stone in circular shapes, packed so closely together that you couldn't walk between some of them. Was the climb worth it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably not. Poor Alison had to wait for me the whole way. She is very patient.

The descent was much easier, and Google Maps even gave us a shortcut track to our hotel—although at one point, from where I was standing, I thought Alison was on the edge of a cliff. It was only stairs.

Kim and Julie had arrived earlier and were already settled into their rooms. The hotel was a converted convent with a museum.

We all had dinner at a nearby restaurant and then went back to the hotel—too tired to explore the town.
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