It’s been almost 2 years since my last pilgrimage walk, along the the Way of Saint Benedict in Italy, and 5 years since my last longer walk. After getting through some medical issues last year, and celebrating my 70th birthday, it’s time to head off again. I’ve decided to walk the 610km from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela along the Portuguese Way.

Some background

After Muslim armies from North Africa conquered most of the Iberian peninsula in the early 8th century, the Christian kingdoms were reduced to the very north of present day Spain. The reconquest took many centuries.

By the 12th century, the north of present day Portugal had been reconquered. Alfonso Henriques led a revolt against his mother Theresa of León, who was ruling the North-West corner of Iberia, and in 1139 became the first King of Portugal. The Portuguese then mainly focused on reconquest of lands to the south, and in 1147 Lisbon was captured after over 400 years of Muslim control. It became the capital of Portugal in 1255.

King Alfonso I of Portugal. ( Wikimedia)

Pilgrimages to Santiago from Portugal were often by sea, but a land route developed following the ancient Roman roads which were still in use.

Roman roads in Western Europe and North Africa.

The pilgrimage to Santiago by Queen Isabel of Portugal in the early 14th century left records of a traditional route from Lisbon, for example. The path I’ll be following follows much of this route.

Arrival of Queen Isabel of Portugal in Santiago de Compostela, after finishing the Portuguese Way around 1325. (Wikipedia)
My walk from Lisbon to Santiago is on the left of the map. I’ve previously walked to Santiago from Seville in the south and along the coast from Bayonne in the north-east.(anthikes.com)

Lisbon

Lisbon is situated on the estuary of the Tagus which is the longest river in the Iberian peninsula, flowing over 1,000km from the mountains east of Madrid. I’ll be following the river for the first 6 days of my walk.

Lisbon is located on the wide estuary of the Tagus river.

With a population of almost 3 million, Lisbon is home to around 30% of Portugal’s population.The city was almost totally destroyed by a severe earthquake in 1755, and this is reflected in the architecture of the old quarters of the city.

One of Lisbon’s 1930s era trams on the 28 route, which is very popular with tourists.
A very tempting pastry shop.

I arrived mid afternoon and headed straight to Sé Cathedral to get the first stamp for my credencial or pilgrim’s passport. I’ll be gone by the time it opens tomorrow.

My first stamp for this walk,

The cathedral was built in the 12th century on the site of the mosque and a previous church from late Roman times.

The Sé of Lisbon

My home for tonight.
Mussels for dinner.
Lisbon at night.

I was in a bit of a quandary regarding my first day. The first town with easily bookable accommodation is a 35km walk away. This was way too much for my first day, especially with a lot of the walking being on hard surfaces.

I had thought of catching a train to start beyond the suburbs, when a week ago, a new place along the way popped up on booking.com. Despite the dodgy name of “The Purple Spa”, I’ve booked there.

It will be an interesting day.