Ponte de Lima to Rubiães
Climb
- Distance
- 18 km
- Climb
- 450 m up, 320 m down
- Ground
- 25 to 410 m
- Time
- 5 to 7 hours
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Underfoot
- forest, dirt, cobblestone, mountain
Where this day sits on the Camino Portugués
Above, the highest and lowest ground of each of its 11 stages. Below, the word each day is given.
From open-pilgrimages: each stage's highest and lowest ground and its interior theme.
The day
Out of Ponte de Lima the path turns upward. Through Arcozelo and Arca the climb begins in earnest, past stone crucifixes and old farmhouses. The ascent to the Alto da Portela Grande is the first real climb of the Portuguese Way — modest compared to the Pyrenees, but the steepest you will face. At the top you rest, then the path descends through eucalyptus and cork oak forest to the tiny village of Rubiães, where the 12th-century Romanesque church of São Pedro stands at the end of the stage, its carved portal weathered by nearly nine centuries of weather and passing pilgrims.
What pilgrims often meet here
- The first real breath-catching climb of the Portuguese Way
- Noticing the old stone crucifixes at regular intervals
- Catching your breath at the top of the Portela Grande
- Touching the Romanesque stonework of São Pedro de Rubiães church at the end of the stage
- Arriving at Rubiães quietly — it is a tiny village with limited services
What burden did you notice on the climb that you had not noticed on the flat?
The ground
The first real climb of the Portuguese Way — up the Alto da Portela Grande (about 410 m). Modest by Pyrenean standards but the steepest ascent you will face. Stone waymarker crosses line the climb.
The light
Sunrise and sunset in Ponte de Lima depend on the day you walk.
Walk it with Pilgrim
Pilgrim doesn't carry the Camino Portugués as a route yet. You can still walk it with the app in Wander mode, speaking what arises and keeping it on your phone.