Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis
Water
- Distance
- 19 km
- Climb
- 310 m up, 290 m down
- Ground
- 20 to 185 m
- Time
- 5 to 6 hours
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Underfoot
- forest, dirt, paved, cobblestone
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
The Romans called this town Aquae Celenae — the waters of Celenae. The thermal springs of Caldas de Reis have been drawing pilgrims since imperial times. Before the day ends, the route crosses the Rio Umia and enters the town where steam rises from public fountains and the water itself is too hot to touch. Pilgrims soak their feet in the thermal waters of A Burga, in the middle of the street, and something about hot mineral water on aching feet feels like a direct inheritance from two thousand years of road-weary travellers.
What pilgrims often meet here
- The free thermal fountain A Burga, in the center of Caldas de Reis, where pilgrims soak their feet
- The smell of sulphur in the town center
- Relief in the feet for the first time in days
- Realising you are now close enough to Santiago to count the remaining stages on one hand
What has been carrying you, the way hot water has been carrying Roman soldiers' feet for two thousand years?
The ground
The light
Sunrise and sunset in Pontevedra 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.