Walking the Portuguese Camino: Vila Praia de Âncora to A Guarda

Categories portugal, Spain, travel | by

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while (ok, since at least 2016!) will know that I have walked the Camino de Santiago from St Jean Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, over the course of 5 summers (but 7 years thanks to C*vid) and those who know me in real life will know that I have nothing but AMAZING things to say about this experience. So much so that, when a group of us finished the final leg in the summer of 2022, we all immediately started looking at different routes to walk. We completed a stage of the Camino del Norte in July 2024 (San Sebastián to Bilbao), in 2025 we walked from Bayonne to San Sebastián along the Atlantic Coast in France and Spain, and in the summer of 2026, we started the Portuguese Camino, walking from Porto (Portugal) to Baiona (Spain) over the course of 7 days. This is Day 5 of the walk!

Vila Praia de Âncora > A Guarda (13.19km, not including a boat ride!)

Large rusty letters spell out a place name along a seaside promenade with flower beds and a metal sculpture, under a clear blue sky.

If you’ve read the previous four days‘ posts, you won’t be surprised that we were OVERJOYED at the shorter day today! After nearly 100km in just 4 days, the prospect of a 13km day (with a 2km boat ride) sounded blissful!

Hiker in a black outfit and hat walks along a coastal promenade; a rusted trail marker with a yellow arrow is in the foreground.

The walk this morning was easy – flat and following the sea…  We loved colourful painted benches just on the outskirts of town…

Green panel with bright yellow sunflowers and a bee, placed on grass by the rocky coastal shore (art installation) Green bench-like panel on grass displaying a bee and a large yellow flower, set against a rocky shoreline and blue sea in the background. Green panel featuring a yellow daisy and a red ladybug, set on a grassy, rocky coastal area with the sea in the background.

There were loads of waymarkers, ironically as you totally couldn’t get lost!

Rusty metal coastal sculpture with a shell motif and the inscription 'Caminho' by a rocky shoreline and blue sea under a clear sky. Sign along a rocky coast displays a yellow scallop shell, a left-pointing arrow, and a portrait of a man in a wide-brimmed hat against the ocean backdrop.

The coast was GORGEOUS but what you don’t see here is the wind…

Paved coastal path beside a rocky shore and grassy verge, with blue ocean and clear sky above. Group of four people walking along a seaside path next to rocky shore and blue ocean under a clear sky. Coastal scene with a rocky shoreline, grassy foreground, and a clear blue sky over the ocean by a narrow path.

While lovely and flat, this portion of the walk (about 4km through to Moleda) was so windy that you could barely look up for fear your hat would fly off. Also not much share or shelter from the sun. Luckily it wasn’t that hot…

Made some friends along the way…

Light tan goat with curved horns wearing a bell, walking through grassy field near a road, with another goat in the background.

And some of us (read: me and Neil) forged on ahead to simply get out of the wind!

A coastal paved path leading toward a small hill and calm sea under a bright blue sky with rocky shoreline on the left. Coastal paved path winds along a rocky shoreline with a blue sky and distant hills on the right side. Coastal paved path running along dry grasses, with the blue ocean to the left and a distant hill on the horizon under a clear sky، and distant mountains in the far background.

In Modela, there are a couple of different routes you can take but they both end up at the same place…

Blue circle with a bold yellow right-pointing arrow spray-painted on a weathered stone wall, with moss and dried grass in the background.

We went left here and followed the beach a bit more, just because it looked a little shorter…

Clear blue sky over a sandy beach with a grassy dune and a sloped hill in the background; a paved path runs along the foreground.

Soon, though, after Moleda, we made our way away from the shore and it was an easy paved path through to Caminha…

Group of hikers walking along a sunlit dirt trail beside a paved road, with trees and a clear blue sky above. View down a straight pedestrian path flanked by trees on the left and a road on the right under a clear blue sky; sunny daytime. Curving rural road with black-and-yellow bollards along the center and power lines, hillside in the background under a clear blue sky. Life‑size cardboard cutout of a monk in brown robes on a pedestal in a sunny cobblestone street with pastel houses behind it.

From here it was just a short walk to the place where we would take the boat to Spain and we arrived in good time to take a look around Caminha which was a sweet little town…

Group of hikers walking away down a sunlit narrow European street, with backpacks and hats, beside an old stone wall and row of houses. Bronze statue of a man holding a large fish, mounted on a concrete pedestal in a sunny plaza with a tree and street lamp nearby (inscription on pedestal partially visible).

Of course we had some refreshments…

Espresso in a white cup on a saucer with a spoon, beside a blue Aquarius can on a table.

And, suitably fortified, we headed to our boat – the “official” company…

Group of people with backpacks and hats gathered by a riverside promenade as a sign advertises Popeye taxi-boat tickets nearby.

We had booked a passage on this boat (because 7 people isn’t something you can always find room for) and had been warned that other “not official” companies (who don’t have the authority to land in Spain) would try to get our business down by the water but honestly we didn’t see any “pirate boats”. Just Popeye!

Grey boat hull with large cartoon sailor sticker and 'WELCOME ON BOARD' text, people seated nearby on a sunny deck. Two friends taking a cheerful selfie outdoors by a lake, with a clear blue sky and hills in the background.

A 10 minute ride later…

Rusty metal kiosk with the word ESPAÑA and code W6, placed on a concrete walkway beside a blue railing above dark water; a small boat floats in the background.

We made it to Spain!

We were done with the coastal paths so chose the slightly shorter route from the port to A Guarda (4km vs around 6 along the coast)…

Two hikers with backpacks walk away on a sunny bridge with blue railings; historic buildings line the left side and green hills rise in the distance. A person with a backpack walks along a cracked sidewalk beside a two-lane road on a sunny day, with houses and streetlights in the background and a bright blue sky. Blue roadside billboard for Hotel Atlántico reading 'Benvido peregrino!' with an arrow, against a building and blue sky.

It was a hot walk but thankfully not too long…

Stone milestone on the Camino de Santiago with a blue panel showing a yellow scallop shell and arrow, kilometre 163.40 in Galicia, surrounded by plants.

And all of a sudden…

Garmin smartwatch on wrist showing a walking activity: 3:25:30 time, 13.19 km distance, 15:35/km pace, 679 kcal, with 'Done' at bottom.

BLISS!

Since we arrived so early, we took care of pilgrim business…

Front-loading washing machines in a laundromat, stainless steel, with blue wall and a 4€ price sign above the controls

And of course… hydrated…

Two beers on an outdoor table, a Mahou Radler bottle beside them and a foamy glass in the foreground.

Watched some of the World Cup…

Three men stand and watch a soccer game on a wall-mounted TV in a cozy, plaid-walled cafe with warm lighting and plants nearby.

And wandered around the delightful town…

Exterior wall with a black metal mailbox labeled PAN and a separate 'CARTAS' letter slot, house number 12, beside a stone foundation.

I mean, who doesn’t want a bread delivery slot at their house? 😉

We researched restaurants (even though we knew we’d be eating at a much earlier time than the locals…) and a couple of us found Petiscos e tapas.

And we proceeded to have one of the best meals we had the whole trip. Tapas dishes to share – excellent quality, good value for money, a lovely outdoor patio and excellent service. There were the usual suspects… Padrón peppers, Jamón, Pulpo and Calamari…

Plate of blistered green peppers (Padron-style) sprinkled with coarse salt on a ceramic platter. Thinly sliced cured ham with white fat marbling arranged on a ceramic plate.Sliced grilled octopus tentacles sprinkled with paprika on a wooden plate Plate of fried calamari bites with a creamy dipping sauce in a white ramekin.

But also… SALAD!

Bowl of fresh garden salad with green lettuce, tomato wedges, and sliced red onions in a metal bowl.

And some fantastic thinly sliced, lightly fried eggplant slices drizzled with honey…

Plate of crispy fried eggplant slices sprinkled with salt.

And some fried sheep and goat cheese served with a fruity sauce…

Plate of six golden fried cheese portions arranged in a circle around a pool of red berry sauce.

Scrumptious!!

Washed down with this…

Just a delightful meal all round.

Unfortunately, our attempts to watch the World Cup later that evening were a bust…

TV mounted on a plaid wall showing a fuzzy puppet with a yellow nose wearing a hat and pink clothing.

😀

What an excellent day – easy, flat walking. A cute town to explore, a boat ride, laundry done, delicious meal and great company, as always!

Stay tuned to see our next day’s walk which also was under 20km!

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Disclosure: I researched Camino tour operators independently and chose the Camino Travel Center based on a number of features such as flexibility to accommodate a couple of “splits” in some of the longer days, price, and customer service. They were, in fact, the first company I came across in my very first Google search and the one I ended up booking with. From the initial inquiry to the actual trips, they have been a pleasure to deal with and we have been very impressed with the service provided (bag transportation) and the accommodation choices. I was not compensated to write about this trip in any way but I love sharing companies and products I believe in with my readers. I couldn’t recommend the Camino Travel Center more highly. 

Read more about the Camino de Santiago

Click here to read all my posts about the Camino de Santiago!

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