Here are are some sources of information that I have used and found extremely helpful, and others that I have since discovered and may be helpful to others. There are undoubtedly many more and if you would like to recommend a website please leave a comment below.
Forums
The experienced pilgrims who participate on these lively and informative websites are happy to help ‘newbies’ with any questions they might have. It is really amazing how patiently members will respond in great detail time and again to the same questions. It is a very nurturing environment where there is an absolute wealth of information.
- Camino forums (Leslie’s forum)
- Camino de Santiago (Ivar’s forum)
- Camino planning Facebook group
Guides and resources
There are many resources available from the Confraternity of St James
For the camino Portuguese, visit Via Lusitana Where you will find a list of albergues and much other information. This organisation operate a 24 hour telephone helpline and encourage pilgrims to use it without hesitation if they are in need of help (+351) 915 595 213
APAAS – Associação Portuguesa dos Amigos de Apóstolo Santiago (Portuguese Association of Friends of the Apostle Santiago of Lisbon) – please see comment section below for more details including 24 hr helpline.
John Brierly’s guide (maps only) can be purchased at Santarém Hostel in Santarém, contact details here
There are free PDF guides on the website CaminoGuide.net
Pilgrim Tips and Packing List written by forum member S Yates full of useful information for the first-time pilgrim.
Other areas of the world are served by:
- USA, American Pilgrims on the Camino
- Canada, The Canadian Company of Pilgrims.
- Ireland, the Irish Society of the Friends of St James.
I have found all of the following documents very helpful:
- Camino Frances – a list of all albergues (Nov 2014)
- Camino Frances stage profiles
- Camino Frances – Instructions for the river walk into Burgos
- Camino Portuguese guide Lisbon to Porto
- Camino Portuguese guide Porto to Santiago
- Camino Portuguese Lisbon to Porto short stages
- Camino Portuguese elevation graphs provided by intrepid traveller Kat Davis
- Yaz Rooney’s resources guide
Films
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- Aussie Mark Shea filmed his progress along the camino Frances in April/May 2004. The result is this very honest and charming youtube film. Make sure you are sitting comfortably – it’s an hour and fifteen minutes of great viewing.
- Beyond the Way – Andrew Suzuki’s fabulous and very professional series of documentary films about the Camino Frances, with a new series on the Camino Portuguese to follow
- A great video of the botafumeiro swing
- Fabulous uplifting video by Patrick Murray showing just how it feels to walk the camino (although don’t expect to dance every step of the way to Santiago)
- Anyone walking the Portuguese route should look at this great video showing the new route to avoid the industrial estate at Porriño.
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Blogs
Camino portuguese
It was difficult to find any blogs about the camino Portuguese starting from Lisbon and most of those I came across were rather negative and depressing. However I persevered and managed to find the following informative, entertaining and largely positive blogs:
- Following the arrows (many caminos walked and blogged)
- Faces and Places – Caminho Portuguese
- Follow the yellow arrows
- Val’s blog
- Head in the clouds
- Judy and Greg walking through Portugal
Other caminos
- A beautifully written blog about walking the Camino de Madrid
- Highland Hind, one of my favourite blogs with beautiful writing and stunning photography
- Leslie’s informative blog and newsletter
- Clearskies Camino, David’s blog with lots of links and articles
- Pilgrim Roads, a lively and informative blog by Anna-Marie, a Canadian writer and photographer
Miscellaneous
- My packing list
- My assessment of clothes and walking gear
- How to tie a shoelace
- How to guard against bedbugs
This page is intended to be a work in progress, please feel free to make suggestions for inclusion in the comment section below.
Trepidatious traveller - camino blog 
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Some useful informations about the Portuguese Way of Saint James:
We are APAAS – Associação Portuguesa dos Amigos de Apóstolo Santiago (Portuguese Association of Friends of the Apostle Santiago of Lisbon)
Our office to support pilgrims is in Xuventude de Galicia (Galician Centre of Lisbon) Rua Júlio Andrade, 3 – Lisboa: https://www.facebook.com/juventudedagaliza?fref=ts
We have a telephone support 24 hours / day to help pilgrims: 00351 – 966 426 851
Our email address is: lais.lisboa.portugal@gmail.com
The beginning of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago in Lisbon is the Church of Santiago:
https://www.facebook.com/IgrejadeSantiagoLisboa?fref=ts
Our Facebook page is:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Associação-Portuguesa-dos-Amigos-de-Apóstolo-Santiago-APAAS/326981800791268?fref=ts
Best regards!
Emídio
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Obrigada Emidio, I have included your links.
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Thanks Maggie. I hope if you decide to include group trips, you will add my page at http://www.anniecarvalho.weebly.com Thanks again. Annie
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Here’s a great Camino weather tool. To help you to be better able to plan what to pack and what to expect each month weather-wise along the Camino: https://www.followthecamino.com/camino-weather/
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I found this blog full of valuable information, which, I am sure I shall use frequently.
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Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
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Maggie what guide book did you use for the Mozarabe? There is no caminoguide.net for this camino unfortunately?
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Hi Jo. I used the amigos guide you can download here…
Click to access guia-eng.pdf
You can also find info here
http://www.csj.org.uk/camino-mozarabe-malaga/
Let me know if you would like me to send you some documents that I have made with accommodation and general info from Malaga to Mérida.
And you should check out the Camino forums listed above on this page.
Buen Camino!
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Dear Maggie,
Thank you so much for your wonderful blog. I am planning to do a camino next year, starting in Le Puy, crossing to the Camino del Norte from St. Jean Pied de Port, then linking up with the Camino Primitivo. Your incredibly informative blog is full of the alternative routes that I have been trying learn about.
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Hi Jo, sorry for the delayed response. Good to hear the blog is useful for you. Sounds like a great adventure for you next year. Buen camino!
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Maggie. What do you use to show your walking on a map on this sit
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Log into Wikiloc on line (not in the app). You will see all your recorded tracks listed. Each has an ‘eye’ symbol next to it. Click on the eye for each track you want to show on the map. Then I just took a screen shot.
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Ola Maggie – Happy New Year to you! Thanks for your wonderful blog – I have found it to be useful and informative. I walked the Madrid Camino in May of 2017 and think that a lot of folks might be interested in knowing more about this ‘quiet Camino’ so I created a blog. Perhaps you could check it out and see if might be something you could recommend as an alternative to some of the busier Caminos.
Let me know what you think!
All the very best,
Robert Bockstael
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Hi Robert. Many thanks for your comment and HNY wishes back to you. I will certainly take a look at your blog and include it in my resources section which has been sadly neglected for way too long. Best wishes, Maggie
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