A walk along the Douro

Today I completed the very first stage of the Camino Portuguese Coastal from the cathedral in Porto into Matosinhos which followed the river and then Porto’s beaches in Foz do Douro. After an excellent fish lunch with some extraordinarily good cabbage, and vino verde, I eventually returned to Porto via the metro. People are very relaxed about crossing the tracks and emerge from cafes on the wrong side just as the train arrives.

It had been my intention to have a dip in the amazing Piscina das Marés which I blipped a fortnight ago. Despite the blue skies and sunshine it was actually quite cold, I kept putting my fleece on and off most of the day. Instead I paid a couple of euros to look around and stay as long as I wanted just as long as I didn’t swim. The river Teith is much warmer.