HELEN PLATT-HAWKINS, HEAD OF ART

Having successfully completing a section of the Camino Frances last Easter with my 26-year-old son, walking from Sarria to Santiago in Spain, collecting our pilgrim stamps in churches and cafés along the route, I was already thinking about which path I would walk next and how I could make it more challenging. My partner and I began to make our plan.

The Portuguese way starts in Lisbon in Portugal and ends (as they all do) in Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

We decided to start in Porto, where of course port is historically made. It is an amazing city of cobbled streets, built over the Mondego River, connected by an impressive double-deck metal arch bridge called Dom Luís. We did of course sample port at Taylors, which was delicious.

We decided to take the tram out to the furthest stop at Póvoa de Varzim, to begin our path. We walked inland towards Rafa. On the way we spotted the Church of St Francis atop a hill in the distance, so we headed there. It was stunning, even though we had to climb a huge flight of steps. The first day was rainy but the rest of the trip was hot and dry and fabulous.

For the next nine days we walked the Litoral (Coastal) Route, walking on boardwalks, sand, sand dunes, country roads, woodland paths and through puddles. Sometimes the path vanished or had been altered, so instead of the lovely yellow arrows designed to guide us, there would be huge yellow crosses or no sign at all. As we wanted to walk along the coast, we took an exciting, sometimes scary path which sometimes involved clambering over boulders and climbing over hedges and walls. There was so much to see on the path, including iron age artwork and salt pans carved into cliff rocks. We catalogued numerous churches along the pilgrim's way. The most challenging to reach was the Santuario de Santa Luzia in Viana do Castelo, dominating the city's skyline: it was a 660-step ascent! And we did that in the morning before walking for another eight hours. Well worth it, though.

All in all, we walked over 300km in ten days, one or two quite long days, others a little shorter to enjoy the beaches. A small boat took us across the estuary from Portugal to Spain – no passport checks there! It was an amazing and challenging experience, which is just a little addictive. Getting away from it all, being outdoors all day, for days, was blissful. I love the sea, and there were so many breath-taking views around every corner, from sunrise to sunset. We met fabulous people along the way, enjoyed a few cold beers, and talked nonsense for hours. There were also hours of contemplative silence, lapping up the sea, sun and connection with nature.

Roll on 2025 – which path are we going to walk next Easter?