Signal of the Nascente Way, in the stage between Alpalhao and Nisa
They say that all roads lead to Rome, but little is said about all those that lead to Santiago de Compostela and that they are in the process of incorporating three more trails in Portugal. It runs through the landscapes of Alentejo and Ribatejo until joining with those who travel through the Center region.
“The Alentejo / Ribatejo Regional Tourism Entity is currently developing the conception and implementation of the Caminhos de Santiago Alentejo e Ribatejo product offer, in which it has been possible to define the Camino Nascente, the Camino Central (…) and the Camino da Raia”, explains to Traveler.es Vitor Silva, president of the Alentejo Tourism Promotion Agency.
The middle road, which will have a total of 572 kilometers and 19 stages, starts in Santa Cruz and ends in Golega and will share the Alentejo plains and Ribatejo's own marshes with the Nascent Road , whose 383 kilometers and 19 stages are the distance that separates its beginning (Mesquita) from its end (Nisa).
The procedure is the same: follow the yellow sign path
to tour the 310 kilometers of the Raia, and enjoy the forts and fortifications that dot the territory near Spain between Mértola and Alpalhao, we will have to wait until January.
In total, the pilgrims will have at their feet 1,400 kilometers new ones that, at the moment, are already marked with the characteristic yellow arrows about 850 kilometers. Likewise, the new routes will cross a total of 44 municipalities with whom work has already begun to provide them with the necessary services.
“We have held explanatory meetings and established collaboration protocols with all the municipalities. In the first quarter of 2020, we will carry out awareness actions in municipalities, parishes, with tourist agents and inhabitants, with whom we will carry out some stages of the Camino”, Silva points out.
Till the date, shelters have begun to spring up which are added to the tourist and restaurant offer that is already available in the region.
The new trails, which have different levels of difficulty depending on each stage, also offer the possibility of start the Camino from the Algarve, from Faro, in the case of the Central Way; and from Tavira, in the case of Nascente.
“The union between the Algarve and Alentejo is guaranteed . On the Central Path it is already signposted. In the Nascente it will be done during the first quarter of 2020”, Silva points out.
Map of the three new paths that will lead to Santiago de Compostela