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Caminho do Este de Portugal (Tavira - Santiago de Compostela)

Tavira-Baesuris-Alcoutim-Mértola-Serpa-Moura-Monsaraz-Estremoz-Fronteira-Crato-Nisa-Castelo Branco-Castelo Rodrigo-Mirandela-Chaves-Verín-Ourense-Cea-Estación de Lalin-Puente Ulla-Santiago de Compostela.

This Caminho is for pilgrims on foot,by bicycle,on horseback,by motorcycle or by car.

Bom Caminho!

Friday, November 27, 2009

© * 2008-2023 / 2nd Stage Espanha - Ferry, VRSA, Castro Marim, Monte Francisco, Junqueira, Azinhal, Alcaria, Foz de Odeleite to Monte de Álamo about 28 km.*

***2019 - 2nd Stage, leaving from VRSA(Espanha by Ferry), after 6 km from Castro Marim(Baesuris), after 2 km more from Monte Francisco(Residencial Sabores da Beira), 3 km more to Junqueira, 4 km uphill to Azinhal(Break?), 6 km uphill direction Odeleite, turn right direction Alcaria(+4km), break at "Alberto's, and downhill to Guadiana River, in Foz de Odeleite, Arcos do Guadiana/Busstop left, and 2,5 km further to Monte do Álamo to end the Stage, total+30 km about.***(T.R. Paisagem do Guadiana, Barranco das Pereiras, Monte do Álamo, tel. 00351 962 057 524, Email: paisagemguadiana@gmail.com / ----------------------------------------------------------------
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Roman Baesuris, now Castro Marim, with a huge Castle, the first headquarters of the Order of Christ before its transfer to Tomar. ----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------- ***CASTRO MARIM*** A gravura do Livro das Fortalezas, de Duarte de Armas, mostra que, no século XVI, um esteiro ainda chegava ao sopé da muralha de Castro Marim e aì havia um cais. Hoje, a vila está 6 km afastada do mar e já nao è banhada directamente pelo Guadiana. Ocupada em 1242 pela Ordem de Santiago, os estrategos Portugueses nunca mais perderam de vista o seu valor defensivo, perto do mar e de um troco navegável do Guadiana. A muralha que chegou aos nossos dias rodeia o topo da colina, delimitando um recinto de hectare e meio. Diversas canhoneiras testemunham a adaptacao do castelo medieval à artilharia. D. Joao IV mandou refazer e melhorar as muralhas antigas mas mandou também erguer um novo forte, o de Sao Sebastiao, na colina fronteira. Adaptado ao uso da artilharia e de perfil baixo, ainda hoje permanece, pronto para o combate. 12.03.2016. --------------------------------------------------------------- *The Mighty Fortresses(Castelo) dominates the small town of Castro Marim(Baesuris). Inside the walls we can find the ruins of Igreja de Santiago, where Prince Henry the Navigator(Infante Dom Henrique) has prayed. ----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------- ***Since 25.07.2016., Dia de Santiago, a Saint-Statue has returned to Castro Marim(Baesuris), Igreja Matriz da Nossa Senhora dos Martires, Paróquia de Sao Tiago - Santiago Parish of Castro Marim, see photograph, Apóstolo Santiago.*** //06.11.2016.//

15 comments:

  1. I'd like to know what the accommodation (cheap) situation is on this route. At present I only have a list of the town/villages this route passes through. Recently did some of the French route where albergues are very affordable. Many Thanks.Derek Emson. Here's a link to my blog
    http://emson-stjames.blogspot.com/

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  2. Along Caminho do Este de Portugal leaving from Tavira, there are connected, 6 Youth Hostels Pousadas Juventude, 15 Campings, 30 Refugios, 65+ Hostels etc.More info ACEP : email baesurissantiago@live.com
    Association Amigos do Caminho do Este de Portugal.

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  3. North of Vila Real de Santo António, 4km. walking or cycling E.N. 122, we reach Roman Baesuris, now Castro
    Marim, with a huge castle, the first headquarters of the Order of Christ before its transfer to Tomar. Turismo Castro Marim (Carimbo) 00351 281 531 232.

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  4. Castelo Castro Marim (Baesuris), entrance on the left. Within the partly restored walls is a castle dating back to the 12th Century. The parapet walk affords a view over the small village with the 17th Century Forte de Sâo Sebastiâo in the foreground, the salt marshes, the Guadiana River, the bridge between Portugal and Spain, and the Spanish town of Ayamonte to the east and Vila Real de Santo António to the south. Beside the castle Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Mártires ( XVIII ) for Carimbos.
    Câmara Municipal Castro Marim 00351 281 510 740.

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  5. Preparing the Euregional Link "Spain Ferry-VRSA Castro
    Marim", we have noticed on the left side of the road E.N, 122, between the railway in VRSA and Castro Marim, GR 15 signalization, indicating to walk on the left side along the road, which is a lot safer (1,5 km). Spanish Pilgrims walking here in "Sapal Reserve" will enjoy "O Caminho do Este de Portugal" even more. Great initiative. Bom Caminho.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe not such a great IDEA for Sapal Reserve after all. Also we hear more and more complaints from Pilgrims, mainly Germans, Belgians and Europeans working in Luxembourg, about "misuse" of GR-15 in Algarve in Portugal. Fact is that GR-15(F.E.R.P.)
      exists since many years in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, between Monschau-Martelange-Arlon(Editions Lannoo s.a.1985).?Confusion?.

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  6. For thousands of years Castro Marim was a port that offered shelter to ships that sailed up Guadiana River to collect the metals - above all copper - mined north of Alcoutim and Mértola. There is evidence of Phoenician and Roman presence in the area of the town. In addition to the river routes on which Castro Marim's prosperity was founded, the town was also connected with Lisbon by a Roman road that ran parallel to Guadiana River and passed through Alcoutim, Mértola and Serpa, from where it was also connected with Aroche and Itálica. Turismo Castro Marim (carimbo) 00351 281 531 232, GNR Castro Marim 00351 281 531 004.

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  7. Vila Real de Santo António´s origins can be traced back to a specific date - December 30th, 1773 - the day on which the Royal Charter founding the town was signed.The municipality´s history does not however begin with the foundation of Vila Real de Santo António.
    This part of the coast has been inhabited since ancient times, as can be seen from the dolmen and tholos ( a bee-hive shaped tomb) in Nora, near Cacela
    Velha. Under the Romans and later the Moors, Cacela became an important town. After its castle (Forte) was captured by Paio Peres Correia, master of the Order of Sant´Iago (Saint James), in 1240, Cacela became the jumping-off point for the reconquest of Tavira and rest of the Algarve. Turismo Monte Gordo 00351 281 544 495, Camping Galico Park 00351 281 951 195, Bombeiros Vila Real de Santo António 00351 281 543 202.

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  8. Vila Real de Santo António. Á 20 km á l´est de Tavira, cet ancien poste frontière était le point de passage obligé pour traverser le Guadiana, le fleuve qui sépare le Portugal de l'Espagne. La majorité du trafic se fait aujourd'hui par un pont, à 7 km au nord. Industrielle et commercante, la ville présente peu d´intérêt, excepté le fait qu´elle a été reconstruite au XVllle siècle par le marquis de Pombal selon le plan des rues à angle droit de la Baixa à Lisbonne. Et en cinq mois, pour l´essentiel! On connossait déjà le préfabriqué, á l´époque...
    On y trouve toujours des ferries pour rejoindre sa jumelle espagnole, la blanche Ayamonte. De nombreux Espagnols les utilisent d´ailleurs por venir faire leurs courses en ville. L´église (tampons), Place Pombal, Hotel de Ville 00351 281 510 000, Place Pombal, Residencial Baixa Mar 00351 281 543 511, Camping Monte Gordo 00351 281 510 970, Bon Chemin.

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  9. Baesuris History CuttingsNovember 17, 2014 at 2:19 PM

    Vila Real de Santo António, at the mouth of Guadiana River, was run up in 1774 (December 30th 1773) by Pombal near the site of Santo António de Arenilha, possibly of Phoenician origin, but engulfed by the sea in c.1600.
    The new town was laid out on a grid plan at ruinous expense, for the ashlar used in its construction had been transported from Lisbon, after which stone quarries were "discovered" in the neighbourhood.
    To the north was Roman Baesuris, now Castro Marim, with a huge castle, the first headquarters of the Order of Christ before its transfer to Tomar.
    Biblioteca Municipal VRSA 00351 281 510 000,
    Arenilha Guest House 00351 281 544 535, Local Police VRSA 00351 281 543 066, Ferry VRSA to Ayamonte 00351 281 543 152, Transporte Fluvial del Guadiana 0034 652 525 168, Câmara Municipal VRSA 00351 281 510 000, Camping VRSA e Monte Gordo 00351 281 510 970, Posto Turismo Monte Gordo e VRSA 00351 281 544 495. Iter Stellarum.

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  10. Baesuris History CuttingsDecember 5, 2014 at 9:00 PM

    Castro Marim, just 3 miles north of Vila Real de Santo António,lies the tiny village dominated by a massive hilltop Castle, built by Dom Afonso III in the 13th Century.
    The ruins are all that are left after the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.
    Within the walls are the remains of a smaller castle which was once the Headquarters of the Order of Christ, as the Knights Templar renamed themselves.
    Tourist Office Castro Marim, 00351 281 531 232, Carimbo: Santiago Parish Castro Marim, 00351 968
    761 305, GNR Castro Marim, 00351 281 531 004.
    Iter Stellarum.

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  11. Baesuris History CuttingsDecember 6, 2014 at 7:17 AM

    Castro Marim - Knights Templar.
    The Templars were a religious order of Knights, formed in Jerusalem in the 12th Century, to fight infidels and protect Christians.
    Both the reigning powers and the Church became jealous of their plundered wealth and arrogance.
    Some said they practised the Black Arts and certainly many were well versed in Hermetic philosophy picked up in the Middle East.
    Many of the more lurid stories emerged under torture so can be discounted.
    They were excommunicated by the Pope in the 14th Century, but immediately relaunched themselves in Portugal under a new name, the Order of Christ.
    The Castle of Castro Marim (Roman Baeuris before) was their first Headquarters in Portugal.
    Iter Stellarum.

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  12. Baesuris Nature CuttingsDecember 9, 2014 at 2:40 PM

    Castro Marim, Salt Gardens and Bird Watching.
    The Eastern Algarve is where you can see salt being extracted from sea water, using methods which have not changed for thousands of years.
    Sea water is directed into huge reservoirs, each the size of a football field. After impurities have dropped to the bottom, the water is lead to evaporation pans where the remaining water evaporates under the sun, leaving slushy salt crystals.
    These are raked out and left to dry.
    Former Salt Gardens make an excellent habitat for birds. Around Castro Marim there are many Salt Gardens and a mashy landscape.
    In 1975 was opened the "Natural Reserva do Sapal de Castro Marim", in between Vila Real de Santo António, Monte Gordo, Sao Bartolomeu and Castro Marim, 2089ha. of swamp and marshes.
    Bird Watching is possible around "Sapal" and Castro Marim on various, mostly unpaved, not signposted trails into the salty swamps and Salt Gardens.
    In and around "Sapal" many different species and birds live here or make a "stop-over" during migration in Autumn or Spring, following Guadiana River.
    More information: Tourist Office Monte Gordo, 00351 281 544 495, Guadiana International Road Bridge - A22 - Monte Francisco, 00351 281 531 800, Posto Turismo Castro Marim, 00351 281 531 232, or Restaurante "Sabores da Beira", Monte Francisco, 00351 281 542 071.
    Bom Caminho.

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  13. Baesuris Deutsch HistorischDecember 29, 2014 at 11:14 PM

    Vila Real de Santo António.
    Es war wohl ein Weltrekord, als 1777 der Marquês de Pombal Vila Real innerhalb fünf Monate erbauen ließ. Natürlich war dieser Kraftakt gegen die Spanier auf der anderen Seite des Rio Guadiana gerichtet. Pombal ließ gewissermaßen die Muskeln spielen.
    Daß sich der clevere Marquês dabei des einen oder anderen Tricks bediente, indem er beispielsweise in Lissabon vorgefertigte Türen, Fenster und Steine zur Baustelle schaffen ließ, schmälert seine Leistungen keineswegs.
    Schließlich war er ein erfahrener Städtebauer.
    Nach dem großen Erdbeben hatte er bereits die Lissaboner Baixa rechtwinklich und in Windeseile aufbauen lassen, und nun brauchte er jenen Plan nur geringfügig abzuändern.
    Wo einst das Fischerdorf Santo Antónia de Arenilha mit seinen winkligen Gassen gewesen war (es fiel im 17. Jh. einer Flutkatastrophe zum Opfer), kreutzten sich fortan im rechten Winkel die breiten Straßen Vila Reals.
    Doch mit seiner städtebaulichen Meisterleistung war der Marquês nicht zufrieden.
    Er wollte seiner Schöpfung auch wirtschaftlich in den
    Sattel helfen und rief eine Fischereigesellschaft ins Leben, förderte den Schiffsbau und führte das Zollwesen ein.
    Doch Pombal triumphierte nicht ganz. Die Spanier zitterten einfach nicht, und der wirtschaftliche Aufschwung blieb aus.
    Fremdenverkehrsamt Monte Gordo und VRSA, 00351 281 544 495, Arenilha Guest House VRSA, 00351 281 544 535, Residencial Baixa Mar VRSA, 00351 281 543 511.
    Bom Caminho.

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  14. Baesuris Deutsch HistorischDecember 30, 2014 at 5:16 PM

    Castro Marim.
    Inmitten von Salinen und des Marschlandes des Rio Guadiana erhebt sich die alte, ursprünglich Römische Feste Castro Marim.
    Das Kastell war in den 500 Jahren der Maurenherrschaft und auch noch nach der "Reconquista" von entscheidender strategischer Bedeutung.
    Ein Blick von den Zinnen verdeutlicht die beherrschende Lage der Burg an der Grenze zu Spanien.
    Afonso III, ließ im 13. Jh. neue Befestigungswälle um die maurische Anlage herumbauen.
    Ab 1319 war Castro Marim Hauptsitz des Christusritter-Ordens, der mit der Sicherung der Grenze nach Spanien (Kastilien) betraut wurde (schon 1356 nach Tomar verlegt).
    Heinrich der Seefahrer war einer der Großmeister des Ordens, und so erinnert eine Inschrift über dem Eingang daran, daß er hier gelegentlich Logis nahm.
    Südlich der Festung erstreckt sich bis nach Vila Real de Santo António der einzigartige Naturpark Sapal de Castro Marim.
    Die Sümpfe und Salzseen der Guadiana-Niederung sind zur Heimat seltener Vögel geworden.
    Mit Geduld und einem Fernglas lassen sich hier Störche, Reiher, Schnepfen und andere Stelzvögel beobachten.
    Die seichten Gewässer am Guadiana werden von zahlreichen Fischarten als Laichgründe genützt, Muscheln und Krustentiere finden ideale Lebensbedingungen.
    Ihren "Carimbo"(Stempel) für Ihre "Credencial" in:
    Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Mártires wenn geöffnet,
    Rathaus (Câmara Municipal) Castro Marim neben der Kirche, 00351 281 510 740, Fremdenverkehrsamt Castro Marim, neben Rathaus wenn geöffnet, 00351 281 531 232, Junta Freguesia Castro Marim, geradeaus gegenüber Fremdenverkehrsamt, 00351 281 531 138, Cafetaria "Vila Raiana" Ecke gegenüber "Turismo" (Fremdenverkehrsamt), 00351 968 447 778,
    Pasteleria "Marcu's" Castro Marim, 00351 962 953 080.
    Bom Caminho.

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