This day asks a lot of your legs and even more of your patience. It is a very long stage, almost 10 hours on the road. At the river Côa you descend steeply, then climb back up just as steeply. You’ll really feel that in the second half.
At Vale da Mula you cross the border into Portugal. The fortified town of Almeida then comes at just the right moment for a long break. There are no albergues in Almeida or Pinhel, only pensions. So in Pinhel you’ll put your rucksack down in a pension, and after this day that feels like a small celebration. Time for a drink.
Take it easy, and don’t let the Côa rush you.