u/Awkward-Amphibian585

Hi! I’m quite new to hiking/backpacking/etc. but just finished the Camino de Santiago Portuguese route and trying to get more into it.

I’ll be in Asheville/Brevard for a bachelorette trip this weekend (4th of July). I’m staying an extra day to hopefully go for a hike near Brevard. I’ll have a rental car but would prefer between Brevard/Asheville. Ideally a 4-6ish mile loop that’s well marked and moderately strenuous. I’ll be solo so I’m a little nervous with navigating on my own🥹

Any recommendations would be great. I’ve been looking at AllTrails but I can’t really settle on the best one.

Applied 6/3
Assessment invite 6/4
Completed assessment 6/5
TBNT 6/10 😓

I’m sad lol

This was my itinerary as a solo female walker in April/May 2026 on my first Camino! I mostly followed the Litoral Way early on, then connected back to the Coastal/Central routes. I avoided public albergues for the most part and mixed hostels, private rooms, and a few hotel splurges. Posting because I relied heavily on Reddit while planning mine 😊

I used Camino Ninja for most of my planning and navigating the Litoral Way which isn’t as easily marked as other routes in some places.

For all of the below places, I did NOT need a sleeping bag liner, towel, etc. All of these places provided sheets, pillow, towels, etc.

Hope this helps someone ❤️

Day 1: Porto → Praia de Angeiras (~15 miles)
Stay: Angeiras Beach Hostel

Day 2: Praia de Angeiras → Póvoa de Varzim (~12 miles)
Stay: Casa Fragosa Alojamento Local

Day 3: Póvoa de Varzim → Esposende (~13 miles)
Stay: Sea Soul Esposende

Day 4: Esposende → Viana do Castelo (~16 miles)
Stay: Albergue de Santa Luzia
Note: I honestly would NOT recommend staying on the pure Litoral route this day. It was not very well marked, had tons of sand dunes, and very limited services (cafes, bathrooms, water, etc.). I’d recommend switching to the official Coastal route here instead.

Day 5: Viana do Castelo → Carreço (~7 miles) — shorter/rest day
Stay: Albergue Casa do Sardão

Day 6: Carreço → Caminha (~11.5 miles)
Stay: Olá Vida - Hostel Caminha

Day 7: Caminha → Oia (~10.5 miles)
Stay: Casa Picota Oia
Not an albergue — more like a small hotel/guesthouse. The owner was super responsive on WhatsApp and had good rates for shared rooms.

Day 8: Oia → Baiona (~14.5 miles)
One of my fav walking days of the entire Camino.
Stay: Hotel Entrerobles
It’s a little past Baiona, but they had great single rooms for a good price.

Day 9: Baiona → Vigo (~14.5 miles)
Stay: AC Hotel Palacio Universal
Used credit card points here and appreciated the comfort after a rainy day lol

Day 10: Vigo → Redondela (~9.5 miles)
Stay: Albergue A Rotonda

Day 11: Redondela → Pontevedra (~14 miles)
Stay: HOSTEL CHARINO

Day 12: Pontevedra → Caldas de Reis (~13 miles)
Stay: Relais Termal - Balneario Acuña
This was probably my most “meh” accommodation for the price. The hot spring pool felt amazing after walking all day, but I personally don’t think it was fully worth the cost.

Day 13: Caldas de Reis → A Escravitude (~16 miles)
Stay: ALBERGUE “VILLA VIEIRA”
Highly recommend pushing farther this day if you can. Having a shorter final day into Santiago was SO worth it.

Day 14: A Escravitude → Santiago de Compostela!!! (~12 miles)
Stay: Hotel Palacio del Carmen, Autograph Collection
Used more credit card points and treated myself to a nicer hotel at the end as a reward 😂

Happy to answer any questions!