Association mourns death of pilgrim in Cerveira and warns of certified routes

The Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago de Viana do Castelo mourned the death of a pilgrim, in Vila Nova de Cerveira, and warned of the importance of following the certified and signposted route along the Coast.

“We would like to emphasize the importance of walking the Portuguese Coastal Route, certified and therefore signposted. We verified that on this itinerary, there are several changes made due to ignorance or commercial interests”, warns the association, based in Viana do Castelo.

In a statement sent to the Lusa agency, the president of the association, Alberto Barbosa warned “the authorities to have adequate, efficient and visible signage along the route”.

“Unfortunately, we found several deficiencies. It seems to us that they rely too much on applications that pilgrims can use,” she said.

A 70-year-old woman, a pilgrim on the Caminhos de Santiago, died after being run over by a train traveling north/south on the Minho line, in Vila Nova de Cerveira, said a GNR source.

Contacted by the Lusa agency, a source from the GNR Territorial Command of Viana do Castelo said that the railway collision occurred in the parish of Gondarém, municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira, district of Viana do Castelo, and interrupted railway traffic for around 45 minutes.

The alert to the authorities was given at around 12:06 pm and train traffic was reestablished at 12:50 pm.

The same source said that the woman, of New Zealand nationality, was walking the Camino de Santiago accompanied by her husband and sister.

“Our deepest condolences to the family”, says the association, which highlights: “Respecting the history and tradition of the Jacobean routes is fundamental and essential, so as not to lose the spirit of the Camino de Santiago”.

The Camino de Santiago has been followed by millions of pilgrims since the beginning of the 9th century, when the tomb of the apostle Santiago Maior was discovered in Santiago de Compostela, capital of Galicia, Spain.

In December 2023, the Government certified the Portuguese Way from Santiago Central Porto and North to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, which crosses 13 municipalities and is 177.8 kilometers long, due to its “heritage, historical and cultural importance”.

The Portuguese Way from Central Santiago – Porto and North to Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, Spain, is the fifth route to be certified by the Government throughout the country and the third in the North.

The first was the Caminho Português Central-Alentejo and Ribatejo, in 2021, the same year of certification as the Caminho Português Interior, which connects Viseu to Chaves, leaving for Spain through Vilarelho da Raia.

In 2022, the Portuguese Coastal Path was certified, which starts from Porto and crosses Minho to Spain.

In 2023, the Government certified the Camino Português Central-Região Centro and the Camino Português de Santiago Central Porto e Norte.