In the age of AI, how do you know that anyone online has genuine insights to share? ChatGPT can write itineraries, generate images, and plagiarize advice from other websites in seconds. Knowing where information online came from has never been more important.
On this page, you can find an explanation of our methodology, as well as a brief introduction to us.
Maps and Stage Data Methodology
All map and stage data have been tracked from our own personal walks on the Camino using the Strava App.
Most of the distance and elevation estimates are from the Camino Ninja app. Why?
Every device calculates distance differently. For example, two different models of the iPhone will report different distances and elevation gained/lost for the exact same walk.
^ This is the answer to a common question in Camino forums: “Why am I walking so much further than expected?” Your phone is not estimating distance the same as the device that measured the route.
Validated by our testing: We measured a single Camino stage using four different devices. Those devices reported 10+ km discrepancy for an identical walk. This amount of error is unacceptable.
So rather than adding our own unique set of numbers into the mix of information, we decided to use a set of numbers that was already calculated: Camino Ninja.
The discrepancies are not just between Camino Ninja’s data and our own. There are different distances listed in every book, app, blog, etc. The pilgrim’s office also has its own measurements.
For example, Vigo to Santiago in a guidebook will be listed as 88 km, but the pilgrims’ office calculates this as 101 km. We did not see any point in adding another set of numbers to the mix.
Why is a stage’s distance just an estimate?
Your actual walk on a stage can vary from the Camino Ninja estimate for many natural reasons:
- Construction detours
- Road closures
- Using crosswalks vs crossing the road at the most obvious point
- Route updates
These incremental differences are small when they are alone. But when you add up an entire day or week of walking, these distances accumulate.
We strive to provide the most accurate data possible, and we feel that by using the numbers measured by Camino Ninja, we offer that to readers.
Who We Are
My name is Bert-Jan and my wife’s name is Kayla. None of the images or text here was generated by AI. We are the only two people behind Walk The Camino Portugués.
I started this website as a passion project, combining two of our loves: distance walking and online marketing. Kayla and I work as freelance marketers, writing blog content (like the content you’re reading here). We specialize in search engine writing, helping people find answers to the questions they have.
Our Motives
We don’t believe in pushing Camino content to the masses on social media. We don’t seek to popularize the routes with the general public. When an aspiring pilgrim is searching for answers, we seek to provide them. Our aim:
- Put locals first: The needs of the people who live along the routes must always be placed above the convenience of pilgrims. We are guests in their home.
- Honesty and transparency: Too many inexperienced walkers are convinced to buy overpriced gear by bloggers trying to make money from affiliate sales.
- Accessibility: The Camino is a life-changing event for many people. We aim to help make it more accessible by sharing detailed information for planning, answers to questions, and encouragement. Cost and physical ability are considered in every article.
- Inclusivity: We don’t believe that some people are “real” pilgrims while others fail to be authentic or deserving enough.
Images and Videos
The majority of the images on Walk The Camino Portugués are original photographs from our walks on the Camino. The most common use of images that we DON’T own is historical images sourced from Wikipedia.
We sometimes share photos of other pilgrims on the trail, but photos don’t include people’s faces. If they do include identifying features, we received permission to share the photos in advance before publishing them.