Qigong & Trails
Porto & the Coastal Camino • 28 April – 2 May 2027
Small group • All inclusive • from £1,995 pp
Why Porto
A personal note from Gray …
I moved to Porto in 2024, and it has become one of those rare places that genuinely changes how you move through the world. The city rewards slow attention – the light, the hills, the river. The parks, paths, and trails I run regularly here have a quality I haven’t found elsewhere: wild enough to feel like proper countryside, yet five minutes from a café serving exceptional coffee.
The Coastal Camino starts in Porto. The route heads north through the city’s quieter edges and out along the Atlantic – past fishing villages, dune paths, and open coast. I walk and run stretches of it regularly. There’s something about a path with that much history and that much sky that makes movement feel different. Less like exercise, more like travel.
We ran the first Porto retreat in May this year with a small group of six, and it confirmed everything I’d hoped.
★★★★★
The retreat at a glance
Porto City trails, riverfront movement, and morning qigong in the Palácio de Cristal gardens. The city as a living landscape rather than a backdrop.
Where you’ll stay
Who this retreat is for
You don’t need a background in qigong, breathwork, or trail running. The practices are guided, adaptable, and introduced progressively throughout the week. The Camino day offers options to walk or run, and the pace is never forced.
People join from a range of backgrounds — coaches, professionals, people who simply want five days of quality movement and time outdoors without having to organise everything themselves. Some come alone; others come with a partner or friend. The small group size means it settles quickly into something genuinely supportive.
This retreat may suit you if:
- You want a proper break that involves real movement — not just spa time
- You’re curious about qigong or breath practice but want to experience it in context
- You’ve always been drawn to the Camino but want it held within a structured programme
- You value excellent food, accommodation, and being genuinely looked after
- You want to experience Porto in a way that goes deeper than a holiday
This is not the right retreat if you’re looking for high-intensity training, weight-loss programming, or a purely athletic experience. The emphasis is always on awareness, ease, and moving well — not performance.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Your Five-Day Journey
Each day has a clear shape – morning practice, time on the trail, rest, meals, and the gradual deepening that comes from moving through a place slowly and with attention.
Arrival in Porto
You arrive at Porto Airport and transfer directly to the Altis Hotel. After settling in, there’s a short welcome session in the early evening — introductions, an overview of the days ahead, and a gentle breath-led practice to mark the beginning of the retreat. Dinner together follows, with time to ease into the rhythm of the week.
Included: Airport transfer, hotel check-in, welcome session, dinner
The City
The day begins with morning qigong in the Palácio de Cristal gardens — a simple, grounding practice before the city fully wakes. After breakfast, a guided trail route moves through Porto on foot: the hills, the old quarters, and the river path west toward Foz, where the Douro meets the Atlantic. Afternoon free.
Included: Morning qigong, guided city trail (walk/run options), all meals
The Coastal Camino
The full Camino day. You receive your pilgrim credentials and set out north along the Camino Português da Costa — waymarked coastal paths through Porto’s quieter edges and out along the Atlantic. The route passes fishing villages, dune boardwalks, and open coast. Walk or run at your own pace; no one is left behind. Return transfer in the afternoon brings you back to the hotel.
Included: Morning qigong, pilgrim credentials, guided Camino stage (walk/run), return transfer, all meals
Across the Bridge
Morning practice, then we cross the Ponte Luís I on foot into Vila Nova de Gaia — just across the river from Porto — for a specialty coffee tasting at 7g Roaster, one of the top thirty coffee shops in the world. A working roastery and café tucked back from the riverfront, it’s the kind of place that makes coffee feel like it’s worth paying attention to. Brunch there if you want it.
The afternoon is yours to spend as you choose. In the evening, drinks and dinner hosted together — the last full evening of the retreat.
Included: Morning practice, guided walk across Ponte Luís I, coffee tasting at 7g Roaster, hosted evening drinks and dinner
Closing morning
A final qigong session together before breakfast — quiet, unhurried, and a natural way to close the retreat. After breakfast, transfers to Porto Airport. You leave with more than you arrived with: a familiar practice, clearer movement, and the particular kind of steadiness that comes from five days spent doing the right things slowly.
Included: Morning qigong, breakfast, airport transfer
What’s included
★★★★★
Select your room type
★★★★★
Your guides
This retreat is guided by experienced practitioners who work with breath, movement, and time outdoors in a grounded, practical way. The emphasis is on creating a calm, supportive environment – allowing each person to move, explore, and settle at their own pace.
Gray Caws
Master Oxygen Advantage Instructor · Qigong and Functional Movement Coach • Founder, Adventures In MovementGray moved to Porto in 2024 after living in London for over 40 years. Many of the routes on this retreat are trails he runs and walks regularly. He guides with a focus on simple, functional movement and breath-led practice – bringing qigong, breathwork, and time outdoors together in ways that are accessible without being diluted. Gray has been leading small-group retreats across Europe since 2012, and his approach is shaped by a genuine belief that moving well and breathing well are the foundations of everything else.
Elaine Jackson
Running Coach – Qigong & TrailsElaine is a running coach who joined Gray for the original Qigong & Trails adventure in Costa Brava in 2018. Since then, she has been part of the team behind the retreat series, bringing a grounded, practical approach to movement on the trails. Elaine supports participants of all abilities – whether walking, running, or somewhere between – with the kind of attentive coaching that makes people feel both challenged and at ease.
★★★★★