Hello, can anyone provide suggestions for an 8-10 day segment on the Camino Portuguese (Central or Coastal or a mix)?
My husband and I are planning this as a trial run of sorts before walking the
Camino Frances.
Specifically, we do NOT want to reach Santiago, so as to save that experience for the completion of a full camino. Our planned timing is May of 2023.
We'll have 2 weeks for the trip but are planning 8-10 days of walking to allow for rest days in any especially interesting villages and possibly a day or two in a city or town not on the camino before returning home.
Well, this is an interesting and unusual request! I understand the principle behind the 'no Santiago' aspect, although as others have already said, multiple arrivals in Santiago doesn't necessarily diminish the experience. Another thing to think about in this regard is: what you are hoping to get out of this first pilgrimage beyond the trial run aspect? Everyone you meet will be going to Santiago - that's the whole point, after all - and if you stop in some random nearby town, that might leave you with mixed feelings; a bit of emptiness, perhaps.
That said, here are a few suggestions in three parts.
Firstly regarding the CP: as
@dougfitz said, walking the upper end of 8-10 days is almost enough for the entire CP from Porto as it is, so you don't really need to pick and choose. I've never actually walked the coastal, but ending in Vigo would be a bit of an anticlimax (it's a fairly ugly, modern city). Pontevedra would be a nicer finishing point for either coastal or central, although missing the Variante Espiritual, which starts from there and is my favourite part of the CP, would be a shame.
As for rest days, villages are the heartbeat of the camino in many ways but I would suggest that few really have enough to offer to be worthy of a rest day beyond the time you spent there the afternoon before (being villages, after all). I would certainly spend a few days in Porto at the start, as it's easily the most vibrant place with the most attractions that you will find on this route.
Secondly, I don't know how set you are on the CP specifically but one of my first thoughts is that if you prefer not to arrive in Santiago, why not choose a different camino that doesn't finish in Santiago?
Two options for a 'complete' camino not finishing in Santiago that fit your timeframe are:
- The Camino de Madrid from Madrid to Sahagún (about 13 stages,
my highlights here).
- The Portuguese Interior from Viseu to Verín (about 10 stages), if you are set on Portugal.
There are other caminos that could meet these requirements too, although
@trecile's advice about not choosing a less-traveled path for a first-timer is also relevant here. Both the routes that I suggested have excellent albergue networks for off-the-beaten track caminos, but they're also routes where a bit of food planning is required and where the language barrier might be an issue if you don't speak Spanish/Portuguese, so they might be a bit daunting for a first-time pilgrim.
Thirdly, another option could be to walk the Rota Vicentina in southwest Portugal (
my highlights here), for 10-12 days. This is not a
Camino de Santiago but is a beautiful coastal walk that might be a good introduction to long-distance walking. You won't have any pressure of Santiago or not, and it will still prepare you from a physical standpoint for what a camino will be like in terms of the rhythm of the daily walk etc. While there won't be a camino vibe on the RV, in a way, its 'non-camino-ness' would mean that when you eventually walk the CF, even more of it (i.e. the camino aspect) will be new to you.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
