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I'm not sure were Porto is but we walked from Sarria to Santiago July 2016. We walked with our two sons ages 10 and 13yrs. The 13 yr. old had no trouble walking but it was difficult for the 10yr. old. It was hard for us adults too. Next time we do it again we will not walk more than 10 miles a day. 12 miles was just too much. Having good shoes is a must. All three of us had Solomon's and we put inserts in them and we had no trouble. The 10 yr. old didn't have good sturdy shoes and maybe that is the reason he had so much trouble. The kids seemed to enjoy it more once we stopped for ice cream and rest.
Would the coast be better? I don't know.
Dear Rosalinda, thank you very much for your response - it is very helpful. what kind of preparation to get the boys physically fit/ready to walk and for how before the trip? How many km did you do in total? Porto is in Portugal and the total km to Santiago is about 240. It is my son who has asked to joined me and I'm reluctant hence the research that I'm doing.
It took us a year to save, plan and train for the trip. My husband is in excellent shape so he had no trouble with the walk. My kids and I are in average shape. They play soccer in the fall and spring. To prepare for the walk we did about four 10 mile walks at the state park here in Virginia. Here it took about maybe 4.5 hours at an average pace But I think with all the stopping we did on the Camino the first day 10 miles took us about 7 hours. We stopped a lot. We started walking pretty late compared to most people. We started anywhere from 9:00am-9:45am. Most days we were done by 4pm. With the exception of the last day. We arrived at the Cathedral of Santiago at 6:30pm. We walked a total of 108km. It took us six days. My kids did not ask to go on this trip. We made them. They were not happy. Yes, the first three days were very challenging. Not as much physical as it was mentally just hearing them complain. They would have rather been home playing XBOX. Things got better by day four. We had stopped at a little shop so the kids could get some snacks when I turned and saw the my husband's eyes were filled with tears when I asked him what was wrong he said that at that point he knew we were all going to make it to Santiago. He had seen the change in the boys attitude. It was fun seeing my husband and the boys talk for hours. One day it was about the WWE, another day it was about Soccer, and such. Making the boys go on the Camino was the best thing we have ever done for all of us as a family. We travel a lot but this really has brought us together. My husband and I were deciding what Camino to do next when the boys suggested we do the same one since they were also coming along. I never thought they would ever want to do it again. Now I'm trying to figure out where to walk next. I have a whole year to decide. I think my kids did not practice enough. Besides the 4 long walks we did we also walked several times to our local Trader Joe's. It is about 1.5miles each way. My suggestion is to start with short walks and then add more miles. If your son is the one asking to join you then I think this will make a big difference. I have no doubt that he will enjoy it very much. Had we taken our kids when they were much younger when they were "happier" and a lot more energetic we would not had the problems we had in the beginning.
Perhaps starting in Barcelos would be more suitable. You will have the Pilgrims' Blessing service, which is a great way to establish the historical - if not the religious - significance of the journey, the wonderful bacelhau, then the route out of the town on a main road populated by giant Barcelos cockerels - see photo. Otherwise, starting from Ponte de Lima, but that involves a steady climb which, probably, is best undertaken after a preparatory couple of days of walking. Buen Camino! This is a wonderful adventure for you and your son.
