camino portugues: coastal or central? (first timer!)

[eudaemons]

hey there!

i'm looking into my first camino, hoping to start around mid-late august - i've wanted to do the traditional frances route for some years now but haven't been in a position to seriously approach it until now (just finished my undergraduate degree!). unfortunately i won't have the time to do the frances as i have a fixed work contract from june-august and i'll hopefully start a postgraduate degree in mid september; however i've always been very adamant about doing a camino once i finished my studies and i think the slightly shorter timeframe of the camino portugues would be great for me.

at the moment i'm just stuck between the coastal or the central route. this will be my first camino and though i definitely need to spend some time preparing physically (i've found a lot of great guides on this!) i think i would be okay with either in terms of difficulty, but i would appreciate some first-hand advice from anyone. the scenery on both is beautiful, though i do like the idea of the coastal...i suppose mostly i'm just curious if there are any particular pros/cons to either route, or if either would make a better choice for a first camino.

if it matters - irish but will probably be flying out from london as i'm working in the UK for the summer. i'm in my early twenties and have some physical health issues (scoliosis/kyphosis, two-time spinal surgery in 2015/2023) but thankfully as of now am relatively pain free, and just deal with a bit of upper body weakness.

thanks in advance, and buen camino!

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

@eudaemons , welcome to the forum.
You don't specify a start point, so I'm assuming you plan on doing the full route i.e starting in Lisbon?

I myself have yet to do either but researched them last year. There are some significant points for both, and you could of course do what quite a number of people do and swap between one and another. It's actually possible to do that at several points.

I personally am also very much drawn to the coast, however the idea of days of Boardwalk isn't particularly appealing. The coast is of course much more exposed and you can therefore end up with quite a bit of wind. I also enjoy having more varied terrain in my walking, and the Inland route most definitely offers that. Plus several interesting towns along the way.

Before I stopped researching in favor of walking another Camino ( time restraints) I had decided to add a few extra days to my walk and weave two and fro between the two at multiple points. The spiritual variant was of particular interest, when I do get to walk I will almost certainly take this.

I'm sure others will be along soon with more and better informed opinion than mine. Well done on finishing your degree and Bom Caminho!

 

[Albertinho]

I think the OP is writing about the Caminho Português from Porto due to lack of time.
From Porto the Caminho is doable ,either the Central or the Coastal or one of the many variations in about 14 days. The Coastal caminho from Lisbon is less known and less common and at least takes about 30 days ,dependent of your pace..

I walked the Caminho Português 5 times in all its variations , the complete Central, the complete Coastal, variations of switching from one to the other in Vila do Conde, in Viana do Castelo and in Caminha.
I walked the Variante Espiritual.

What to choose ? As a beginner with the medical background as the OP mentioned,I should choose for the full Coastal by Vigo. Fairly flat.
I should not walk the Variante Espiritual but just straight on on the Central from Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis and on to Santiago.
Very relaxed and go with the flow. You will enjoy it.

These are my two cents
Bom caminho

 

[tresgatos.de.us]

hey there!

i'm looking into my first camino, hoping to start around mid-late august - i've wanted to do the traditional frances route for some years now but haven't been in a position to seriously approach it until now (just finished my undergraduate degree!). unfortunately i won't have the time to do the frances as i have a fixed work contract from june-august and i'll hopefully start a postgraduate degree in mid september; however i've always been very adamant about doing a camino once i finished my studies and i think the slightly shorter timeframe of the camino portugues would be great for me.

at the moment i'm just stuck between the coastal or the central route. this will be my first camino and though i definitely need to spend some time preparing physically (i've found a lot of great guides on this!) i think i would be okay with either in terms of difficulty, but i would appreciate some first-hand advice from anyone. the scenery on both is beautiful, though i do like the idea of the coastal...i suppose mostly i'm just curious if there are any particular pros/cons to either route, or if either would make a better choice for a first camino.

if it matters - irish but will probably be flying out from london as i'm working in the UK for the summer. i'm in my early twenties and have some physical health issues (scoliosis/kyphosis, two-time spinal surgery in 2015/2023) but thankfully as of now am relatively pain free, and just deal with a bit of upper body weakness.

thanks in advance, and buen camino!

Congratulations on completing your degree! A camino is a wonderful way to move forward to your next chapter.
I am in my 70's, and walked my first camino last July, from Oia, Spain on the Coastal Route to Vigo, and the Central the rest of the way to Santiago in 7 days. I had no problem with the ascents, some of the descents were challenging due to the walking surface. I used hiking poles, and strongly suggest them for the hills.
Before you go, spend time training, stretching, trial your socks and shoes to find what works best for your feet. I had no blisters.
Travel light! Buen camino!!

 

[david g]

I don’t think you can go wrong, whichever route you choose. (It’s the CAMINO, it’s bound to be good! ) For myself, I found a mix of the two routes to be best. The coastal route (for me) became a bit boring after a couple of days. I wasn’t a fan of the boardwalk and I missed the feeling of mystery that other routes provide, the wondering what might be around the next corner. On the coastal route you can see miles ahead so it’s kind of the same view all day long. The central route gave me more of what I was looking for and felt similar to the French route. Perhaps walk the coastal to Caminha and then cut over to the central. No matter what route you choose, it will be the right one.

 

[lt56ny]

i won't have the time to do the frances as i have a fixed work contract from june-august and i'll hopefully start a postgraduate degree in mid september; however i've always been very adamant about doing a camino once i finished my studies and i think the slightly shorter timeframe of the camino portugues would be great for me.

the scenery on both is beautiful, though i do like the idea of the coastal...i suppose mostly i'm just curious if there are any particular pros/cons to either route, or if either would make a better choice for a first camino.

Before you start your camino you should speak to your doctor about your medical issues. WIll you be carrying a rucksack or are you going to ship it forward. You will have more flexibility on how far you want to walk and where you want to sleep if you carry your things. But speak to your doctor and discuss this issue. You will be walking in Summer so you do not need to carry a sleeping bag. A liner or silk sack would be just fine.
I assume based on what you said and your job situation you will start in Porto. I have walked both routes and both are beautiful. If you like the coast you will get plenty of that on the coastal of course. You have the option of walking almost the entire time in Portugal on the coast. This is called the Portuguese Literal, Do not know if I spelled it correctly or the Portuguese translation. You can follow the traditional coastal route and be walking in hills above the coast and on the coast. The coastal from Porto is easier walking as it is much flatter than the central. There will be plenty of pilgrims and many options of where you would like to sleep. The infrastructure is excellent.
The central route is also very pretty. The infrastructure is also good. Probably more pilgrims but both routes will be busy. September is a very busy month for the camino and the Portuguese is growing very quickly in popularity. There is more road walking on the central. You see roads on the coastal but outside of walking in towns you have much less road walking. There is alot of cobblestone on the Central. Some are bothered by this I wasn't. Because the coastal caters to regular tourists it will probably be a little more expensive but Portugal is a little cheaper than Spain.
On either route you can choose to walk on the Espiritual Variante. I have no walked it yet but many say it is one of it not the most beautiful variant of all the caminos.
If you do not have much time to train because of school and your job than maybe the coastal might be better as it is much easier to walk because it is so flat and you can work your body into shape with less stress. That is all I have haha