Choosing 5 12km sections

[Nicola2018]

My mother turns 80 next year and the Camino is on her bucket list. She feels she can walk 12km per day for 5 days. We have chosen to do the Camino Portuguese central as it should be flatter and scenic. My husband is available to drop us off and pick us up and the beginning and end of each day if necessary. We know that this is not what doing the Camino is about but it is what she can do.
I would like recommendations in terms of history and natural beauty so that we can choose the best sections to walk in our limited distance. They do not need to be connected and is obviously not a whole stage.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

What would starting point be? Lisbon or Porto? The Central from Porto is not all that scenic. A few nice towns but not much linking them. You would be much better off in Spain if looking for beauty. The Meseta is beautiful and as flat ad it can get. There are beautiful stretches in Navarra and Rioja as well.

 

[jsalt]

I would like recommendations in terms of history and natural beauty so that we can choose the best sections to walk in our limited distance. They do not need to be connected and is obviously not a whole stage.

Hi, some nice sections on the Portuguese Central that spring to mind are:

Santarem
Quinta Cardiga
Vila Nova Barquina
(Golega to Vila Nova Barquina is 8.7kms and flat)
Tomar
Conimbriga
(Rabacal to Conimbriga is 10.7kms and fairly flat)
Coimbra
Porto (of course!)
Ponte de Lima
Valenca
Tui
Pontevedra

Jill
P.S. welcome to the forum!

 

[SabsP]

My mother turns 80 next year and the Camino is on her bucket list. She feels she can walk 12km per day for 5 days. We have chosen to do the Camino Portuguese central as it should be flatter and scenic. My husband is available to drop us off and pick us up and the beginning and end of each day if necessary. We know that this is not what doing the Camino is about but it is what she can do.
I would like recommendations in terms of history and natural beauty so that we can choose the best sections to walk in our limited distance. They do not need to be connected and is obviously not a whole stage.

Hi Nicola,
I would avoid this particular etapa. The ascent is not that hard but the surface might prove too difficult....
https://www.gronze.com/etapa/ponte-lima/rubiaes/al-loro

All the best with your plans.

 

[Nicola2018]

Hi, some nice sections on the Portuguese Central that spring to mind are:

Santarem
Quinta Cardiga
Vila Nova Barquina
(Golega to Vila Nova Barquina is 8.7kms and flat)
Tomar
Conimbriga
(Rabacal to Conimbriga is 10.7kms and fairly flat)
Coimbra
Porto (of course!)
Ponte de Lima
Valenca
Tui
Pontevedra

Jill

Thanks for the list. That is very helpful. My mother is also from South Africa and walks on Table Mountain a couple of times a week.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hi, some nice sections on the Portuguese Central that spring to mind are:

Santarem
Quinta Cardiga
Vila Nova Barquina
(Golega to Vila Nova Barquina is 8.7kms and flat)
Tomar
Conimbriga
(Rabacal to Conimbriga is 10.7kms and fairly flat)
Coimbra
Porto (of course!)
Ponte de Lima
Valenca
Tui
Pontevedra

Jill
P.S. welcome to the forum!

These are pretty places to visit, not 12 km sections, let alone pretty ones walking into.

 

[shushy Hugo-Hamman]

My mother turns 80 next year and the Camino is on her bucket list. She feels she can walk 12km per day for 5 days. We have chosen to do the Camino Portuguese central as it should be flatter and scenic. My husband is available to drop us off and pick us up and the beginning and end of each day if necessary. We know that this is not what doing the Camino is about but it is what she can do.
I would like recommendations in terms of history and natural beauty so that we can choose the best sections to walk in our limited distance. They do not need to be connected and is obviously not a whole stage.

Very wise to choose shorter distances. My husband and I walked from Santarem to Santiago last June 2016 for his 60th birthday. We are from Cape Town, South Africa and would be very happy to chat to you about possible places to walk. We kept a blog, Ourwaycaminho@workpress.com which you may find interesting. Walking from Porto is wonderful and I would suggest that you start from there or possibly even more Ponte de Lima. Loads of options!

 

[shushy Hugo-Hamman]

My mother turns 80 next year and the Camino is on her bucket list. She feels she can walk 12km per day for 5 days. We have chosen to do the Camino Portuguese central as it should be flatter and scenic. My husband is available to drop us off and pick us up and the beginning and end of each day if necessary. We know that this is not what doing the Camino is about but it is what she can do.
I would like recommendations in terms of history and natural beauty so that we can choose the best sections to walk in our limited distance. They do not need to be connected and is obviously not a whole stage.

Sorry, forgot to add" Ourwayportuguesecaminho@wordpress.com "