Portuguese Camino de Santiago: Our experience with a child

The Camino de Santiago is a walking route used by pilgrims to reach the Apostle Saint James, in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. There are several walking routes from Portugal and France.

From Portugal, the Portuguese Camino to Santiago has several marked options but the most used is the Central Portuguese Camino from Oporto.

Walking the paths of Santiago is an experience of self-discovery, enriching and possibly transformative, that combines physical, spiritual and emotional challenges. Our resilience is tested at each stage, but the goal of reaching Compostela, the solidarity that finds makes us start each day more rejuvenated. And when we finish what we set out to do, “we leave the Camino but the Camino never leaves us” – is the word of the pilgrim.

The Portuguese Camino of Santiago is one of several pilgrimage routes that take pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, where, according to legend, the remains of Saint James are buried. This route has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, being one of the most important pilgrimage routes, along with the French route.

The tradition of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela began in the 9th century, after the discovery of the tomb of the apostle Saint James. From the 12th century onwards, with the construction of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, the route gained even more importance, attracting pilgrims from all over Europe. It currently attracts pilgrims and walking lovers from all over the world.

Along the Portuguese Camino of Santiago and its variants, several monuments and churches have developed over the years, enriching the experience of those who follow the path. The best-known variants of the Portuguese Camino of Santiago are the Portuguese Central Camino and the Coast Camino.

When we thought about doing one of the Camino de Santiago, this was one of the first questions. Would it be possible to take our 7-year-old daughter to live this enriching experience, both spiritual and cultural? After researching over the Internet, we found reports of some couples who did it, making it possible, although it needed more preparation and planning. Regarding planning:

• Transporting the child: In our case, we chose to buy a stroller, which allowed us to take our daughter with us when she didn’t want to accompany us walking. Even though she was already 7 years old, the size of the car allowed her to sit down, rest and we could make the journey in less time. Being a stroller, it had the advantage of having higher wheels, which made it easier to do the most difficult trails, having space for her suitcase, and protection against rain.

• Planning the stages: The other care we took was with the stages. We chose to do just the final 62 miles, allowing us to reach Compostela in stages of more or less 12.5 miles. This choice was intended to reduce the number of days on pilgrimage and combine them with our holidays.

• Accommodation: Another precaution we took was regarding accommodation. We choose to stay in local accommodations, or hotels with reservations, so that when necessary, we can cook and be in family. This way we avoided pilgrim residences, as some of them would not have family rooms. Furthermore, it also allowed us to have greater security regarding the availability of places in the accommodation, as some residences do not allow booking in advance.

• Physical fitness: Walking 12.5 miles with a backpack on your back is very different than walking 12.5 miles with a backpack on your back and pushing a stroller with a child. You need to be aware that the paths are not flat and there are stages with large slopes. In preparation, we went on several family walks, sometimes without the stroller, and sometimes with the stroller.

To summarize, the Camino de Santiago with children is possible. We weren’t the only couple with children to do this. During our journey, we found several children accompanying their parents, although they were all a little older. It was a challenging adventure and offered an excellent opportunity to create family memories. The youngest loved the experience and ended up spending most of her days walking, using the stroller very little.

As already mentioned, we made our pilgrimage from Valença, Portugal, completing the last 62 miles.

As nossas etapas foram as seguintes:

Our journey starts in Valença do Minho in Portugal and a 12.5-mile stage awaited us. Valença do Minho is a city that was a huge surprise for us because as we walk through the old, fortified part of the city, it offers stunning views over the river Minho and Spain. Furthermore, its centre is very dynamic, lively and full of commerce. It was in the centre of Valença that we spent the night and early in the morning we started our walk with the first objective being to cross the old international bridge that connects Portugal to Spain.

Crossing the bridge was truly a highlight of our day. This is where we felt our adventure would truly begin. On the other side was the city of Tui, which, still asleep and with its streets almost deserted, welcomes pilgrims with open arms.

Tui also has a very beautiful and well-preserved historic centre, but only the cathedral located along the marked path was open.

Upon leaving Tui, we began our journeys through nature and further away from the main roads. The route was always quite beautiful and accompanied by some watercourses. Next to Ponte de Veiga, we find a sculpture that pays homage to the pilgrims.

On the following forest routes and due to frequent rains, we had to cross one of the water courses barefoot and with the cart in hand. It was at this point that we began to feel the sympathy and empathy that support that unites all pilgrims.

After the most beautiful section of the route and arriving at the Os Eidos area, the route has a fork. The original route follows a huge industrial area (Polígono Industrial de O Porrinõ measuring 3 miles) and the detour follows a greener area measuring 4 miles, crossing the Gândaras de Budinõ Protected Natural Area. We didn’t have the experience of getting to know the green area, as we opted for the industrial area, due to the rain that was felt and also because it was Sunday and all the companies were closed.

Porrinõ is a small city with a beautiful historic centre that deserves a stroll through its streets. That’s what we did for the rest of the day. We walked through its streets at the end of the day and without rain.

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