u/woistlolla

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to do the Portuguese Coastal Camino from Porto to Santiago from late August to mid-September, and I’d love some honest opinions from people with Camino experience.

I’m not a “hiker” in the traditional sense and I don’t have multi-day trekking experience, but I’d say I’m at a decent fitness level, I go to the gym around 4 times a week (mostly weights + some cardio), walk regularly, and generally stay active.

I tried to build an itinerary that feels manageable rather than rushed, with a few shorter days and some rest days included because my main goal is to actually enjoy the experience instead of suffering through it.

Here’s my current plan:

Porto → Vila Chã — 16 km
Vila Chã → Aguçadoura — 18 km
Aguçadoura → Esposende — 13 km
Esposende → Viana do Castelo — 26 km
Rest day in Viana do Castelo
Viana do Castelo → Vila Praia de Âncora — 18 km
Vila Praia de Âncora → Caminha — 10 km
Caminha → A Guarda — ferry + short walk
A Guarda → Oia — 17 km
Oia → Baiona — 14 km
Rest day in Baiona
Baiona → A Ramallosa — 5 km
A Ramallosa → Vigo — 21.5 km
Vigo → Redondela — 16.5 km
Redondela → Pontevedra — 20.6 km
Pontevedra → Caldas de Reis — 21 km
Caldas de Reis → Padrón — 18.5 km
Padrón → O Milladoiro — 17.6 km
O Milladoiro → Santiago — 7.9 km
Rest day in Santiago

A few things I’m wondering:

Does this look realistic for someone without serious hiking experience?

Is the 26 km day to Viana do Castelo likely to be brutal?

Anything you wish you knew before doing the Coastal route in late summer?

Would you recommend training hikes beforehand, or is general fitness enough?

I’m definitely open to adjusting stages if something looks unbalanced.
Thanks in advance, really appreciate any advice from experienced pilgrims 😊

Hi everyone, I’m 37 going through my second egg freezing cycle in Germany.

Last cycle I started Progynova (estradiol priming) on day 16 of my break cycle, giving me around 10 days before my period. This cycle my blood test was delayed due to a bank holiday, so I only started Progynova on day 20, giving me approximately 6 days before my period arrives.
My clinic confirmed ovulation via progesterone before starting, so the timing is based on actual ovulation confirmation rather than a fixed day. But I’m concerned the shorter priming duration (6 vs 10 days) could impact my cycle 2 response.
Has anyone experienced shorter Progynova priming and did it affect your results? And does anyone know if 6 days is considered sufficient for estrogen priming before a stimulation cycle?
For context: cycle 1 gave me 8 mature eggs frozen (100% maturity), AMH 0.77, protocol was Elonva + Ovaleap.
Any advice or experience welcome 🤗