The five-day plan: day one Sarria to Portomarín, 22 km, with the steepest climb of the week out of Sarria to Barbadelo and a long descent to the Miño reservoir; day two Portomarín to Palas de Rei, 25.1 km, a stiff climb to Gonzar then rolling farmland; day three Palas de Rei to Arzúa, 29.1 km, through Melide, where pilgrims stop for octopus; day four Arzúa to O Pedrouzo, 18.4 km, through eucalyptus; day five O Pedrouzo to Santiago, 20.2 km, over Monte do Gozo into the city. It suits walkers already comfortable with 15 mi days.
The seven-day plan is kinder: Sarria to Ferreiros, 13.3 km; Ferreiros to Portomarín, 8.7 km, then on if legs allow; Portomarín to Gonzar or Ventas de Narón, 8 to 13 km; on to Palas de Rei; then Melide, 14.6 km; Arzúa, 14.5 km; O Pedrouzo, 18.4 km; and Santiago. The Xunta's stage pages give each sub-section's distance and time, which makes it easy to stop at a village with a bed rather than the stage-end town; beds in the small places sell out from May to October, so book ahead.
The official ratings are medium-high for Sarria to Portomarín, medium for the next two stages and the last, and low for Melide to Arzúa and Arzúa to O Pedrouzo. Estimated walking times run from 3 hours 40 minutes for the short stages to nearly 6 hours for Portomarín to Palas de Rei, before breaks. Two stamps a day are required in these final 100 km for the Compostela. The existing page on how difficult the Camino from Sarria to Santiago is covers fitness and bail-out options.