I have friends who are considering opening a donativo refugio in Oviedo (They prefer the term refugio over albergue, because of the commercial connotation that word has). Their plan is to have beds for 12 pilgrims. This place (where they will also live) is right on the Camino path that takes people from Oviedo back to the Camino del Norte at Avilés, but there are very few pilgrims who take that route. So to make it work, this refugio would have to rely on pilgrims who are willing to take a little detour to get there. They are experienced pilgrims and would be able to calm whatever jitters people might have about embarking on the somewhat more difficult and untraveled Camino Primitivo.
I´ve already given these friends a little feedback, but more would be great. Here are some questions:
Would you stay in a refugio that is a 15-20 minute walk from the cathedral, a 10 minute walk from the train station, out of the center of town (nice garden in back with great view of the cathedral!)?
Would the fact that this would be "donativo" (think Bodenaya, Grañon, Herbón) make you more or less likely to go there, or would it have no effect?
How important would the "pilgrim house" aspect of this refugio be -- that is, the fact that it would be run by people wanting to have a welcoming pilgrim place and not a business? Does that matter to pilgrims today?
Would communal meals be an attraction?
From this place, pilgrims going onto the Primitivo would have two options. First, it would be a very easy connection to the route up to the Naranco sites, and we´ve had several posts on the forum showing how it´s easy to continue to Escamplero from the Naranco churches. Second, to get directly on the Camino Primitivo, you would not have to go back to the Cathedral nor to the center of town, there is a much shorter connection to the Camino, and the owners would obviously provide excellent information on how to make that walk. The house is almost exactly as far from the train station as the cathedral is, so this means no added distance.
I know this is not a scientific experiment, but any reactions or opinions could be very helpful. Bad as well as good, they want to think about all the disadvantages as well as the positive features. Things you think would be important to success or that would be a bad idea, in short, just give me all your thoughts on this idea!
Many thanks, everyone, buen camino, Laurie
I´ve already given these friends a little feedback, but more would be great. Here are some questions:
Would you stay in a refugio that is a 15-20 minute walk from the cathedral, a 10 minute walk from the train station, out of the center of town (nice garden in back with great view of the cathedral!)?
Would the fact that this would be "donativo" (think Bodenaya, Grañon, Herbón) make you more or less likely to go there, or would it have no effect?
How important would the "pilgrim house" aspect of this refugio be -- that is, the fact that it would be run by people wanting to have a welcoming pilgrim place and not a business? Does that matter to pilgrims today?
Would communal meals be an attraction?
From this place, pilgrims going onto the Primitivo would have two options. First, it would be a very easy connection to the route up to the Naranco sites, and we´ve had several posts on the forum showing how it´s easy to continue to Escamplero from the Naranco churches. Second, to get directly on the Camino Primitivo, you would not have to go back to the Cathedral nor to the center of town, there is a much shorter connection to the Camino, and the owners would obviously provide excellent information on how to make that walk. The house is almost exactly as far from the train station as the cathedral is, so this means no added distance.
I know this is not a scientific experiment, but any reactions or opinions could be very helpful. Bad as well as good, they want to think about all the disadvantages as well as the positive features. Things you think would be important to success or that would be a bad idea, in short, just give me all your thoughts on this idea!
Many thanks, everyone, buen camino, Laurie