October 2014 Camino Primitivo after flying from New Zealand

[Silvester]

Hi folks
I have a window of opportunity next year to do a Camino Primitivo. I'd like to begin walking in Oveido, have a couple of 2 night stops along the way to Santiago de Compostela and walk to both Muxia and Fisterra (although a bus back to SdC after the latter of these two is possible if time is short). So I have started brushing up my Spanish, avidly reading many threads on the forums and intend to walk part way to work carrying my 7kg work backpack. For me it is also an internal journey.
Anyway, I can't foresee being in Oveido until the evening of 28 September at the very earliest after 32+ hours in transit from New Zealand and similarly I will need to be on a plane again by the evening of 24 October to get back home to work after 32 hours in transit.
So the questions:

• How to manage potential jetlag - maybe spend an extra couple of nights in Oveido before the Camino to catch up on sleep? Or rely on the natural fatigue of walking to set my internal clock?
• Recommendations on the Muxia/Fisterra loop?
• Do I have enough time to do everything without having to be in a hurry?
  
• Recommendations about flying direct to Oveido versus flying into Barcelona and catching a train or any other interesting ways to get there. I bet my forebears from Ireland in the first millenium came by sea so it might be fitting to walk from a coastal town to Oveido.
  
• I do hope that there will be accommodation open at 24km intervals in October.
• Footwear - I would normally use proper leather tramping/hiking/mountaineering boots for off road walking. I've seen people using lighter footwear like Vibram 5-toe shoes and mountain running shoes. Would you think those would be OK for a second pair of footwear or needless weight?

Thanks
Mary

 

[julie]

Hi Mary,
On the flight from Australia I drink lots of water and have no caffeine and no alcohol. I stay awake at least until the early evening on the day of arrival then I sleep through the night, wake up at a civilised hour with my body clock reset and start walking. If you are arriving in the evening, two nights in Oviedo probably wouldn't go astray. It's well worth your spending a day there.

I walked from Santiago to Muxia then on to Finisterre before catching the bus back to Santiago. At that time there were more buses from Finisterre than there were from Muxia. I don't know if that's still the case.

You have plenty of time if you're starting from Oviedo. If you decide to fly into Barcelona and take the train so you can start on the coast, you'll have to factor in the extra travelling day and also the walking from your starting point. That could become problematic particularly if you intend spending a few days in Santiago - highly recommended so you can catch up with the people you've met along the way.

I usually wear a mid boot but they are much lighter than leather tramping boots. While the Primitivo has lots of ascents/descents, it doesn't require heavy duty mountaineering boots. It's wise to have a second pair of shoes to give your feet a break from your boots. I take a lightweight pair of sandals so my feet can breathe after being trapped in boots all day. Running shoes as a second pair are not necessary.

 

[Silvester]

Hi Julie
Thanks for your excellent tips. I had been looking today at flying into Santiago and depending on how many hours of flying had elapsed, either sleeping there for one or two nights then catching a bus to Villaviciosa to arrive about 3pm and walk to Valdedios for my first Camino day. That gets me to start at the coast for historical accuracy(!). After a day to Pola de Siero and another to Oveido I would probably spend another night at Oveido to explore before continuing on. I am hoping that by the time I get to Santiago again I will be fit enough to take the longer Finisterre/Muxia days in my stride. How often do you need a "rest" day? And I did note somewhere someone mentioning that it would be good to have a buffer/retreat between Camino and the next stage to debrief. Not sure how that fits with another long set of flights home if so!
By mid boot do you mean something like Salomon goretex boots? And incidentally what rain gear was most satisfactory? I can't help thinking like a NZ mountaineer and avoiding hypothermia but my goretex parkas are all relatively heavy.
Thanks
Mary

 

[amancio]

Jet lag.. not a lot you can do, but do not worry, you will find accommodation every 15 km more or less, at least in the Asturian part of the camino, so you can let your body guide you, just listen to it. When I flew from NZ 13 years ago, I felt hyperactive and hungry at 3 in the morning for a few days, it is weird, indeed, to have such a big change! I would fly to Madrid, then spend a couple of days in León, for example, and maybe even consider walking Camino del Salvador, from León to Oviedo, it is SPECTACULAR, and it will take you 5-6 days.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Mary,
I think you have plenty of time to walk the Primitivo, and I think it's a wonderful choice. If I'm counting right, you will have 25 days total for walking, from Sept. 29 to Oct. 23. You say you want to walk to Muxia-Finisterre, another lovely option.

The Primitivo is 320 kms, and you can find stages from people who walked Oviedo-Santiago between 11 and 15 days. I have walked it in both 11 and 12 days, and Tia Valeria immediately comes to mind as someone whose posts will give you shorter stages to compare.

From Santiago to Finisterre and Muxia is likely to take you 4-6 days.

So that gives you total walking days of 15-21 days, which leaves you plenty of time for seeing Santiago, taking a rest day in Lugo, spending an extra day in Oviedo, etc.

And I know you didn't ask for our suggestions, but I can't help agreeing with Amancio that you might want to consider adding on the Salvador -- I have never met anyone who walked it who hasn't raved about it. It is 120 kms on the Salvador from Leon to Oviedo, do-able in 4-7 days.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Silvester]

Thanks to you all. I did have a peek at the Salvador - and it is spectacular. I keep on wanting to add bits in, but I'm thinking that I have a finite time slot and my hunch is that I'm better to savour it than cram in too much so I am rushing rather than peregrinating! Maybe I will need to judiciously use buses to return from Fisterra or Muxia to SdC or to pop down to Villaviciosa to tag the ocean to give me a few days to transfer to the Salvador instead of walking Villaviciosa to Oveido. Also, the timing - all of October- means I'd need to do any elevated sections early to keep on the safe side of mountain weather. I'm assuming that it rains most days at some point. I'm scoping out flights at present to give me the greatest possible number of days to walk. I'm watching people who are doing it at present, and keen to track which albergues and hostals are open in October.
Mary

 

[fraluchi]

I'm scoping out flights at present to give me the greatest possible number of days to walk. I'm watching people who are doing it at present, and keen to track which albergues and hostals are open in October.
Mary

We flew in from Madrid to Asturias (OVD, Oviedo). Regular bus service from airport to town (approx. 45 minutes every hour on the hour) All along the primitivo there is sufficient non-albergue accommodation available. Most cater for business people and prices are quite reasonable. Whenever you get in a squeeze along the path, there is possibility to either use public bus or taxi service from/to the next town or village at reasonable cost. The main difficulty is from Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada: a long walk without connecting bus services and potentially bad weather conditions. Apart from that, the primitivo is spectacular but a tough nut to crack for any experienced walker.

 

[AJ]

Hi Mary,
On the flight from Australia I drink lots of water and have no caffeine and no alcohol. I stay awake at least until the early evening on the day of arrival then I sleep through the night, wake up at a civilised hour with my body clock reset and start walking.

This is what I do, except I have tinto as well as water. I have never had a problem with jetlag.

You will have plenty of time to do the Primitivo. The Salvador is spectacular, but parts could be tricky in bad weather if you are alone. I wear leather boots, usually Asolo but recently I have been wearing much cheaper Spanish boots from Declathon.

 

[jl]

Hi Mary, I set my watch to the local time of my destination (usually Paris) and then try and stick with times for that time zone. Thus I try and eat at those meal times for the country (sometimes tricky and flexibily is needed so as not to go hungry!), and I follow the sleep times on the plane - where possible. Once arriving at my destination I then stay up until a reasonable time that first day, but nonetheless early - though not by pilgrim standards. I do this in reverse coming home, and generally go to work the next day - that way I would not be tempted to give in and sneak a lunch time siesta. This was a tip given to me by a very experienced traveller, and it has worked for me thus far. Janet

 

[Silvester]

Thanks for all your helpful comments folks. I've also been trawling through people's stages on the del Slavador and Primitivo with interest. On the Villaviciosa to Oviedo detour I was hoping to stay at the Val de dios monastery albergue but I have a vague idea that the monastery itself has dwindled and that the albergue may no longer be open - or at least not in the lesser travelled months. Does anyone know if it is operational at present?
Thanks
Mary

 

[Silvester]

My daughter and I are leaving from Leon on 24 September, doing the del Salvador then catching a bus all the way to Ribadesella then wandering back to Oviedo then to Fisterra via the Primitivo. I'm wearing lightweight Salamons in a larger size than normal and my feet have been feeling pretty good wearing the sock and boot combo all day every day over the last few weeks. My daughter is much fitter than me, works outdoors and spends a lot of time running and walking in her vibram soled lightweight shoes which feel very comfortable for her over 10km distances and different urban and grassy surfaces. She feels confident in her shoe choice but I wondered how lighter weight sneakers would perform on some of the sections of the Primitivo and Salvador like the steeper downhills with a looser rock surface. I've never worn anything other than boots on rugged terrain myself, and would consider sneakers and snow to be inadvisable. Anyway, how have other folks found the lighter footwear in September/October conditions? It would be a pity to unnecessarily invest in heavier footwear, but we realise that it is possible to buy something suitable in Leon or Oviedo if needs must.
Thanks
Mary

 

[Kiwi-family]

Dare I say it....I would do the Salvador before Fisterra in a heartbeat (if I had to choose).
You might consider flying to Madrid (was cheaper for me than Barcelona from Auckland) and it's easier to get back to after your camino and very easy to get to Leon.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

My daughter is much fitter than me, works outdoors and spends a lot of time running and walking in her vibram soled lightweight shoes which feel very comfortable for her over 10km distances and different urban and grassy surfaces. She feels confident in her shoe choice but I wondered how lighter weight sneakers would perform on some of the sections of the Primitivo and Salvador like the steeper downhills with a looser rock surface.

The problem with lighter footwear is not so much the terrain as the rain. Any kind of mesh or canvas shoe will become saturated almost instantly. Other materials also will become saturated with steady rain, so the difference may be small in the end, and the mesh shoes will dry more quickly. You can wear gaiters for some protection from the rain, but gaiters do not give enough coverage to protect mesh fabric. With gaiters you can keep most materials fairly dry, but not canvas or open mesh.

Comfort and fit are paramount. If you have to slog along for several hours and soggy footwear, make sure it fits. I suggest renewing Vaseline about once an hour, even on a wrinkly-skin foot. Changing socks will not help until the rain has stopped, and even then, the shoe will be wet enough that the new socks will soon be very wet.

For rocks and cobble stones, a sole that provides some cushioning from the ground is desirable. Vibram soles some in a lot of types, so the thicker ones will be good.

Buen camino.

 

[Tia Valeria]

My daughter and I are leaving from Leon on 24 September, doing the del Salvador then catching a bus all the way to Ribadesella then wandering back to Oviedo then to Fisterra via the Primitivo. I'm wearing lightweight Salamons in a larger size than normal and my feet have been feeling pretty good wearing the sock and boot combo all day every day over the last few weeks. My daughter is much fitter than me, works outdoors and spends a lot of time running and walking in her vibram soled lightweight shoes which feel very comfortable for her over 10km distances and different urban and grassy surfaces. She feels confident in her shoe choice but I wondered how lighter weight sneakers would perform on some of the sections of the Primitivo and Salvador like the steeper downhills with a looser rock surface. I've never worn anything other than boots on rugged terrain myself, and would consider sneakers and snow to be inadvisable. Anyway, how have other folks found the lighter footwear in September/October conditions? It would be a pity to unnecessarily invest in heavier footwear, but we realise that it is possible to buy something suitable in Leon or Oviedo if needs must.
Thanks
Mary

Personally I would go for the boots, but chose lightweight ones. It is too easy to turn an ankle on some parts of the Primitivo, especially on wet stones. Our light breathable but waterproof leather boots worked well even in wet weather. Some sort of alternative for evenings/round town such as Crocs gives the feet a change and the boots a chance to air or be dried out if necessary (stuff with paper).
As an alternative to the bus the FEVE - railway is a scenic trip from Oviedo to Ribadesella and there are 4 trains a day; 9.05; 10.35; 15.35 and 18.55. Journey time approx 2 hours and it goes there without a change of train.

 

[Silvester]

Great feedback folks. Tia Valeria - can you catch a FEVE train to Ribadesella on the spur of the moment without a pre-booked fare?

 

[Tia Valeria]

Yes, just turn up at the station in Oviedo, make sure that you are at the FEVE not the RENFE section and pay your ticket, no reserved seats or pre-booking. If there is no ticket seller on duty then there should be a ticket machine.
Oviedo station is very confusing so do check your FEVE platform carefully. I think that with the new ticket system you cannot get onto the RENFE section by mistake, although as FEVE is now RENFE-FEVE the same ticket might work both barriers. We did get the wrong side once and then had to run for our train, back up all the steps and then down again the other side................
You can check out times/prices etc here on the FEVE site.
To reach the FEVE go up the escalator or steps at the left of the station building from the street and then across the plaza to the right and then left to the internal escalator and follow the signs.
There is a way inside too but we have always done the 'outside' route
Buen Camino