Primitivo in September

[GaryandKatie]

Hi all: We are heading over to start in Oveido..............in September, my wife and I.........any and all tips will be greatly appreciated...............we just decided and not overly worried about much ( well, I am not, my lovely wife is)

Anyone heading over there then? Anybody done it in Sept? Is the 10% rule really doable?

Thanks much!

 

[Tia Valeria]

The advice to carry 10% is good, but it does depend on your own weight as to whether it is a good guide for you or not. I can carry just under 10% of my body weight in my pack and then my camera and things in my pockets put it up to just over. With the clothes I am wearing, and water, I reckon I am carrying about right for me.
Some advice also says 15% total ie including everything you are wearing and carrying.

The best thing to do is experiment until you are happy, take what you really need and leave out the 'might be nice to have' items.

There are several threads under packing which might help you further. We have only been on the Primitivo in May and I think it will still be warmer in September. You will need a sleeping bag of some sort for the albergues and waterproofs.

 

[Kiwibird]

Hi Gary and Katie, we may see you on the Primitivo .We are from New Zealand. My husband Andy and I start Camino del Norte in Irun end of August (after cycling across France) and plan to turn off to walk the Primitivo at Oveido. We are taking a tent so can wild camp if necessary. We are packing and unpacking and trying to get things to a minimum but also aware that the infrastructure isnt as good as the Camino Frances so albergues and supplies will be further apart - hence a certain degree of self sufficiency may be needed!
Hope to see you there!

 

[GaryandKatie]

Hi Kiwibird and Andy!

We are going to be in Oveido on September 8th, will start walking on the 9th, wasn't planning on carrying a tent but now you have me thinking about it...I am going to mull on it, a tarp might be my compromise, what's your all's time frame? Sounds like you all will be able to jet right over the Camino ( biking across Fance!!!!)

Hopefully we will see along the way, sure don't see many posts about the Primitivo, which is fine with us, though many of the directions do seem very confusing ( not worried as I figure this will sort itself out as we go). We are hoping to stay in pensions/small hotels in towns/villages every 3rd day or so but it will be what it will be, right?

Take care...............

 

[peregrina2000]

I'm not here to tell you not to camp, but one of the posts sounds like some are thinking they may need a tent because of lack of accommodation. Aside from a 27 km stretch between Padron/Fonsagrada and Cadavo, you will never have more than 18 or 19 kms between possible stopping points.

I once walked the Primitivo in late Sept/early Oct. and we had some mornings near freezing. Snow in the mountains around Tineo (but never on the Camino itself).

I hope you have good self-control, because I found it hard to keep walking when presented with the abundant blackberries all around. My walking companions threatened to tie my hands behind my back. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[naranco]

Bring less than you think you need. You don't need much. And, you can always buy stuff locally if you really need it.

One consideration that I will give you. The Primitive route can be VERY muddy after long periods of rain. And September, especially the latter part of the month, can be quite rainy.

Asturias itself sees a fair bit of rain during the whole year...

 

[EMILE M]

I will start my Camino del Norte from Irun in mid September, still debating in my mind whether to branch off to the Primitivo or continue on the del Norte? Is one route better or more interesting than the other? If anyone has any helpful advice, it will be appreciated!

 

[peregrina2000]

I will start my Camino del Norte from Irun in mid September, still debating in my mind whether to branch off to the Primitivo or continue on the del Norte? Is one route better or more interesting than the other? If anyone has any helpful advice, it will be appreciated!

Hi, Emile, this is one of those questions that engenders a lot of strong opinions one way or the other, and it also engenders a lot of opinions that they are both so beautiful you should do them both! I have walked both and fall in the latter camp. They are both very beautiful. For me, though, the Primitivo is much more of a "camino" than the Norte. Maybe it's because there are so many touristy (but beautiful) seaside towns, where the locals are far more interested in tourist traffic than pilgrim traffic.

I think there are two things that might help you decide. Are you planning to come back again after this camino? If so, you might want to walk the Norte from Irun to Santiago and then leave the Primitivo for another time when you can start in Leon, walk the Salvador to Oviedo, and then get on the Primitivo. That was the deciding factor for me, since I thought it was more unlikely that I would return to walk the "second half" of the norte if I did the Norte/Primitivo combination.

The other thing is simpler -- your wishes about which way to go in Villaviciosa may well depend on what your camino family (by then likely to be a pretty strong bond) is going to do.

So, neither route is "better", and I think they are both likely to leave you totally satisfied. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Emile, don't worry about it now. Cloathes and equipment needed, including guide books, are the same. By the time to decide approaches you will know. For many walking El Norte switching to the Primitivo only an option if they feel super fit. I have walked from San Seb to Llanes, and on a second trip walked the Primitivo. I loved it, but still want to go back and get to know the rest of the Norte. I believe you cannot go wrong, it may jist be a matter of how your feet are doing and when you'll be coming back to walk again.

 

[Artizar]

Gary and Kate,

I'll be arriving in Oviedo on the 3rd of September and plan to start walking on the 5th. I am not doing anyone's prescribed stages, going on feel since I have about three weeks to do it. Hope to see you out there!

Tara

 

[oursonpolaire]

My first time on the del Norte, I got to the spot where the two caminos diverge west of Villaviciosa and flipped a coin, and off I went to Oviedo on the Primitivo. This meant that I had to go back and finish the del Norte. They're both splendid-- the hills of Asturias and sidra natural on the Primitivo, and the shore of the Bay of Biscay and into eastern Galicia (with seafood everywhere) on the del Norte. The del Norte, as others have noted, is a less pilgrim-centred world than the Primitivo, so it will depend on your mood. If you do the Primitivo, be prepared for a more strenuous walk. Either are great, but you may have to do both.