Advice for first timers

[simonhands]

Hi

My brother and I are planning on walking the Camino Primitivo in August, however we only have 12 days to walk it and we would be really grateful if anyone could give us some advice as we are first timers!

1) Originally we were plannng on walking camino del norte but chose primitivo because from what we read Camino del Norte seems very touristy and not really in the countryside- is this true?

2) Is it easy enough to find hostels along the way or do you need to book in advance?

3) Are there plenty of food shops/restaurants along the camino primitivo?

4) If we find that we are tired/running out of time is it easy to pick up taxis to points further down the route in order to save some time (I speak fluent spanish so language will not be an issue!)?

Thank you very much in advance for your advice, my brother and I have been using this forum to find out information and thought we should post some questions too! Gracias y buen camino!

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hola and welcome. As you speak Spanish I would suggest that you check out the Gronze website. It gives distances, elevations and also a good list of accomodation. some is bookable, some not (municipal albergues are not). Food shops and restaurants are limited, but the various guides give some information on this. If you have time you can order the CSJ (UK) guide to the 'Caminos del Norte F the Camino Primitivo'.
We carried taxi numbers with us in case of need - and between Fonsagrada and Lugo there was a little bus 2 or 3 times a day (2012).
Buen Camino

 

[Anemone del Camino]

12 days is doable for the Primitivo but you will have some long stages, at least long for me. Www.forwalk.com has a plan for a 12 stage walk.

As for the Norte being too touristy, it is true that it has towns and cities along it that are prime tourist locations (San Sebastian, Zarautz, Bilbao, Santillana to name only a few) but I would not call it touristy, especially as albwrgue are not in prime resort areas, and you will be walking the back country mostly in between these places. But countryside it is not. You will not be walking through as many farms, fields and mountains as you wpild on the CF and Primitivo.

On the Primitivo you will not find cafes, nor albergue, when ever ypu look up, so a bit more planning is required, including for loo stops. But guides tell you when you have to being in ypur food from the previous town for dinner, as is the case in San Juan de Villapanada for ex. You do not need a gas stove, far from it though. The Primitivo is still a walk from village to village, town to town, it is not deserted nor desolate. It just doesn't cater to pilgrims.

Regarding transport, i think that every bar you walk into will have a number to call to get you a taxi. If hoping to call on from a cell you,may have a proble if connection though, but if you are calling from a town for the next day for ex. you'll be fine. There is also a bus line that goes from Oviedo all the way to Grado, you can also catch a bus from O Cavado to Lugo, but these do not run many times a day, and I don't remember seeing bus stations as I saw on Norte.

Hope this helps.

 

[BeatriceKarjalainen]

If it is doable in 12 days is more an issue of how fit you are, how used you are to hiking a certain distance and knowing how you body react on carrying a backpack and climbing the elevations with it. So how far du you normally walk on a hike or "Sunday walk"?

I'm quite fit and used to long days and walk quite fast so I walked in 8 days https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-stages-on-the-camino-primitivo-8-days.28549/ (3 days on San Salvador before). @peregrina2000 has describes an 11-day walk here https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-stages-on-the-camino-primitivo.4841/ and a second 12-days walk here https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/back-from-the-primitivo-june-2012.14728/. She describes to pro/cons of different routes and so on. The posts are from 2008 and 2012 so make sure that the albergues are still there. I took the Hospitales route instead of Pola de Allnade she did one of each. It was magical!! But I also has the perfect weather that day for it.

1) Have no idea haven't walked camino del norte.
2) I had no problem finding a sleeping place on my walk last year. You can test http://www.urcamino.com/camino-primitivo to get a walking plan (your average would be 26 km/day). You can also see the stops between. The Gronzo site is also really useful.
3) It requires some planning but you will not be required to carry a lot of food or cook in the open air.
4) I saw numbers to taxis in bars and cafés and in some albergues. But the taxi might come from the closest bigger city like Lugo. Melide, Arzúa or Santiago.

You are up for a beautiful camino!

 

[TerryB]

. . . . . . There is also a bus line that goes from Oviedo all the way to Grado, you can also catch a bus from O Cavado to Lugo, but these do not run many times a day, and I don't remember seeing bus stations as I saw on Norte. . . . . . .

The Alsa (see web site) bus runs once a day all the way from Oviedo to Grandas de Salime, leaving Oviedo at 15.15 and getting to Grandas at 19.00. - No bus on Saturdays!) It does mean, for instance, that if there are no beds in Berducedo in the late afternoon you could catch the bus to Grandas where there are a number of hostals as well as the albergue. There is no bus service between Grandas and Fonsagrada across the provincial boundary.
Walking as a couple in 2012 we often phoned ahead for accommodation for the next day. This worked well and meant that we could be flexible in our planning.
The Norte after Llanes is mostly off road walking but if you want to finish in Santiago then the Primitivo will be the best option.

Buen Camino
Tio Tel

 

[angulero]

Para Asturias.

Hace unos días salió esta noticia en la televisión de Asturias. Se trata de una aplicación para móvil del hacer el camino en Asturias y da información sobre alojamientos. No sé quien la ha creado y cómo funciona pero puede que os valga.

For Asturias.

A few days ago came the news on television of Asturias. It is a mobile application make the journey in Asturias and gives information on accommodations. I do not know who created it and how it works but I can forgive that.

http://trekkapp.com/camino-de-santiago-digital-de-asturias/

http://www.rtpa.es/ciencia:Una-apli...go-en-su-ruta-por-Asturias-_111436469440.html

Una aplicación para el móvil guía al peregrino del Camino de Santiago en su ruta por Asturias

Funciona a través de GPS, sin necesidad de Internet .

Hoy se ha presentado una aplicación gratuita del Camino de Santiago que permite el acceso a mapas interactivos de las etapas por Asturias, tanto del camino primitivo como de la costa a través de GPS, sin necesidad de Internet.

La aplicación ofrece información y recomendaciones gastronómicas y de alojamiento.

Además, la aplicación facilita que el usuario informe a la Administración de incidencias en el Camino y permite que el peregrino comparta su aventura en redes sociales.

Desde su puesta en marcha, ya se la han descargado 9.000 peregrinos de 20 paises.

 

[Anna Machial]

Hi

My brother and I are planning on walking the Camino Primitivo in August, however we only have 12 days to walk it and we would be really grateful if anyone could give us some advice as we are first timers!

1) Originally we were plannng on walking camino del norte but chose primitivo because from what we read Camino del Norte seems very touristy and not really in the countryside- is this true?

2) Is it easy enough to find hostels along the way or do you need to book in advance?

3) Are there plenty of food shops/restaurants along the camino primitivo?

4) If we find that we are tired/running out of time is it easy to pick up taxis to points further down the route in order to save some time (I speak fluent spanish so language will not be an issue!)?

Thank you very much in advance for your advice, my brother and I have been using this forum to find out information and thought we should post some questions too! Gracias y buen camino!

My daughter and I walked the Primitivo this past May. At that time finding a place to stay was not a problem though we started booking ahead the day before after a town filled with locals for the weekend. You need to find out how far you can walk on hilly terrain to know where to book but you can always take a taxi back or forward to your booked place if you get it wrong.

We always carried our lunch, buying fruit and cheese the night before, and baked goods in the morning from the local bakery. We walked from 8 to 25 km a day and never had a problem finding food.

We used taxi and buses to get to some of our destinations. We found that the taxi did not always pick us up on the camino. Once we had to walk to the nearest highway and locals gave us directions on how to get there. We had a harder time figuring out the bus schedule, not because of lack of spanish but because the schedule didn't make sense to us. A local used his phone and app to check the time for us. You should have an easier time since you know Spanish.

I don't know how fit you are or what your goal is in walking the Primitivo but I have a suggestion. Walk your own walk. If you like your croissant and cafe con leche in the morning, you hunt for the local bakery in each town, love taking photos of scenery and centuries old buildings, you stop and listen to the cow bells and the cuckoos, you stop and stretch to take care of previous injuries, etc. you probably will not cover the entire route in 12 days. Oviedo is a beautiful city worthy of a least a half day of exploration, and if you are travelling from America you will need a day to recover from jet lag or need to walk slower for a couple of days.
You will enjoy the Primitivo very much. Buen camino.

 

[jpflavin1]

Hi

My brother and I are planning on walking the Camino Primitivo in August, however we only have 12 days to walk it and we would be really grateful if anyone could give us some advice as we are first timers!

1) Originally we were plannng on walking camino del norte but chose primitivo because from what we read Camino del Norte seems very touristy and not really in the countryside- is this true?

2) Is it easy enough to find hostels along the way or do you need to book in advance?

3) Are there plenty of food shops/restaurants along the camino primitivo?

4) If we find that we are tired/running out of time is it easy to pick up taxis to points further down the route in order to save some time (I speak fluent spanish so language will not be an issue!)?

Thank you very much in advance for your advice, my brother and I have been using this forum to find out information and thought we should post some questions too! Gracias y buen camino!

Simonhands:

The Norte is a bit more touristy than the other routes, imo. Considering it is a coastal walk that seems understandable too me. That said, I think it is a very nice Camino.

I never planned ahead and had no problems finding accommodations but that could vary depending on the season you are walking. Gronze.com and Eroski are very good online guides for accommodation and route.

I found more than adequate food and never had to carry anything more than snacks.

Never took a taxi or bus but most Albergues should be able to provide you with that information on a daily basis.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[Erika_Budapest]

Hi, I've just came back from the primitivo. I'm not really fit, had really tough times, but you know, if you decide something in your head, you can do it. Nothing is impossible. Took me 12days, but I'm a tortoise (there were the rabbits, who were quick, and rested at noon at the albergue, and there was me, the little, slower tortoise, who walked and walked determined and got to the same albergue or further late afternoon or even at 7pm, (9pm was my latest arrival, after 42km)
My stops were:
1 Oviedo - Cornellana
2 Cornellana - Tineo
3 Tineo - Campiello
4 Campiello - Penaseita (avoid this dirty, unkept albergue if you can)
5 Penaseita - Grandas de Salime
6 Grandas de Salime - Fonsagrada
7 Fonsagrada - Castroverde
8 Castroverde - Lugo
9 Lugo - O Carballal (Albergue Ponte Ferreira is the best )
10 O Carballal - A Fraga Alta
11 A Fraga Alta - Lavacolla
12 Lavacolla- Santiago

Why do you want to take a taxi? or Bus? (It was like 'cheating' when I saw the tourigrinos walking without backpacks and sending them ahead to the reserved albergues, and some of them were still taking buses or worse, had a car. I feel sorry for those people actually, as they have the compostella for their 'achievement', but they just didn't put any effort and real work into it. No camino mentality)

 

[Mmmm]

Hi!

I did the Primitivo two weeks ago and would say that 12 days should be more than enough.
My advice would be to just take it easy on the first three days so your body gets used to it.

About your questions:
1) I walked the Norte around 200 km from Santander to Villaviciosa and wouldn't say it was touristic. The way was definitely more on the pavement rather than dirt track, but most of the time there was a possibility to walk by the coast which was a longer way, but the landscapes were amazing and not crowded at all in the end of June. But you always had a highway or a town not far away from the track. On Primitivo there was much more of walking without hearing any sign of civilization.
2) In end of June/beginning of July there weren't so many people on the track - perhaps 15 started each day. Also there are plenty of cheap hostels/hotels and pensions on the way if the albergue is full. Sometimes they cost the same.
3) Only time it got crucial for me was near the mountains after Borres, because there was only one or two small places to buy food and very few towns. For me it took time to get used to the Sunday effect, as most of these places are closed then and you need to prepare for an extra day. Also in the mountains, if you get there in very dry weather as me, there could be no place for spring water for ~50 km.
4) If you speak Spanish there would be no problem to find a taxi.

Also some other suggestions:
1) After Borres you can pick two routes - the right one is the los hospitales route which is more difficult with steep climbs, but it's totally worth it!
2) Plan some extra time for arriving to Santiago, because getting the certificate might take a while. If I remember correctly the Pilgrim office nearby the Cathedral was opened from 8 AM to 8 PM and most of the crowds arrived there between 10AM and 4PM and formed a long queue.

Buen camino

 

[peregrina2000]

I guess I'm late to this party and don't have much to add, except to say that 12 days should be enough for you if you are fit.

The only little bit of information I'd add is that we had a great discussion a while ago about the differences between the Hospitales route or the Pola de Allande route. There is a split on the Primitivo and you have to choose one over the other. Here is a link to that thread: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/hospitales-or-pola-de-allande.28334/

I think the one important thing to keep in mind is that though the common wisdom is frequently that Hospitales is more difficult, it depends on how you define difficult. The Pola de Allande route is actually steeper and with more elevation gain. Hospitales is longer but has a more gentle ascent. The two options meet at the pass, the Puerto de Palo, and then there's no way to avoid the killer descent that comes next.

Either way you go, it's a beautiful and very fulfilling Camino.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I concur with Lori, while I walked the Hospitales route I have heard from fellow pilgrims that getting out of Pola is no walk in the total isolation, the narrow passages and the VERY real Risk of fog and bad weather engulfing you.

I actually stove at La Mortera, the village at the foot of the path for a good 20 minutes wondering if I should go up or not because I could see fog and clouds. It was early Sunday morning so it was quite deserted but I fond a dairy farm and the owners, hard at work, told to go for it, that it was actually a good day.

This being said, there is a lot of slippering rock, cow carcasses here and there, picked clean, with large birds of pray flying around, and when the fog comes in and you wonder how you will be qble to make it through the night if you have to, it is not a good feeling. And the fog, and cold that comes with it comes fast and it is dense.

Also, that "lake", that looks so beautiful in pictures, call it a puddle surrounded by grass.

But what I was really chiming in about is the notion that 12 days is fine if you are fit. While fitness will have a lot to so with it it is not the only factor. When walking In the beach to Noya on CDN a tall man and his dog passed me. I then tried to match my foot steps to theirs. The dog won hands down, but for every 2.5 steps this man was talking I was doing 1. I am short, one Camino 1 I was told I walk like a Geisha. Guess I do. So while you "fit" people take 12 ooo, 15 ooo, or 20 oooo steps to get to my next destination I take some 35 oof steps to get there. Who is fit but slow now?

 

[Tia Valeria]

The bus/taxi question:-
If you do need to skip a bit because of time, or other need then remember not to do so in the last 100kms (ie after Lugo) as you must walk that to qualify for the Compostela. (You can if necessary take a taxi to accomodation and then back to pick up the camino again at the same place, although it should not be needed really, just ensure that your stamps show this.)

People have different reasons for either needing a taxi for a short distance or sending a pack ahead. Like the gentleman we met with 2 tin knees who had walked the Norte and then onto the Primitivo. A great effort and achievement for him, so please do not let us get judgemental as we do not know peoples' circumstances.

 

[TerryB]

Hi!
Only time it got crucial for me was near the mountains after Borres, because there was only one or two small places to buy food and very few towns. For me it took time to get used to the Sunday effect, as most of these places are closed then and you need to prepare for an extra day. Also in the mountains, if you get there in very dry weather as me, there could be no place for spring water for ~50 km.

There are very few "fuentes" ("springs?") on the Primitivo and the question of food supplies and water after Campiello is worth noting! The bar at Lago is very often closed so there is nothing between Borres and Berducedo when going by the Hospitales route. There used to be a water tap outside one of the farm buildings at Montefurado just after Puerto de Palo. Perhaps someone can comment? If you go via Pola de Allande, it is a small town and there will be something available most times. In Berducedo you should be able to find something except during siesta. Most bars will fill your water bottles if you are buying. And some even if you are just passing! There is always the fall back of buying bottled water and filling your camel back / bottles that way. Whatever, be careful not to get dehydrated in the hills.
Best advice is stock up and fill water bottles at Campiello if you intend to walk over Hospitales.
Casa Herminia in Campiello had a notice in the bar. Translated it says something like:-

"If we are here we are open,
If we are out we are closed.
If you are here and we are closed
it is because we have not encountered each other!"
"Open 25 hours"

Buen Camino
Tio Tel

 

[Anna Machial]

Hi, I've just came back from the primitivo. I'm not really fit, had really tough times, but you know, if you decide something in your head, you can do it. Nothing is impossible. Took me 12days, but I'm a tortoise (there were the rabbits, who were quick, and rested at noon at the albergue, and there was me, the little, slower tortoise, who walked and walked determined and got to the same albergue or further late afternoon or even at 7pm, (9pm was my latest arrival, after 42km)
My stops were:
1 Oviedo - Cornellana
2 Cornellana - Tineo
3 Tineo - Campiello
4 Campiello - Penaseita (avoid this dirty, unkept albergue if you can)
5 Penaseita - Grandas de Salime
6 Grandas de Salime - Fonsagrada
7 Fonsagrada - Castroverde
8 Castroverde - Lugo
9 Lugo - O Carballal (Albergue Ponte Ferreira is the best )
10 O Carballal - A Fraga Alta
11 A Fraga Alta - Lavacolla
12 Lavacolla- Santiago

Why do you want to take a taxi? or Bus? (It was like 'cheating' when I saw the tourigrinos walking without backpacks and sending them ahead to the reserved albergues, and some of them were still taking buses or worse, had a car. I feel sorry for those people actually, as they have the compostella for their 'achievement', but they just didn't put any effort and real work into it. No camino mentality)

Erika, I think its admirable that you accomplished what you did. When any one tells me that they could never walk the camino, I tell them that they can.
We decided to take buses and taxis at certain times because our goal was to escape stresses in our lives, not to create them, and still catch our flight home in time. I had a bad knee and I could not afford to make it worse, we wanted to enjoy the local culture, my daughter rushes here and there for her job and needed to slow down, etc., etc.
Our first night in Oviedo we met pilgrims from le Norte, that were going home because they couldn't walk any more because of bad hips or feet or knees, or they couldn't walk more than 10 km because of black toenails. Other pilgrims just seemed stressed and frantic, and that wasn't a mentality we wanted. We decided that too much of our lives was 'goal orientated' and that we pushed ourselves to our limits in many other ways, and that was not what we needed at the time. I had decided to walk a camino to 'heal' from the stresses of life, not to create more, and so we walked and caught rides when needed.
We did not collect our compostellas because we did not walk all of the last 100 km, because we choose the Primitivo over the Frances. We had pilgrims tell us we should try to get compostellas anyway but that is an experience for some other time.

 

[Kanga]

Oh how true @Anna Machial - the Camino is not a competition.

 

[Tia Valeria]

The advice given in our CSJ guide for Puerto de Palo and right through to Grandas is that if the weather is bad you should walk the road - from Borres to Berducedo and also from Berducedo to Grandas so missing the track from Pola over Puerto de Palo or Hospitales and also then La Mesa and Buspol. Terry had to road walk in 2009 because of low cloud and rain, in 2012 we walked over in sunshine only to look back at Puerto de Palo in the early afternoon as it disappeared into the clouds. Check with the locals, as Anenome did, they know the local conditions, and if still in doubt then take the road and stay safe.

The same reason for taking a bus the last kms into O Cádabo - too far to walk comfortably and to avoid the slippery hill at A Lastra where many others wrecked their knees.

 

[Pelegrin]

There are very few "fuentes" ("springs?") on the Primitivo and the question of food supplies and water after Campiello is worth noting! The bar at Lago is very often closed so there is nothing between Borres and Berducedo when going by the Hospitales route. There used to be a water tap outside one of the farm buildings at Montefurado just after Puerto de Palo. Perhaps someone can comment? If you go via Pola de Allande, it is a small town and there will be something available most times. In Berducedo you should be able to find something except during siesta. Most bars will fill your water bottles if you are buying. And some even if you are just passing! There is always the fall back of buying bottled water and filling your camel back / bottles that way. Whatever, be careful not to get dehydrated in the hills.
Best advice is stock up and fill water bottles at Campiello if you intend to walk over Hospitales.
Casa Herminia in Campiello had a notice in the bar. Translated it says something like:-

"If we are here we are open,
If we are out we are closed.
If you are here and we are closed
it is because we have not encountered each other!"
"Open 25 hours"

Buen Camino
Tio Tel

I don´t remember any public water tap in Montefurado. There is only one inhabited house in the village but I don´t know if the lonly man who lives there, is willing to give water to pilgrims. Neverthelees, 200 mts before Puerto del Palo coming from Pola there is a good fountain.

 

[TerryB]

I don´t remember any public water tap in Montefurado. There is only one inhabited house in the village but I don´t know if the lonly man who lives there, is willing to give water to pilgrims. Neverthelees, 200 mts before Puerto del Palo coming from Pola there is a good fountain.

Thanks Pelegrin. I remember the water supply on the track just before the summit. Do you know if it is "Agua Potable"?

Blessings
Tio Tel

 

[Pelegrin]

Terry, I don´t remember if there is a sign "Agua potable", but my personal rule is I drink water from fountains with pipe that are not in the middle or near cultivated meadows and that is the case.

 

[Pelegrin]

........ yes it is my case, but, as a general rule don´t drink water without the sign "Agua potable".

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Personally, I have never found anyone - in house, cottage, or factory - who was not happy to fill my 1/2 litre water bottle: if one asks humbly, and shows real gratitude, that is sufficient. And I go on my way with thanks, and sending them a blessing.