Camino Primitivo Questions

[scubajunky]

HI All,
Well I have just booked my flight to arrive in Asturias at 11:50pm on the second of August and just discovered the airport is 1hr from Oviedo !!! Feels like a major schoolboy error.
Does anyone have any info on getting from the airport to Oviedo at such a time ?
My other big question is how many days should I allow for the Primitivo ? is 14 days enough ?
Any help much appreciated.

 

[Tincatinker]

Hi Scuba, me & the Beloved fell for that one too. I got roundly chastised along the lines of " you're the one that supposed to do the research...." We 'enjoyed' a ride in a taxi, the driver of which demonstrated that 1hr from the airport to Oviedo is a ludicrous over-estimate - he did it in 35 minutes and only charged €50 for the privilege of being driven by an F1 contender. The Hostal Oviedo were as welcoming as ever and poured the Beloved a particularly large Ciento Tres while I sorted the room & luggage.

If you are heading out on the Norte Aeropuerto "Oviedo" is a damn sight closer to Avilles. If, as it seems, you are heading for the Primitivo then Avilles is somewhere where you might get a bed for the night and take the FEVE to Oviedo in the morning.

 

[scubajunky]

I'm going to be doing the Primitivo, is Avilles Asturias ? I was thinking that would probably be the solution, stay there and then get up early to get the bus. Can I get a passport in Oviedo ? Also how many days should it take? is 14 about right I generally do about 20 - 26 km per day but I know this is in the mountains and will be hot so....

 

[scubajunky]

Thanks by the way.

 

[Tincatinker]

You're welcome. Asturias Airport is fairly close to Avilles and has plenty of accommodation. Bus or FEVE will get you to Oviedo in the morning - lovely city worth spending time in so consider spending your second night there. Credencial from the Cathedral, the Tourist Office or the Municipal Albergue. 14 Days? Do-able, yes, but you might have to hurry through some places worth lingering like El Castro and Lugo.

Buen camino amigo.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

With th distances your typically cover 14 days will be fine.

http://www.urcamino.com/planner/camino-primitivo

Aviles is a town in Asturia, and the Camino goes by it.

 

[scubajunky]

Thanks guys much appreciated.

 

[KinkyOne]

Aviles is a town in Asturia, and the Camino goes by it.

True, but that's Camino del Norte, not the Primitivo
@scubajunky is asking for

 

[scubajunky]

Aviles accommodation, can anyone recommend any accommodation in Aviles ? I have had a look at booking.com and everything seems pretty expensive.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, scubajunky, take a look at Gronze's list here: http://www.gronze.com/etapa/gijon/aviles Looks like there are a few places under 30 €

If you are going to go into Oviedo the next day, you could just spend the rest of the day in that beautiful city. LOTS to see and enjoy there. Sleep that night in the albergue and start out the next day, at least if you're not in a rush.

I've walked the Primitivo three times, once in 11 days via Pola de Allande, once in 12 days via Hospitales, and once in 13 days going via Pola de Allande, so I'd say you should be fine with 14 days.

 

[notion900]

You could get a taxi to nearby Salinas e.g. the Hotel Castillo de Lauzon, have a swim in the morning and then get the bus into Oviedo.

 

[scubajunky]

Thanks guys the problem with all these places is the check in closes at 9 or ten, I don't touch down until 11:25 !!!
Can't believe I have done this argghhhhh

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks guys the problem with all these places is the check in closes at 9 or ten, I don't touch down until 11:25 !!!
Can't believe I have done this argghhhhh

I know that pilgrims frequently sleep in the Santiago airport, I wonder if that's an option in the Asturias airport. I would bet not, but maybe someone knows the answer, like @Castilian.

I think that most of the cheap places are, as you saw, likely to close when their owners go to bed. Maybe the best thing to do is to wait and hope for a last minute deal on a hotel on booking (probably in Avilés since it's so much closer to the airport than Oviedo, so your cab fare would be lower). I got a great price that way on a hotel in Oviedo just a few weeks ago, and it was a weekend. Good luck with this, not a nice way to start, I know.

 

[Tia Valeria]

The Hotel 14 in Pravia might be a possibility and it is very near the FEVE station with half-hourly cercanias to Oviedo for next day. We found it on booking.com, and it is right on the roundabout coming into town. Not sure about their check in times, but it might be worth looking at.

 

[scubajunky]

El Pez Escorpion in Aviles, do a dorm for Euro 30 and airport pick up for ten Euros instead of twenty if anyone finds themselves in the same predicament. Thanks to everyone who helped.