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Anyone starting Primitive mid-September?

Marbro

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Primitivo and possibly on to FInisterre
Haven't made plan reservations yet but would probably leave first or second week in September and travel for a month. Planning to leave from Oviedo or somewhere close and, if there is time continue to Finesterre. This would be my first Camino trip and I'm thinking it might be nice to have a planning buddy and / or someone to start with / talk with about this venture.

I'm in very good shape but never backpack, so a little concerned about the terrain and prepared to take it slow if necessary. In general I prefer not to plan too much on trips like this. I'd much rather make decisions on a day by day basis depending on weather and on how much I like a town, etc. My Spanish is fine so not worried about getting around. But am getting concerned about whether at this time of year it would be imprudent not to have reservations, etc. Any thoughts?
 
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Hi, Marbro,
Welcome to the forum!

If you've got a month, you might like to add the Camino del Salvador (León to Oviedo, 4-6 days) onto your itinerary. It's amazing. I have walked this route various times, most recently in summer (high season) last year, and sometimes called ahead the day before, but never reserved far in advance. The bottleneck used to be Berducedo, but there are several new options there, so in September I think you will be fine. I walked the Salvador/Primitivo once in late September and there were folks around, but never anything resembling a bed rush.

I have heard different reports from the Primitivo this summer, mostly that it is very crowded. September is a crush month on the Francés, so I don't know if the Primitivo will also be experiencing a huge surge in traffic. I would start out without reservations and see how you find it, you don't want to box yourself in, IMO. Buen camino, Laurie
 
Thank you for getting back to me. I'm sad to hear Primitive getting crowded. I'm specifically looking for something not too mobbed. Definitely will look the Salvador. Did you start in Oviedo? And if so, can you recommend a place to stay there? And, not to be redundant, but did you find Primitive as hard as some say?
 
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Thank you for getting back to me. I'm sad to hear Primitive getting crowded. I'm specifically looking for something not too mobbed. Definitely will look the Salvador. Did you start in Oviedo? And if so, can you recommend a place to stay there? And, not to be redundant, but did you find Primitive as hard as some say?
You may find the Salvador even more crowded, even if in absolute numbers fewer walk it, because there are fewer options for stages and albergues.

Hostal Oviedo and Hostal Romero both recommendable. Also heard good comments about the albergue La Peregrina at no8 calle Covadonga.
 
Thank you for getting back to me. I'm sad to hear Primitive getting crowded. I'm specifically looking for something not too mobbed. Definitely will look the Salvador. Did you start in Oviedo? And if so, can you recommend a place to stay there? And, not to be redundant, but did you find Primitive as hard as some say?

I was 58 the first time I walked the Primitivo and most recently walked it at 65. I am in good shape but not a super athlete, and though some of the stages are long and some have a fair amount of elevation gain (but nothing approaching alpine walks), I was never wiped out and always had energy to go out to eat, to see the sights, etc.

I have always started the Primitivo with the Salvador add-on, but I have stayed in Oviedo many times. I usually just get on booking right before arrival and snag a good rate on a nice hotel.

You may find the Salvador even more crowded, even if in absolute numbers fewer walk it, because there are fewer options for stages and albergues.

Hostal Oviedo and Hostal Romero both recommendable. Also heard good comments about the albergue La Peregrina at no8 calle Covadonga.

Anemone, I too thought La Peregrina was a good spot, having never stayed there. I heard this summer from many people who did not like it at all. I don't know if there are two places with this name or if the owners put pilgrims somewhere else, but my friends wound up in what they described as a nasty uncomfortable room near or on Calle Fuencalada, so not at the Covadonga address. Maybe this bears some more research. Buen camino, Laurie
 
I too thought La Peregrina was a good spot, having never stayed there. I heard this summer from many people who did not like it at all. I don't know if there are two places with this name or if the owners put pilgrims somewhere else, but my friends wound up in what they described as a nasty uncomfortable room near or on Calle Fuencalada, so not at the Covadonga address. Maybe this bears some more research. Buen camino, Laurie

I just read the reviews on Gonze and they are mixed, bit the negative ones are very negative.

Here is their website - is that where your friends stayed?
http://www.hostallaperegrina.com/

As I read the comments on Gronze and they speak of dorms, 1 washroom only, I have to wonder if it's the same place.
 
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I just read the reviews on Gonze and they are mixed, bit the negative ones are very negative.

Here is their website - is that where your friends stayed?
http://www.hostallaperegrina.com/

As I read the comments on Gronze and they speak of dorms, 1 washroom only, I have to wonder if it's the same place.

My friends booked with someplace called La Peregrina, but they were definitely not on Calle Covadonga. I think it was on Fuencalada. So what I'm wondering is whether both places have the same owner, one is the pension and the other is the albergue, both with the same name.
 
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Haven't made plan reservations yet but would probably leave first or second week in September and travel for a month. Planning to leave from Oviedo or somewhere close and, if there is time continue to Finesterre. This would be my first Camino trip and I'm thinking it might be nice to have a planning buddy and / or someone to start with / talk with about this venture.

I'm in very good shape but never backpack, so a little concerned about the terrain and prepared to take it slow if necessary. In general I prefer not to plan too much on trips like this. I'd much rather make decisions on a day by day basis depending on weather and on how much I like a town, etc. My Spanish is fine so not worried about getting around. But am getting concerned about whether at this time of year it would be imprudent not to have reservations, etc. Any thoughts?
 
My wife and I start the Camino del Salvador Sept 11, so we may well be seeing you. Like others before us, we plan to spend two nights in Oviedo before continuing our pilgrimage on the Primitivo. We have done a good number of caminos, including an unforgettable journey last September on the Ignaciano. We know there are no other caminos like Ignaciano for solitude, but we imagine that Salvador is not too busy. From what we have read, we expect to call forward each day to the albergue we plan to stay at on the Salvador to be sure and look to Laurie to confirm that this is wise. We would also welcome Laurie's advice on how many stages and where to stop. We are planning five,: La Robla, Polidura, Pajares, Pola de Lena and Oviedo. Any tips would be most welcome, and we also would appreciate advice on the Primitivo.

Jim and Janet
 
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My wife and I start the Camino del Salvador Sept 11, so we may well be seeing you. Like others before us, we plan to spend two nights in Oviedo before continuing our pilgrimage on the Primitivo. We have done a good number of caminos, including an unforgettable journey last September on the Ignaciano. We know there are no other caminos like Ignaciano for solitude, but we imagine that Salvador is not too busy. From what we have read, we expect to call forward each day to the albergue we plan to stay at on the Salvador to be sure and look to Laurie to confirm that this is wise. We would also welcome Laurie's advice on how many stages and where to stop. We are planning five,: La Robla, Polidura, Pajares, Pola de Lena and Oviedo. Any tips would be most welcome, and we also would appreciate advice on the Primitivo.

Jim and Janet

Hi, Jim and Janet,
I don't think you will find that the Salvador is busy, but you will probably meet some others. Your stages are pretty standard, and I think they spread things out nicely. It's too bad that Sandra's 5***** albergue in Bendueños is spaced where it is (about 6 km before Campomanes) because it makes for a really short day from Pajares. I had plans to meet Ender and co. there for lunch, so I lolligagged my way from Pajares to Bendueños, but I was at the albergue well before noon. It's a lovely spot and the albergue is like no other on the Salvador. Sandra has keys to the church, and a visit there was interesting, especially to see the wall and ceiling paintings in the sacristy. Then my next stages were Mieres (in a hostal, there are a couple of budget type places) and on to Oviedo. The stage from Pola to Oviedo is a long slog, first a bunch of km on pavement along the river to Mieres and then a couple of ascents which are harder to do if you've been walking from Pola, and much more manageable if you start in Mieres that day.

A five day plan means that you will have one long day, given the spacing of the albergues and towns with facilities. Poladura to Pajares is a short day, but it has some challenge, but I know some who have walked Poladura to Bendueños (making their stages La Robla, Poladura, Bendueños, Mieres, Oviedo). That's a 30-plus day, but then so is Pola to Oviedo.

One more option is to walk the first day to Pola de Gordón, where there are a couple of pensiones. That is a very doable stage for many. But that means going past the nice albergue in La Robla. I have done that twice, but it was before Bendueños opened, so I was on the four day plan (Pola de Gordón, Pajares, Pola de Lena, Oviedo). This is not unreasonable if you are in good shape, but it means you "put all your mountain eggs in one basket", since Pola de Gordón to Pajares includes both the ascent from Buiza as well as the ascent after Poladura up to the cross. If the weather had been bad, I probably would have stopped in Poladura. I have stayed in the casa rural there and it is very nice.

So, this is probably more than you were hoping for, but I hope it gives you the info you need. Buen camino, Laurie

p.s. And oh my, when you say "there are no other caminos for solitude like the Ignaciano," I can't resist -- How about the Vadiniense, Olvidado, Castellano-Aragones, Madrid, St. Jaume, Ebro, St. Olav, Invierno.... you have a LOT to choose from!
 

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