I finished my second Camino Primitivo at the end of June -- notes from the first, in 2008, are here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-stages-on-the-camino-primitivo.4841/
I wanted to update those comments and say that the Primitivo is, IMO, a perfect Camino (especially if you combine it with the Salvador). It is true, as others have said, that the crowds are increasing. But the increase, I think, is almost entirely limited to high summer. I left Oviedo on June 15, and though there were other pilgrims, there was never a rush for beds or a sense that things were crowded. There was some rain, some sun, some hot days, some cool days, some cloudy days, just a little bit of everything. I had different stages this time, and was lucky to find some incredible places to stay.
Oviedo: the albergue is newly relocated to a single family home about three blocks from the old one. Very big improvement.
Leaving Oviedo gets complicated only after you go under the FEVE tracks (or is it over the tracks?). There are many acres of land where the sidewalks, streets, street lights, curbs, sewers, telephone lines, electricity, etc. have all been installed -- ready for development that isn't going to happen. There was no marking there, but I assume it will be forthcoming. But asking anyone will get you on the right path. Everyone who lives nearby knows where the camino is.
Oviedo to San Juan de Villapanada (27?) -- If you haven't been there since Domingo took over, I'd recommend going back. He's quite a character, but has made a lot of improvements to the place. The view from the albergue yard is gorgeous, and there are places to sit outside and contemplate it. Bring up food from Grado for a communal dinner. Domingo will eat with you and is involved in dinner preparation.
San Juan to Bodenaya (29?) -- I didn't stay in this albergue the first time round because of my stages, and I regretted it. It was a wonderful stop. Alejandro, the hospitalero, has made his life on the primitivo. His story is pretty well known -- he left Madrid after 14 years as a taxi driver. He has rehabbed an old house right smack dab on the camino, and he recently refinished the horreo that comes with the house -- and that's where he lives now (he used to sleep upstairs with the pilgrims). He made us dinner, washed our clothes, gave us wine, talked politics, entertained us with card tricks, woke us up with Ave Maria, made us breakfast and sent us on our way. Do not miss this albergue if you can help it.
Bodenaya to Campiello (24)-- This day is 24 kms of off road heaven, it is just a totally beautiful walk. If you want to walk the Hospitales route, which I did this time but not last, you will probably stay either at Campiello (Herminia's place) or the albergue a few kms further on in Borres. Borres could use a regular hospitalero and some attention to cleanliness. I stayed at Herminia's albergue. I know some have thought her casa rural wasn't such a good deal, but the albergue is terrific. 10E, I think, and though the albergue looks like it's in an industrial shed, it is quite nice. Everything -- beds, bathrooms, washing machine, showers, etc, -- is of high quality and works well. Clean-looking sheets on the bed, and the albergue gets a daily cleaning by a paid employee. Nothing is squished, and there are plenty of windows. The evening meal we had was not fancy but had a decent price/quality ratio, I thought. And the huge cafe con leche and the plate after plate of good bread fried in olive oil and smeared with jam, though maybe not heart-healthy, was filling and yummy. Herminia really has a lock on the town -- a cafe/bar/restaurant, albergue, casa rural, small grocery store, and she even owns the bowling yard (if someone can explain the rules of that game, I'd appreciate it) -- She is definitely in control!
Campiello to Berducedo (29)
This is the day where you either go to Pola de Allande, and then up to the top of the Puerto de Palo, or go to the Puerto de Palo across the Hospitales route. Either way it's a 600 meter ascent, and having done both, I think both are perfectly do-able by anyone in good shape. This is not mountain climbing, and the 600 meters of elevation gain is nicely spread out over many kilometers. The difference between the two alternatives is that the Hospitales route has more kilometers of "middle of nowhere" walking -- whereas the ascent from Pola de Allande to the Puerto de Palo is always close to the road, the Hospitales route is remote. I would agree with those who say that you shouldn't walk it alone, but if you have company it is do-able in all but the most extreme weather (and I would never do it in the snow). The route is EXTREMELY well marked, and though we had a lot of fog/mist/grey, we were always able to find the next marker. If the fog had been really dense we could have had a system where one person went ahead to find the next marker, they are always in shouting distance one to the next, and then the rest followed. I think that this stage has gotten some unnecessary panic/hysteria associated with it. Even though we didn't get most of the great views (ok, we got one glimpse when the clouds parted), we still enjoyed seeing the wild horses and the ruins of the old albergues. And as one of the members of our group said -- that was the day we went from being friends to being on a team to being a family, because most of the way it was cold and grey and damp, though thankfully no rain. In other words, this is not a dangerous stage in most conditions. Some of the people in our group had been terrorized about this option by people in other albergues along the way, it's very unfortunate.
From the top of the pass, where you join with the route from Pola de Allande, there are some knee-killing descents. Rocky, steep, not fun at all. The town of Montefurado is now abandoned (and a great place for an albergue IMO, it's basically a row of beautiful stone houses). It's not till Lago that you will find a bar -- it's right on the top of the town as you come out onto the highway. (Lago is about halfway of the 8 kms distance between Montefurado and Berducedo).
Berducedo has one municipal albergue with ten beds, and one Casa Rural/private albergue where rooms range from 12 to 30, I think. To eat a meal in Berducedo, I'd recommend the bar/restaurant that used to be a fancy schmanzy place "La Culpa Fue de Maria." It was bought by a young guy who lost his job. He's kept the bar as is, so it has really nice wine glasses and some really good wines, and the restaurant still serves food, but it's radically different. Now his mom makes the same plato combinado every day, and if that's not what you want, bring your own food and heat it up in the albergue. For 8 euros, they serve a plato combinado -- two fried eggs, 4 pieces of lomo, french fries, and a good sized salad, and of course copious amounts of drinkable but not fancy wine. I think this is a good way to do things and I wish him a lot of success. He explained that the Spanish unemployment system lets people who are fully vested in the system choose between taking a monthly payment for several years or a one time cash-out, the latter being available only to those who are starting up a business. I wish him well, he's a really nice guy.
Berducedo to Grandas de Salime is kind of a piece of cake after the previous day -- 19 kms with a moderate ascent, a steep descent to the dam/reservoir, and then another moderate ascent up to the town. We had hoped to go on to the private albergue in Castro (4 or 5 kms further beyond Grandas), but the owner of that albergue had called Berducedo the night before to tell everyone that the Castro albergue had been taken over by a group for a few days and was not available to pilgrims. So everyone had to stay in the Grandas albergue, which made it more crowded than usual, but still with beds available.
The walk down to the reservoir is another one that's hard on the knees, but not nearly as hard as I had found it the last time (I think that's because the last time I did a ridiculous stage from Pola de Allande to Grandas de Salime, putting the descent at the end of a very long day). And it was made even more enjoyable by the fact that the hotel halfway up from the dam to the town of Grandas is now open, and it has a bar with a lovely terrace looking over the water. All in all, quite a pleasant day.
The albergue in Grandas is a few years old, having been moved out of the town jail to a house up a hill and next to a decent supermarket. Fully equipped kitchen, good bathrooms, it's just a fine place to spend the night. And the casa de cultura has lots of machines with free internet. As others have noted, the museum is very nice, and there is a number of bars/restaurants. Good place for a stop, IMO.
To be continued.....
I wanted to update those comments and say that the Primitivo is, IMO, a perfect Camino (especially if you combine it with the Salvador). It is true, as others have said, that the crowds are increasing. But the increase, I think, is almost entirely limited to high summer. I left Oviedo on June 15, and though there were other pilgrims, there was never a rush for beds or a sense that things were crowded. There was some rain, some sun, some hot days, some cool days, some cloudy days, just a little bit of everything. I had different stages this time, and was lucky to find some incredible places to stay.
Oviedo: the albergue is newly relocated to a single family home about three blocks from the old one. Very big improvement.
Leaving Oviedo gets complicated only after you go under the FEVE tracks (or is it over the tracks?). There are many acres of land where the sidewalks, streets, street lights, curbs, sewers, telephone lines, electricity, etc. have all been installed -- ready for development that isn't going to happen. There was no marking there, but I assume it will be forthcoming. But asking anyone will get you on the right path. Everyone who lives nearby knows where the camino is.
Oviedo to San Juan de Villapanada (27?) -- If you haven't been there since Domingo took over, I'd recommend going back. He's quite a character, but has made a lot of improvements to the place. The view from the albergue yard is gorgeous, and there are places to sit outside and contemplate it. Bring up food from Grado for a communal dinner. Domingo will eat with you and is involved in dinner preparation.
San Juan to Bodenaya (29?) -- I didn't stay in this albergue the first time round because of my stages, and I regretted it. It was a wonderful stop. Alejandro, the hospitalero, has made his life on the primitivo. His story is pretty well known -- he left Madrid after 14 years as a taxi driver. He has rehabbed an old house right smack dab on the camino, and he recently refinished the horreo that comes with the house -- and that's where he lives now (he used to sleep upstairs with the pilgrims). He made us dinner, washed our clothes, gave us wine, talked politics, entertained us with card tricks, woke us up with Ave Maria, made us breakfast and sent us on our way. Do not miss this albergue if you can help it.
Bodenaya to Campiello (24)-- This day is 24 kms of off road heaven, it is just a totally beautiful walk. If you want to walk the Hospitales route, which I did this time but not last, you will probably stay either at Campiello (Herminia's place) or the albergue a few kms further on in Borres. Borres could use a regular hospitalero and some attention to cleanliness. I stayed at Herminia's albergue. I know some have thought her casa rural wasn't such a good deal, but the albergue is terrific. 10E, I think, and though the albergue looks like it's in an industrial shed, it is quite nice. Everything -- beds, bathrooms, washing machine, showers, etc, -- is of high quality and works well. Clean-looking sheets on the bed, and the albergue gets a daily cleaning by a paid employee. Nothing is squished, and there are plenty of windows. The evening meal we had was not fancy but had a decent price/quality ratio, I thought. And the huge cafe con leche and the plate after plate of good bread fried in olive oil and smeared with jam, though maybe not heart-healthy, was filling and yummy. Herminia really has a lock on the town -- a cafe/bar/restaurant, albergue, casa rural, small grocery store, and she even owns the bowling yard (if someone can explain the rules of that game, I'd appreciate it) -- She is definitely in control!
Campiello to Berducedo (29)
This is the day where you either go to Pola de Allande, and then up to the top of the Puerto de Palo, or go to the Puerto de Palo across the Hospitales route. Either way it's a 600 meter ascent, and having done both, I think both are perfectly do-able by anyone in good shape. This is not mountain climbing, and the 600 meters of elevation gain is nicely spread out over many kilometers. The difference between the two alternatives is that the Hospitales route has more kilometers of "middle of nowhere" walking -- whereas the ascent from Pola de Allande to the Puerto de Palo is always close to the road, the Hospitales route is remote. I would agree with those who say that you shouldn't walk it alone, but if you have company it is do-able in all but the most extreme weather (and I would never do it in the snow). The route is EXTREMELY well marked, and though we had a lot of fog/mist/grey, we were always able to find the next marker. If the fog had been really dense we could have had a system where one person went ahead to find the next marker, they are always in shouting distance one to the next, and then the rest followed. I think that this stage has gotten some unnecessary panic/hysteria associated with it. Even though we didn't get most of the great views (ok, we got one glimpse when the clouds parted), we still enjoyed seeing the wild horses and the ruins of the old albergues. And as one of the members of our group said -- that was the day we went from being friends to being on a team to being a family, because most of the way it was cold and grey and damp, though thankfully no rain. In other words, this is not a dangerous stage in most conditions. Some of the people in our group had been terrorized about this option by people in other albergues along the way, it's very unfortunate.
From the top of the pass, where you join with the route from Pola de Allande, there are some knee-killing descents. Rocky, steep, not fun at all. The town of Montefurado is now abandoned (and a great place for an albergue IMO, it's basically a row of beautiful stone houses). It's not till Lago that you will find a bar -- it's right on the top of the town as you come out onto the highway. (Lago is about halfway of the 8 kms distance between Montefurado and Berducedo).
Berducedo has one municipal albergue with ten beds, and one Casa Rural/private albergue where rooms range from 12 to 30, I think. To eat a meal in Berducedo, I'd recommend the bar/restaurant that used to be a fancy schmanzy place "La Culpa Fue de Maria." It was bought by a young guy who lost his job. He's kept the bar as is, so it has really nice wine glasses and some really good wines, and the restaurant still serves food, but it's radically different. Now his mom makes the same plato combinado every day, and if that's not what you want, bring your own food and heat it up in the albergue. For 8 euros, they serve a plato combinado -- two fried eggs, 4 pieces of lomo, french fries, and a good sized salad, and of course copious amounts of drinkable but not fancy wine. I think this is a good way to do things and I wish him a lot of success. He explained that the Spanish unemployment system lets people who are fully vested in the system choose between taking a monthly payment for several years or a one time cash-out, the latter being available only to those who are starting up a business. I wish him well, he's a really nice guy.
Berducedo to Grandas de Salime is kind of a piece of cake after the previous day -- 19 kms with a moderate ascent, a steep descent to the dam/reservoir, and then another moderate ascent up to the town. We had hoped to go on to the private albergue in Castro (4 or 5 kms further beyond Grandas), but the owner of that albergue had called Berducedo the night before to tell everyone that the Castro albergue had been taken over by a group for a few days and was not available to pilgrims. So everyone had to stay in the Grandas albergue, which made it more crowded than usual, but still with beds available.
The walk down to the reservoir is another one that's hard on the knees, but not nearly as hard as I had found it the last time (I think that's because the last time I did a ridiculous stage from Pola de Allande to Grandas de Salime, putting the descent at the end of a very long day). And it was made even more enjoyable by the fact that the hotel halfway up from the dam to the town of Grandas is now open, and it has a bar with a lovely terrace looking over the water. All in all, quite a pleasant day.
The albergue in Grandas is a few years old, having been moved out of the town jail to a house up a hill and next to a decent supermarket. Fully equipped kitchen, good bathrooms, it's just a fine place to spend the night. And the casa de cultura has lots of machines with free internet. As others have noted, the museum is very nice, and there is a number of bars/restaurants. Good place for a stop, IMO.
To be continued.....