Camino Primitivo in today's Irish Times.

[crackmrmac]

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/it-s-the-camino-but-not-as-you-know-it-1.2512242

 

[NualaOC]

Thanks @crackmrmac! I bought the Times this morning and am looking forward to sitting down to read it.

Perfect timing - I was just chatting to my husband about how we can take enough time off work for both the Primitivo and Salvador in September/October. The poor man is already feeling that there's a conspiracy at work - we had provisionally planned to walk the Portugese this year, but a few things happened to sway us towards the Primitivo. Firstly, when we were returning home from Santiago in June 2015, the last pilgrim we spoke to was a Dutch lady who had just walked the Primitivo and was praising its beauty. A few months later, we were on a train in Barcelona and met a man who was wearing a Camino Primitivo T shirt. We chatted to him - he had just walked the Portugese, but was really looking forward to the Primitivo as his next walk. These encounters led to a few conversations where I admitted that I wasn't that keen on the Portugese for 2016 but really wanted to walk the Primitivo. Our plans gradually changed - the 'negotiations' were helped by some fantastic photo albums from forum members. He will laugh when I casually place the Times article beside him today. No doubt I'll be accused of being in cahoots with Peter Murtagh

 

[KinkyOne]

Reading the posts about growing numbers on Primitivo makes me think really seriously to walk it this summer. Of course after Via de Bayona/Frances/Salvador combo.
I'm sure other less walked routes that are at the top of my wish list can wait for a few years and maybe even have more albergues hopefully

 

[peregrina2000]

Reading the posts about growing numbers on Primitivo makes me think really seriously to walk it this summer. Of course after Via de Bayona/Frances/Salvador combo.
I'm sure other less walked routes that are at the top of my wish list can wait for a few years and maybe even have more albergues hopefully

So, Kinky, what dates would that be more or less? Looks like I have the chance to see a whole bunch of forum members on the Primitivo this summer. So even if we're crowded, we'll be in good company. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[KinkyOne]

So, Kinky, what dates would that be more or less? Looks like I have the chance to see a whole bunch of forum members on the Primitivo this summer. So even if we're crowded, we'll be in good company. Buen camino, Laurie

Nothing is certain yet, Laurie. But if I'll head for Spain I lean more and more each day towards "Northern Combo". First because of the numbers. Secondly from Venice via London Stansted to Biarritz I can get really budget deal. Also two of my friends will be walking CF starting late May from SJPdP and I though I could meet them somewhere between Burgos and Leon. Maybe even later in SdC or at the coast.

It seems there is really whole bunch of us that (maybe) plan to walk Primitivo this year and it would be really nice to meet some more forum members

 

[peregrina2000]

Nothing is certain yet, Laurie. But if I'll head for Spain I lean more and more each day towards "Northern Combo". First because of the numbers. Secondly from Venice via London Stansted to Biarritz I can get really budget deal. Also two of my friends will be walking CF starting late May from SJPdP and I though I could meet them somewhere between Burgos and Leon. Maybe even later in SdC or at the coast.

It seems there is really whole bunch of us that (maybe) plan to walk Primitivo this year and it would be really nice to meet some more forum members

Yes, if we can't get people to go to the Tertulia in Santiago, we can bring the Tertulia to the Primitivo!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Here is an interesting article on walking the Camino Primitivo carried in today's Irish Times.

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/it-s-the-camino-but-not-as-you-know-it-1.2512242

Thank you for sharing.
Wish you well, Peter.

 

[Roger Andout]

Thanks @crackmrmac! I bought the Times this morning and am looking forward to sitting down to read it.

Perfect timing - I was just chatting to my husband about how we can take enough time off work for both the Primitivo and Salvador in September/October. The poor man is already feeling that there's a conspiracy at work - we had provisionally planned to walk the Portugese this year, but a few things happened to sway us towards the Primitivo. Firstly, when we were returning home from Santiago in June 2015, the last pilgrim we spoke to was a Dutch lady who had just walked the Primitivo and was praising its beauty. A few months later, we were on a train in Barcelona and met a man who was wearing a Camino Primitivo T shirt. We chatted to him - he had just walked the Portugese, but was really looking forward to the Primitivo as his next walk. These encounters led to a few conversations where I admitted that I wasn't that keen on the Portugese for 2016 but really wanted to walk the Primitivo. Our plans gradually changed - the 'negotiations' were helped by some fantastic photo albums from forum members. He will laugh when I casually place the Times article beside him today. No doubt I'll be accused of being in cahoots with Peter Murtagh

Thanks for that post, Nuala. Hope to walk the Prim in April. Will have a look at the times article.

 

[wayfarer]

Thank you for sharing.
Wish you well, Peter.

These two threads were merged. I didn't see yesterdays thread, this is what has lead to some confusion.

 

[micamino73]

343km walk to Santiago in Oviedo, .. The Camino Primitivo seems to be getting longer. It was supposed to be 315 Km.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

343km walk to Santiago in Oviedo, .. The Camino Primitivo seems to be getting longer. It was supposed to be 315 Km.

The pilgrim office says 343. I was surprised. But then again, the hospitaleros from Tineo who know the path by heart make fun of the guides. According to them they are giving shorter distances so people don't feel too discouraged. And that certainly explained why the day from Salas to Tineo never seemed to end!

 

[oursonpolaire]

The pilgrim office says 343. I was surprised. But then again, the hospitaleros from Tineo who know the path by heart make fun of the guides. According to them they are giving shorter distances so people don't feel too discouraged. And that certainly explained why the day from Salas to Tineo never seemed to end!

A long time ago I learned that a Spanish kilometre is very subjective.

 

[micamino73]

The pilgrim office says 343. I was surprised. But then again, the hospitaleros from Tineo who know the path by heart make fun of the guides. According to them they are giving shorter distances so people don't feel too discouraged. And that certainly explained why the day from Salas to Tineo never seemed to end!

31km a day if you are doing the 11 days. 6 hours walking a day I suppose is not too much.

 

[peregrina2000]

In my many anguished attempts to get good distances for the Invierno, I learned that no two sites or guides give the same calculation, nor do any two GPS tracks come up with the same totals. But I think that overall, Gronze is the most consistently reliable and they say 314 for the Primitivo.

 

[micamino73]

In my many anguished attempts to get good distances for the Invierno, I learned that no two sites or guides give the same calculation, nor do any two GPS tracks come up with the same totals. But I think that overall, Gronze is the most consistently reliable and they say 314 for the Primitivo.

Do you think its more difficult to walk Oviedo to SDC with the climbing than from Astorga to SDC. I did Astorga to SDC in 8 days (was too much) So I think 11 days is not pushing it.

What do you think?

https://www.facebook.com/1506619823...619823001798/1525841051079675/?type=3&theater

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Do you think its more difficult to walk Oviedo to SDC with the climbing than from Astorga to SDC. I did Astorga to SDC in 8 days (was too much) So I think 11 days is not pushing it.

What do you think?

https://www.facebook.com/1506619823...619823001798/1525841051079675/?type=3&theater

The Primitivo is harder, and you don't have many options to make very short days.

 

[peregrina2000]

Do you think its more difficult to walk Oviedo to SDC with the climbing than from Astorga to SDC. I did Astorga to SDC in 8 days (was too much) So I think 11 days is not pushing it.

What do you think?

https://www.facebook.com/1506619823...619823001798/1525841051079675/?type=3&theater

Well, I thought that was an interesting question. So I've tried to find some comparative elevations. Based on my tally (probably imperfect, based on GPS tracks, but the best I could find), the differences aren't that great.

Astorga to Santiago has 8563 m going up and 8990 m going down
The Primitivo from Oviedo has 9517 going up and 9572 going down.

That is not a huge difference, at least in terms of totals. In terms of the big sustained ascents, on the Primitivo the biggie is Pola de Allande up to Puerto de Palo (the Hospitales route is much gentler and not as many meters of ascent, so if you take the Hospitales route you'll actually have an easier time than if you go through Pola de Allande), and then there's another one after Fonsagrada, I think. Most of the ascents on the Primitivo are short sweet bursts of a couple hundred meters at a time. Admittedly, they don't seem so short and sweet at the time, for instance if you're leaving Grado with food to cook for dinner at San Juan, that ascent seems tough, but it is less than 200 m ascent!

Sounds like you'll sail through, micamino, if you walked from Astorga in 8 days, buen camino, Laurie