First timer - recommendations for 5-7 day Camino Primitivo itinerary

[alexdecintra]

Hey all,

I would like to plan a Camino for my Easter holidays. I like the look of the Primitivo but as a complete first timer, I’m a little lost in all of the different options. The community here seems really knowledgeable and helpful so I’d appreciate any help to plan my itinerary. Here’s what I’m looking for:

• Interesting terrain and scenery- mountains and lakes
• Minimal flat lengthy asphalt/road walking. This does not appeal to me at all
• 5-7 days walking route (I have about 10 days holiday to play with and I know it would be good to have some non walking days for exploring/backup)
• Staying in Spain if possible but not required (Spanish speaker but don’t speak a word of French or Portuguese)
• Being in the Pyrenees would be a plus but understand it doesn’t quite work with primitivo. If someone knows any hikes in the Pyrenees that seem to better suit what I’m looking for, please also share.

Previous experience: multi day hike with pack in Norwegian mountains, 23 mile day hike in the Peak District, fan dance in the Brecon Beacons a few times, hikes and living at altitude in the Ecuadorian Andes. Lifestyle: Walking at least an hour a day (up and downhill), weightlifting 4x a week for 8 years and functional fitness including cardio. I’m 24, in good shape, with no known health issues or injuries.

I’d like a physical challenge but I’ve never done a solo hike before so want to stay within reasonable realms of my capability. I reckon 20km a day sounds doable, and of course I’d like to hit the 100km total mark.



Looking forward to hearing any suggestions!

 

[davejsy]

Just a thought, but maybe the El Salvador would be better, as you could then complete the whole Camino.

The Primitivo and El Salvador is a long long way from the Pyrenees, but certainly no less beautiful and you have the added benefits of beautiful cities of Oviedo/Leon.

Either route would need to be weather checked beforehand though as it could easily still be holding snow at Easter.

 

[KariannNor]

I can't give you advice, but there are two criteria you don't mention:

The social aspect. Do you want to experience huge albergues with many pilgrims you can interact or get to know, or just share a common experience with. Is part of the experience you seek to be part of a larger community, large shared meals e.g. Or do you want to walk on your own as much as possible, perhaps not meeting anyone at all, either in the evenings/overnight stay or along the way. As I understand, there is a big difference here, from many others on Frances (especially the last stages) to, for example, Salvador or other much less trafficked (and shorter) routes.

The religious aspect. Is ending up in Santiago and receiving the Compostela important to you? You don't mention it, so I assume it's not on your mind. But since you've done 23 miles per day as you say, and if that's something you want, it might be possible on Primitivo. The "goal" of Salvador (Oviedo) also has a cathedral that can offer a kind of similar certificate.

These are aspects I consider when I walk my next Camino.

 

[jungleboy]

I’m a ‘full camino’ person (while recognising that others may say that there’s no such thing), so with 5-7 days and your considerations I’d also opt for the Salvador as @davejsy suggested. The Inglés would also work time-wise but doesn’t meet some of your other requests. Doing 5-7 days on the Primitivo just doesn’t really make much sense to me, honestly.

 

[peregrina2000]

Minimal flat lengthy asphalt/road walking. This does not appeal to me at all

If that’s a strong preference, I think you should take a look at a walk either in the Picos de Europa or the Pyrenees. A little googling will bring up tons of options. Any five day walk on a camino will involve a fair amount of asphalt, as the caminos go town to town, not through the wilderness. Even the Salvador, which does go through some beautiful mountain sections, has a lot of asphalt on the last two days, and a fair amount at the beginning before the mountains, too.

 

[C clearly]

of course I’d like to hit the 100km total mark

The 100 km is only significant if you want to receive a Compostela, and ir must be the last 100 km of a recognized route into Santiago.

 

[jungleboy]

The 100 km is only significant if you want to receive a Compostela, and ir must be the last 100 km of a recognized route into Santiago.

It might be significant to the OP for personal reasons unrelated to the Compostela.

 

[jungleboy]

If that’s a strong preference, I think you should take a look at a walk either in the Picos de Europa or the Pyrenees. A little googling will bring up tons of options. Any five day walk on a camino will involve a fair amount of asphalt, as the caminos go town to town, not through the wilderness. Even the Salvador, which does go through some beautiful mountain sections, has a lot of asphalt on the last two days, and a fair amount at the beginning before the mountains, too.

This is a very good point. With only a few days and a desire for beautiful scenery and minimal asphalt, it’s quite possible that the camino, any camino, is not the best choice here and that a mountain hike could be more suitable.

 

[jpflavin1]

Hey all,

I would like to plan a Camino for my Easter holidays. I like the look of the Primitivo but as a complete first timer, I’m a little lost in all of the different options. The community here seems really knowledgeable and helpful so I’d appreciate any help to plan my itinerary. Here’s what I’m looking for:

• Interesting terrain and scenery- mountains and lakes
• Minimal flat lengthy asphalt/road walking. This does not appeal to me at all
• 5-7 days walking route (I have about 10 days holiday to play with and I know it would be good to have some non walking days for exploring/backup)
• Staying in Spain if possible but not required (Spanish speaker but don’t speak a word of French or Portuguese)
• Being in the Pyrenees would be a plus but understand it doesn’t quite work with primitivo. If someone knows any hikes in the Pyrenees that seem to better suit what I’m looking for, please also share.

Previous experience: multi day hike with pack in Norwegian mountains, 23 mile day hike in the Peak District, fan dance in the Brecon Beacons a few times, hikes and living at altitude in the Ecuadorian Andes. Lifestyle: Walking at least an hour a day (up and downhill), weightlifting 4x a week for 8 years and functional fitness including cardio. I’m 24, in good shape, with no known health issues or injuries.

I’d like a physical challenge but I’ve never done a solo hike before so want to stay within reasonable realms of my capability. I reckon 20km a day sounds doable, and of course I’d like to hit the 100km total mark.



Looking forward to hearing any suggestions!

The San Salvador has some pavement but it is rural not much traffic. It is a 4-6 day walk. You have beautiful scenery, start and end in nice cities Leon and Oviedo and get a certificate.

 

[jpflavin1]

Hey all,

I would like to plan a Camino for my Easter holidays. I like the look of the Primitivo but as a complete first timer, I’m a little lost in all of the different options. The community here seems really knowledgeable and helpful so I’d appreciate any help to plan my itinerary. Here’s what I’m looking for:

• Interesting terrain and scenery- mountains and lakes
• Minimal flat lengthy asphalt/road walking. This does not appeal to me at all
• 5-7 days walking route (I have about 10 days holiday to play with and I know it would be good to have some non walking days for exploring/backup)
• Staying in Spain if possible but not required (Spanish speaker but don’t speak a word of French or Portuguese)
• Being in the Pyrenees would be a plus but understand it doesn’t quite work with primitivo. If someone knows any hikes in the Pyrenees that seem to better suit what I’m looking for, please also share.

Previous experience: multi day hike with pack in Norwegian mountains, 23 mile day hike in the Peak District, fan dance in the Brecon Beacons a few times, hikes and living at altitude in the Ecuadorian Andes. Lifestyle: Walking at least an hour a day (up and downhill), weightlifting 4x a week for 8 years and functional fitness including cardio. I’m 24, in good shape, with no known health issues or injuries.

I’d like a physical challenge but I’ve never done a solo hike before so want to stay within reasonable realms of my capability. I reckon 20km a day sounds doable, and of course I’d like to hit the 100km total mark.



Looking forward to hearing any suggestions!

You could also try the Vasco. Irun to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. It is an 8-9 day walk through Basque Country. Very sparsely traveled.

 

[sp01326]

In my experience the route Oviedo-Berducedo (possibly via Hospitales) is the most beautiful and naturalistic way that I found in Spain. A bit of mud, free horses and cows, special landscapes.

 

[alexdecintra]

I can't give you advice, but there are two criteria you don't mention:

The social aspect. Do you want to experience huge albergues with many pilgrims you can interact or get to know, or just share a common experience with. Is part of the experience you seek to be part of a larger community, large shared meals e.g. Or do you want to walk on your own as much as possible, perhaps not meeting anyone at all, either in the evenings/overnight stay or along the way. As I understand, there is a big difference here, from many others on Frances (especially the last stages) to, for example, Salvador or other much less trafficked (and shorter) routes.

The religious aspect. Is ending up in Santiago and receiving the Compostela important to you? You don't mention it, so I assume it's not on your mind. But since you've done 23 miles per day as you say, and if that's something you want, it might be possible on Primitivo. The "goal" of Salvador (Oviedo) also has a cathedral that can offer a kind of similar certificate.

These are aspects I consider when I walk my next Camino.

Those are some great points you raise, thank you.

In terms of social aspect, I don’t like massively crowded routes but I also wouldn’t want to feel isolated. For me, a balance would be great. The social aspect of caminos is one reason why I wanted to try a camino rather than a standard hike; as it’s my first solo hike, it’s reassuring to know that I’d be on the same routes as likeminded people who have a good community spirirt. I wouldn’t be a fan of encountering heaves of people on the routes, but shared meals at the stays would be great.

I have considered the religious aspect, too. In recent years I’ve been rediscovering my faith and what it means to me. I’m very happy to treat the natural world as my place of worship as I’ve been doing on my travels so far, so not getting a certificate from a certain cathedral wouldn’t personally lessen my religious experience. It’s more the shared community of likeminded people that would be on the caminos that would be most meaningful to me. Of course, I did say that I’d want the 100km certificate, and I’d be happy to get that from Oviedo rather than the Compostela if it fits my route better. Especially since I’m seeing this trip as a taster of a camino, I’d be happy to go back in the future to complete different parts of different routes.

 

[alexdecintra]

This is a very good point. With only a few days and a desire for beautiful scenery and minimal asphalt, it’s quite possible that the camino, any camino, is not the best choice here and that a mountain hike could be more suitable.

I think this is what I’m realising. I’m interested in the community spirit that caminos seem to offer, and the religious significance of them, which I think would be perfect for my first solo hike. However, I don’t know whether they meet my physical needs. I wore my walking boots to work this week because of the awful weather, which also meant I was walking on asphalt and flat surfaces all day, and my ankles have never been so sore - it was unlike any other hike I’d done that was on natural terrain and with incline, where I’d felt no pain. So for me that shows I would definitely not have a good time on a multi day camino with lots of road walking, unless I buy new boots which I can’t say I’m willing to do. Turns out mountain boots are for mountains, who would have thought!

 

[alexdecintra]

Just a thought, but maybe the El Salvador would be better, as you could then complete the whole Camino.

The Primitivo and El Salvador is a long long way from the Pyrenees, but certainly no less beautiful and you have the added benefits of beautiful cities of Oviedo/Leon.

Either route would need to be weather checked beforehand though as it could easily still be holding snow at Easter.

Just had a quick google of El Salvador and it looks like it ticks a lot of my boxes! Thank you so much for this suggestion.

 

[davejsy]

I think this is what I’m realising. I’m interested in the community spirit that caminos seem to offer, and the religious significance of them, which I think would be perfect for my first solo hike. However, I don’t know whether they meet my physical needs. I wore my walking boots to work this week because of the awful weather, which also meant I was walking on asphalt and flat surfaces all day, and my ankles have never been so sore - it was unlike any other hike I’d done that was on natural terrain and with incline, where I’d felt no pain. So for me that shows I would definitely not have a good time on a multi day camino with lots of road walking, unless I buy new boots which I can’t say I’m willing to do. Turns out mountain boots are for mountains, who would have thought!

You do not need to wear boots - a large percentage of people doing these routes would do so in trail runners. On or off the Camino the only time I wear or need boots in the mountains now is if there is snow.

 

[alexdecintra]

You do not need to wear boots - a large percentage of people doing these routes would do so in trail runners. On or off the Camino the only time I wear or need boots in the mountains now is if there is snow.

That’s good to know, thank you - I have some really comfortable trainers I can walk all day long in with no issues, so I can bring those for the asphalt stretches, and have my boots for the more mountainous parts. So maybe the El Salvador route is shaping up to be the ideal camino

 

[David Tallan]

Turns out mountain boots are for mountains, who would have thought!

That's why so many of us wear trail runners on Camino, as it turns out.

 

[David Tallan]

That’s good to know, thank you - I have some really comfortable trainers I can walk all day long in with no issues, so I can bring those for the asphalt stretches, and have my boots for the more mountainous parts. So maybe the El Salvador route is shaping up to be the ideal camino

FWIW, I wore trail runners on the Salvador, too, even the mountainous parts. It is indeed a beautiful route!
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