Hybrid route?

[Njoyzlife]

Just curious if anyone has combined routes doing portions of different ones? My Father and I are doing the Camino together,starting September 27. We are trying to decide which route to do . Had some friends do the Camino Norte last year about that time and it was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful scenery and less crowds for sure. But we were also excited to do the portion over the Pyrenees and through Pamplona to Burgos. We had the idea to possibly combine routes? Start in SJPDP to Burgos and then taking, bus, train, cab?? Up to somewhere on the northern route all the way to Santiago or even. Going a bit of northern to primitive... Thereby including 3 different routes. I've heard people say to make it your own Camino but is this even acceptable to get your Compostela? Guessing lol ok if 100 km on final portion is on same route. Want to arrive in Santiago on 30 Oct. our friends had great weather last year on the Norte but wondering if generally very rainy that time of year on Norte or Primitivo. Is Camino France's really crowded that time of year? Love to hear some thoughts on that idea from some Camino veterans on this idea.

 

[Jan_D]

Hi there - yes it's perfectly 'normal' to mix it up a bit: in fact many medieval pilgrims used to walk the beautiful Camino del Salvador from Leon to Oviedo (where, to this day, you can get a separate compostela; the cathedral is home to the 'sudarium' or cloth used to wipe Jesus' brow!)

From Oviedo you can either continue along the Norte (I'd recommend catching a 30min bus up to Aviles, to avoid the very industrial walk out of Gijon) or else just carry on along the Primitivo. The Primitivo is a breathtaking trek through the mountains, while with the Norte you get to walk next to the sea - tough decision! I'm a big fan of the Norte, however this isn't necessarily the most 'characterful' section of the path: it's rural and quiet (many pilgrims have turned inland to do the Primitivo by this stage), lots of the walking is along local roads, and there are relatively few towns and villages on this stretch - however the coastline is undeveloped and unspoilt, and you'll get your fix of delicious Asturian sidra and seafood!