Lugo to Santiago

[Minou]

Can I please have some thoughts on exactly how busy the last 100 km is to Santiago? If we were to start in Lugo and join in Melide (?) will the last three days be crowded? Thinking June 2023. I know the answer. Just want confirmation. Thanks all.

 

[Tincatinker]

Can I please have some thoughts on exactly how busy the last 100 km is to Santiago? If we were to start in Lugo and join in Melide (?) will the last three days be crowded? Thinking June 2023. I know the answer. Just want confirmation. Thanks all.

A little more research might give you some comfort. There is no need to join the Frances at Melide. There are recognized routes that will take you through to Lavacolla. Take the Camino Verde to Sobrado dos Monxes, follow the Norte to A Gandara and then follow the alternative route via Orxal to Lavacolla.

Sobrado dos Monxes - Arzúa | Camino del Norte | Gronze.com

Última etapa en el Camino del Norte, corta y sin dificultades orográficas. Si en días anteriores caminábamos por pistas de tierra entre pequeñas aldeas, hoy predominará el asfalto y descubriremos, con pesar, el urbanismo anodino y desordenado tan propio de extensas zonas de Galicia. Nuestra ruta...

www.gronze.com

And anyway June won't be that crowded. It's July and August that Sarria - Santiago peaks as many native Spaniards take the opportunity to Camino.

 

[LavanyaLea]

A little more research might give you some comfort. There is no need to join the Frances at Melide. There are recognized routes that will take you through to Lavacolla. Take the Camino Verde to Sobrado dos Monxes, follow the Norte to A Gandara and then follow the alternative route via Orxal to Lavacolla.

Sobrado dos Monxes - Arzúa | Camino del Norte | Gronze.com

Última etapa en el Camino del Norte, corta y sin dificultades orográficas. Si en días anteriores caminábamos por pistas de tierra entre pequeñas aldeas, hoy predominará el asfalto y descubriremos, con pesar, el urbanismo anodino y desordenado tan propio de extensas zonas de Galicia. Nuestra ruta...

www.gronze.com

And anyway June won't be that crowded. It's July and August that Sarria - Santiago peaks as many native Spaniards take the opportunity to Camino.

I did something similar…

From Lugo to Ferreira (still on Primitivo) with detour to Santa Eulalia de Boveda (totally worth it! The guy in charge of the tourist office was very enthusiastic as we were prob the first/only visitors?)

From Ferreira to Sobrado dos Monxes. The monastery is so beautiful and the monks were hilarious! The monk who was in charge of the shop was also in charge of watching the CCTV, but he was also watching Netflix on his laptop! The shop sells different beers and wines made by monks from other monasteries, and lots of cakes and biscuits…. But I could only buy what I could consume that night so I was limited

Then continuing on the Norte, it splits at Boimorto… to Arzua or Lavacolla… I chose Lavacolla… at Orxal it splits again, and I turned left to O Pino (joining the Frances, stayed in A Brea that night, 25km from Santiago), if you go straight on it will lead you to Lavacolla (but total distance from Sobrado will be some 40km I think?).

The only thing about this though, was that the day from Sobrado to A Brea was 32km of nearly all (I’d say 98%) tarmac… there was supposed to be a restaurant before Capella da Mota but it was closed (it wasn’t weekend and there was no notice on the window about owner’s holiday, so they may be permanently closed, dunno). So pretty much after Boimorto, there was no services/facilities until A Brea. The road walking did not have any shoulder and there were quite a few cars… so it wasn’t the best route for me who was walking with a dog, but I got to teach Fuji how to walk the line I think it would be ideal for cyclists…. And on Buen Camino this alternative was described as “a good option for cycling pilgrims”, now I know why!

On the Camino Verde thread, I think someone had asked if taking all these alternate paths may disqualify you for a Compostela, as it’s in the last 100km… well I had big colouful stamps from places on del Norte and the person at pilgrim’s office didn’t question anything about that. But it may depend on individual volunteer, I suppose.

 

[Tincatinker]

@LavanyaLea is correct in that the Camino Verde isn’t (wasn’t last time I walked it) on the Pilgrim Office’s list of “recognized” Caminos. We’d started in Irun on a long ramble to Santiago and passed that way. Nonetheless the Beloved got her Compostela after a short discussion with a supervisor.
If the OP really wants a Compostela then my advice offers hazard. But it is a cracking route

 

[BobY333]

Another option...in May of this year I walked Lugo-Santiago in three days each around 35km. I stopped in non-Brierly stops, and I was totally fine. I think that strategy had me out walking on the Camino in a different spot than the "crowds" on the CF. I'm sure you could do this with shorter distances too - I had already walked the San Salvador and the Primitivo from Oviedo, so I was warmed up!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

From what I have picked up after rerouting and remeasuring the camino from Lugo it came up a bit short of the 100 km needed for a compostela. It was grandfathered in but you need to get a first stamp from within the city. Possibly from the cathedral.

 

[jungleboy]

From what I have picked up after rerouting and remeasuring the camino from Lugo it came up a bit short of the 100 km needed for a compostela. It was grandfathered in but you need to get a first stamp from within the city. Possibly from the cathedral.

99.583km from St. Peter’s Gate in the east of the old town:

 

[gittiharre]

Can I please have some thoughts on exactly how busy the last 100 km is to Santiago? If we were to start in Lugo and join in Melide (?) will the last three days be crowded? Thinking June 2023. I know the answer. Just want confirmation. Thanks all.

I walked Primitivo in June, Oviedo to Lugo.
I pre booked most accommodations.
There was a festival in Lugo, which attracted 1.5 Million visitors. It was chocker and people who had not booked very early had to change plans. It was busy from Melide, but no so busy that I would have ended up with nowhere to sleep....
I just like to pre book. I know my walking rhythms and like to stay in atmospheric places, so I take lots of care to choose my lodgings...but that's me.
I started off going with the flow, never pre booking and ending up with pretty much 36 sleepless nights on the Frances back in 2006, but have changed over the years.

 

[LavanyaLea]

The 100km mojone was in the middle of a dual carriageway/avenida near the “Lugo 100km” sign… near junction between Ronda das Fontiñas and Rua Carril das Flores…

Here’s link to the “Lugo 100km” sign
Lugo km 100 - Camiño de Santiago

KM 100 · Rúa Carril das Flores, 23, 27002 Lugo, Spain

âââââ · Tourist attraction

goo.gl

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The 100km mojone was in the middle of a dual carriageway/avenida near the “Lugo 100km” sign… near junction between Ronda das Fontiñas and Rua Carril das Flores…

Here’s link to the “Lugo 100km” sign
Lugo km 100 - Camiño de Santiago

KM 100 · Rúa Carril das Flores, 23, 27002 Lugo, Spain

âââââ · Tourist attraction

goo.gl

View attachment 136111

View attachment 136112

Thank you for the location @LavanyaLea.

I used the link you provided to Google Maps to explore with its Street View. Here's something that other members should know. The plaza can be easily seen using it but the Street View photos are a bit old and the new "Lugo 100 km" sculpture cannot be seen. If you look at the photos supplied by Google contributors though you see that the plaza now has the sculpture.

So, in addition to getting a stamp at the cathedral I suggest getting a photo at the sculpture and maybe seeing if the nearby restaurant O Cincuenta e Seis has a stamp.

 

[LavanyaLea]

maybe seeing if the nearby restaurant O Cincuenta e Seis has a stamp.

Yes, they also do REALLY good food

 

[Pranajayas]

Can I please have some thoughts on exactly how busy the last 100 km is to Santiago? If we were to start in Lugo and join in Melide (?) will the last three days be crowded? Thinking June 2023. I know the answer. Just want confirmation. Thanks all.

We did the last 100km from Lugo this last September. It was very quiet until we reached Melide. We met probably 15 people total. We actually enjoyed meeting other pilgrims once we reached Melide, so much so that if we were to do Camino again in the future, we'd choose Camino Frances.

 

[gittiharre]

We did the last 100km from Lugo this last September. It was very quiet until we reached Melide. We met probably 15 people total. We actually enjoyed meeting other pilgrims once we reached Melide, so much so that if we were to do Camino again in the future, we'd choose Camino Frances.

There were lots of pilgrims on the Primitivo in June. Great sense of community.

 

[Trekker One]

My wife and I walked the Primitivo in mid September 2018, (starting in Oviedo) After a tranquil number of days, we were shocked with how busy it was from Melide on in to Santiago. Others have posted options other than joining up at Melide and this would be what I would do if I was to walk the Primitivo again.
Having walked the Francis route a few times now, I don't really enjoy Sarria on in to Santiago due to how busy it is, other than early spring or late fall shoulder seasons.
All that said, the Primitivo route was probably my favorite Camino so far.

 

[LavanyaLea]

Just another thought… I met Spanish pilgrims who started their Primitivo in Grandas de Salime (180km) or O Cadavo (130km, traditionally the stage just before Lugo).

From GdS, you will cross from Asturias to Galicia, I guess that might be part of the attraction, to do the full Galician part of the Camino? And to pass the 100 “miles” instead of KM. The Acebo pass is beautiful and it was quite a moment to step over the rudimentary stone markings that mark the border! Also the first bar in Galicia, was remarkable, very strong Celtic root, with a very old man working behind the bar that was very moody, and seemed to hate other pilgrims (but he would serve me! And stamped my credencial!). In GdS, the church in town is beautiful and they also have an ethnological museum, which is very interesting! Also the next village Castro has the ruins Chao Samartin.

From O Cadavo, then you will truly have done the last 100km before Santiago, as others have said the Lugo Cathedral sits at just under 100km. That night at O Cadavo, I stayed in the same pension as a group of Spanish “hikers” (they had matching jackets) who seem to collect all these “last 100km” routes… one guy had patches on his rucksack, of more than 5 caminos with 100+KM distances written. It was the week when there was Hispanic day, and a fiesta in Lugo. So I guess they took advantage of the holiday to fit in a week of walking.

In my opinion, the Primitivo was amazingly beautiful but it was all the previous stages up to Lugo. In fact, from O Cadavo to Lugo was the first day it felt a bit flat, not much scenery, starting to have quite a bit of road walking. So I tried to fit in interesting/historical sites to make up for the lack of scenery.

 

[Wandershot]

I did the Primitivo in June. After Lugo, I stopped in Ferreira, Melide, a Calle and Lavacolla.

Perhaps it was my timing, or that I stayed off stage, but I didn’t find it too busy and none of my albergues were even full.

I did meet a woman who did the Verde alternative by herself and she found it to be very lonely and she had issues with the farm dogs.

 

[Ste66]

My wife and I did the Primitivo in late July early August and after Melide was absolutely crazy, just thousands of pilgrims so much so that the last three days were like a procession, we enjoyed the contrast between the calmness of the Primitivo and the hustle and bustle of the last few days but it was a little unsettling at first.