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There does not seem to be an elevated edge to the path to avoid the river!! Good luck.I'm on the Camino del Baztan. Ankle high gore tex leather boots can't cope with the worst. Picture taken this morning.
There wasn't.There does not seem to be an elevated edge to the path to avoid the river!! Good luck.
A very large percentage of the Primitivo is under mud (often ankle deep) and streams of water. My New Balance shoes are totally inappropriate. I have wet feet, wet socks and wet shoes permanently. I would recommend that anyone planning to walk this route should invest in waterproof boots. Much easier to slosh through the mud and water in them.
A raft might be betterI'm on the Camino del Baztan. Ankle high gore tex leather boots can't cope with the worst. Picture taken this morning.
We've delayed our May Camino until the end of September/beginning of October and we're hoping that it will be drier. Surely can't be any worse can it???
I'm on the Camino del Baztan. Ankle high gore tex leather boots can't cope with the worst. Picture taken this morning.
I walked the Primitivo lady May, I think I was about 3 or 4 days behind alaskadiver. I had no problems at all, walking in trail runners. There was one muddy stretch, that was highlighted in the guide, but I was able to hop around the worst bits one way or another. I saw many people using the road in preference for that section.
Deciding on footwear is the most difficult packing question of all for me. I start by reviewing past year weather, using wunderground, then, in the couple of weeks before I leave, I become obsessed with the BBC weather forecast map for northern Spain. Iโm watching the bands of cloud, trying to decide how serious the rain is, whether there is time for the worst to have dried up etc. I make my final decision on what footwear to take at the last possible moment, when I have a rough idea as to what the weather might be like over the next 10 days. I know it wonโt be 100% accurate, but at least I will know whether to expect lots of rain or lots of hot sunshine. That approach has worked well for me for all four caminos that I have walked in May.
Iโve also been lucky, in that Iโve always been able to walk in my preferred footwear, ie trail runners. But I would not hesitate to take my โproperโ walking shoes that I wear in the Lake District in the UK, if it looked like the conditions suggested otherwise.
Hope you do decide to walk the SalvidorThanks for the heads-up Jenny! I am walking the Camino de Madrid and have two days till Sahagรบn where I need to decide if I walk to Leรณn then follow the Salvador or head up to Oviedo to walk the Primitivo. The weather has been on my mind, especially in the mountains. Your post confirms my suspicion...
Hmmm I am walking (as usual) in Salomon trail runners, a lighter model than usual. Perfect for this Camino, even in mud as it is mostly flat. I might need to change my plans as I am not going to buy new shoes now!
I remember that section before Tineo very well. We walked there May 2017, picking our way along the edge if possible. Then I stepped on a โdryโ clump of grass only to find my ankle disappearing in the muck. The plus side? I was walking the Norte/Primativo in hiking sandals. So I just slogged quickly through the rest of that section, rinsing my feet in every stream I could find. Iโll never walk in anything else and I have a new pair waiting for the Portuguese this fall. My husband still wears trail runners!At least, when I walked from Oviedo to Lugo some four weeks ago, the very worst section of mud that I encountered was between La Espina and Tineo - in fact, I went down and found a bicycle path beside the busy road for the last three km into Tineo; wrung my two pairs of socks out, washed my trail runners and was fine to go the following day - but that's a very small percentage in total (some 10 km out of 200 km)
So I certainly disagree that mud covers a very large percentage of the Primitivo and also that it is necessary to use waterproof boots and not trail runners - especially as mud rarely sticks to trail runners and water doesn't remain long on them either - just bring an extra pair of socks would be my advice
Would a pair of gaiters be appropriate for anyone arriving there in the next 2 weeks or so?
Hope you do decide to walk the Salvidor
We're heading to Oviedo tomorrow and the weather has been wonderful for the past 6 days
Yes, some mud though but doesn't sound as bad as the Primitivo!
Best wishes
Annette
Definitely wondering what this fall will be like!!
I remember that section before Tineo very well. We walked there May 2017, picking our way along the edge if possible. Then I stepped on a โdryโ clump of grass only to find my ankle disappearing in the muck. The plus side? I was walking the Norte/Primativo in hiking sandals. So I just slogged quickly through the rest of that section, rinsing my feet in every stream I could find. Iโll never walk in anything else and I have a new pair waiting for the Portuguese this fall. My husband still wears trail runners!
I was very happy that I had switched to wearing my sandals when I had to walk through mud and water on the Norte. So much easier to clean and dry than shoes. And along the beaches you can use one of the foot washing stations and carry on.I remember that section before Tineo very well. We walked there May 2017, picking our way along the edge if possible. Then I stepped on a โdryโ clump of grass only to find my ankle disappearing in the muck. The plus side? I was walking the Norte/Primativo in hiking sandals. So I just slogged quickly through the rest of that section, rinsing my feet in every stream I could find. Iโll never walk in anything else and I have a new pair waiting for the Portuguese this fall. My husband still wears trail runners!
At least, when I walked from Oviedo to Lugo some four weeks ago, the very worst section of mud that I encountered was between La Espina and Tineo ....
So I certainly disagree that .... it is necessary to use waterproof boots -
just bring an extra pair of socks would be my advice
There is a reason that many of us choose to wear ankle-high waterproof hiking boots made of gore tex or a similar upper material... Thank you for illustrating it so clearly.
I HATE mud! But it is a necessary feature of the Camino, on any route.
As a general rule, the only time of year you can be reasonably sure of not having significant rain, or mud, is during the hottest summer months, from mid-June (like now) until the beginning of September. It still rains, but with less frequency, duration and intensity.
Were I to consider using low cut footwear, it would only be for a summer Camino.
Hope this helps.
Is anyone renting kayaks for that section? Seriously, did you just slog through or change into sport sandals and no socks? Or tape your sandals to your feet? That looks daunting. Good luck.I'm on the Camino del Baztan. Ankle high gore tex leather boots can't cope with the worst. Picture taken this morning.
I'm on the Camino del Baztan. Ankle high gore tex leather boots can't cope with the worst. Picture taken this morning.
I love that!!! And FYI...I don't let it stop me BUT...I do remember being truly knee deep one time on the Invierno and praying..hard...that I wouldn't slip and face plant! Plus drop my phone into the mess!! Fortunately, that time, I made it thru ok and then the Panaderia truck came by and I was able to put the shoes into bags. Then I proceeded to walk 13k in my Crocs! Not recommended but doable! Buen Camino a todo!Spain...where adults get to play in the mud!
A hop, step, and splashAnd how did you move forward? Did you swim or dive?
There comes a point where your boots are so wet you donโt bother too much with avoiding the water. Just plod on and pack your boots with newspaper at the end of the day.Is anyone renting kayaks for that section? Seriously, did you just slog through or change into sport sandals and no socks? Or tape your sandals to your feet? That looks daunting. Good luck.
Extend your poles to the max, tape together to form one long pole,take a run at the mud at top speed, plant one end of pole at front end of mud and pole vault over. Simple, problem solved!A hop, step, and splash
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