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Obsessions on shoes & timeframe and more

Pieces

Veteran Member
Hi all,

I am planning to walk the primitiovo from mid june to beginning of july. I currently have 18 whole days to do the walk. (arriving on sunday the 19th june and leaving on friday 8th july as the weekend flight connections are really bad) which gives me "only" 15 walkingdays, allowing for a couple of days in Santiago. I am a bit conserned, not being the most experienced walker, thinking i should insist on an additional day off work, which will give me 2 full days more. How does this timeframe sound, thinking i would maybe want a restday or two along the way.

Also, I am greatly fussing about shoes. My main walking shoes will be a pair of well worn Northface made for the purpose, but I dont want to have only one pair, so I am thinking of bringing a pair of sandals. Here I have two options, a pair I know I can be on my feet in without them hurting (i tend to get really sore under my foot soles) these are fine for asfalt but not for muddy uphill ground at they are fairly fladsoled, today i then bought a good pair of Timberland trekking sandals, these are more like tractortires beneath, but i am concerned about my feet hurting. So question is how much of this route is asfalt and how much is dirt ?

Last, weather (well im sure more will come, but last for now) I have found the weather charts online for Oviedo which is very low land compared to parts of the rest of the route. I wonder how cold i gets at night further along the way and also how much it usually rains as well as the day temperatures. I am considering getting only a rainjacket and then walking in shorts if it rains instead of bringing raintrousers, will this usually be too cold and/or will there be stores along the way to buy gear if i run into a 3 week downpour ?
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Welcome Pieces!
I would suggest that if possible you get two extra days off!! You should walk it easily in 15 days anyway, but I found the museums at Grandas de Salime and Lugo irresistible, so a rest day in Lugo would be good. Valerie and I are hoping to spend some time in Lugo again this May after walking the Camino Ingles.
Footwear !!?? The perennial question. Have a look at the Primitivo thread - maybe start here:-
camino-primitivo/topic6274.html
Some of the tracks are rough with maybe 35% on asphalt - depends on the weather, and if there is mud and water around. You may want/need to bypass some tracks which would put more road walking in.
The weather can do anything! Hopefully not snow, but rain, mist, wind and hot sun are all possibilities. I would suggest a good poncho which you can wear over shorts. You may need gaiters to prevent water running into your boots? - or wear sandals so water can run through!!

Blessings on your preparation and walking!
Tio Tel
 
Hi, Pieces,

You will love the Primitivo. I may be wrong in my assumption that this will be your first Camino, so if some of this is elementary, sorry.

15 days is, IMO, a lot of time to walk the Primitivo. I walked it in 11 days as a 58 year old woman --I'm in decent cardio shape, but still. Here are my stages: camino-primitivo/topic4841.html

If it's roughly 300 km, 15 days would come out to approximately 20 km a day. That's a low daily average (of course, I haven't figured out whether the spacing of albergues makes that possible). There is only one day with any significant elevation gain, and that's the day you choose Hospitales or to go up from Pola de Allande. It's about 600 m total ascent, and if you've done much hiking you probably have a sense of how your fitness level jives with that number.

My very impressionistic calculation is that the Primitivo is one of the caminos with the least amount of asphalt, there are lots of wonderful wooded and off-road trails with the occasional country highway thrown in.

There's a lot of rest day discussion on this forum, which you can easily find with a search. Basically, it boils down to whether you feel out of sorts or rejuvenated when you stop and "do nothing" for a day. I fall into the former camp, though I frequently do take rest days if my companions want to. One compromise is to do a very short day either into or out of your rest day destination -- that way you have plenty of time to see the sights and still get some relief from the daily pounding.

I wear North Face Vindicators, which I dearly love. They have all the tread needed for any camino I've ever walked on. They are not high boots, a little higher than regular running shoes, and they are the perfect fit for me. I'm not sure which North Face model you're describing, but if it has a sole like the Vindicator, you don't need to worry about having an extra pair. I do bring sandals, not for walking but for shower and roaming the towns at night, so I wouldn't give up on that idea either.
Buen camino, Laurie
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Thank you both for replying.

It is correct that this is my first Camino, and even if i do plan on a lot of exersicing beforehand I am also a bit concerned as they say it is the hardest one. I am fairly fit running a few times a week and doing my time in the fitness center also.

I think what is adding to my confusion is that I get distances between 315 and 386 when trying to figure out how long this is from Oviedo to Santiago, and it is with calculating the 386 that i find that time may become an issue (this is 25 km a day and no rest at 15 days).

I have not really decided on rest days, I would just like to leave the option open if need be, and I don't want to do this stressed for time, or ending up injured and not able to finish.

I will definitely look more closely at both the link and your stages peregrina2000 and consider stopping in Lugo if time is plentiful. Maybe I will continue to Finisterre if I have loads of time and the going is good.

I ended up taking the shoes back deciding on my "nonwalking" sanfals as extras. In addition to the ones looking very much like the short model of the vindicator :) I am stille really concerned about my feet and only one pair, and debating the risk of being cold with miserable feet against reaching 6,1 kg on my back (without the food and water) also since I decided to go for the Altus poncho so highly praised elsewhere on the forum even if it is heavy...

another question has come up though, exactly how hard is it to get water food on this route, I read somewhere that if hot on the day you do the Hospitales one should bring 3 litres as there are nowhere formiles ?
 
Pieces said:
another question has come up though, exactly how hard is it to get water food on this route, I read somewhere that if hot on the day you do the Hospitales one should bring 3 litres as there are nowhere formiles ?

Personally I found no problems with either food or water. Some days I carried some bread and cheese and always at least 1 litre of water. I was walking alone for much of the time (my choice!) and did not take the Hospitales route as the cloud was down on the hilltops. (I have worked on Dartmoor in the U.K. and have great respect for those weather conditions).
As it is your first Camino, I would suggest that you need to take a Guide Book with you which will give you an idea on the availability of bars etc. I used Eric Walker's Confraternity guide, but there seem to be others which may be more accurate.
Oviedo was just short of the halfway mark of my total walk, so by the time I got there I could easily manage 30 k. in a day. However, I knew that it was the first and last time that I would make the journey so I took my time and met and talked to many wonderful local people.
It is YOUR camino and you need to do it YOUR way!

"What is this life if, full of care
We have no time to stand and stare."

You will be walking through some wonderful countryside with history round every corner.
Enjoy!

Buen Camino
Tio Tel
 
Thanks again :)

good to know about the water, as I am thinking 3 litres is a lot and one would be tempted to drink just to reduce weight :D

I just got an extra day off work today and changed my ticket which gives me 3 whole walkings days on top, so now I can just pace as i like, do finisterra if i have time and stop as i wish. Much better to go like this than on a strict scheduele :)

I bought the CSJ guide, but it has not arrived yet, is that the one you are referring to ?
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Yes. The CSJ guide was the one I used.
Out of interest I added up my daily kilometres walked on a calculator and it comes to 332k. This is actual kilometres walked by my digital pedometer which is fairly accurate when compared to the distances given in the CSJ guide.
I would expect there to still be road works in some places, so you will need to follow diversions as marked en route. These may change as the work progresses so cannot be included in any guides. After Lugo I took the route through San Roman de Retorta, Ferreira and Hospital (another one!) to Melide. It may be a few kilometres shorter than going by Palais do Rei, so that may account for some variation in distances.
Between Oviedo and Lugo there is a town / large village every 15 - 25 kilometres with smaller villages with bars in between. Between Lugo and Melide things are more sparse. That is where I carried some bread and cheese with me to eat on the way. Having said that, I only remember having to eat it once. The other days I found bars where they were willing to provide bread, ham and cheese. One of them gave me what they were having, and did not know what to charge!
The thing which did help me in those kind of situations was speaking some basic Spanish.
Enjoy your planning, your Camino has begun!!

Blessings
Terry
 
Hi Pieces,
I did the 'Hospitales' route on a hot and sunny day of July from Tineo to Berducedo (+- 41 km about 20 km without a water font).
At that time (having done the Tunnel Route and the Camino del Salvador just before) I was quite trained for mountains and kms as well as for the heat.
I never took more than 1,5l of water with me (well, I can manage to be for hours fine without water; but usually before leaving in the morning I drink already at least half a liter of water).
Arriving finally in the first village Lago (happily, the bar was open!), I was so thirsty that I nearly emptied 1,5 l of cold water at once......

This route is solitude and beauty.
The views are stunning.
You will cross plenty of wild horses and cows - and, occasionally, the bones of a dead horse...
This way, locals will tell you, should only be done when the weather is absolutely fine - else, beside the danger of getting lost, you simply won't be able to profit from the landscapes and views.

Buen Camino!

FatmaG
 

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thank you so much both for replying, and what lovely pictures. I especially like the one with the horses :)

I am just getting more and more excitet with every post (as if that is possible) just knowing I have chosen the best route for me,even if it is hard and there is not many others around.

I cant wait to receive my CSJ guide, and I will print all your comments and suggestions in the margin (hope it is a wide one)

Also, i ave an order in on a spanish couse i can listen to when exercising and practice walks, I used to know a bit so hoping it will come back fast :p

I think with the 332km and the extra 3 days i may definitely be able to do finisterra also,but i will decide as i go along and enjoy me freedom to do whatever i fancy not being in any rush for anything. This will probablt be the very best bit :)
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Pieces said:
Also, i ave an order in on a spanish couse i can listen to when exercising and practice walks, I used to know a bit so hoping it will come back fast :p

Thank you FatmaG for those photos!

Hi Pieces - We listen to the Spanish News and weather site:- http://www.rtve.es/noticias/
It helps to get your ears tuned in to the language, although the accent is not usually from the north. We picked our 'Spanish' up during 7 years in Argentina. Always known as Castillano, which is technically correct. Knowing some of the language does help enormously, even if it is only a few basic words.

Blessings
Terry
 
Good idea Terry, I also have a spanish movie i never seen so thinking about that as well. The course didnt arrive yet but yesterday i got my backpack and my pilgrims passport, so almost ready to go now with a few months spare. I think I will take them for a walk on the weekend though :)

Do you know can I stay at the alburgue in Oviedo when I only arrive that day by plane, I havent seen it mentioned anywhere about the first day ?

Best Annette
 
First night... Normally you can stay there! (And some of the 'starting' albergues even provide you with the Credencial).


@Terry : you're welcome!
7 years of Argentina... waow!
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-

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Can anyone recommend a good snack to buy for the hospitalès route Nothing major just something to keep me going Many thanks

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