Alternative Route Options for Finishing Camino Primitivo

[Arctic_Alex]

Thinking through options how to end my Camino Primitivo, there is always the idea to avoid the Melide - Santiago stretch by bypassing southwards. I know there is always the option to turn west around 20 km before Melide and join the del Norte. But I have this strange idea to get to Melide and then continue roughly South to join the Invierno somewhere. However I have no idea if this might be feasible, if there are decent paths avoiding the biggest roads and where to actually join the Invierno.
Anyone ever considered or tried this? Or has strong advice against it?
I am (or used to be before Corona) a tough hiker and can do 40 on a day if it has to be.

 

[amancio]

The best point might be between alto do poio, just past Cebreiro in Francés and form there to though stunning Courel mountains to Quiroga in Invierno, the wildest part of Galicia possibly. Alternatively, you can try to connect Sarria-monforte, or Portomarin-chantada, but you would miss the best of the Invierno

 

[Arctic_Alex]

The best point might be between alto do poop, just past Cebreiro in Francés and form there to though stunning Courel mountains to Quiroga in Invierno, the wildest part of Galicia possibly. Alternatively, you can try to connect Sarria-monforte, or Portomarin-chantada, but you would miss the best of the Invierno

That sounds like an interesting project if I wanted to explore more of the Invierno, coming from the Frances. But coming from the Primitivo/Melide, I do not see a chance to get back towards Sarria or even further to Cebreiro.

 

[trecile]

alto do poop

Surely that's a typo!

 

[amancio]

That sounds like an interesting project if I wanted to explore more of the Invierno, coming from the Frances. But coming from the Primitivo/Melide, I do not see a chance to get back towards Sarria or even further to Cebreiro.

Indeed my suggestions involve serious backtracking, but the whole idea of connecting Primitivo itself is not very practical as such, in my view

 

[amancio]

Surely that's a typo!

Indeed, I corrected it twice at least, but the keyboard keeps changing poio to poop... Good catch!

 

[peregrina2000]

But I have this strange idea to get to Melide and then continue roughly South to join the Invierno somewhere.

If you want to walk as far as Melide on the Primitivo, your most direct connection to the Invierno is to go to Lalín, straight south. Lalín is about 6 km before A Laxe, which is where the Invierno joins the Sanabrés, so it wouldn’t really give you any of the feel of the Invierno. But would be a nice walk, because that part of the Sanabrés is very pretty, IMO. Leaving the Primitivo a little further back in Lugo, you could go south to Monforte de Lemos (which is the official 100 km starting point for compostela purposes, I think). You still miss a lot of the beauty, but that’s inevitably the case if you aren’t going to walk the whole Invierno.

I have used the map function on Wikiloc.com to search for walking tracks for either of those connections and find nothing. So that suggests it would be on roads. I looked at google maps to see those options.

The roads from Melide to Lalín involve a chunk on a national highway, so I would suggest that a better route would be Melide to Agolada and from there to Rodeiro, also on the Invierno. That is about the same distance, and avoids the national road. Rodeiro to Lalín is about 21 kms. Nearly all Invierno pilgrims spend a night in Rodeiro, and there is now a very nice private albergue there in the Pensión Carpinteiras.

Lugo to Monforte is longer, about 65 km, with a convenient stopping point in Sarria. The most direct route is on the CG-2.2, which is a divided highway and obviously not walkable, but it looks to me like you could cobble together a town to town route on minor roads for most of the way.

Doing this little bit of thinking has helped me tremendously with my knowledge of what is located where. I have walked all of these routes, but never have stopped to see at what points they parallel. Now I know that Lugo, Sarria, and Monforte are all roughly connected with a north-south line!

Let us know what you decide to do, it would be a nice alternative to the Francés entry into Santiago.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Indeed my suggestions involve serious backtracking, but the whole idea of connecting Primitivo itself is not very practical as such, in my view

I understand. In my case this is driven by the desire to experience the whole stretch of the Primitivo till Melide and then avoid the part of the Primitivo/Frances that I know well. To really backtrack will not feel right then

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Thank you for that in depth research! Especially As I know so little about Invierno and Sanabrés that is very useful information for my decision making

To walk all the way to Melide is a must for me as I do not want to miss any part of the Primitivo that I do not know yet. The other option might be interesting if I walk the Frances again

I explored your suggestion via Agolada on on Google Street View and I must say it looks not so bad, like a jolly stroll on some not too crowded country lanes. The 33km all the way to Rodeiro are clearly doable on a day. My max daily milage on the Francés some years ago was 44 km if I remember right. Yes, I did age since and my infection with the wild variant of Covid took its toll, but if I really feel the need for a bed somewhere on that stretch I might have a chance in Agolada.

So I will keep that option in mind and if it fits my mood and general schedule (it would mean one to two extra days walking) I might go for it ... or just take the standard entry to Santiago ;-) The latter is very concrety and urban so avoiding it would be nice, but we will see how I decide

I just wonder one thing now ... maybe I would wreck my chance for a Compostela if I leave the Primitivo in Melide and kind of restart on the Invierno below the 100k limit.

If you want to walk as far as Melide on the Primitivo, your most direct connection to the Invierno is to go to Lalín, straight south. Lalín is about 6 km before A Laxe, which is where the Invierno joins the Sanabrés, so it wouldn’t really give you any of the feel of the Invierno. But would be a nice walk, because that part of the Sanabrés is very pretty, ...

Let us know what you decide to do, it would be a nice alternative to the Francés entry into Santiago.

 

[amancio]

Cadavo Baleiro to Sarria and then onto Monforte de Lemos?

here is a map showing the three caminos, so you can have a more graphical idea:

RED = primitivo
BLUE = francés
GREEN = invierno

 

[alipilgrim]

Perhaps just take a bus from Melide to Ponferrada (assuming there is one)? If you feel strongly about doing all of the Primitivo, you might regret not doing all of the Invierno!

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Perhaps just take a bus from Melide to Ponferrada (assuming there is one)? If you feel strongly about doing all of the Primitivo, you might regret not doing all of the Invierno!

No, taking a bus is never an option for me unless it is medically advised or the only good way to deal with some sort of unexpected crisis. So it would not be part of a plan.
The point is also that my goal is to walk all of the Primitivo that is still unknown to me and if possible to avoid the Melide -Santiago stretch as this is rather busy and also in long stretches very loud and urban. My goal is not to get any in-depth impression of the Invierno. I could do that on a later occasion So this time the tiny last bit of the Invierno would only serve as a bypass to avoid something ... without saying that the whole way would not be an interesting experience. But each thing at its time

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Cadavo Baleiro to Sarria and then onto Monforte de Lemos?

here is a map showing the three caminos, so you can have a more graphical idea:

Not really an option from Melide. But thank you for the map! To me, the Invierno would always lead all the way to Santiago, so I guess when looking at your map I really meant the stretch where it merges with the Sanabrés or a bit earlier or later.
To me now, with respect to my goals and to my limitations regarding time this September, peregrina2000's suggestion to hike from Melide via Agolada to Rodeiro seems the most feasible solution. So depending on mood and progress on the Primitivo I might just decide spontaneously if I just go through the Melide-Santiago stretch again or if I take said bypass.

 

[Thomas1962]

That sounds like an interesting project if I wanted to explore more of the Invierno, coming from the Frances. But coming from the Primitivo/Melide, I do not see a chance to get back towards Sarria or even further to Cebreiro.

There is a new camino going from O Cebreiro to Lugo called Via Kunig. With a track you can also walk it backwards.

Another possibility to avoid the Melide-SdC stretch is to go from the Primitivo indeed to the Norte. You don't need to end up in Arzua, but there are now also alternatives which joines the Frances only at SdC airport, 15kms before SdC.

You can see the VIa Kunig and the alternatives untill the airport at the interactive map at the bottom of this page. You can also download al these tracks you see from this page. Both pages are in Dutch, but with some google translate you will understand. If not, let me know.

Like @peregrina2000 suggested, it is off course possible to walk from Melide to Lalin. I don't have experience with that part, but for sure it is possible to do this. With maps.me or any other app you will be able to find your own way. There are many alternatives for avoiding the bigger roads, most of them will be on asfalt though. You can also find the non-asfalt roads on any map, but be carefull with that, they might by very muddy and just used by tractors. Still quit an adventure... Melide-Lalin should be around 40-50 kms. For sure take your own drinks and food, if you will find any bar on your way it wil be Saint James gift only.
Please let us know indeed how your trip is.
Buen camino!

 

[Arctic_Alex]

There is a new camino going from O Cebreiro to Lugo called Via Kunig. With a track you can also walk it backwards.

Another possibility to avoid the Melide-SdC stretch is to go from the Primitivo indeed to the Norte. You don't need to end up in Arzua, but there are now also alternatives which joines the Frances only at SdC airport, 15kms before SdC.

You can see the VIa Kunig and the alternatives untill the airport at the interactive map at the bottom of this page. You can also download al these tracks you see from this page. Both pages are in Dutch, but with some google translate you will understand. If not, let me know.

Like @peregrina2000 suggested, it is off course possible to walk from Melide to Lalin. I don't have experience with that part, but for sure it is possible to do this. With maps.me or any other app you will be able to find your own way. There are many alternatives for avoiding the bigger roads, most of them will be on asfalt though. You can also find the non-asfalt roads on any map, but be carefull with that, they might by very muddy and just used by tractors. Still quit an adventure... Melide-Lalin should be around 40-50 kms. For sure take your own drinks and food, if you will find any bar on your way it wil be Saint James gift only.
Please let us know indeed how your trip is.
Buen camino!

Thank you for all the thoughts!
I knew about the bypass vi the del Norte to the Airport, but that means skipping the last 20k towards Melide, which is not an option. Also all the Camino hopping at earlier stages does not really suit my schedule and restrictions. But thanks anyway
With Melide - Agolada - Rodeiro only adding up to below 35km this looks like the best alternative now.
I will keep you updated, but we all have to wait until September

 

[VNwalking]

Jusu for kicks, I used OSMand to see three possibilities. There are others, such as Silleda rather than Bandeiras, but those changes would be easy to tweak.
Melide-Lalin

Melide-Banderas

Melide-Ponte Ulla

Unless you have Strider legs, the last two would require an overnight along the way, so I routed through placed where there's accommodation.

It looks completely possible.
In your shoes, I'd likely try the second. If the stage to Bandeiras is too short you could stay at the wonderful private albergue in Dornelas, a bit farther along.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Jusu for kicks, I used OSMand to see three possibilities. There are others, such as Silleda rather than Bandeiras, but those changes would be easy to tweak.
Melide-Lalin
View attachment 117580
Melide-Banderas
View attachment 117581
Melide-Ponte Ulla
View attachment 117582
Unless you have Strider legs, the last two would require an overnight along the way, so I routed through placed where there's accommodation.

It looks completely possible.
In your shoes, I'd likely try the second. If the stage to Bandeiras is too short you could stay at the wonderful private albergue in Dornelas, a bit farther along.

yes, some might be an alternative if I would want even smaller paths! ... and I used to have Strider legs before the pandemic ... not sure what is left of it ;-)

 

[Canche]

Perhaps just take a bus from Melide to Ponferrada (assuming there is one)? If you feel strongly about doing all of the Primitivo, you might regret not doing all of the Invierno!

You can also get a taxi and they are not expensive

 

[Arctic_Alex]

You can also get a taxi and they are not expensive

No, driving back to some place would spoil my Camino as for me it is about using my feet all along the way.
Just to illustrate: On my Frances after walking 44 km one day I arrived at en albergue which which had no beds left so they advised my lot to take a taxi 12k to the next place and sleep there, as we did. So the next morning I took the taxi back to the place where I stopped walking to continue from there and meet up with my crowd after 20k. This is the way my mind works ;-)

 

[trecile]

On my Frances after walking 44 km one day I arrived at en albergue which which had no beds left so they advised my lot to take a taxi 12k to the next place and sleep there, as we did. So the next morning I took the taxi back to the place where I stopped walking to continue from there and meet up with my crowd after 20k. This is the way my mind works ;-)

I would have done the same.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

I went to the emergency room instead to the airport.
So this camino just got canceled ... could not fly.
Well, at least it is nothing life threatening. But still this causes some frustration as one would expect.