Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from Oct. 15th any tips are welcome

[Matstrane]

Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from middle of October. All tips are welcome.
Thank you!

 

[jpflavin1]

Enjoy, it is a great Camino.

 

[David Tallan]

Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from middle of October. All tips are welcome.
Thank you!

Tip #1: if weather permits, take the Hospitales route.
Tip #2: The menu del dia at Casa Pachón in Salas gives great value for money.
Tip #3: the detour to Bóveda after Lugo to see the Roman/Visigothic remains under the church is worth the extra km

 

[Matstrane]

Tip #1: if weather permits, take the Hospitales route.
Tip #2: The menu del dia at Casa Pachón in Salas gives great value for money.
Tip #3: the detour to Bóveda after Lugo to see the Roman/Visigothic remains under the church is worth the extra km

Thank you! Would you recommend bringing a sleeping bag or are the hostels warm enough?

 

[David Tallan]

Thank you! Would you recommend bringing a sleeping bag or are the hostels warm enough?

I walked it in early July so I'm not sure how applicable my experience would be to a late October Camino. When I walked in July it was definitely cooler than the Frances at the same time, for what that's worth. I took a hybrid: like a silk liner but with a quilt sewn into one side. So when it was hot you could sleep with the quilt underneath but when it was colder you could have the quilt above you. Mine was custom made. I know that MEC here in Canada sells a similar product. I don't know if something similar is available in Sweden.

 

[Matstrane]

I walked it in early July so I'm not sure how applicable my experience would be to a late October Camino. When I walked in July it was definitely cooler than the Frances at the same time, for what that's worth. I took a hybrid: like a silk liner but with a quilt sewn into one side. So when it was hot you could sleep with the quilt underneath but when it was colder you could have the quilt above you. Mine was custom made. I know that MEC here in Canada sells a similar product. I don't know if something similar is available in Sweden.

Thanks!

 

[dbier]

First, be *sure* to check with hostels and cafés to be sure that they're open when you travel. Gronze is only as accurate as the individuals' updates, and in the early stages of the Primitivo, options can be few. Especially watch for Sunday and Monday closures, as well as end of season.

The 6 private/ donativo albergues I stayed at in mid-late September would either provide or " rent" you a blanket. Can't answer for municipals...but if you prefer to sleep cool, you may not need a heavy bag.

Be *very* comfortable with multiday hikes in hills, with a pack if you're traveling that way, and with food and water for certain stretches.

I'd strongly recommend using a guidebook (preferably an app) for planning and map checking. Sometimes it's confusing to get out of town.

Sunrise is likely to be pretty late...if you're walking before then, have lights and reflective gear. You'll start out on roads most days.

Finally, you'll be in low mountains, and weather, even there, can be unpredictable and unpleasant.

Buen Camino.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

As @dbier says, make sure you carry sufficient snacks and water to get you through a day if you're only passing through small villages etc, and you're not sure if anything will be open.

My first day nothing was open for the first 19 and a half kilometres. The restaurant which my guidebook said would be open around halfway was closed, the little Shop, just past it was in the process of closing although there was at least a vending machine outside for snacks and drinks. Water was available at a couple of points. This theme is repeated along a couple of points on this Camino. The Hospitales, if course, has nothing.
Plan for both hot and cold weather and you will be fine. The usual layering principle merino's etc. Loads of good information on this forum, hours of reading under the primitivo heading

 

[Tincatinker]

¿Tienes un aguadente local? Is a useful phrase

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

Tip #1: if weather permits, take the Hospitales route.
Tip #2: The menu del dia at Casa Pachón in Salas gives great value for money.
Tip #3: the detour to Bóveda after Lugo to see the Roman/Visigothic remains under the church is worth the extra km

Tip 1B - if you intend to go the Hospitales route, pre-book in Borres because the only place to sleep now is the private albergue and it will fill *quickly*. And, stock up for your snacks at Campiellano in the grocery there because there is nothing again until you get over the Hospitales and into Berducedo.

 

[dbier]

Tip 1B(1 and 2). Or book at Samblisimo. Or, failing that, add 3km on to your day and start from Campiello. Breakfast started at 0700.

 

[David Tallan]

Tip 1B - if you intend to go the Hospitales route, pre-book in Borres because the only place to sleep now is the private albergue and it will fill *quickly*. And, stock up for your snacks at Campiellano in the grocery there because there is nothing again until you get over the Hospitales and into Berducedo.

I was going to suggest Samblismo, where I stayed, as a nice alternative to Borres, but Gronze suggests it closes for the end of the season on October 15. You could contact them directly and confirm. Another alternative that there are good reports of is Albergue Los Hospitales is Colinas de Arriba, which should be open through November. Both of these are after Borres, shortening your day on the Hospitales and the distance without services, although there is a bit of a walk from the latter up to the Hospitales route I am told.

If you are staying at either of these you will probably want to call the day before to reserve.

 

[trecile]

I stayed at Alojamiento Los Hospitales the night before I walked the Hospitales route. It's a great albergue! And if the weather is bad you can take the other route.

Inicio

www.alojamientoloshospitales.com

Hotel Soto in Salas was a great value! I paid 25 Euros for a single room. She has a washing machine available to use and drying racks on the terrace.

Hotel Soto - Salas | Hotel | Gronze.com

Información del Hotel Hotel Soto, en Salas: precio, plazas, características, etc...

www.gronze.com

Albergue Palacio de Merás is very nice.

Albergue Palacio de Merás | Albergue de Peregrinos en Tineo | Gronze.com

Información del albergue de peregrinos Albergue Palacio de Merás, en Tineo: Precio, plazas, características, etc...

www.gronze.com

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Casa Pascal at El Espin . El Espín is between Campiello and Borres.
Great stop whichever route you choose to take, lovely hostess.
Sylvia may still be around - she only opened her Donativo in July.
Her WhatsApp number for reservations is +34 606 242 097

 

[Gary94123]

Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from middle of October. All tips are welcome.
Thank you!

Pack light. Very hilly until Lugo, so it's best to manage your hiking correctly. Very flat and easy hiking from Lugo on. It's Indian summer in October, and much fruit edibles along the hike. Buen Camino!

 

[WalkingPlaylist]

Just finished it two weeks ago. Beautiful Camino, the scenery and peace. Knowing Spanish or using the translator also helps.

 

[Carl Remarx]

Definitely. In A Fonsagrada, stay at Albergue Pensión Cuartel. The basement albergue is fine at 15€, but a room upstairs was just 25€ with dedicated bath(across a hall) with a tub for a soak. Delightful garden you can see but not get to out your window. Eat at Restaurante Cantábrico five blocks away. Look for the gentle, sweet son of the owner- he’ll likely be seating you. His father is the back-slapper.

Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from middle of October. All tips are welcome.
Thank you!

 

[WalkingPlaylist]

Definitely. In A Fonsagrada, stay at Albergue Pensión Cuartel. The basement albergue is fine at 15€, but a room upstairs was just 25€ with dedicated bath(across a hall) with a tub for a soak. Delightful garden you can see but not get to out your window. Eat at Restaurante Cantábrico five blocks away. Look for the gentle, sweet son of the owner- he’ll likely be seating you. His father is the back-slapper.

Agree! We stayed in a private room with our own bath and they are clean, modern, and a nice break from the bunk room.

 

[Teddie]

Starting solo Oct 14.
May see you on the trail ... pilgrim.

 

[Gary94123]

Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from middle of October. All tips are welcome.
Thank you!

Check the weather. Take an umbrella?

 

[Hilary Van Norstrand]

Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from middle of October. All tips are welcome.
Thank you!

Just enjoy every second. It’s wonderful!

 

[david marquez]

Just a word of caution, I walked the primitivo from Ovideo in late April-ealy May 2018. The portion over the mountains was very cold-very windy, and visibility was mostly under 50 meters due to being in the fast moving clouds. Thankfully the way was very well marked with reflective markers every 25 meters or so. It would have been extremely easy to get lost and there were very few other peregrinos on the trail that day.
I purchased a cap, gloves, and a good warm puffy jacket at a mountaineering shop in Oviedo and I am extremely glad I did.

 

[Orujo]

Grandas de Salime was a lovely town – do not miss the Museum! Grab a fellow pilgrim and wander round it's exhibits trying to work out what all the stuff was used for. Great fun and genuinely a charming and interesting place to go. It was one of the highlights of my trip (Hospitales day being the number one highlight!). Also in Grandas de Salime there is a wonderful bar / delicatessen called Ultramarinos Restrepo – sells local cheeses and meats on sharing plates with craft beers. Oh, and the dam has a huge famous mural inside the hall, we didn't go in to see it but I wish I did. The yellow restaurant after the dam does a great hake lunch. Enjoy the Primitivo, it's lovely.

 

[MikeJS]

Stay here if you can as it is by far the most outstanding albergue I have ever stayed in - https://www.apocinademuniz.es/

 

[David Tallan]

One of the sad things about my Camino this year was that, with one thing and another, I ended up in Grandas de Salime on a Monday and was thus only able to see the museum from the outside. Aah well, I will just have to walk the San Salvador and Primitivo again (because I will definitely pair the two again).

 

[Colette Z]

Walking Primitivo from Oviedo from middle of October. All tips are welcome.
Thank you!

Do it. I walked the Salvador from Leon to Oviedo then continued on the Primitivo (the latter starting Oct 28th) and had gorgeous weather, minimal showers, fantastic fellow pilgrims (few walking but all great people) and no bed rush. Take a day off to spend in Lugo. And enjoy it. Yes you’ll need a sleeping bag or silk liner + a duvet blanket (I use the latter combination).