Camino Primitivo

Today the adventure begins with your arrival in the historic city of Oviedo, the province of Asturias’ charming capital. Visit the Gothic Cathedral devoted to San Salvador here, an important Saint for pilgrims going to Santiago. Enjoy the lively atmosphere in the old town centre with plenty of cafés, restaurants, bodegas and cider houses, just around the corner from your comfortable city hotel.

Rise ready for your first day of walking! Today’s journey begins as you follow the Jacobean copper shells through narrow lanes in the city centre, then out into the green Asturian countryside. Tarmac lanes and old footpaths take you past quiet villages, some of which still have pilgrims’ hostels and historic inns.

From Puerma you’ll continue along the main road, to Grado. And from there, a short transfer to your charming rural hotel in Sama de Grado.

The first part of the route from Grado to Salas follows narrow trails and country roads through hilly countryside directly to Cornellana Monastery. Founded in 1024, this centre was of great religious and political importance throughout the early history of the Christian kingdom in Asturias.

For the second part of today’s route, from Cornellana to Salas, you’ll take a few detours, as the motorway is still under construction here. Your hotel in Salas is located in the historical town centre, right next to the castle and museum, featuring Pre-Romanesque architecture.

After a short ascent through beautiful terrain in the fields outside Salas, you again follow the main road for about 5km before leaving it behind in La Espina. The next section on the way to Tineo takes you through quiet woodlands and fields, with very little tarmac, just quiet country tracks! In Tineo’s historical centre you will find your next accommodations.

After a hearty breakfast in Tineo you will walk through woodlands to reach the peaceful setting at Obona, with its historic Monasterio de Santa María la Real. Then you continue on to Campiello and your next accommodation, a welcoming family-run establishment.

The taxi driver will take you to Borres this morning to begin your walk along the original high route, or “ruta de los hospitales”, crossing steep slopes to reach Puerto el Palo. Several pilgrims’ hospitals were built here centuries ago - on either side of the mountain pass - due to the extreme weather conditions in winter. You will enjoy superb views on your way up to the highest point, the pass called “Puerto El Palo”. From there you’ll continue for another 9.5km - mainly on the road - to reach your hostel in Berducedo.

From the tiny village of Berducedo, the Camino first makes an ascent up to the windmills above La Mesa this morning, then does a steep descent down to beautiful Lake Salime. You’ll enjoy superb views for the first 5km, then the lovely shade of chestnut trees as you walk down to meet the road. The last 2.5km follows the tarmac road across the dam and up to your hotel in Grandas de Salime.

After your first week on the pilgrimage, you may wish to take a day off to rest and relax!

If you prefer to do a walk today, there are 2 lovely routes to choose from: a short walk to the village of Grandas de Salime, where you can visit the ethnographic museum or take a dive in the local swimming pool. Or a 5km section on the Camino, from Lake Grandas to Castro where you can visit Chao Sanmartin, an interesting archaeological site of Celtic and Roman origin. You can book a taxi transfer back to the hotel from either if you prefer not to walk back.

The taxi drops you off this morning at Castro to continue your pilgrims’ tour with a section which more or less follows the main road to Puerto El Acebo (1165m), the gateway to the province of Galicia. You walk mostly on the main road, taking frequent shortcuts, especially on the descent down into Galicia. At the end, there’s one more short ascent to reach the town of Fonsagrada, not a very pretty village but friendly in its own way, with all the major services a pilgrim requires!

From Fonsagrada you’ll first descend to the village of Proba de Burón, to pick up the oldest Camino Primitivo trail, a high route across green pastures and fields of heather on the way to the ruins at Hospital de Montouto (another pilgrims’ hospital of ancient origin).

After an easy descent to Paradavella, a taxi drives you back to Fonsagrada, as there is no other suitable accommodation nearby.

After a taxi transfer to Paradavella (or a bit further), today’s route mainly follows rural tracks through wooded areas and open fields, with some short sections on the main road. After O Cádavo, you walk through Villabade (interesting church) before finally reaching Castroverde.

Today, you’ll really get to enjoy the beauty of Galician countryside, as you walk on quiet tarmac lanes and dirt tracks from one tiny hamlet to the next, passing gorgeous examples of traditional architecture until you walk directly up to your modern hotel in the heart of Lugo’s historical centre, just 100m from the splendid Roman walls, a UNESCO World heritage site!

From Lugo onward, several Caminos come together to join the main French Route (Camino Francés). Today you have a long walk to reach the next accommodation, situated in Ferreira. The first 20 kilometres until O Burgo are well paved but mainly uphill. But don't worry because it is quite easy to hire a taxi in Lugo to shorten this stage if you please.

Luckily, today's stage is not as long as yesterdays. However, the Camino starts and continues uphill until O Requián, and then there is another climb until Monte da Feira. Once there, the route will be a piece of cake until Melide.

Today you begin walking directly from Melide. You have now joined the French Route, or Camino Francés, which is the most popular of all the Camino variants.

Suddenly, you find yourself among a multitude of pilgrims from all over the world, as you follow trails, country roads and footpaths parallel to the main road. Your accommodation for this evening is located just outside the village of Arzúa.

This section of the Camino is one of the least interesting, as it basically parallels the main road, but there are lots of new friends to make along the way! The excitement shared with fellow pilgrims grows, combined with a weary feeling of having to soon face the end of your pilgrimage!

The last section of your pilgrimage brings you back to modern life as you pass the regional airport, cross the highway, railway track and ring-road around Santiago. Nevertheless, it’s still easy to imagine the sheer joy ancient pilgrims felt when they caught a first glimpse of Santiago and the spires off in the distance. From Monte del Gozo, pilgrims historically make one last stop at the spring in Lavacolla, to wash face and feet before presenting themselves before the Saint at the Cathedral on Plaza del Obradoiro.

After today's breakfast your Camino Primitivo comes to an end. Time to return home with all the experiences this pilgrimage has provided you and a storehouse of memories made!