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Camino Primitivo - solitary path through wonderful landscape

bagi25. 05. 2013 21:33:02

This path is completely different from Camino France, which I walked the year before. It's for people who like solitude, varied terrain, wonderful views, old villages, friendly locals... Above all, they won't ever get bored. There was plenty of everything ... heat, cold, snow, rain, wind and heat again. The path is 330 km long, you need approx 11 days and currently around 550 € including all transports. About 7% of all hikers who arrive at the goal in Santiago de Compostela walk this path. And those days at the beginning of May there were 1400 per day coming.
For more precise info just to: gasperin.emil@gmail.com

Camino Primitivo - solitary path through wonderful landscape

(+22)

strelec195430. 05. 2013 13:44:53

From the photos it looks really varied and diverse. Where does it start and end? For those who can't go for a month on the trail, this is probably the right combination. Probably harder to walk in winter?
Best regards Marjan nasmeh

bagi31. 05. 2013 11:36:51

The path starts in the city of Oviedo right by the Atlantic. There's an airport nearby, so access is easy. From Oviedo the path heads through hills and valleys towards Santiago de Compostela, the goal of most no matter which path they come (pics 36,37,38). You walk mostly through Asturias region and enter Galicia. Everywhere there's lots of moss, because weather changes quickly due to proximity to Atlantic. The path is feasible from early April to end of October. Don't recommend in snow.

Regards, Emil

(+2)

sabina.731. 05. 2013 15:54:23

Congratulations on the walked path and nice photos. Really diverse, clean, tidy... Very inviting. nasmeh

(+1)

bagi31. 05. 2013 21:07:02

@sabina.7...it's really inviting and easily doable. Just don't be picky. Through old farm villages someone with refined nose would turn up their nose velik nasmeh

. Also paths after rain sometimes turn into a slide and weather alone can be very unpredictable. If you accept that, the path becomes a pleasure. Alberques or accommodations on this path are exceptionally nice, clean and cheap, food is always available somewhere, the path is easy to follow. Just have to decide, right nasmeh

(+4)

bagi14. 10. 2016 11:07:17

Camino Primitivo ... fear and dread of most pilgrims and not many decide for it. A bunch of hillocks and valleys, constant ups and downs do their thing in many minds, but in reality it's not particularly difficult nasmeh

. Since last year it's also under UNESCO protection. As logical continuation I continued on it right after finishing Camino del Salvador ... http://www.hribi.net/trenutnerazmere.asp?spa=1&gorovjeid=10016&id=7293

What's new in a few years since my first visit to this path???

You can see that Camino Primitivo has become more recognized in the world. Still not many hikers, but more nationally diverse. New albergues are growing, roadside refreshment spots even faster velik nasmeh

. Municipal albergues are modernizing with washing drying machines and much less hand washing of noble rags and drying them in all possible and impossible ways zavijanje z očmi

. Paths are being maintained, signs renewed. Landscape still wonderful, rain equally wet nasmeh

. For me personally it's one of the nicer Caminos of all I've walked.

More detailed info as always on ZS or my email in *Profile*

Path fork in Oviedo. The sign is embedded in the ground right in front of the cathedral

Morning. After a long time, a nice day is in prospect

Back on the trail. It has become my lifestyle

The landscape glows in the morning light. The sun is low on the horizon

Shop and tavern, all in one. The friendly owner is preparing a sandwich for me

Locals. They place a special drink, fermented cider, in the stand and pour it from a height little by little into glasses

Sun and shadows, two contrasts that conjure the most beautiful details

This time the path is very soft and pleasant

First harbinger of a settlement, but it is still far away

This is how traffic signs warn of pilgrims crossing the road

Fences are made from local material. There is a huge amount of slate.

Hydroelectric power plant. All facilities used during construction are abandoned, including workers' houses.

Evening is approaching, it will be necessary to find accommodation.

Juan. We have been meeting him for several days already.

Pilgrims from all over at dinner. We converse in *Caminščina* and understand each other very well :)

Interior of one of the pharmacies along the path. They speak Spanish, I speak it less well, but everything can be arranged.

Old houses are sequentially covered with hand-broken slate, new ones with industrial.

Unequivocal marking on water potability :)

Typical Camino sign by the path. Inlaid tiles with remaining distance to Santiago are mostly missing.

Also here the fence is made of local slate. It is over a meter high, a kilometer long.

Cathedral in the town Lugo. The medieval part inside the walls is exceptionally beautiful. The albergue is there too.

Interior of the cathedral in Lugo with a special candle trolley. I haven't seen this anywhere else.

Mass with polyphonic singing. It all blended with the atmosphere and was a unique experience.

Morning. Sunny days have finally become routine.

Morning ... sleepy, relaxed, wonderful :)

The town of Melide is approaching, junction of several paths. Here my path merges with Camino Francés.

Crowds of pilgrims appear immediately. This time two nice young women on well-deserved break.

Ribbon with motivational notes on part of the path. Camino Francés is a tough challenge for many.

The crowds are growing, *Sto kilometraši* are joining.

Sign at the city entrance. Dreams of a quarter million pilgrims annually.

Main cathedral in Santiago on Obradorio Square. Most pilgrims crowd here.

The famous huge censer *Botafumeiro* that swings across both side aisles of the cathedral.

(+14)

jvali14. 01. 2019 21:06:05

Emil, my husband and I are going to Camino Primitivo in July. This will be our first Camino, behind me there's already trekking in Nepal on our own. Walking with backpack is close to me and I like it, that freedom and simplicity. Camino calls me, I really want the French variant, but for this year we chose compromise because husband can't be away from work for a month. For all little tips, advice that play big role on the path, thanks in advance. Valerija

lynx14. 01. 2019 23:25:41

Easier than it looks. Everyone fears the Hospitales ridge, then you get there and it's milder than Nanos. For Slovenian mountaineers no serious problems here.

Recommend this for planning, you can create itinerary as you wish, and at the same time check on the fly where to sleep, eat etc. In July definitely need to reserve something in advance!
https://santiago.forwalk.org/en/

bagi15. 01. 2019 14:31:51

Nice greeting Valerija nasmeh

. For seasoned Slovenians no variant of Camino Primitivo poses special problems. Since it's your first time, surely lots of questions arise. General impression you've probably formed from posts above, of course happy to answer all small questions. To not clutter the topic better do it via emails. Mine is in profile or intro post.

Buen Camino nasmeh

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jvali15. 01. 2019 21:32:37

lynx and bagi, thanks both for quick reply. I read everything that comes my way and collect info. A little booklet of important links, contacts is forming... that's the story before the path. Emil, I'll send questions via email. So they gather into some sensible form. Thanks in advance for answers. Nice greetings to both and happy trails.

(+1)

Kigeot23. 02. 2019 21:23:20

Also my contribution on Camino Primitivo, I wrote a detailed blog, maybe helpful to someone; I could declare others' experiences my main "guide" mežikanje

http://potovanja-tamara.blogspot.com/2017/09/camino-primitivo-pred-startom.html

(+2)

bagi9. 07. 2019 21:26:28

Camino Primitivo was the last of the four we connected into a whole this year and also the longest. I've walked it three times already and can confirm the kilometers are still the same velik nasmeh

. But it's no longer solitary, as I wrote in the title of this thread years ago. Far from it. It has become much more visited, many private albergues and inns have opened. Taxi services have found it too and cheaters who *walked* the path are plentiful, as has been happening for a long time on Camino Francés mrk pogled

. Fortunately these two paths aren't comparable in difficulty, so no fear of too much massiveness. At least for me it's still one of the nicer Caminos, which I can easily recommend to anyone nasmeh

.

In beauty, but not visitation, it's rivaled by Camino del Salvador, which we walked just before ( … Click ). More info added to photo comments, additional explanations via PM or email (in profile).

A fragment of the huge and magnificent cathedral

Floor slab where two routes split, left for Camino Primitivo, right for Camino del Norte.

Back on the path. It only takes a few days for the body to adjust to all-day hiking and a substantial backpack.

Camino Primitivo mostly passes through small settlements, over hillocks and dales.

Another of the pleasant villages on the path

Laundry is always air-dried around here, regardless of smells from the farm sheds.

For years there were only viaduct pillars here, this year however a surprise in the form of a motorway. The path is therefore rerouted.

Ancient monastery, our lodging for that day. The albergue is on the side not visible from the road.

But everything is well signposted and there were no issues finding the entrance.

The thick monastery walls are an excellent shelter from the heat.

This is how one of the kitchens for pilgrims looks. You can cook your own meal here. This one was quite large and well equipped.

Horeo or granary. Cross disks on top of supporting pillars and missing back step provide thorough protection against rodents

Roadside bar. Rundown on the outside, but extremely pleasant inside. The first impression deceived us many times :)

Map of Camino Primitivo on the ground in a different way

Tineo, pleasant little town with plenty of taverns, a bakery and shops

Variant via Hospital. Landscape similar to our Karavanke

The day was wonderful and we met quite a few pilgrims with the same idea

The long traverse is very scenic. In bad weather I strongly advise against the Hospital variant due to exposure

Swimming school in a high-alpine pond :)

In total 22 km path without possibility of buying drinking water, food or accommodation

Someone gave up on their shoes and probably on the Camino too :)

The cats were smarter than us and leisurely stretched in the pleasant shade. We, of course, were getting a brown tan in the scorching sun.

La Mesa with a completely new private albergue. Right next to it is the municipal one, one of the most neglected on the route.

Modern windmills. We have a total of two, but there 20 per square kilometer of ridges.

On the Camino Primitivo it's hard to get lost.

Extensive burnt area, slowly overgrown by undergrowth. On my last visit, none of this was there yet.

Salime Reservoir with hydroelectric power plant.

They dammed a narrow valley with steep banks and a huge reservoir was created.

We slept at the Vistalegre inn right above the reservoir. Food was excellent, room too, price more than reasonable.

Sympathetic marking for a nice start to the day.

Such signposts with Camino markers continue all the way to Santiago.

Village scene, Spaniards throw nothing away :)

This is also a village scene, locals playing cards.

One of the nicer pharmacies. Over-the-counter medicines are at least twice as cheap as at home.

You can also travel like this. Instead of carrying heavy backpacks, these two pilgrims loaded everything onto a donkey.

Some early morning mist was just right because of the pleasant coolness.

Houses are mostly roofed with slate, older ones with hand-broken, newer with industrial.

I very often saw bread collection boxes which private bakeries deliver to villages with vans.

Along the path everything was full of yellow flowers of some undergrowth unknown to me.

Eucalyptus that sheds its skin :) Smells best in humid weather, almost nothing in the sun

In the gardens I often saw pots from bygone eras that are now readily used for decoration

Hot water collectors, or home-made boilers the Spanish way

The cemetery is completely different from ours. There are no ground-level graves here, nor urn niches

One of the newer private albergues. Sadly, it lacked soul, which only a good hospitalero can provide

Same albergue. Priority went to pilgrims who paid for private rooms, the rest of us were second-class. Not recommended

Exceptionally beautiful Lugo with its walls and medieval center. The municipal albergue is located there

We often stopped for a coffee, and here it was all in one: bakery, pastry shop and little bar

The official path from Lugo goes by road, experience leads through a pleasant park. After a good kilometer both variants join

We were often surprised by the dilapidated places where people live. This is quite normal in Spain, especially in villages

A major change since my last visit is the number of taxi offers. They transport everyone, even you, and drop you in the middle of the forest if you wish

Our path joined the Camino Francés in Melide, immediately noticeable by the number of pilgrims

Just a little bit more and we'll be at the goal

We are slowly finishing our Camino this year. We are already close to the cathedral in Santiago

Obradoiro Square with the cathedral, final goal of a quarter million pilgrims annually

The two of us at the finish in Santiago. The counter stopped at 700 km of wonderful experiences :)

For some years they renovated the exterior, now the interior. Everything closed, access limited. That special feeling is gone unfortunately

GPS track. Blue line is Camino Primitivo, 310 km long, fourth and last part of the entire walked path

(+9)

lepenatka10. 07. 2019 09:23:56

Bravo. Congratulations to both for the walked paths and vivid presentation.

It really tempts one... nasmeh

Regina

(+3)

jvali10. 07. 2019 10:56:49

Emil, heartfelt THANKS, congratulations to both of you for the Path and vivid description. Tomorrow our story begins.

(+3)

geppo10. 07. 2019 11:48:18

Nicely described, excellent pictorial support
best regards to you and Mateja

(+2)

bagi11. 07. 2019 08:09:33

Thanks to all together and each one individually nasmeh

. Years ago I was only rushing through mountains and didn't think of such paths even in dreams. But once you start them, they don't let you go from their embrace anymore velik nasmeh

(+2)

jvali5. 08. 2019 08:05:35

Emil, Camino Primitivo is the scent of nature. My husband and I have had an extremely pleasant and purely positive experience. From first to last day everything went as one can only wish in dreams. Our first Camino and I already dare say it's the most beautiful. We both enjoyed endlessly the picturesque nature, constant ascents and descents through high pastures and meadows, farmsteads, stone villages where kind locals make the day even better. Peace is spiced by cow bells, gallop of horses, braying of donkeys and crowing of roosters, above us numerous swallows, between us colorful butterflies, everywhere colorful flowers. Path pleasant to feet, those century-old forests, natural trails, scent of eucalyptus... Some pilgrims really from all over the world we shared stories and friendly bonds were woven among us. What more can one wish? Weather excellent, I believe someone up there traveled with us. We arrived in Santiago on July 25, a great day for us and St. James. Then we continued the path to Fisterre and Muxie, a fairy-tale village where time stops, and for us there couldn't be a nicer end to the Path. Home three days, organizing impressions and photos. Thanks again for your "contribution" on ZS, you were in our thoughts during the journey. Buen Camino, Valerija.

(+5)

bagi6. 08. 2019 17:57:06

Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations nasmeh

. The first Camino is really the first, but all subsequent ones will be just as beautiful. And I don't doubt at all that you'll be in Spain again next year velik nasmeh

. Post something, incredibly many are interested in such paths.

Buen Camino ... Emil

(+2)

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Camino Primitivo - solitary path through wonderful landscape