🌄 I embarked on a new adventure! 🚶🏼♀️ Join me on my epic journey as I tackled the Camino Primitivo, also known as the Original Way—my third Camino.
🚶🏼♀️🌍 I trekked over 300 kilometers through lush forests, charming villages, and breathtaking landscapes from the majestic Cathedral at Oviedo to the sacred destination of Santiago de Compostela. 🏞️⛪
🌳🏞️ The Camino Primitivo is renowned for its rugged beauty and deep spiritual significance. 🌟 🙌 Grateful for the opportunity to experience the Camino Primitivo and the lessons it offered.
👣 Follow along as I share daily photos and stats. 📸
🥾 The Camino Primitivo 🇪🇸 ℹ️ Stats - Day 0 - Travel Day 🚂✈️
Date: Tuesday 12th September
Weather: UK 🇬🇧 mild - Spain 🇪🇸 mild as well
From: London 🚎🚇🚂 ✈️🚎 walk-bus-tube-train-plane-bus-walk 🛌
Start time: 1pm
To: Oviedo
End time: 11pm
Accommodation: Green Hostel
💰Costs:
Travel: Bus/Tube to Tottenham Hale £4.75
Direct Train to Stansted Airport £21.40
Ryanair Flight to Asturias £51.70
Bus to Oviedo €9/£7.75 (9.45pm)
Walk to Green Hostel 20 mins
Accommodation: £21
Total costs £106.60
Highlights - very easy to get the bus to Oviedo- right outside the terminal. A very regular service as well (I waited 25 mins). Then 45 min direct into the city.
Challenges - fight was delayed by an hour and annoyingly I’d forgotten to charge my battery pack. But the bus had a USB charger 🔌
🥾 The Camino Primitivo 🇪🇸 ℹ️Stats - Day 1
Date: Wednesday 13th September
Weather: hot and sunny ☀️
From: Oviedo Cathedral
Start time: 10.20am
To: Grado
End time: 4.30pm
Accommodation: Hostel - top bunk
Terrain: forests, gravel paths, mountain tracks, road walking
🥾Miles: 18
🦶Steps: 37,925
Total miles: 18/199
💰Costs: pilgrims passport €2
Hostel €15
Evening food shop €8.50 (rice cakes, tomatoes, hummus, mixed seeds & nuts, crisps, jelly sweets.
Total 🟰 €25.50
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10 amazing to be back here. Especially with the amazing weather 😀
Fatigue: 2/10 feeling strong and fit. Especially after the August hikes in the UK
Ease of terrain: 5/10 a little bit rolling. But not massive elevation gain or loss
Highlights - so nice being back doing a Camino. Back in the routine pretty much straight away. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the walk. 🥳
Challenges - the snoring in the hostel last night. Not good at all! Probably giving me a taste of what’s to come!!! Struggle to find the arrows when leaving the cathedral. Followed gps for quite a while until I connected with the arrows.
Watch the vlog HERE
🥾 The Camino Primitivo 🇪🇸 ℹ️Stats - Day 2
Date: Thursday 14th September
Weather: Sunny & hot ☀️
From: Grado.
Start time: 8.40am
To: Salas
End time: 2.30pm
Accommodation: municipal albergue - bottom bunk in a room with 8 people.
Terrain: mountains paths, forests, gravel tracks.
🥾Miles: 17
🦶Steps: 35,309
Total miles: 28/199
💰Costs: €7.50 albergue
Resupply €8.50 - crisps, tuna, tomato, peppers, feta cheese - going to make a tuna, feta salad. The albergue also has apples available.
Total €16
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10 so lovely to be out walking. Not as many pilgrims and the weather is fantastic 🥳
Fatigue: 2/10 - feeling really strong.
Ease of terrain: 3/10 - not as tough as Offa’s Dyke.
Highlights - stunning views, stopping early enough to enjoy the sunshine and do sunbathing.
Challenges - being bitten by mosquitoes 🦟 last night. Ahhhhh! I’ve also got a stomach ache - which is frustrating as I want to eat the salad food I bought - but think I might be sick 🤢 if I do.
Watch the vlog HERE
🥾 The Camino Primitivo 🇪🇸 ℹ️ Stats - Day 3
Date: Friday 15th September
Weather: rain 🌧️ all morning! Started to dry out around 11.30am ish
From: Salsa
Start time: 8.40am
To: Tineo
End time: 1.40pm
Accommodation: municipal albergue. Bottom bunk in a room with 24 beds
Terrain: muddy mountain tracks, forests, gravel tracks, road walking.
🥾Miles: 14.5 miles
🦶Steps: 29,912
Total miles: 40/199
💰Costs: €7 albergue
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 - really enjoyed todays walking - even in the rain!!! Great views and nice terrain underfoot.
Fatigue: 3/10 - feeling good - even with a stomach ache and lack of sleep 💤
Ease of terrain: 3/10 - lots more ups and downs but not horrendous
Highlights - making it to the municipale albergue and there being a bed. Plus only spent €7 today - which is awesome 🤩
Challenges - such a bad stomach ache. I was awake at 2am - I’m so much pain. Trying to figure out what it is - I’ve introduced dairy back into my diet. But still don’t eat a huge amount of it. Yesterday I ate - Rice cakes with hummous & baby tomatoes, gronala bar, fruit bars x2, crisps, apple. (So no diary). Stomach was still aching. Maybe the straps are too tight and it’s pressing on my belly too much?
🥾 The Camino Primitivo 🇪🇸 ℹ️ Stats - Day 4
Date: Saturday 16th September
Weather: rainy 🌧️ in the morning. Sunny ☀️ in the afternoon
From: municipal albergue Tineo
Start time: 8.40am (I was last to leave!)
To: Borres
End time: 12.30pm
Accommodation: municipal Albergue Santa
María de Borres. (Needed to check in at the pub in the village)
Terrain: mountain paths, gravel, mud, roadways and, via little towns.
🥾Miles: 13
🦶Steps: 26,918
Total miles: 49/199
💰Costs: resupply €17.60
Albergue €7
Wine 🍷 €1
Total 🟰 €25.60
So far I’m €5.80 under my budget of €20 euro per day.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10
Fatigue: 2/10
Ease of terrain: 3/10
Highlights - stunning walking in the mountains ⛰️ . meeting lots of great people, playing Uno is the sun and drinking wine. A very chilled and relaxed afternoon.
Challenges - the fog and rain in the morning wasn’t great. But it was still warm and once above the cloud layer the views were stunning. I wanted to walk a little further but the albergue was full. So today is a pretty short day and tomorrow will be a much longer day 15.4 miles. Really looking forward to the mountain section. 🥳
Watch the vlog HERE
🥾 The Camino Primitivo 🇪🇸 ℹ️ Stats - Day 5 - Hospitales detour.
Date: Sunday 17th September
Weather: hot and sunny all day apart from a little rain shower in the afternoon 🌧️
From: Borres - via the Hospitales detour, where you climb to 1200m and spend hours walking along an exposed ridgeline
Start time: 7.50am
To: Albergue de Peregrinos de Berducedo
End time: 2pm
Accommodation: municipal albergue - bottom bunk. (The person above me is annoying me already - just by breathing )
Terrain: walking along an exposed ridge, gravel paths, rocky steep sections.small forests, past cows a tiny bit of road walking.
🥾Miles: 17.6
🦶Steps: 36,086
Total miles: 64/199 32% done ✅
💰Costs: albergue €6
Food resupply €7.70 - gluten free pasta, bacon, pesto, crisps.
Total 🟰 €13.70
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10 - Hospitales detour well worth doing 🥳
Fatigue: 2/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10 - although it was the mountainous section. There were only 2 really steep climbs, the rest was a very gradual incline. Plus the paths were wide and generally good walking. There was a few tricky descents - but it wasn’t horrendous! Very do able!
Highlights - incredible walking in the mountains. The first 9 miles were just stunning. Plus it helped having good weather. Sunshine & blue skies.
The food shop is super close to the albergue. So i was able to cook a big pesto pasta lunch and be eating by 2.40pm.
Challenges - no wifi at the albergue. It’s been 2 days now!!! Ahhhh plus planning for tomorrow is difficult. It’s either going be a 12
Mile day or a 27 mile day! Due to where the albergues are.
3pm - 5.45pm afternoon nap 💤 I’ve found this is the best way for me to get my sleep in. Especially when you don’t know if there are going to be snorers in the room at night.
It’s going to be the 12 mile day tomorrow!
🥾 The Camino Primitivo 🇪🇸 ℹ️ Stats - Day 6
Date: Monday 18th September
Weather: cloudy & foggy in the am - 🌧️followed by rain and drizzle for the rest of the day
From: Berducedo
Start time: 8am
To: Grandas de Salime
End time: 12pm at the village- checked in by 12.20pm at the albergue
Accommodation: municipal albergue - a bed 🛏️
Terrain: forest paths, road walking, gravel tracks.
🥾Miles: 14.6 miles
🦶Steps: 27,988
Total miles: 77/199
39% done ✅
💰Costs: albergue €8 + it has good wifi here!
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 10/10 amazing day - did some downhill running for a few miles. Great running tracks and cool weather to run in. Some good climbs as well! ⛰️
Fatigue: 1/10 - felt great today. Had a 2 hour nap yesterday followed by an 8hr sleep - no one snoring! Which was a miracle. 🙏
Ease of terrain: 3/10 - some steep gravel sections to content with - but the views 😍 were epic.
Highlights - running a few miles on the flat and the descents. Making great time and checking in at the albergue super early. Having a shower 🚿 , washing clothes, cooking a big pasta lunch. Getting caught up on social media and doing e-mails.
Challenges - weather could have been a bit better! Bit otherwise it was a great day.
Watch the vlog HERE
Read more here: Day 7-12: Camino Primitivo
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