Distance Today: 16.1 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 222.2 km. Elevation Gain: 350 metres Weather: Fog early AM; sunny; warm Highlight: Albergue A Pocina de Muniz Today we enjoyed one of the easier hikes of this Camino. We woke up to early morning fog which was gone within a half hour of leaving the albergue in Cadavo Baleira. Our first stop was in Vilabade (6.6 km), a town that was established as a Franciscan community for pilgrims in the 15th…
Distance Today: 22.7 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 206.3 km. Elevation Gain: 851 metres Weather: Sunny and cool AM; warm PM Highlights: Hospital de Montouto This was one of those days when the morning was fabulous and the afternoon dragged on with too many “mountains” to climb. The Spanish kilometres sometimes seem out of whack! The walk offered a variety of walking conditions on small roads and footpaths including some steep sections along with some wonderful examples of rural Galician…
Distance Today: 24.7 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 183.6 km. Elevation Gain: 916 metres Weather: Overcast; cold Highlight: From Asturias to Galicia This was one of our longer walking days and (sorry to say) one of the less interesting ones in comparison with some of the others. Our impression of the day might have had a lot to do with the cold weather and the fact that there were few opportunities to stop for cafe con leche breaks. We just…
Distance Today: 13.4 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 158.9 km. Elevation Gain: 654 metres Weather: Sunny with cloudy periods; cool Highlight: Highway walking, scenic footpaths, and Castro When we left the Hotel Las Grandas this morning and hiked up the road en route to Grandas de Salime 5.8 km away, we had the best view of our hotel perched on the cliff and of the abandoned buildings used during the construction of the dam in the early 50s. There wasn’t…
Distance Today: 15.9 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 145.5 km. Elevation Gain: 550 metres (but what about the long descent?) Weather: Sunny; warm Highlight: Long descent! We began the morning with the best toast and coffee (tostadas y cafe) since our arrival in Spain at the Camino Primitivo Hostel in Berducedo. Thick slices of crusty toast were piping hot and came with butter. (YES!) And the cafe con leche grande was the biggest one yet! After walking only 4.5 km…
Distance Today: 20.9 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 129.6 km Elevation Gain: 1,080 metres. Weather: Sunny with a few clouds; cool Highlight: Expansive mountain vistas (It is finally time to catch up. We hope our blog followers don’t think we fell off the edge of the Earth! We are four days late posting anything because between Pola de Allande and A Fonsagrada the wi-fi was not strong enough to upload any maps or photos. Photos tell most of the story…
Distance Today: 16.5 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 108.7 km. Elevation Gain: 479 metres. Weather: Sunny with cloudy periods; cool Highlight: Worried about tomorrow… Today had the potential to be one of the most stunning days of any Camino but also one of the most challenging ones. We left Albergue Ricardo in Campiello just after 8 AM and about an hour later had to make a decision: follow the Hospitales route (recommended) or take the Pola route. The Hospitales option…
Distance Today: 15.1 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 92.2 km. Elevation Gain: 475 metres. Weather: Sun/clouds/fog; cool Highlights: Stunning scenery; Santa Maria de Obona Monastery This was the most stunning day on the Camino Primitivo so far and could very well be one of the best days ever – anywhere! When the sun shines after the rain, when you are warm after you’ve been cold, and when the muddy trails are drying up, good conditions are better appreciated – obviously!…
Distance Today: 13.4 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 77.1 km. Elevation Gain: 369 metres. Weather: Overcast/rain; cold Highlight: Mud Too bad we didn’t read the guidebook about today’s walk from La Espina to Tineo ahead of time. If we had, we would have been forewarned about what was to come. According to the book: The route leads along quiet country roads and forested footpaths, but beware that after rain the route into Tineo can turn from a pleasant stroll into…
Distance Today: 9.9 km Total Distance from Oviedo: 63.7 km. Elevation Gain: 565 metres. Weather: Overcast/rain; cold Highlight: Brutal climb good; weather bad! There were no ghosts, other apparitions, or fires last night at our albergue in Salas, so we had a good sleep and felt refreshed by morning. When it started getting light, the birds began chirping in unison like they’d all been switched on. It was no surprise that we woke up to rain as there was a…