Camino Primitivo De Santiago in the Steps of King Alfonso the Chaste
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Telephone: +44 (0) 1722 322 652 Email: [email protected] Camino Primitivo de Santiago In the steps of King Alfonso the Chaste https://www.onfootholidays.co.uk/routes/camino-primitivo-de-santiago/ Route Summary At a glance 14 nights (13 walking days) - the full route. Shortenable to 13 nights if you miss Campiello (see itinerary). For extra nights Oviedo, Lugo and of course Santiago are a must. How much walking? Full days: 14-33 km per day, 4-8 hrs walking Using shortening options: 14-27km per day, or less with local taxi use. Max. Grade: page 1/14 It is with some humility, and as a departure from our normal walking vision, that we at On Foot Holidays have decided to offer a version of the Camino de Santiago, the most famous group of walking routes in the world. Of huge historical significance and real and legitimate antiquity, these routes started after the certification in 813 AD that remains discovered in what is now Santiago by a hermit (later San Pelayo) were indeed the bones of the apostle St James the Greater, son of Zebedee. Whatever the reality, the discovery quickly assumed huge importance in the spiritual and political regeneration of not only Spain but the whole of Europe in the period after the Moorish conquests in Spain, and acted as a catalyst to the Reconquista. Ever since, pilgrims have been making their way on foot (and cycle) to the great cathedral at Santiago by various “Ways”, the most famous being the Camino Frances from France. The Camino Primitivo, as the name suggests, can lay reasonable claim to be the original and oldest, as King Alfonso the Chaste of Asturias made a pilgrimage along it in 814, a year after the discovery. Whether he followed the exact route is not known; but the wealth of churches and other evidence along the route suggests that it was something very close to it. Our choice is further vindicated by the relative beauty of the Camino Primitivo, compared with some endless stretches of the other routes, which can take mortification of the flesh to excess. Our route starts at Oviedo cathedral, and quickly climbs into the rolling Asturian Hills before, nine days after leaving Oviedo, reaching the Roman-walled town of Lugo. The countryside after Lugo is more gentle, and a further four days sees you at the centre of Santiago in the cathedral square, to rejoice with pilgrims from all over the world on the attainment of your goal. The grading of this walk (medium-hard) is more an attestation to the length of the days rather than ups-and-downs; the underfoot conditions are good in the main (prepared path for the final two days) and navigation via the famous scallop shells is easy. You can always shorten days by calling local taxis. If however you wish to obtain a “Compostela” on completion you need to comply with various conditions, notably that the final 100km must be completed on foot, and that you are walking with a “religious or spiritual purpose” Route Highlights ● The cathedral at Oviedo ● Salas and its castle ● The “Hospitales” ridge walk ● Longarela – the prettiest accommodation on the route ● Roman Lugo, its walls, little streets and cathedral ● The Galician countryside ● Santiago – not only the cathedral and the pilgrim atmosphere but the beautiful old town too We Recommend Attaining the Compostela, extra nights in Oviedo, Lugo and Santiago. Particularly good accommodation in Castroverde and As Seixas may also make an extra night worth considering. page 2/14 Grading Full days: 14-33 km per day, 4-8 hrs walking Using shortening options: 14-27km per day, or less with local taxi use. Long days, but on well-marked paths and excellent signage. Highest point on route: 1200m. No vertigo issues. Medium-hard: Average cumulative uphill stretches (CUSs) 600m (300m-900m) per day. Shortening options always available with local taxis (travelling with luggage not an option as these transfers are by carrier). GPX file available for handheld GPS or smartphone App for complete route. Important note: Times given for each day are walking times for an “average” walker and exclude stops. “CUSs” stands for “Cumulative Uphill Stretches” and measures the aggregated ascents in each day, expressed in metres of climb. See “Walk Grading” for more information. When to go Best months to walk: May, June, September, October Other possible months: April, July, August The shorter option from Lugo to Santiago can be done at any time of year; the weather in the Asturian Hills limits the walking season for the rest of the walk as shown below. We recommend May-June for flowers and October for autumn colour and pleasant walking conditions. July and August should be avoided as it can be very hot and the crowd of boisterous pilgrims may overwhelm. Try to be in Santiago on a Friday evening to enjoy the pilgrims' service in the cathedral, and when the Botafumeiro might be in full swing. Use the calendar below to see in more detail the best times to walk. NOTE: Xacobeo 2021 and 2022 2021 is a Camino de Santiago Holy Year which occurs when the Feast of St James (25 July) falls on a Sunday. St James is the patron saint of pilgrims and the camino, and therefore, this is a cause for great celebration. There will be lots of events, extra church services, and thousands more people flocking to the pilgrimage trails than in a normal year, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these celebrations have been extended into 2022 too. According to Jacobean tradition, pilgrims who walk to Santiago de Compostela during a Holy Year and Pass through the Holy Door of the Santiago Cathedral are forgiven all their sins. This is called a plenary indulgence and was started by Pope Calixto II. The very first Holy Year was in 1122, with Holy Years falling every 6,5,6 and 11 years. The next one is in 2027. Therefore, be prepared for hotels being busy and finding many more pilgrims on the way to Santiago. Please note: date ranges shown are for a 'normal' year. While Covid-19 restrictions remain, please contact us to discuss your plans and availability. Itinerary page 3/14 Day 1 - Arrive in Oviedo Arrive in Oviedo, settle into your hotel and wander around the old town and cathedral before supper and a good night's sleep before you start your journey. Day 2 - Oviedo to Grado An easy, if long, day’s walk – almost perfectly signed and some pleasant landscape for your introduction to Asturias. The first part of the day is often quiet asphalt, but the second boasts more variety, including cider orchards, some lovely country tracks-with-views and walking alongside the River Nalon. Short transfer to accommodation from Grado centre. (Medium-hard: 6½ hrs, 26km, CUSs 400m). Shorten with local taxi (various possible drop off points) Day 3 - Grado to Salas The first hour and a half of today’s walk is uphill to the pass at El Fresno, and then it’s a gradual descent for the most part. For much of the day you are on paths, sometimes shady in woodland, either within earshot of the road, or on it and frequently alongside rivers and streams. The major motorway bridge construction project interrupts the Camino before and after Cornellana. There is plenty of cultural interest – villages, the abbey outside Cornellana – but this is not a peaceful bucolic day, although it is pretty in part, and there are bars a-plenty to pause at. Your reward is historic Salas, and the knowledge that tomorrow you eventually leave behind the main roads. (Medium-hard: 5½ hrs, 23kms, CUSs 700m) Shorten with local taxi or bus to Cornellana (Easy: 3 hrs, 12km, CUSs 300m) Day 4 - Salas to Tineo Up a wooded valley out of the town, with a detour opportunity for waterfall viewing, to meet a main road. About 1km of road then off to meet an under-construction road before finally arriving at La Espina. After La Espina (shops and bars) the Camino follows quiet country roads and tracks. Pleasant for the first hour and from La Espina, with wide views across the valley. (Medium-hard: 5 hrs, 19km, CUSs 750m) Shorten with local taxi to La Espina (Easy: 3 hrs, 11km, CUSs 300m) Day 5 - Tineo to Campiello A very short day starts with a fabulous walk out of Tineo and up to the ridge via a balcony route with great views south. Then down on tracks and paths towards the abandoned but atmospheric Obona monastery. The final stretch into Campiello is an unavoidable asphalt haul, but you will be warmly welcomed on arrival by the legendary Herminia. (Easy-medium: 3½ hrs, 14km, CUSs 300m). Option Pre-arranged alternative: the short "Day 5", and the Campiello night, can be missed altogether with a lift from Tineo to either La Mortera for the high level Day 6 Hospitales route or to Pola for the lower level (perhaps bad weather) but equally enjoyable route, both joining at Puerto del Palo. This shortens the route by one night. page 4/14 Day 6 - Campiello to Berducedo - the Hospitales route Campiello to Berducedo. Rightly feted as one of the Camino Primitivo’s best sections with a remote 3 hour walk up to 1200m, fabulous 360 degree views once on the ridge and 3 ruined ‘hospitales’ to ponder on. The descent from Puerto del Palo to Montefurado is also famous, for all the wrong reasons (steep underfoot) but it is short, and thereafter the day is pleasant and undemandingly rural.