Apr – May 2023

Camino Primitivo

A 14-day adventure by Rhys Read more

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Trip start
April 30, 2023
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Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 7:14 PM
☁️ 17 °C
Altitude: 256 m
Spain Edificio Historico de la Universidad de Oviedo 43.363231, -5.84532643°21’48” N 5°50’43” W
Day 0: Oviedo
April 29, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Today I arrived in Oviedo, planning to spend the day relaxing and keeping off my feet before starting the Camino tomorrow morning. Fat chance!

I spent most of my day trying to get the official pilgrim passport which had become mysteriously hard to acquire, visiting various religious sites (some open, some closed) and making underhanded deals with priests to get what I needed.

But I am here, I have my official credential and the poles I sent ahead. After 17,000 steps on my "rest day" I'll be spending my evening doing nada.

I also tried a local delicacy for lunch called cachopo which is basically a jamon and cheese toastie where they use two steaks instead of bread. Now I'm round and slow.Read more
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Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 4:03 PM
☁️ 18 °C
Altitude: 95 m
Spain Grado 43.388716, -6.07226243°23’19” N 6°4’20” W
Day 1: Oviedo > Grado (26km)
April 30, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
We start with one of the longer days of hiking. I was surprised how scenic this walk was immediately, less than an hour from starting in the middle of the city it gets very green and cow-filled.

Highlights of the day other than the great views you can see in the photos:

- Cows, cows, cows
- Dogs, dogs, dogs
- Cats, cats, cats
- Almost stepping on a giant snake
- A jamon and queso sandwich for €2
- The first beer after reaching the hostel
- Getting the communal showers to myself so I don't have to cop an eye of too much sweaty sausage

Downside of the day:

-Top bunk

Now I'm off to the supermarket because it's labour day tomorrow and I don't want to run out of cheese and haribo.Read more
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Monday, May 1, 2023 at 9:26 PM
☁️ 15 °C
Altitude: 272 m
Spain Salas 43.41061, -6.2657343°24’38” N 6°15’57” W
Day 2: Grado > Salas (22km)
May 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Today was very hilly and I ate a lot of jamon.

Highlights:

- Jamon
- Baby horses
- Dragonflies
- Epic views
- Cows, cows, cows (even on a roundabout)

Lowlights:

- Bad sleep due to insane Frenchman
- So many hills
- So HOTRead more
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Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 8:50 PM
☁️ 19 °C
Altitude: 660 m
Spain Tineo 43.333749, -6.41614743°20’1” N 6°24’58” W
Day 3: Salas > Tineo (22 km)
May 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Day 3: Salas > Tineo (22 km)

I started the day like a gorilla in the most but rose above it, literally and figuratively, as you can see.

Easy walk today other than getting my ass kicked for an hour at the start but there are the beginnings of whisperings of blisters, so taking it easy this evening and giving my feet some love.

Highlights:

- Suspicious cats
- Free lunch
- Baby goats
- Cows, cows, cows

Lowlights:

- Angry foot
- Carrying a small supermarket on my back for no reason other than poor impulse control
- Suprise onion

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminoprimitivoRead more
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Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 4:22 PM
🌧 22 °C
Altitude: 760 m
Spain Colinas de Abajo 43.313232, -6.59224343°18’48” N 6°35’32” W
Day 4: Tineo > Colinas de Arriba (21k)
May 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 22 °C
Day 4: Tineo > Colinas de Arriba (21km)

Another reasonably relaxed one today though noone seemed to tell my feet that. I arrived at my hostel to find it has mini golf, but I don't want to stand for more than 2 mins at a time so I'll just be sitting here with a beer, hoying balls in by hand.

Highlights:

- Cat friend
- Donut time
- A Spanish person asked if I was Spanish
- Cows, cows cows
- Very green 💚
- Hostel with golf

Lowlights:

- Too much tarmac
- Not enough goats
- SO HOT

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminoprimitivoRead more
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Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 4:11 PM
☁️ 16 °C
Altitude: 902 m
Spain Berducedo 43.234158, -6.76703543°14’3” N 6°46’1” W
Day 5: Colinas > Berducedo (22km)
May 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
The most famous part of the route. I took the hospitales path which takes you high into the mountains with epic views. Weirdly today felt the easiest despite being up hill all day, probably because it was the first day that the sun was not actively trying to murder me.

Highlights:

- Views
- Avoiding the weird guy all day
- Cows, cows, cows
- Clouds

Lowlights:

- Splinter
- Lack of sleep due to insane snoring from above that sounded like someone trying to start a cat like a lawnmower

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminoprimitivoRead more
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Friday, May 5, 2023 at 6:31 PM
⛅ 19 °C
Altitude: 577 m
Spain Grandas de Salime 43.218029, -6.87579643°13’5” N 6°52’33” W
Day 6: Berducedo > Grandes (24km)
May 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Today consisted of wanging down a giant hill down to a dam and then wanging back up the other side to a nice little town.

10/10 would wang again.

Highlights:

- Frogs
- Omelette Sanger
- Hotel with balcony and my own room for first time
- Cute cat
- Cows, cows, cows
- Successful avoidance of Canadian serial killer

Lowlights:

- Dicky stomach
- Rumination
- Cat attack

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminoprimitivoRead more
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Saturday, May 6, 2023
☁️ 16 °C
Altitude: 978 m
Spain Fonsagrada 43.126914, -7.06651643°7’37” N 7°3’59” W
Day 7: Grandes > Fonsagrada (26.5km)
May 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
The wet one.

Highlights:

- Getting a "Buen Camino" from the most famously awful bar owner on the route. almost a smile but not quite...
- Waking up in my own room
- Home made pastries for breakfast
- New friends
- Not dying on the last hill

Lowlights:

- Rain
- New enemies
- Nearly dying on the last hill

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminoprimitivo #caminosantiago #caminosRead more
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Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:51 PM
☀️ 17 °C
Altitude: 720 m
Spain Cádabo 43.015783, -7.24587843°0’57” N 7°14’45” W
Day 8: Fontsagrada > O Cadavo (27.5km)
May 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
The famous leg wrecker day. Hours of downhill interspersed with some very steep climbs. Another day of slightly too beautiful weather leading to sunburnt hands of all things.

Highlights:

- Cute potato dogs
- World's largest sandwich
- Cookies for breakfast
- First full day in Galicia

Lowlights:

- Too much hill, thank you.
- The sun is trying to kill me

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminoprimitivoRead more
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Monday, May 8, 2023 at 7:31 PM
⛅ 21 °C
Altitude: 459 m
Spain Plaza Anxo Fernández Gómez 43.01273, -7.55035243°0’46” N 7°33’1” W
Day 9: 0 Cadavo > Lugo (30k)
May 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
A long walk back to civilization, where we have to pretend to be normal human beings again around the washed public.

Highlights:

- Playing photographer for a group of old ladies in a stream.
- Having a cat friend follow me for ages
- Chatting with new friends along the way
- Enterprising fruit stand guy with "pay what you want" melon oasis
- Amazing ice-cream upon arrival in Lugo
- Roman walls

Lowlights:

- A guy showed us his twig and berries outside a church
- Long-ass walk
- Sun trying to kill meRead more
Iloveyourcommentsjajajjaj [Gigi]
5/17/23ReplyTranslate
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Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at 6:41 PM
☀️ 16 °C
Altitude: 539 m
Spain Ferreira 42.949961, -7.81687342°56’60” N 7°49’1” W
Day 10: Lugo > Ferreira (27k)
May 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Completely uneventful and largely quite boring walk along roads. Things are starting already to look less like the Primitivo and more like the Francés, but some nice bits!

Highlights:

- I saw a stork flying around
- No-one flashed us today
- I have my own room in a converted animal shed
- Listened to an excellent episode of "Fall of civilizations" podcast

Lowlights:

- Walking along roads is boring
- Literally nothing interesting happened all dayRead more
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Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 4:47 PM
⛅ 17 °C
Altitude: 459 m
Spain Melide 42.913872, -8.0163742°54’50” N 8°0’59” W
Day 11: Ferreira > Melide (20k)
May 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
An easy day consisting mostly of playing with cats and eating a metric tonne of jamon.

Highlights:

- Sharing lunch with a cat
- Epic sando
- Short, easy walk

Lowlights:

- Too much road
- Joining the Francés route (full of yoot)

#camino #caminodesantiago #caminoprimitivoRead more
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Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 5:09 PM
☀️ 16 °C
Altitude: 353 m
Spain A Salceda 42.926543, -8.27945842°55’36” N 8°16’46” W
Day 12: Ferreira > Salcede (25k)
May 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
While it's still a pleasant enough experience, I can't say I'm enamoured with the route since it joined with the Francés. Way too many people and a different caliber of pilgrim... I'll say no more.

Highlights:

- Got through some interesting history podcasts while trying to ignore the chaos
- Some cute cats and dogs
- More toilets

Downsides:

- Route turned mostly to a concrete theme park

One more day to go! (Maybe)Read more
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Friday, May 12, 2023 at 2:58 PM
☁️ 15 °C
Altitude: 241 m
Spain Hostal dos Reis Católicos 42.881006, -8.546742°52’52” N 8°32’48” W
Day 13: Salceda > SdC (27.3km)
May 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
The final day walking. Somehow I managed to find a sweet spot between the masses of pilgrims from the French way and spent half my day in the quiet on a surprisingly green route to Santiago to Compostela.

I made it in fewer days than expected and now have a few to relax. Another post coming soon to close off this trip.

Highlights:

- Celebrating with new friends
- Best Tarta de Santiago of the whole trip
- Finishing the journey

Lowlights:

- Zero sleep due to snorer/sleep fighter below me
- Too many people in S.D.C
- Finishing the journeyRead more
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Trip end
May 13, 2023