Welcome to Our Camino Primitivo Blog
Pilgrimage on the Camino Primitivo
Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela
Welcome to our Camino Primitivo pilgrimage blog! Over 12 days in April and May, we completed this 320 km pilgrimage route from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. It was a wonderful experience that was unlike any of our previous pilgrimages over the years.
Thank you for reading, and 'Buen Camino '!
Camino Primitivo Itinerary and Stages
Into the Misty Mountains, Oviedo to Grado
Adopting the Way of the Snail, Grado to Salas
Stuck in the Middle with You, Salas to Tineo
Varying Options and Challenging Albergues, Tineo to Campiello
The Hospitales Route, Campiello to Berducedo
Switchbacking and Birding, Berducedo to Grandas de Salime
Chasing Windmills into Galicia, Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada
The Way is Up, Up, Up, A Fonsagrada to O Cadavo
Exhaustion and the Race for Beds, O Cadavo to Lugo
Exploring, Birding, and Eurovision in Lugo
Finding Balance and (Re)Finding our Way, Lugo to Ferreira
Coming Into Their Own and Scattered to the Wind, Ferreira to Arzúa
Triumph, Challenge, and Humbling Lessons, Arzúa to Santiago de Compostela
Pilgrimage From Madrid to Santiago Through the Mountains
Which Way: Comparing the Mountain Caminos of Northern Spain
The Northern Camino and the Popular Way : Comparing the Camino Primitivo and the Camino Francés
How Does Pilgrimage Change with Experience?
Reflections and Lessons from the Camino Primitivo
Nature Along the Way: Birds, Wildlife, and Pilgrims on the Camino Primitivo
Continuing Our Pilgrimage Journeys
Walking the Camino Primitivo from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela brought our extended pilgrimage across northern Spain to its conclusion. Over 12 days and approximately 320 kilometres, we travelled through the mountains and valleys of Asturias and Galicia, following ancient pathways, exploring historic communities, and experiencing some of the most challenging and memorable landscapes of our journey. From the exposed heights of the Hospitales Route to the forests, villages, and agricultural countryside farther west, the Camino Primitivo offered extraordinary opportunities to appreciate the natural world while reminding us that even experienced pilgrims still have much to learn.
By the time we reached Oviedo, we had already spent weeks walking across Spain. Our journey had begun on the Camino de Madrid, which carried us north through the mountains and agricultural landscapes of central Spain to Sahagún. After briefly rejoining the Camino Francés, we turned toward Asturias on the Camino de San Salvador, crossing another remarkable mountain landscape between León and Oviedo. Although these three routes formed one continuous pilgrimage, each had its own challenges, traditions, and character.
The Camino Primitivo also reminded us that familiarity with pilgrimage does not necessarily make every subsequent journey easier. We had learned a great deal from our previous Caminos, yet the realities of difficult terrain, changing weather, fatigue, accommodation pressures, and interactions with other pilgrims continued to test our patience and expectations. Reaching Santiago was rewarding, but some of the most important lessons of the journey came from those moments when experience alone was not enough.
For readers interested in what happens after reaching Santiago, we also invite you to explore our Camino Finisterre and Muxía pilgrimage. On that earlier journey, we continued west from Santiago toward the Atlantic Ocean, discovering another perspective on the meaning of arrival and the sometimes complicated experience of bringing a pilgrimage to an end.
Our journeys on the Camino de Madrid, San Salvador, and Primitivo are part of a much wider collection of pilgrimages and long-distance walks across Europe and Canada. For our other Camino adventures, Canadian trails, and journeys by trail, rail, and sail, we invite you to explore the Come Walk With Us travel collection.
Buen Camino, and see you on the Way!
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