Just wondering if anyone has walked at this time recently:
- how the accommodation was, and
- which variation you would recommend at the split with the Primitivo.
We walk about 20-25 km a day on average with some 30+ days if necessary.
Any additional advice would be most welcome. Many thanks in advance
For me, the deciding factor would be whether I was planning to walk the Salvador someday. If the answer is yes, then I would leave the Primitivo for later because Leon to Oviedo on the Salvador makes for a great combination with the Primitivo (and for those who want to walk longer caminos, you can add on Madrid to Sahagún on the Camino Madrid, then Sahagún to León on the Francés, and then Leon - Oviedo - Santiago). I did that once and it was also a great combination.
I most recently walked the Norte a few years ago, and I very much enjoyed the part after the Primitivo split. Some great coastal alternatives, some fabulous new albergues, and the inland part from Ribadeo down to Santiago is a nice change from so much coast. Not to say that I got tired of the coast, but it is a nice part — Mondoñedo is very pretty, and staying in the monastery at Sobrado is a highlight.
Even if you decide to stay on the Norte, I would also recommend the “dip” down to Oviedo and back up to Avilés. This avoids the industrial part between Gijón and Avilés. Plus it gives you the opportunity to spend some time in one of Spain’s most beautiful small cities, with some great pre-romanesque architecture, a cathedral, and a beautiful old town and urban center. The walk from Oviedo to Avilés is very nice, well marked and not industrial at all.
I agree with
@trecile that no matter how you plan it, you may find yourself pulled in the opposite direction once you get close to the split! But it’s still fun to plan out the options, at least for those of us who find that planning a camino is the next best thing to walking a camino.
I have a post with stages, and though some of them are too long for your preferences, some of the notes might be helpful — for instance, if you stay on the Norte, you can take a trip out to Playa Catedrales from Ribadeo — a beautiful place. We were lucky that low tide was around 7 or 8 pm when we walked and two cabs for 8 of us were very cheap.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-stages-on-the-norte-2017-one-year-late.55828/
As is usually the case with camino planning, the nice thing is that there are no bad choices! Buen camino, Laurie
